Control apparatus for sealed fuel tank system

• US 7,086,392 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Solis, Erick R
• Application Number:
  US10/946,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 123/399, 123/516, 123/520, 123/521, 123/698
• US Class Current: 123/698
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0602 Fuel pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0002 Controlling intake air
• 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: F02M 25/089 Layout of the fuel vapour installation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A control apparatus is provided for a sealed fuel tank system which is applied to an engine including a throttle valve provided in an intake pipe, and which includes a vaporized fuel supply pipe that connects a fuel tank and the intake pipe, and a control valve that opens and closes the vaporized fuel supply pipe. The control apparatus includes a controller which maintains the control valve in an open state on the condition that a pressure in the fuel tank is equal to or higher than a reference determination pressure; and corrects an opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to a first control opening amount that is smaller than a required opening amount set based on an operating state of the engine by a first correction opening amount when the control valve is in the open state.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a sealed fuel tank system which is applied to an engine including a throttle valve provided in an intake pipe, and which includes a vaporized fuel supply pipe that connects a fuel tank and the intake pipe, and a control valve that opens and closes the vaporized fuel supply pipe, the control apparatus comprising:

a controller which maintains the control valve in an open state on a condition that a pressure in the fuel tank is equal to or higher than a reference determination pressure; and

corrects an opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to a first control opening amount that is smaller than a required opening amount set based on an operating state of the engine by a first correction opening amount when the control valve is in the open state,

wherein the controller monitors a correction coefficient for a command value indicating a fuel injection amount in air-fuel ratio control for the engine, and variably sets the first correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between an absolute value of a difference between the correction coefficient and a reference value, and the first correction opening amount, which is defined such that the first correction opening amount is decreased with an increase in the absolute value of the difference between the correction coefficient and the reference value.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller corrects the opening amount of the throttle valve to the value equal to the first control opening amount by

(i) controlling the opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to the required opening amount;

and

(ii) gradually changing the opening amount of the throttle valve from the value equal to the required opening amount to the value equal to the first control opening amount.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller variably sets the first correction opening amount based on the operating state of the engine.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller variably sets the first correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between an engine speed and the first correction opening amount, which is defined such that the first correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the engine speed.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller variably sets the first correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between an amount of change in the engine speed and the first correction opening amount, which is defined such that the first correction opening amount is decreased with an increase in the amount of change in the engine speed.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller stops correcting the opening amount of the throttle valve when the pressure in the fuel tank is lower than a predetermined determination pressure that is set to a value larger than the reference determination pressure on a condition that the control valve is in the open state.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller corrects the opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to a second control opening amount that is larger than the required opening amount by a second correction opening amount when an amount of change in an engine speed is equal to or larger than a predetermined amount of change on a condition that the control valve is in the open state.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller corrects the opening amount of the throttle valve to the value equal to the second control opening amount by

i) controlling the opening of the throttle valve to a value equal to the required opening amount;

and

ii) gradually changing the opening amount of the throttle valve from the value equal to the required opening amount to the value equal to the second control opening amount.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller variably sets the second correction opening amount based on the operating state of the engine.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller variably sets the second correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between the engine speed and the second correction opening amount, which is defined such that the second correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the engine speed.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller variably sets the second correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between the amount of change in the engine speed and the second correction opening amount, which is defined such that the second correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the amount of change in the engine speed.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller monitors a correction coefficient for a command value indicating a fuel injection amount in air-fuel ratio control for the engine, and variably sets the second correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between a difference between the correction coefficient and a reference value, and the second correction opening amount, which is defined such that the second correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the difference between the correction coefficient and the reference value.

13. A control apparatus for a sealed fuel tank system which is applied to an engine including a throttle valve provided in an intake pipe, and which includes a vaporized fuel supply pipe that connects a fuel tank and the intake pipe, and a control valve that opens and closes the vaporized fuel supply pipe, the control apparatus comprising:

a controller which maintains the control valve in an open state on a condition that a pressure in the fuel tank is equal to or higher than a first reference determination pressure and which monitors a correction coefficient for a command value indicating a fuel injection amount in air-fuel ratio control for the engine and which corrects the opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to a second control opening amount that is larger than a required opening amount set based on an operating state of the engine by a second correction opening amount when an absolute value of a difference between the correction coefficient and a reference value is equal to or larger than a predetermined difference on a condition that the control valve is in the open state.

14. The control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller corrects the opening amount of the throttle valve to the value equal to the second control opening amount by

(i) controlling the opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to the required opening amount;

and

(ii) gradually changing the opening amount of the throttle valve from the value equal to the required opening amount to the value equal to the second control opening amount.

15. The control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller variably sets the second correction opening amount based on the operating state of the engine.

16. The control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller variably sets the second correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between an engine speed and the second correction opening amount, which is defined such that the second correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the engine speed.

17. The control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller variably sets the second correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between an amount of change in an engine speed and the second correction opening amount, which is defined such that the second correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the amount of change in the engine speed.

18. The control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller monitors the correction coefficient for the command value indicating the fuel injection amount in the air-fuel ratio control for the engine, and variably sets the second correction opening amount based on a correspondence relation between the difference between the correction coefficient and the reference value, and the second correction opening amount, which is defined such that the second correction opening amount is increased with an increase in the difference between the correction coefficient and the reference value.

19. The control apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller corrects the opening amount of the throttle valve to the value equal to the second control opening amount that is larger than the required opening amount by the second correction opening amount when the pressure in the fuel tank is lower than a second predetermined determination pressure that is set to a value larger than the first reference determination pressure on the condition that the control valve is in the open state.

20. A control apparatus for a sealed fuel tank system which is applied to an engine including a throttle valve provided in an intake pipe, and which includes a vaporized fuel supply pipe that connects a fuel tank and the intake pipe, and a control valve that opens and closes the vaporized fuel supply pipe, the control apparatus comprising:

a controller which maintains the control valve in an open state on a condition that a pressure in the fuel tank is equal to or higher than a reference determination pressure and

which corrects an opening amount of the throttle valve to a value equal to a first control opening amount that is smaller than a required opening amount set based on an operating state of the engine by a first correction opening amount when the control valve is in the open state and

wherein the controller compensates for a decrease in an output of the engine which is caused by correction of the opening amount of the throttle valve to the value equal to the first control opening amount.

21. The control apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the controller uses a motor for driving a hybrid vehicle including the sealed fuel tank system in order to compensate for the decrease in the output of the engine.

22. The control apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the controller prohibits correction of the opening amount of the throttle valve to the value equal to the first control opening amount when a charge amount of a battery in the hybrid vehicle is smaller than a predetermined charge amount.