Secondary air supply system and abnormality diagnosis method of secondary air supply system

• US 7,140,177 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Oi, Yasuhiro, Koyama, Hiroyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Binh Q.
• Application Number:
  US11/000,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20050120711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 602/74, 602/77, 602/85, 602/87, 602/89, 602/90, 602/91, 602/92, 602/93, 603/04, 603/05
• US Class Current: 60/289
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/011 having two or more purifying devices arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2550/14 Systems for adding secondary air into exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/22 Control of additional air supply only, e.g. using by-passes or variable air pump drives

Abstract

In a secondary air supply system, each of two branch portions of a secondary air supply pipe that is divided from a joint portion is provided with an air control valve, and the joint portion is provided with a pressure sensor and an auxiliary air control valve. The air control valves are opened at different timings such that pressure fluctuations in the joint portion upon opening of the firstly and the secondly opened air control valves are measured. An abnormality diagnosis is performed with respect to those two air control valves based on combinations of the aforementioned two pressure fluctuations.

Claims

1. A secondary air supply system that supplies secondary air to each of exhaust pipes attached to each of two banks of an internal combustion engine via a secondary air supply pipe including a joint portion and two branch portions divided from the joint portion, the secondary air supply system comprising two air control valves respectively provided in the two branch portions, and a pressure sensor provided in the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe, wherein an abnormality diagnosis is executed with respect to the two air control valves which are opened at different timings, the two air control valves including a first air control valve that is firstly opened and a second air control valve that is secondly opened, based on a combination of a fluctuation of a pressure in the joint portion detected by the pressure sensor upon opening of the first air control valves and a fluctuation of a pressure in the joint portion detected by the pressure sensor upon opening of the second air control valve.

2. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, wherein the second air control valve is opened while holding the first air control valve opened.

3. The secondary air supply system according to claim 2, wherein a valve opening order for opening the two air control valves in a present cycle of the abnormality diagnosis is inverted in a subsequent cycle of the abnormality diagnosis.

4. The secondary air supply system according to claim 2, wherein when one of the two air control valves is diagnosed as having abnormality in a present cycle of the abnormality diagnosis, the air control valve diagnosed as having abnormality is to be opened firstly in a subsequent cycle of the abnormality diagnosis.

5. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, wherein the first air control valve is closed upon completion of a measurement of the fluctuation of the pressure upon opening of the first air control valve, and the second air control valve is opened thereafter.

6. The secondary air supply system according to claim 5, wherein when at least one of the two air control valves is determined as having abnormality, a type of the abnormality including an open abnormality and a close abnormality is determined based on a result of a comparison between the fluctuation of the pressure detected upon opening of the first air control valve and the fluctuation of the pressure detected upon opening of the second air control valve.

7. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether the two air control valves are normally operated, the first air control valve has abnormality and the second air control valve is normally operated, the first air control valve is normally operated and the second air control valve has abnormality, and the two air control valves have abnormality, based on a combination of one of absence and presence of the fluctuation of the pressure occurred upon opening of the first air control valve, and one of absence and presence of the fluctuation of the pressure occurred upon opening of the second air control valve.

8. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary air control valve is provided at a portion downstream of the pressure sensor in the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe.

9. The secondary air supply system according to claim 8, wherein when at least one of the two air control valves is diagnosed as having abnormality, and a pressure pulsation of exhaust gas is detected by the pressure sensor upon a command for closing the two air control valves and opening the auxiliary air control valve, the at least one of the two air control valves diagnosed as having abnormality is determined as having an open abnormality.

10. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when the pressure change value between the pressure value in the joint portion upon opening of the first air control valve and the pressure value in the joint portion upon opening of the second air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value upon opening of the two air control valves at different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, the abnormality in the second air control valve is diagnosed based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the second air control valve is closed and the first air control valve is closed, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the second air control valve.

11. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when a pressure detected by the pressure sensor while driving the pump and closing the auxiliary air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value, an abnormality in the second air control valve is detected based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the two air control valves are opened at different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, and the first air control valve is closed and the second air control valve is opened, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the second air control valve.

12. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when the pressure change value between the pressure value in the joint portion before opening of the first air control valve and the pressure value in the joint portion after opening of the firstly opened air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value upon opening of the two air control valves at the different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, an abnormality in the first air control valve is diagnosed based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the first air control valve is opened and the second air control valve is closed, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the first air control valve.

13. The secondary air supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when a pressure detected by the pressure sensor while driving the pump and closing the auxiliary air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value, an abnormality in the first air control valve is diagnosed based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the two air control valves are opened at different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, and the first air control valve is opened and the second air control valve is closed, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the first air control valve.

14. An abnormality diagnosis method of a secondary air supply system that supplies secondary air to each of exhaust pipes attached to each of two banks of an internal combustion engine via a secondary air supply pipe including a joint portion and two branch portions divided from the joint portion, the secondary air supply system further including two air control valves respectively provided in the two branch portions, and a pressure sensor provided in the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe, wherein an abnormality diagnosis is executed with respect to the two air control valves which are opened at different timings, the two air control valves including a first air control valve that is firstly opened and a second air control valve that is secondly opened, based on a combination of a fluctuation of a pressure in the joint portion detected by the pressure sensor upon opening of the first air control valves and a fluctuation of a pressure in the joint portion detected by the pressure sensor upon opening of the second air control valve.

15. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, further comprising opening the second air control valve while holding the first air control valve opened.

16. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 15, further comprising inverting a valve opening order for opening the two air control valves in a present cycle of the abnormality diagnosis for a subsequent cycle of the abnormality diagnosis.

17. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 15, further comprising when one of the two air control valves is diagnosed as having abnormality in a present cycle of the abnormality diagnosis, opening the air control valve diagnosed as having abnormality firstly in a subsequent cycle of the abnormality diagnosis.

18. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, further comprising closing the first air control valve upon completion of a measurement of the fluctuation of the pressure upon opening of the first air control valve, and opening the second air control valve thereafter.

19. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 18, wherein when at least one of the two air control valves is determined as having abnormality, a type of the abnormality including an open abnormality and a close abnormality is determined based on a result of a comparison between the fluctuation of the pressure detected upon opening of the first air control valve and the fluctuation of the pressure detected upon opening of the second air control valve.

20. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, wherein it is determined whether the two air control valves are normally operated, the first air control valve has abnormality and the second air control valve is normally operated, the first air control valve is normally operated and the second air control valve has abnormality, and the two air control valves have abnormality, based on a combination of one of absence and presence of the fluctuation of the pressure occurred upon opening of the first air control valve, and one of absence and presence of the fluctuation of the pressure occurred upon opening of the second air control valve.

21. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, the secondary air supply system further including a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when the pressure change value between the pressure value in the joint portion upon opening of the first air control valve and the pressure value in the joint portion upon opening of the second air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value upon opening of the two air control valves at different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, the abnormality in the second air control valve is diagnosed based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the second air control valve is closed and the first air control valve is closed, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the second air control valve.

22. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, the secondary air supply system further including a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when a pressure detected by the pressure sensor while driving the pump and closing the auxiliary air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value, an abnormality in the second air control valve is detected based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the two air control valves are opened at different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, and the first air control valve is closed and the second air control valve is opened, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the second air control valve.

23. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, the secondary air supply system further including a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when the pressure change value between the pressure value in the joint portion before opening of the first air control valve and the pressure value in the joint portion after opening of the firstly opened air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value upon opening of the two air control valves at the different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, an abnormality in the first air control valve is diagnosed based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the first air control valve is opened and the second air control valve is closed, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the first air control valve.

24. The abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 14, the secondary air supply system further including a pump that is provided on the joint portion of the secondary air supply pipe for supplying secondary air, and an auxiliary air control valve that is provided downstream of the pump for opening and closing the joint portion, the pressure sensor being provided between the pump and the auxiliary air control valve for measuring a pressure in the joint portion such that an abnormality in components of the secondary air supply system is detected based on a pressure value and a pressure change value detected by the pressure sensor, wherein when a pressure detected by the pressure sensor while driving the pump and closing the auxiliary air control valve is smaller than a predetermined value, an abnormality in the first air control valve is diagnosed based on a pressure pulsation in the joint portion in a state where the two air control valves are opened at different timings while driving the pump and opening the auxiliary air control valve, and the first air control valve is opened and the second air control valve is closed, which has been brought by extending a timing for closing the first air control valve.