Patent Publication Number: US-2023140942-A1

Title: Pressure regulator and method for regulating the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0151969, filed on Nov. 8, 2021 the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Present Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to a pressure regulator for preventing an occurrence of dew condensation inside a component. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     The role of an electrification component such as a motor, Hybrid Starter &amp; Generator (HSG), Hybrid Power Control Unit (HPCU), and On-Board Charger (OBC) is very important, because eco-friendly vehicles (electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles) use electrical energy. 
     During operation of such an electrification component, temperature and pressure inside the electrification component inevitably rise due to the supply of current. In the instant case, dew condensation may occur inside the electrification component due to external environmental conditions (low temperature or high humidity). Because the electrification component operates by receiving electrical energy, preparation is required so that the dew condensation does not occur inside the electrification component. 
     The information included in this Background of the present disclosure is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the present disclosure and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to providing a pressure regulator and a method for regulating the same for predicting the occurrence of the dew condensation inside components of a vehicle so that the cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation is removed in advance before the occurrence of the dew condensation. 
     Additional aspects of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present disclosure. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a pressure regulator provided on a component of a vehicle to discharge gas inside the component to outside of the component includes a case in which an opening is provided at a first end portion of the case, an outlet is provided at a second end portion of the case, and the opening is provided to be inserted into a housing of the component, a fan provided inside the case and a filter provided inside the case, the filter allowing gas to be discharged from the inside of the component to the outside of the component while blocking inflow of moisture from the outside of the component to the inside of the component. 
     The pressure regulator may further include a controller electrically connected to the fan and provided to regulate driving and rotation speed of the fan, wherein the controller, when an occurrence of dew condensation inside the component is predicted, may drive the fan so that the gas inside the component is discharged to the outside of the component to remove a condition for the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component. 
     In the above-mentioned pressure regulator, the fan may be provided so that an airflow from the inside of the component toward the outside of the component is formed by rotation of the fan. 
     In the above-mentioned pressure regulator, the filter may include a membrane film. 
     In the above-mentioned pressure regulator, the component may include an electrification component of the vehicle. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of regulating a pressure regulator including a case in which an opening is provided at a first end portion of the case, an outlet is provided at a second end portion of the case, and the opening is provided to be inserted into a housing of the component, a fan provided inside the case, and a filter provided inside the case and configured to allow gas to be discharged from inside of the component to outside of the component while blocking inflow of moisture from the outside of the component to the inside of the component includes predicting an occurrence of dew condensation inside the component; and when the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component is predicted, removing a condition for the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component by driving the fan to allow gas inside the component to be discharged to the outside of the component. 
     In the above-mentioned method for regulating the pressure regulator, rotation speed of the fan may be variably regulated according to a condition for the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component. 
     In the above-mentioned method for regulating the pressure regulator, the fan may be provided so that an airflow from the inside of the component toward the outside of the component is formed by rotation of the fan. 
     In the above-mentioned method for regulating the pressure regulator, the filter may include a membrane film. 
     In the above-described control method for the pressure regulator, the component may include an electrification component of the vehicle. 
     According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of regulating a pressure regulator including a case in which an opening is provided at a first end portion of the case, an outlet is provided at a second end portion of the case, and the opening is provided to be inserted into a housing of the component, a fan provided inside the case, and a filter provided inside the case and configured to allow gas to be discharged from inside of the component to outside of the component while blocking inflow of moisture from the outside of the component to the inside of the component includes predicting an occurrence of dew condensation inside the component; when the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component is predicted, removing a condition for the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component by driving the fan during a predetermined time to allow gas inside the component to be discharged to the outside of the component; and outputting an alarm and stopping driving the fan when a cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the component is not removed during the predetermined time. 
     The methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a drawing illustrating a structure of a pressure regulator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and a coupling state with an electrification component. 
         FIG.  2    is a drawing illustrating a control system for regulating the pressure regulator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a drawing illustrating a method of regulating the pressure regulator for preventing the dew condensation of the electrification component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the present disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure as included herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intended application and use environment. 
     In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present disclosure throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present disclosure(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present disclosure(s) to those exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. On the other hand, the present disclosure(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 
       FIG.  1    is a drawing illustrating a structure of a pressure regulator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and a coupling state with an electrification component. 
     In  FIG.  1   , an electrification component  100  may be provided in a sealed type. A pressure regulator  110  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is coupled to a housing  102  of the electrification component  100  through a hole  104  provided on one side of the housing  102  of the electrification component  100 . 
     The pressure regulator  110  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be formed by combining a first case  112  including a space therein and a second case  114  for blocking one side of the first case  112 . An outlet  122  is perforated in an upper portion of the first case  112  so that a fluid such as air and moisture may be discharged. That is, an opening of one end portion of the pressure regulator  110  may be provided to be inserted into the housing  102  of the electrification component  100 , and the outlet  122  may be formed at the other end portion of the pressure regulator  110 , so that air inside the electrification component  100  may be discharged through the outlet  122  of the pressure regulator  110 . 
     An O-Ring  120  may be located between the first case  112  of the pressure regulator  110  and the housing  102  of the electrification component  100 , and the O-ring  120  may be sealed. By the sealing action of the O-ring  120 , a gap between the pressure regulator  110  and the electrification component  100  may be sealed. 
     A motor and a blade forming a fan  118  may be provided on the internal surface of the second case  114 . When the fan  118  rotates, a fluid flow may be formed from the inside of the electrification component  100  toward the outside of the electrification component  100  through the hole  104 . When the rotation speed of the fan  118  is high, the flow of the fluid may be fast, and conversely, when the rotation speed of the fan  118  is low, the flow of the fluid may be slowed down. 
     Inside the first case  112  of the pressure regulator  110  a membrane film  116  may be provided on an upstream side (a front side) of the fan  118 . The membrane film  116  is configured as a filter that allows the gas moving from the inside of the electrification component  100  to the outside of the electrification component  100  by the fan  118  to pass therethrough, but filters out moisture moving from the outside of the electrification component  100  to the inside of the electrification component  100 . That is, by the action of the membrane film  116 , the gas inside the electrification component  100  may be easily discharged to the outside of the electrification component  100 , but moisture and gas outside the electrification component  100  may not easily flow into the inside of the electrification component  100 . 
     A direct current (DC) voltage of 12V may be applied to the motor forming the fan  118 . The rotation speed of the fan  118  may be variably regulated through pulse width modulation (PWM) of a DC voltage of 12V. 
     In the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in consideration of temperature, humidity, and pressure inside the electrification component  100 , and the temperature, humidity, and pressure outside the electrification component  100  in a complex manner, the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  may be predicted in advance, it is determined whether to drive the fan  118  according to the prediction result, and the rotation speed is variably regulated, to prevent the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electric component  100  in advance due to temperature, humidity, and pressure. The characteristic of preventing the occurrence of the dew condensation in advance will be described in detail with reference to  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3    to be described below. 
       FIG.  2    is a drawing illustrating a control system for regulating the pressure regulator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , an internal temperature sensor  210 , an external temperature sensor  220 , and an external humidity sensor  230  may be communicatively connected to an input side of a controller  202  provided to regulate the pressure regulator  110 . The internal temperature sensor  210  may be provided to measure the internal temperature of the electrification component  100 . The external temperature sensor  220  may be provided to measure the external temperature of the electrification component  100 . The external humidity sensor  230  may be provided to measure the external humidity of the electrification component  100 . Information on the temperature or humidity measured by the internal temperature sensor  210 , the external temperature sensor  220 , and the external humidity sensor  230  may be transmitted to the controller  202 . 
     The controller  202  may predict whether the dew condensation occurs inside the electrification component  100  based on the information of the temperature or humidity measured by the internal temperature sensor  210 , the external temperature sensor  220 , and the external humidity sensor  230 . When the occurrence of the dew condensation is predicted, the controller may drive the fan  118  of the pressure regulator  110  and regulate the rotation speed of the fan  118  to take precautions in advance so that the condition inside the electrification component  100  is removed out of the dew condensation. To the present end, the controller  202  may variably control the power supplied to the motor of the fan  118  by generating a pulse width modulation signal for variably regulating the rotation speed of the fan  118 . 
       FIG.  3    is a drawing illustrating a method for regulating the pressure regulator for preventing the dew condensation of the electrification component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     The controller  202  may monitor the internal temperature, external temperature, and external humidity of the electrification component  100  in real time through the internal temperature sensor  210 , the external temperature sensor  220 , and the external humidity sensor  230  ( 302 ). 
     Furthermore, the controller  202  may predict an occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  from the result of real-time monitoring of the internal temperature, external temperature, and external humidity of the electrification component  100  ( 304 ). That is, the controller  202  may confirm whether the humidity inside the electrification component  100  is saturated or unsaturated through the determination of a formula provided in advance based on the internal temperature, the external temperature, and the external humidity of the electrification component  100 . When the humidity inside the electrification component  100  is close to the saturation condition, the controller  202  may predict that there is a possibility of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100 . Conversely, when the humidity inside the electrification component  100  is an unsaturated condition, the controller may predict that there is not a possibility of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100 . To the present end, a reference value for classifying the saturated condition or the unsaturated condition may be set in advance, and when an internal humidity of the electrification component  100  exceeds the reference value, the internal humidity is recognized as near to the saturation condition and the controller  202  may predict that there is a possibility of the occurrence of the dew condensation. Conversely, when an internal humidity of the electrification component  100  does not exceed the reference value, the controller  202  may predict that there is not a possibility of occurrence of the dew condensation. To predict the occurrence of the dew condensation, not only the internal humidity of the electrification component  100  but also the internal temperature, the external temperature, and the external humidity may be considered in combination. 
     When there is a possibility of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  (Yes in operation  306 ), the controller  202  may drive the fan  118  of the pressure regulator  110  so that the air inside the electrification component  100  is discharged to the outside ( 308 ). When the temperature, pressure, and humidity inside the electrification component  100  may be lowered by the air discharge through the pressure regulator  110 , the cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  may be removed. In the instant case, the controller  202  may variably control the rotation speed of the fan  118  of the pressure regulator  110  according to the temperature inside the electrification component  100 . Furthermore, when the internal temperature of the electrification component  100  rises, the controller  202  may discharge the internal heat of the electrification component  100  to the outside by driving the fan  118 . Furthermore, when the internal temperature of the electrification component  100  decreases, the moisture from the outside of the electrification component  100  may not flow into the inside of the electrification component  100  by the action of the membrane film  116 . 
     When there is not a possibility of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  (No in operation  306 ), the controller  202  may return to  302 , and the internal temperature, external temperature, and external humidity of the electrification component  100  may be continuously monitored in real time through the internal temperature sensor  210 , the external temperature sensor  220 , and the external humidity sensor  230 . 
     When the temperature, humidity, and pressure inside the electrification component  100  are lowered through driving the fan  118  of the pressure regulator  110 , and the cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  are removed (Yes in operation  310 ), so that the controller  202  may stop driving the fan  118  of the pressure regulator  110 . When the cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation inside the electrification component  100  is not removed (No in  310 ), the controller  202  may control the fan  118  of the pressure regulator  110  until the cause of the occurrence of condensation is removed continuously. Alternatively, the controller  202  may output an alarm and stop driving the fan  118  when the cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation in the electrification component  100  is not removed despite driving the fan  118  during a predetermined time period. 
     The present disclosure may provide a pressure regulator and a method for regulating the same for predicting the occurrence of dew condensation inside a component of a vehicle in advance so that the cause of the occurrence of the dew condensation is removed in advance before the occurrence of dew condensation. 
     Furthermore, the term related to a control device such as “controller”, “control apparatus”, “control unit”, “control device”, “control module”, or “server”, etc refers to a hardware device including a memory and a processor configured to execute one or more steps interpreted as an algorithm structure. The memory stores algorithm steps, and the processor executes the algorithm steps to perform one or more processes of a method in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The control device according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented through a nonvolatile memory configured to store algorithms for controlling operation of various components of a vehicle or data about software commands for executing the algorithms, and a processor configured to perform operation to be described above using the data stored in the memory. The memory and the processor may be individual chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor may be integrated in a single chip. The processor may be implemented as one or more processors. The processor may include various logic circuits and operation circuits, may process data according to a program provided from the memory, and may generate a control signal according to the processing result. 
     The control device may be at least one microprocessor operated by a predetermined program which may include a series of commands for carrying out the method included in the aforementioned various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     The aforementioned invention can also be embodied as computer readable codes on a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium is any data storage device that can store data which may be thereafter read by a computer system and store and execute program instructions which may be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable recording medium include Hard Disk Drive (HDD), solid state disk (SSD), silicon disk drive (SDD), read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy discs, optical data storage devices, etc and implementation as carrier waves (e.g., transmission over the Internet). Examples of the program instruction include machine language code such as those generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code which may be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. 
     In various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, each operation described above may be performed by a control device, and the control device may be configured by multiple control devices, or an integrated single control device. 
     In various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the control device may be implemented in a form of hardware or software, or may be implemented in a combination of hardware and software. 
     Furthermore, the terms such as “unit”, “module”, etc. included in the specification mean units for processing at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. 
     For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “up”, “down”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”, “inside”, “outside”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “interior”, “exterior”, “internal”, “external”, “forwards”, and “backwards” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be further understood that the term “connect” or its derivatives refer both to direct and indirect connection. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the present disclosure and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.