Method for manufacturing a tank with a calibrated sensor

• US 10,145,722 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Bauer, Peter, Hodgson, Jan, Mesmer, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BRANDON DONGPA
• Application Number:
  US14/909,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20160216149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2066 Selective catalytic reduction [SCR]
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/296 Acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2962 Measuring transit time of reflected waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/0084 for measuring volume
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/20 of apparatus for measuring liquid level

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a tank for a motor vehicle for storing a liquid additive with a calibrated sensor for determining at least one parameter of the liquid additive in the tank. In a step a) the sensor is installed in the tank. In a step b) the tank is at least partially filled with a predefined quantity of a test liquid. In a step c) a signal of the sensor is determined, and in a step d) the sensor is calibrated with the signal.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a tank for a motor vehicle for storing a liquid additive, the method comprising:

installing at least one filling level sensor for determining a filling level of the liquid additive in the tank;

at least partially filling the tank with a predefined quantity of a test liquid;

determining a signal of the sensor indicating the filling level of the test liquid in the tank;

calibrating the sensor using a correction value obtained by comparing a reference signal with the signal of the sensor indicating the filling level of the test liquid in the tank;

emptying the test liquid from the tank after performing the step of calibrating the sensor; and

adding the liquid additive to the tank after performing the step of emptying the tank;

wherein the test liquid is water and is not a urea-water solution, and the liquid additive is the urea-water solution; and

wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises carrying out all of the steps of claim 1 during a manufacture of the motor vehicle, after the tank has been installed in the motor vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tank is formed with at least one reference surface arranged in such a way that a measuring section is located between the ultrasonic sensor and the at least one reference surface in a bottom region of the tank, so as to enable, even in the case of low filling levels in the tank, a measurement of a transit time of an ultrasonic signal through the measuring section, from the ultrasonic sensor to the reference surface and back.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tank is a tank fabricated by an injection molding method.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to determine at least one of the following properties of the liquid additive:

a concentration of a component in the liquid additive;

a chemical property of the liquid additive; and

a physical property of the liquid additive.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic sensor is configured for emitting an ultrasonic signal, and the step of determining includes using at least one deflector to horizontally deflect the ultrasonic signal of the ultrasonic sensor.