EVAPORATION SYSTEM LEAK DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20120186333A1
• Filed: 01/16/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Yusaku, Ogawa, Yoshihide, Minamitani, Kazuhiro, Kawai, Satoshi, Douke, Toshio, Ogaki, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 8,950,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/40.5R
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0809 Judging failure of purge control system
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0818 having means for pressurising the evaporative emission space
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3263 using a differential pressure detector G01M3/3245, G01M3/3272 take precedence

Abstract

An evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus that purges fuel vapor from a fuel tank into an intake system of an internal combustion engine via a canister, includes: a first closed system leak diagnostic unit that executes a leak diagnostic on a first closed system based on a tank internal pressure detected by a tank internal pressure detecting device while the first closed system is formed with a first closed system forming device; and a second closed system leak diagnostic unit that introduces pressure in the first closed system into a second closed system by forming a second closed system with a second closed system forming device, and executes a leak diagnostic on the second closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, after the leak diagnostic by the first closed system leak diagnostic unit.

Claims

1. An evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus that purges fuel vapor from a fuel tank into an intake system of an internal combustion engine via a canister, comprising:

a tank internal pressure detecting device that detects a tank internal pressure of the fuel tank;

a first closed system forming device that forms a first closed system in which the fuel tank is closed off;

a second closed system forming device that forms a second closed system in which the canister and the fuel tank form a combined space that is closed off;

a first closed system leak diagnostic unit that executes a leak diagnostic on the first closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device while the first closed system is formed with the first closed system forming device; and

a second closed system leak diagnostic unit that introduces pressure in the first closed system into the second closed system by forming the second closed system with the second closed system forming device, and executes a leak diagnostic on the second closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, after the leak diagnostic by the first closed system leak diagnostic unit.

2. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first closed system leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic on the first closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, after a reference time has passed while the first closed system is formed with the first closed system forming device.

3. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first closed system leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic on the first closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, after a reference time has passed while the first closed system is formed with the first closed system forming device, and during a period of time from an on operation of an ignition switch until right before purging is first executed; and

the second closed system leak diagnostic unit introduces pressure in the first closed system into the second closed system by forming the second closed system with the second closed system forming device, and executes a leak diagnostic on the second closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device during the period of time until right before the purging is first executed, after the leak diagnostic by the first closed system leak diagnostic unit.

4. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first closed system leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic on the first closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, after a temperature that reflects a state of the internal combustion engine while the first closed system is formed with the first closed system forming device has reached a reference temperature.

5. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first closed system leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic on the first closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, after a temperature that reflects a state of the internal combustion engine while the first closed system is formed with the first closed system forming device and an ignition switch is off has reached a reference temperature; and

the second closed system leak diagnostic unit introduces pressure in the first closed system into the second closed system by forming the second closed system with the second closed system forming device, and executes a leak diagnostic on the second closed system based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device while the ignition switch is off, after the leak diagnostic by the first closed system leak diagnostic unit.

6. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second closed system leak diagnostic unit outputs a leak diagnostic result for the second closed system as a leak diagnostic result of a portion in the second closed system excluding the first closed system.

7. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second closed system leak diagnostic unit does not perform a leak diagnostic on the second closed system when it is diagnosed by the first closed system leak diagnostic unit that the first closed system has a leak abnormality.

8. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first closed system leak diagnostic unit and the second closed system leak diagnostic unit execute a leak diagnostic by determining whether the tank internal pressure is in a region near atmospheric pressure that has been set to include a pressure value of atmospheric pressure.

9. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a canister negative pressure maintaining unit that closes off the canister in a state in which negative pressure of the intake system has been introduced into the canister right before the internal combustion engine is stopped, and maintains the negative pressure generated in the intake system in the canister even after the internal combustion engine is stopped; and

a negative pressure replenishing leak diagnostic unit that, when it is determined by the leak diagnostic by the first closed system leak diagnostic unit that the tank internal pressure is in the region near atmospheric pressure, executes a leak diagnostic on at least the canister based on the tank internal pressure detected by the tank internal pressure detecting device, using the negative pressure maintained in the canister by the canister negative pressure maintaining unit.

10. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the negative pressure replenishing leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic on the canister based on a fluctuation pattern of the tank internal pressure that occurs in response to a switch from the first closed system to the second closed system.

11. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the fluctuation pattern is non-fluctuating, the negative pressure replenishing leak diagnostic unit forms the first closed system with the first closed system forming device and again executes a leak diagnostic on the first closed system.

12. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second closed system leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic based on a determination regarding a change in the tank internal pressure before and after the second closed system is formed.

13. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the second closed system leak diagnostic unit makes the determination regarding a change in the tank internal pressure by comparing the change in the tank internal pressure before and after the second closed system is formed, with a pressure change determining threshold value set based on a spatial volume change from the first closed system to the second closed system.

14. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second closed system leak diagnostic unit executes a leak diagnostic based on a determination of whether the tank internal pressure when the second closed system is formed is in a region near atmospheric pressure that has been set to include a pressure value of atmospheric pressure, and a determination regarding a change in the tank internal pressure before and after the second closed system is formed.

15. The evaporation system leak diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the second closed system leak diagnostic unit makes the determination regarding the change in the tank internal pressure by comparing the change in the tank internal pressure before and after the second closed system is formed, with a pressure change determining threshold value set based on a spatial volume change from the first closed system to the second closed system.