Motor vehicle comprising a water provision unit and method for operating a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11761404-B2
Application number	US-202017641629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2020
Priority date	Sep 16, 2019
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A motor vehicle including a water provision unit for providing water to at least one water consumer. Here, a water collection tank, a primary water tank and at least one secondary water tank are provided. The water collection tank is or can be fluidically connected to a water source and the primary water tank, bypassing the water collection tank and the secondary water tank, is fluidically connected to the at least one water consumer. The water collection tank is fluidically connected both directly and indirectly via the at least one secondary water tank to the primary water tank, and the water provision unit includes a water conveying unit which is provided and designed for conveying the water out of the water collection tank in direction of the primary water tank by a gaseous conveying medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle comprising a water provision unit for providing water to at least one water consumer, the water provision unit comprising:
a series, fluidic connection of a water collection tank, at least one secondary water tank, a primary water tank, and the at least one water consumer, in that order,
a connection line which extends between and fluidically connects the water collection tank directly to the at least one secondary water tank,
a bypass line which extends between and fluidically connects the primary water tank directly to the connection line, and
a conveying unit which is configured to convey the water from the water collection tank towards the primary water tank via a gaseous conveying medium.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the primary water tank is fluidically connected directly to the at least one water consumer via an extraction line which has a larger line cross section than the connection line and/or than a supply line via which the primary water tank is fluidically connected directly to the at least one secondary water tank.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a working water tank is fluidically interposed between the primary water tank and the at least one water consumer.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the primary water tank is fluidically connected directly to the working water tank via an extraction line which has a larger line cross section than the connection line and/or a supply line via which the primary water tank is fluidically connected to the at least one secondary water tank, and
wherein the working water tank is fluidically connected to the at least one water consumer via a feed line which has a smaller line cross section than the extraction line.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the primary water tank is heated and the at least one secondary water tank and the water collection tank are unheated.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connection line comprises a filter.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a switching valve is arranged on the bypass line for controlling flow through the bypass line.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying unit is an under-pressure pump directly connected to the primary water tank which creates a negative pressure that draws or sucks the water towards the primary water tank.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying unit is an over-pressure pump directly connected to the water collection tank which creates a positive pressure that pushes the water towards the primary water tank.

10. A method for operating the motor vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising:
conveying the water from the water collection tank towards the primary water tank using the conveying unit.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connection line comprises an ion exchanger.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connection line comprises a performance sensor.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the connection line comprises a flushing pump.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the conveying unit is an under-pressure pump directly connected to the working water tank which creates a negative pressure that draws or sucks the water towards the working water tank.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying unit is an over-pressure pump directly connected to one or more of the at least one secondary water tank which creates a positive pressure that pushes the water towards the primary water tank.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying unit is an over-pressure pump directly connected to each of the water collection tank, the at least one secondary water tank, and the primary water tank which creates a positive pressure that pushes the water towards the primary water tank.

17. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one water consumer comprises a water injector for a drive unit of the motor vehicle.

18. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one water consumer comprises a windshield cleaning unit of the motor vehicle.

19. The motor vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein a conveying pump, separate from the conveying unit, is fluidically arranged between the working water tank and the at least one water consumer and is configured to pump water from the working water tank into the at least one water consumer.

20. The motor vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein one or more of the primary water tank and the at least one secondary water tank are provided with overpressure valves.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Hanisch Thomas

Classifications

• B60S1/50 Primary

  Arrangement of reservoir · CPC title

• F02M25/0222 Primary

  Water recovery or storage · CPC title

• F02M25/0224 Primary

  Water treatment or cleaning (F02M25/032 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02M25/025

  Adding water · CPC title

• C02F1/001

  Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance (C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00) · CPC title