Apparatus and method for processing fuel vapor in internal combustion engine

• US 6,138,644 A
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unisia Jecs Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Unisia Jecs Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Saruwatari, Masayuki, Furuya, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Moulis, Thomas N.
• Application Number:
  US09/199,280
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 123/516, 123/518, 123/519, 123/520, 123/521
• US Class Current: 123/520
• 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 purge passage is communicated to the upstream side of a compressor of a turbosupercharger, and on the other hand, a purge control valve and an electrically powered pump are mounted in the middle of said purge passage. Then, either a constant drive current is provided to said electrically powered pump, and the opening of the purge control valve is controlled in correspondence to the requested purged air flow rate, or the purge control valve is controlled to be fully opened, and the drive current of said pump is controlled in correspondence to the requested purged air flow rate.

Claims

1. A fuel vapor processing apparatus in an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger comprising a compressor mounted in an intake air passage, said fuel vapor processing apparatus comprising:

a canister for adsorbing fuel vapor being generated in a fuel tank;

a purge passage for communicating said canister to said intake air passage on the upstream side of said compressor; and

a pump mounted in the middle of said purge passage.

2. A fuel vapor processing apparatus in an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger according to claim 1, wherein said pump is an electrically powered pump, and said processing apparatus is further equipped with a flow rate control means for controlling a flow rate of purged air by controlling a drive current being supplied to said electrically powered pump.

3. A fuel vapor processing apparatus in an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger according to claim 1, wherein said pump is an electrically powered pump, said purge passage is equipped with a purge control valve for controlling the opening of said purge passage, and said processing apparatus is further equipped with a flow rate control means for controlling a flow rate of purged air by controlling the opening of said purge control valve while controlling a drive current being supplied to said electrically powered pump to a constant value.

4. A method of processing fuel vapor in an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger comprising a compressor mounted in an intake air passage, comprising the steps of:

adsorbing fuel vapor generated in a fuel tank by a canister,

supplying purged air of said canister to an intake air passage on the upstream side of said compressor through a purge passage in which an electrically power pump is mounted, and

controlling a flow rate of said purged air by controlling a drive current being supplied to said electrically powered pump.

5. A method of processing fuel vapor in an internal combustion engine equipped with a supercharger comprising a compressor mounted in an intake air passage, comprising the steps of:

adsorbing fuel vapor generated in a fuel tank by a canister,

supplying purged air of said canister to an intake air passage on the upstream side of a compressor through a purge passage in which an electrically power pump and a purge control valve are mounted, and

controlling a flow rate of said purged air by controlling the opening of said purge control valve while controlling a drive current being supplied to said electrically powered pump to a constant value.