METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A TANK VENTILATION SYSTEM

• US 20130213366A1
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Weigl, Manfred
• Granted Patent: US 9,556,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/520
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0042 Controlling the combustible mixture as a function of the canister purging, e.g. control of injected fuel to compensate for deviation of air fuel ratio when purging
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0045 Estimating, calculating or determining the purging rate, amount, flow or concentration
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0836 Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/089 Layout of the fuel vapour installation

Abstract

The tank ventilation system has an adsorption vessel, a regeneration duct and a pump. The adsorption vessel captures and temporarily stores fuel vapors emerging from a fuel tank. A purge air flow can flow through the adsorption vessel. The regeneration duct connects the adsorption vessel to an intake duct. In the regeneration duct there is arranged a pump designed to draw the purge air out of the adsorption vessel and admix the purge air to intake air in the intake duct. A density of the purge air which that flows in the regeneration duct is determined. Furthermore, a purge air mass flow flowing in the regeneration duct is determined as a function of the density of the purge air and a predefined pump characteristic of the pump.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method for operating a tank ventilating system having an adsorption container configured to capture and buffer fuel vapors from a fuel tank, wherein a purge airflow flows through the adsorption container, a regeneration duct that connects the adsorption container to an intake duct, and a pump arranged in the regeneration duct configured to draw purge air out of the adsorption container and add it to intake air in the intake duct, the method comprising:

determining a density of the purge air that flows in the regeneration duct; and

determining a purge air mass flow that flows in the regeneration duct based at least in part on the density of the purge air and a predefined pump characteristic of the pump.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the density of the purge air that flows in the regeneration duct is determined as a function of at least one of:

a detected hydrocarbon concentration of the purge air,

a temperature of the intake air,

a temperature of ambient air that flows into the adsorption container, and

a detected pressure difference in the regeneration duct.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising

detecting a rotational speed of the pump,

wherein the purge air mass flow is determined based at least in part on the rotational speed of the pump.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the pump is configured such that a volume throughput rate of the pump is proportional to the rotational speed of the pump.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the pump is a radial pump.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the pump is a vane cell pump.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least one of a controller configured to control the pump and a purge air valve arranged in the regeneration duct is controlled based at least in part on at least one of a determined purge air mass flow and of the detected hydrocarbon concentration.

22. A device for operating a tank ventilating system, comprising

an adsorption container configured to capture and buffer fuel vapors from a fuel tank, wherein a purge airflow can flow through the adsorption container;

a regeneration duct arranged to connect the adsorption container to an intake duct; and

a pump arranged in the regeneration duct configured to draw purge air out of the adsorption container and add it to intake air in the intake duct,

wherein the device is configured to;

determine a density of the purge air that flows in the regeneration duct, and

determine a purge air mass flow that flows in the regeneration duct based at least in part on the density of the purge air and a predefined pump characteristic of the pump.

23. A method for operating a tank ventilating system, having an adsorption container configured to capture and buffer fuel vapors from a fuel tank, wherein air can pass into the adsorption container via an air duct, and a purge airflow can flow through the adsorption container, a regeneration duct that connects the adsorption container to an intake duct, and a pump arranged in the air duct configured to blow the purge air out of the adsorption container and to add it to intake air in the intake duct, the method comprising

determining a density of the purge air that flows in the regeneration duct;

and

determining a purge air mass flow that flows in the regeneration duct based at least in part on the density of the purge air and a predefined pump characteristic of the pump.