Vehicle fuel gas supply system

• US 6,390,075 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Akazaki, Shusuke, Goto, Hiroyuki, Yamazaki, Hideharu, Otaka, Akifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Willis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benton, Jason
• Application Number:
  US09/523,308
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 123/529, 123/491, 123/492, 123/690
• US Class Current: 123/529
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/013 of gas conduits
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/025 Failure diagnosis or prevention; Safety measures; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/027 Determining the fuel pressure, temperature or volume flow, the fuel tank fill level or a valve position
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0221 Fuel storage reservoirs, e.g. cryogenic tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0233 Details of actuators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0242 Shut-off valves; Check valves; Safety valves; Pressure relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/029 Arrangement on engines or vehicle bodies; Conversion to gaseous fuel supply systems
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/065 for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0139 Fuel stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A vehicle fuel gas supply system includes a fuel line supplying a fuel gas to a gas engine, a shut-off valve and a pressure sensor disposed on said fuel line, and a control section. The pressure sensor is disposed closer to said gas engine in comparison with said shut-off valve. The control section closes the shut-off valve being opened, starts to count the time of a shut-off valve closing timer. Then, the control section opens the shut-off vale when the shut-off valve closing timer counts up, simultaneously therewith measures a pressure by the pressure sensor to store the pressure as an initial pressure, and starting to count the time of a diagnostic timer. Further, the control section measures a second pressure by the pressure sensor when the diagnostic timer counts up to store the second pressure as a final pressure value, and judges that the shut-off value is in a failure state when a pressure increase rate obtained from the initial pressure value and the final pressure value is smaller than a predetermined pressure increase rate threshold value.

Claims

1. A vehicle fuel gas supply system, comprising:

a piping that supplies a fuel gas to a gas engine;

a shut-off valve and a pressure sensor disposed on said piping, said pressure sensor disposed closer to said gas engine relative to said shut-off valve; and

a control section being connected to said shut-off valve and said pressure sensor,

wherein a shut-off valve closing timer is started simultaneously with a closing of said shut-off valve,

wherein said shut-off valve is opened when said shut-off valve closing timer reaches or exceeds a set time simultaneously with a first pressure being measured and stored as an initial pressure value by said pressure sensor while a diagnostic timer is started,

wherein a second pressure is measured and stored as a final pressure value by said pressure sensor when said diagnostic timer reaches or exceeds a judging time, and

wherein said shut-off valve is determined to be in a failure state when a pressure increase rate obtained from difference between said initial pressure value and said final pressure value is smaller than a pressure increase rate threshold value.

2. A vehicle fuel gas supply system, comprising:

a piping that supplies a fuel gas to a gas engine;

a shut-off valve and a pressure sensor disposed on said piping, said pressure sensor disposed closer to said gas engine relative to said shut-off valve; and

a control section connected to said shut-off valve and said pressure sensor, said control section calculating a pressure increase rate from an initial pressure value when said shut-off valve is opened and a final pressure value after a judging time elapses from the opening of said shut-off valve, and

wherein said shut-off valve is determined to be in a failure state when said pressure increase rate is smaller than a pressure increase rate threshold value and said shut-off valve is opened after the shut-off valve is closed during a set time.

3. The vehicle fuel gas supply system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a shut-off valve closing timer that measures a time said shut-off valve is closed; and

a diagnostic timer that measures a judging time,

wherein said control section opens said shut-off valve when said time measured by said shut-off closing timer equals or exceeds a set time, and said control section measures an initial pressure value determined by said pressure sensor and starts measuring said judging time measured by said diagnostic timer, and

wherein said control section determines a final pressure value measured by said pressure sensor when said diagnostic timer has measured said judging time.

4. The vehicle fuel gas supply system according to claim 2, wherein said shut-off valve is at least partially disposed in a tank filled with the fuel gas.

5. The vehicle fuel gas supply system according to claim 2, further comprising a fuel meter that stops an update of a meter display when said shut-off valve is in the failure state.