Fuel-vapor emission control apparatus for engine

• US 5,735,251 A
• Filed: 05/14/1997
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hyodo, Yoshihiko, Itoh, Takaaki, Takagi, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelli, Raymond A.
• Application Number:
  US08/856,418
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 123/518, 123/519, 123/520, 123/198 D, 123/339, 73/19.05, 73/19.03, 73/118.1, 73/40
• US Class Current: 123/518
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/004 Control of the valve or purge actuator, e.g. duty cycle, closed loop control of position
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/08 adding fuel vapours drawn from engine fuel reservoir electrical control of purge system F02D41/003

Abstract

A fuel-vapor emission control apparatus is mounted on a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a fuel tank. The engine has a plurality of cylinders and is supported by engine mounts. The fuel-vapor emission control apparatus purges fuel-vapor in the fuel tank and supplies the purged fuel-vapor to the engine. The apparatus includes a vacuum switching valve, sensors and an electronic control unit. The vacuum switching valve controls the amount of purged fuel-vapor that is supplied to the engine. The sensors detect the operating state of the engine. The electronic control unit duty controls the vacuum switching valve in accordance with data from the sensors. The control unit also serves to suppress resonance of the engine and the engine mounts when purged fuel-vapor is being supplied to the engine.

Claims

1. A fuel-vapor emission control apparatus mounted on a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a fuel tank, wherein said engine has a cylinder and is supported by mounting means, and wherein said fuel-vapor emission control apparatus purges fuel-vapor from said fuel tank and supplies the purged fuel-vapor to said engine, said fuel-vapor emission control apparatus comprising:

a purge control valve for controlling the amount of purged fuel-vapor that is supplied to said engine,

an operating state detector for detecting the operating state of said engine,

a valve controller for subjecting said purge control valve to duty control in accordance with data from said operating state detector, and

suppressing means for suppressing resonance of said engine and said mounting means when purged fuel-vapor is being supplied to said engine.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storing device for storing the fuel-vapor before the fuel vapor is supplied to the engine.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said storing device comprises a canister.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said suppressing means controls the period of purging for suppressing resonance of said engine and said mounting means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said suppressing means comprises a controller for controlling the period of purging based on a non-resonant frequency, which is located outside of a resonance frequency range of said mounting means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said suppressing means comprises an isolation controller for controlling the vibration isolation characteristics of said mounting means such that vibration of said engine remains outside of a resonance frequency range of said mounting means, and wherein said isolation controller is controlled in accordance with torque fluctuations of said engine.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said suppressing means comprises a fluctuation detector for detecting torque fluctuations of said engine based on at least one of the concentration of purged fuel-vapor and the duty ratio of said purge control valve, and wherein said isolation controller is controlled based on torque fluctuations of said engine detected by said fluctuation detector.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said mounting means comprises a rubber vibration insulator.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said mounting means comprises an active control mount.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a transmission is mounted on said mounting means with said engine.

11. A fuel-vapor emission control apparatus mounted on a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank, an air-fuel ratio detector, and injection compensation means, wherein said engine has a cylinder and is supported by mounting means, and wherein said fuel-vapor emission control apparatus purges fuel-vapor from said fuel tank and supplies the purged fuel-vapor to said engine, and wherein said air-fuel ratio detector detects the air-fuel ratio in said engine, and said injection compensation means adjusts a fuel injection amount by adding a feedback compensation coefficient to the fuel injection amount for causing the detected air-fuel ratio to approach a target air-fuel ratio, said fuel-vapor emission control apparatus comprising:

a purge control valve for controlling the amount of purged fuel-vapor that is supplied to said engine,

an operating state detector for detecting the operating state of said engine,

a valve controller for subjecting said purge control valve to duty control in accordance with data from said operating state detector,

a concentration detector for detecting the concentration of purged fuel-vapor based on the difference between a feedback compensation coefficient before a purge and a feedback compensation coefficient after the purge, and

wherein the operational frequency of said purge control valve is controlled in accordance with the detected concentration of purged fuel-vapor such that the operational frequency of said purge control valve remains outside of a resonance frequency range of said mounting means.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a storing device for storing the fuel-vapor before the fuel vapor is supplied to the engine.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said mounting means comprises a rubber vibration insulator.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said mounting means comprises an active control mount.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a transmission is mounted on said mounting means with said engine.

16. A fuel-vapor emission control apparatus mounted on a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank, an air-fuel ratio detector, and injection compensation means, wherein said engine has a cylinder and is supported by mounting means, and wherein said fuel-vapor emission control apparatus purges fuel-vapor from said fuel tank and supplies the purged fuel-vapor to said engine, and wherein said air-fuel ratio detector detects the air-fuel ratio in said engine, and said injection compensation means adjusts a fuel injection amount by adding a feedback compensation coefficient to the fuel injection amount for causing the detected air-fuel ratio to approach a target air-fuel ratio, said fuel-vapor emission control apparatus comprising:

a purge control valve for controlling the amount of purged fuel-vapor that is supplied to said engine,

an operating state detector for detecting the operating state of said engine,

a valve controller for subjecting said purge control valve to duty control in accordance with data from said operating state detector,

a concentration detector for detecting the concentration of purged fuel-vapor based on the difference between a feedback compensation coefficient before a purge and a feedback compensation coefficient after the purge, and

wherein the operational frequency of said purge control valve is controlled in accordance with the detected concentration of purged fuel-vapor and the duty ratio of said purge control valve such that the operational frequency of said purge control valve remains outside of a resonance frequency range of said mounting means.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a storing device for storing the fuel-vapor before the fuel vapor is supplied to the engine.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said mounting means comprises a rubber vibration insulator.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said mounting means comprises an active control mount.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a transmission is mounted on said mounting means with said engine.