Reducing agent tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001399-B2
Application number	US-201314654412-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2013
Priority date	Dec 20, 2012
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A reducing agent tank for receiving and storing a reducing agent solution, with a filler pipe and a fill level sensor for determining the level of the aqueous reducing agent solution in the reducing agent tank. In order to create a reducing agent tank for receiving and storing an aqueous reducing agent solution that allows storage of the liquid pollutant-reducing medium and simultaneously enables reliable detection of incorrect filling of the tank, a first electrode and a second electrode are arranged in the filler pipe such that a liquid flowing into the reducing agent tank flows over the first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode coming into direct contact with the inflowing liquid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plastic reducing agent tank configured to receive and store a reducing agent solution, comprising:
a plastic filler neck;
a fill level sensor that determines a fill level of the reducing agent solution in the reducing agent tank; and
a first electrode and a second electrode each affixed in the filler neck by an injection molding process and each arranged transverse to a filling direction such that an inflowing liquid flowing into the reducing agent tank flows through the first electrode and the second electrode,
wherein the first electrode and the second electrode come into direct contact with the inflowing liquid to measure a conductivity of the inflowing liquid, and
wherein the first electrode is a first metallic mesh configured to filter solid contaminants from the inflowing liquid.

2. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fill level sensor is an ultrasonic fill level sensor.

3. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is a second metallic mesh.

4. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first and second electrodes span an entire cross section of the filler neck.

5. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes span an entire cross section of the filler neck.

6. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fill level sensor is configured to output a signal indicating a change in the fill level of the reducing agent solution to a control unit.

7. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the control unit determines a misfilling of the reducing agent tank based at least in part on the measured conductivity of the inflowing liquid.

8. The reducing agent tank as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the control unit is configured to initiate countermeasures for the protection of the exhaust-gas aftertreatment system based on the determination of the misfilling of the reducing agent tank.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Grass Phillippe

Classifications

• F01N2610/02

  the substance being ammonia or urea · CPC title

• F01N2900/1814

  Tank level · CPC title

• F01N2610/142

  Controlling the filling of the tank · CPC title

• F01N2610/148

  Arrangement of sensors · CPC title

• F01N2900/1806

  Properties of reducing agent or dosing system · CPC title