System and method for estimating fuel vapor with cylinder deactivation

• US 7,073,494 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Goralski, Christian T. Jr., Cullen, Michael John, Sumilla, Gopichandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Henry C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US10/794,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20050193997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 123/481, 123/698, 123/520
• US Class Current: 123/698
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/009 having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/011 having two or more purifying devices arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/001 for engines with variable valve actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0802 Temperature of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/1015 Engines misfires
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/18 Control of the engine output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 37/02 one of the functions being ignition
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0002 Controlling intake air
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0045 Estimating, calculating or determining the purging rate, amount, flow or concentration
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0215 in relation with elements of the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/045 Detection of accelerating or decelerating state detection thereof in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/064 at cold start F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/068 for warming-up
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/08 for idling F02D41/06, F02D41/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/126 transitional corrections at the end of the cut-off period
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/08 adding fuel vapours drawn from engine fuel reservoir electrical control of purge system F02D41/003
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 43/00 Fuel-injection apparatus operating simultaneously on two or more fuels, or on a liquid fuel and another liquid, e.g. the other liquid being an anti-knock additive
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/045 combined with electronic control of other engine functions, e.g. fuel injection in general F02D37/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1512 : with particular means concerning an individual cylinder

Abstract

Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.

Claims

1. A method for estimating a fuel vapor quantity from a fuel vapor recovery system for a vehicle having an engine with a first set of cylinders and a second set of cylinders, the method comprising:

operating the first set of cylinders with injected fuel and inducted fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system;

operating the second set of cylinders without fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system;

mixing exhaust gas from the first and second set; and

determining an indication of fuel vapors from a sensor, said sensor measuring said mixed exhaust gas after said exhaust gasses mix, said determining based on the operation of the second set of cylinders.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication is a concentration of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication is a mass flow rate of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating the second set of cylinders occurs during said operation of the first set of cylinders.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates without injected fuel.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates with inducted air.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the fist and second sets of cylinders are both coupled to an exhaust manifold, wherein the sensor is located in said exhaust manifold.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second sets of cylinders are in the same bank of a v-8 engine.

9. The method of claim 1 where the second set of cylinders operates about stoichiometry.

10. A method for estimating a fuel vapor quantity from a fuel vapor recovery system for a vehicle having an engine with a first set of cylinders and a second set of cylinders, the method comprising:

operating the first set of cylinders with injected fuel and inducted fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system;

operating the second set of cylinders without fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system;

mixing exhaust gas from the first and second set; and

determining an estimate of fuel vapors to the first set of cylinders based on fuel injected to said first set of cylinders and a sensor measuring said mixed exhaust gas after said exhaust gasses mix.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said estimate is a concentration of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said estimate is a mass flow rate of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said operating the second set of cylinders occurs during said operation of the first set of cylinders.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates without injected fuel.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates with inducted air.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the fist and second sets of cylinders are both coupled to an exhaust manifold, wherein the sensor is located in said exhaust manifold.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the first and second sets of cylinders are in the same bank of a v-8 engine.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the second set of cylinders operates about stoichiometry.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein said estimate of fuel vapors is further based on an amount of fuel injected to said second set of cylinders.

20. A computer readable storage medium having stored data representing instructions executable by a computer for estimating a fuel vapor quantity from a fuel vapor recovery system for a vehicle having an engine with a first set of cylinders and a second set of cylinders, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for operating the first set of cylinders with injected fuel and inducted fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system;

instructions for operating the second set of cylinders without fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system;

instructions for mixing exhaust gas from the first and second set; and

instructions for determining an indication of fuel vapors from a sensor, said sensor measuring said mixed exhaust gas after said exhaust gasses mix, said determining based on the operation of the second set of cylinders.