US-20260126407-A1 - APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING MOISTURE

US20260126407A1US 20260126407 A1US20260126407 A1US 20260126407A1US-20260126407-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for detecting moisture in brake fluid of vehicle brake systems. A moisture detection apparatus comprises a moisture detection module configured to output a signal based on moisture content of brake fluid stored in a reservoir, and a controller configured to identify the moisture content of the pressurized medium based on the output signal. The moisture detection module comprises a substrate, a plurality of electrode patterns provided on the substrate and configured to be submerged in the brake fluid, a connector provided on the reservoir and connected to the controller, and a signal line connecting the electrode patterns and the connector. The controller generates a monitoring signal based on output signals from the electrode patterns, compares the monitoring signal with preset reference data, and identifies the moisture content based on the comparison result.

Inventors

Hanjun Lee

Assignees

HL MANDO CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251105
Priority Date: 20241105

Claims (20)

1 . An apparatus for detecting moisture, comprising: a moisture detection module configured to output a signal based on moisture content of a pressurized medium stored in a reservoir; and a controller configured to identify the moisture content of the pressurized medium based on an output signal of the moisture detection module, wherein the moisture detection module comprises: a substrate; a plurality of electrode patterns provided on the substrate and configured to be submerged in the pressurized medium; a connector provided on one side of the reservoir and connected to the controller; and a signal line connecting the plurality of electrode patterns and the connector, wherein the controller is configured to: generate a monitoring signal based on an output signal of at least one of the plurality of electrode patterns; compare the monitoring signal with preset reference data; and identify the moisture content of the pressurized medium based on a comparison result.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reference data comprises at least one of a reference voltage level, a reference current level, and a reference matching resistance value between the plurality of electrode patterns corresponding to the moisture content of the pressurized medium.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a memory storing a lookup table in which the reference data is recorded.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrode patterns comprise: a first electrode pattern provided on at least one surface of the substrate and configured to receive a reference voltage; and a second electrode pattern provided on the at least one surface of the substrate spaced apart from the first electrode pattern and configured to output a signal based on the moisture content of the pressurized medium.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of electrode patterns further comprise: a third electrode pattern provided on another surface of the substrate and configured to receive the reference voltage; and a fourth electrode pattern provided on the other surface of the substrate and configured to output a signal based on the moisture content of the pressurized medium.
6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to generate the monitoring signal based on a signal output from the second electrode pattern by a resistance formed between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrode patterns comprise: a first electrode pattern provided on one surface of the substrate and configured to receive a reference voltage; and a second electrode pattern provided on another surface of the substrate and configured to output a signal based on the moisture content of the pressurized medium.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the connector is integrally provided on a reservoir cap coupled to an upper end of the reservoir.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of electrode patterns extends linearly along one axial direction of the substrate, and the substrate is vertically arranged based on connection of the connector and the signal line.
10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the moisture detection module is configured to output a signal based on a change in level of the pressurized medium.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to output a warning signal when the moisture content of the pressurized medium exceeds a preset threshold value.
12 . A method for detecting moisture content of a pressurized medium by a moisture detection apparatus, the method comprising: applying a reference voltage to at least one of a plurality of electrode patterns; monitoring an electrical characteristic between an electrode pattern to which the reference voltage is applied and an electrode pattern corresponding to the electrode pattern to which the reference voltage is applied; generating a monitoring signal based on the monitored electrical characteristic; comparing the monitoring signal with preset reference data; and identifying the moisture content of the pressurized medium based on a comparison result.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the reference data comprises at least one of a reference voltage level, a reference current level, and a reference matching resistance value between the electrode patterns corresponding to the moisture content of the pressurized medium.
14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the applying of the reference voltage comprises applying the reference voltage to a first electrode pattern disposed on at least one surface of a substrate among the plurality of electrode patterns.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the generating of the monitoring signal comprises generating the monitoring signal based on a signal output from a second electrode pattern disposed spaced apart from the first electrode pattern.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern are provided on one surface of the substrate or are respectively provided on different surfaces of the substrate.
17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of electrode patterns extend linearly along one axial direction of a substrate, and the substrate is vertically arranged based on connection with a connector integrally provided on a reservoir cap coupled to an upper end of a reservoir.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the generating of the monitoring signal comprises additionally monitoring a signal based on a change in level of the pressurized medium.
19 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: outputting a warning signal when the moisture content of the pressurized medium exceeds a preset threshold value.
20 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: storing a change trend of the identified moisture content; and predicting a replacement time of the pressurized medium based on the stored change trend.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO PARENT APPLICATIONS Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), this application claims the benefit of earlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2024-0155700, filed on November 5, 2024, and 10-2025-0036150, filed on March 20, 2025, the contents of which are all hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. BACKGROUND A braking system is one of the most important elements in a vehicle and is directly related to the life of a driver, so robust design to prevent failures is essential. Recently, electronic brake systems with backup functions have been developed by applying redundancy circuit design, but there is still a disadvantage in that risks such as vapor lock persist because the power source remains a hydraulic system. Vapor lock is a phenomenon in which the braking force drops sharply because normal pressure cannot be formed during braking due to bubble generation in the brake oil, and is one of the typical defects of brakes. The fundamental cause of this phenomenon is that when moisture enters the oil, the boiling point is lowered and it is easily vaporized under high temperature conditions. Generally, when the moisture content exceeds three percent, it is recommended to replace the entire oil. However, a method for self-diagnosing the quality of oil in a vehicle is not currently applied, and as a result, the driver must continuously perform preventive maintenance to prevent brake failure due to vapor lock. SUMMARY The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily understood and apparent from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and from the claims which are appended to the end of the detailed description. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, An apparatus for detecting moisture, comprises a moisture detection module configured to output a signal based on moisture content of a pressurized medium stored in a reservoir, and a controller configured to identify the moisture content of the pressurized medium based on an output signal of the moisture detection module, wherein the moisture detection module comprises a substrate, a plurality of electrode patterns provided on the substrate and configured to be submerged in the pressurized medium, a connector provided on one side of the reservoir and connected to the controller, and a signal line connecting the plurality of electrode patterns and the connector, wherein the controller is configured to generate a monitoring signal based on an output signal of at least one of the plurality of electrode patterns, compare the monitoring signal with preset reference data, and identify the moisture content of the pressurized medium based on a comparison result. The reference data may include at least one of a reference voltage level, a reference current level, and a reference matching resistance value between the plurality of electrode patterns corresponding to the moisture content of the pressurized medium. The controller may include a memory storing a lookup table in which the reference data is recorded. The plurality of electrode patterns may include a first electrode pattern provided on at least one surface of the substrate and to which a reference voltage is applied, and a second electrode pattern provided on at least one surface of the substrate spaced apart from the first electrode pattern and configured to output a signal based on the moisture content of the pressurized medium. The plurality of electrode patterns may further include a third electrode pattern provided on another surface of the substrate and to which the reference voltage is applied, and a fourth electrode pattern provided on the other surface of the substrate and configured to output a signal based on the moisture content of the pressurized medium. The controller may generate the monitoring signal based on a signal output from the second electrode pattern by a resistance formed between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern. The plurality of electrode patterns may include a first electrode pattern provided on one surface of the substrate and to which a reference voltage is applied, and a second electrode pattern provided on another surface of the substrate and configured to output a signal based on the moisture content of the pressurized medium. The connector may be integrally provided on a reservoir cap coupled to an upper end of the reservoir. Each of the plurality of electrode patterns may extend linearly along one axial direction of the substrate, and the substrate may be vertically arranged based on connection of the connector and the signal line. The moisture detection module may output a signal based on a change in level of the pressurized medium. The controller may output a warning signal when the moisture content of the pressurized medium exceeds a preset threshold value. According to some embodi