Fuel nature measuring device of internal combustion engine and internal combustion engine having the same

• US 7,389,769 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Kawano, Takanobu, Amano, Noriyasu, Koyama, Nobuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): KWON, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US11/889,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20070289366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 123/491, 123/494, 123516-521, 701/101, 701/103, 701/104, 731/182
• US Class Current: 123/520
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0602 Fuel pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0606 Fuel temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0612 determined by estimation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0045 Estimating, calculating or determining the purging rate, amount, flow or concentration
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0818 having means for pressurising the evaporative emission space
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/22 Fuels, explosives liquid hydrocarbons G01N33/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 7/00 Analysing materials by measuring the pressure or volume of a gas or vapour

Abstract

A fuel nature measuring device for measuring the nature of fuel stored in a fuel tank includes a measurement passage, a gas flow generator, a pressure detector, an concentration operator, a temperature detector, and a volatility calculator. The measurement passage has an orifice. The gas flow generator generates gas flow in the measurement passage. The pressure detector detects a differential pressure between opposite ends of the orifice. The concentration operator determines a concentration of evaporated fuel in the fuel tank based on the differential pressure detected when the opposite ends of the measurement passage communicate with the fuel tank and the fuel flows in the measurement passage. The temperature detector determines a temperature of the fuel in the fuel tank. The volatility calculator calculates a volatility of the fuel in the fuel tank based on the concentration of the evaporated fuel and the temperature of the fuel in the tank.

Claims

1. A fuel nature measuring device, for measuring the nature of fuel stored in a fuel tank of an internal combustion engine, the measuring device comprising:

a measurement passage having an orifice therein;

gas flow generating means for generating a gas flow in said measurement passage;

differential pressure detecting means for detecting a differential pressure between opposite ends of said orifice;

evaporated fuel concentration operating means for determining a concentration of evaporated fuel in the fuel tank based on the differential pressure detected when said opposite ends of said measurement passage communicates with said fuel tank and the fuel in the fuel tank flows in said measurement passage;

temperature detecting means for determining a temperature of the fuel in said fuel tank;

volatility calculation means for calculating a volatility of the fuel in said tank as the fuel nature based on the concentration of the evaporated fuel determined by said evaporated fuel concentration operation means and the temperature determined by said temperature detecting means; and

engine operation state detecting means for detecting an operation state of said internal combustion engine, wherein the fuel nature is measured provided that said internal combustion engine is in a stopped state.

2. The fuel nature measuring device according to claim 1, wherein said engine operation state detecting means detects whether an ignition key is on or off.

3. A method of measuring the nature of fuel stored in a fuel tank of an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:

generating a gas flow in a measurement passage having an orifice therein;

detecting a differential pressure between opposite ends of said orifice;

determining a concentration of evaporated fuel in the fuel tank based on the differential pressure detected when said opposite ends of said measurement passage communicates with said fuel tank and the fuel in the fuel tank flows in said measurement passage;

determining a temperature of the fuel in said fuel tank;

calculating a volatility of the fuel in said fuel tank as the fuel nature based on the determined concentration of the evaporated fuel and the determined temperature; and

detecting an operation state of said internal combustion engine, wherein the fuel nature is measured provided that said internal combustion engine is in a stopped state.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein whether an ignition key is on or off is detected as the operation state.