METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FUEL VAPOR CONTROL

• US 20120211087A1
• Filed: 02/22/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Jentz, Robert Roy, DeBastos, Timothy, Kerns, James Michael, Kluzner, Michael Igor, Dudar, Aed Mohammad
• Granted Patent: US 8,973,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/12
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/003 Adding fuel vapours, e.g. drawn from engine fuel reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0032 Controlling the purging of the canister as a function of the engine operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0809 Judging failure of purge control system
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/09 by monitoring pressure in fluid ducts, e.g. in lubrication or cooling parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0379 By fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7722 Line condition change responsive valves

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for monitoring a fuel vapor recovery system including a fuel tank isolation valve coupled between a fuel tank and a canister. During selected conditions, the valve is modulated and pressure pulsations in the fuel vapor recovery system are monitored. Valve degradation is identified based on correlations between the valve modulation and the resultant pressure pulsations.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a fuel vapor recovery system, comprising,

modulating a fuel tank isolation valve (FTIV) coupled between a fuel tank and a canister of the fuel vapor recovery system;

and

indicating FTIV degradation based on pressure pulsations upstream and/or downstream of the FTIV responsive to the modulation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulation is performed during an engine-off condition in response to obtaining a threshold pressure difference across the FTIV.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication includes,

during a first condition when the pressure difference across the FTIV is higher, indicating FTIV degradation based on pressure pulsations only upstream, or only downstream, of the FTIV;

and

during a second condition when the pressure difference across the FTIV is lower, indicating FTIV degradation based on pressure pulsations upstream and downstream of the FTIV.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the modulation includes intermittently opening the FTIV with a duty cycle based on a bandwidth of the valve, wherein an increased modulation duty cycle is applied during higher pressure differential conditions, and a decreased modulation duty cycle is applied during lower pressure differential conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure pulsations upstream of the FTIV are estimated by a first pressure sensor coupled to the fuel tank, and wherein the pressure pulsations downstream of the FTIV are estimated by a second pressure sensor coupled to the canister.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication includes, indicating degradation if a frequency ratio of pressure pulses to valve pulses is lower than a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication includes, filtering the pressure pulsations through a first, band-pass filter and a second, notch filter, and indicating degradation if a difference between an output from the first and second filter is less than a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulation is a periodic modulation at a selected frequency, and the indication is based on an amplitude of the pressure pulsations at the selected frequency.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to FTIV degradation, disabling leak detection in the fuel vapor recovery system for a duration.

10. An emission control system, comprising,

a fuel tank;

a canister configured to store fuel vapors,

a fuel tank isolation valve coupled between the fuel tank and the canister;

a first pressure sensor coupled to the fuel tank to estimate a fuel tank pressure;

a second pressure sensor coupled to the canister to estimate a canister pressure; and

a control system with computer readable instructions for,

during a first engine-off diurnal cycle, when a pressure difference across the valve is greater than a pressure threshold,

modulating the valve (FTIV) with a duty cycle; and

indicating valve degradation based on pressure pulsations estimated by the first and/or second pressure sensor responsive to the modulation.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the control system further includes instructions for, disabling leak detection of the emission control system during a second, subsequent engine-off diurnal cycle in response to an indication of valve degradation;

and

enabling leak detection of the emission control system during the second diurnal cycle in response to an indication of no valve degradation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a frequency of the modulation is based on a bandwidth of the valve, and the duty cycle of the modulation is based on the pressure difference across the valve.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the duty cycle is higher when the pressure difference across the valve is higher, and wherein the duty cycle is lower when the pressure difference across the valve is lower.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the indication includes, indicating valve degradation responsive to a frequency ratio of the modulation to the pressure pulsations being lower than a threshold.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the indication includes, indicating valve degradation responsive to a difference between a first output of the pressure pulsations through a first band-pass filter and a second output of the pressure pulsations through a second notch filter being larger than a threshold.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the control system further includes instructions for, aborting the modulation in response to one of an engine restart request, a refueling request, and a canister purging request.

17. A method of operating a fuel vapor recovery system including a fuel tank coupled to a canister through a fuel tank isolation valve, comprising,

during a first engine-off diurnal cycle, with a pressure difference across the valve being higher than a threshold,

modulating the valve with a duty cycle based on a bandwidth of the valve;

and

indicating valve degradation based on pressure pulsations upstream and/or downstream of the valve responsive to the modulation; and

during a second engine-off diurnal cycle, immediately following the first diurnal cycle, performing a leak detection operation if no valve degradation is indicated in the first diurnal cycle.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, stopping valve modulation in response to one or more of an engine restart request and a canister purge request.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the pressure pulsations are estimated by a pressure sensor coupled to at least one of the fuel tank and the canister.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein,

during a first condition, the indication is based on a frequency ratio of the pressure pulsations to the valve modulation;

during a second condition, the indication is based on a difference between an output of the pressure pulsations through a band-pass filter and a notch filter; and

during a third condition, the indication is based on each of the frequency ratio and the difference.