FUEL PROPERTY SENSOR ABNORMALITY DETERMINING DEVICE
First Claim
1. An abnormality determining device that determines an abnormality of a capacitance-type fuel property sensor having a detecting portion that detects a capacitance value of fuel to be measured, comprising:
- a fuel temperature identifying portion that obtains a temperature of the fuel to be measured at the detecting portion;
an obtaining portion that obtains a plurality of the capacitance values of the fuel to be measured, in which a property of fuel at the detecting portion is substantially the same or can be presumed to be substantially the same, at different obtained temperatures of the fuel to be measured; and
a determining portion that determines whether there is an abnormality in the fuel property sensor based on whether the plurality of capacitance values obtained by the obtaining portion are following a temperature characteristic of a capacitance value at the fuel property sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A plurality of capacitance values at different obtained fuel temperatures are obtained. Ethanol concentrations of fuel to be measured are obtained from these capacitance values after correcting for an amount of change in the capacitance values due to a temperature characteristic. The correction according to the temperature characteristic is realized according to a map stored in a control apparatus. It is determined that there is an abnormality in an alcohol concentration sensor if the difference among the obtained ethanol concentrations is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
16 Citations
9 Claims
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1. An abnormality determining device that determines an abnormality of a capacitance-type fuel property sensor having a detecting portion that detects a capacitance value of fuel to be measured, comprising:
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a fuel temperature identifying portion that obtains a temperature of the fuel to be measured at the detecting portion; an obtaining portion that obtains a plurality of the capacitance values of the fuel to be measured, in which a property of fuel at the detecting portion is substantially the same or can be presumed to be substantially the same, at different obtained temperatures of the fuel to be measured; and a determining portion that determines whether there is an abnormality in the fuel property sensor based on whether the plurality of capacitance values obtained by the obtaining portion are following a temperature characteristic of a capacitance value at the fuel property sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An abnormality determining method for determining an abnormality of a capacitance-type fuel property sensor that has a detecting portion that detects a capacitance value of fuel to be measured, comprising:
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obtaining a temperature of the fuel to be measured at the detecting portion; obtaining a plurality of the capacitance values at different obtained temperatures of the fuel to be measured; and determining whether there is an abnormality in the fuel property sensor based on whether the obtained plurality of capacitance values are following a temperature characteristic of a capacitance value at the fuel property sensor. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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Specification