Drive control device of fuel pump

• US 8,011,902 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nagase, Kenichi, Nagasaki, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Freay; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): COMLEY, ALEXANDER BRYANT
• Application Number:
  US11/715,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 417/423.7, 417/423.1, 417/44.11, 417/45, 123/497, 310/68.C, 318/244, 318/541, 340/648, 340/635
• US Class Current: 417/410.1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/065 at hot start or restart F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3082 Control of electrical fuel pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/20 by changing the driving speed

Abstract

A drive control device of a fuel pump for sucking fuel in a fuel tank supplying the fuel to an internal combustion engine, and using a motor with a brush as a drive source thereof. The drive control device includes a starting current reduction control device that starts the fuel pump in a state where a drive current of the fuel pump is reduced.

Claims

1. A drive control device of a fuel pump for sucking fuel in a fuel tank of a vehicle, supplying the fuel to an internal combustion engine, and using a motor provided with a brush as a drive source thereof comprising:

an idle stop control device that performs an idle stop for stopping the internal combustion engine and the fuel pump when a specified idle stop condition is satisfied while the vehicle is stopped and thereafter starts the fuel pump to automatically start the internal combustion engine when a driver performs a specified operation of starting the vehicle,

wherein the idle stop control device at least one of predicts and detects at least one of a stress applied to the brush, a degree of deterioration of the brush, a rush current, a rush current peak value, a rush current duration, a state of the internal combustion engine, and a state of the vehicle at a time of starting the fuel pump, and

wherein the idle stop control device switches between stop inhibition control of continuously driving the fuel pump without stopping the fuel pump even at a time of idle stop and control of stopping the fuel pump accordingly.

2. The drive control device of a fuel pump as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an alarm device for alarming the driver an alarm in at least one of:

a case of driving the fuel pump without stopping the fuel pump at a time of the idle stop,

a case of reducing a frequency with which the fuel pump is stopped at a time of idle stop, and

a case in which a degree of deterioration of the brush is at least equal to a predetermined value.

3. The drive control device of a fuel pump as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a deterioration degree estimation device for estimating a degree of deterioration of the brush according to at least one of a number of times that the fuel pump is started, a rush current at a time of startup, a rush current peak value, and a rush current duration at a time of estimating a degree of deterioration of the brush.

4. The drive control device of a fuel pump as claimed in claim 3, wherein the deterioration degree estimation device estimates a degree of deterioration of the brush according to an integrated value of at least one of a number of times that the fuel pump is started, a rush current at a time of startup, a rush current peak value, and a rush current duration.

9. The drive control device of a fuel pump according to claim 1, wherein the idle stop control device is configured to perform the stop inhibition control even when the specified idle stop condition is satisfied, in case that a predicted or detected value exceeds a predetermined value.

5. A drive control device of a fuel pump for sucking fuel in a fuel tank, supplying the fuel to an internal combustion engine, and using a motor provided with a brush as a drive source thereof, comprising:

an idle stop control device that performs an idle stop for stopping the internal combustion engine and the fuel pump when a specified idle stop condition is satisfied while a vehicle is stopped and thereafter starts the fuel pump to automatically start the internal combustion engine when a driver performs a specified operation of starting the vehicle,

wherein the idle stop control device at least one of predicts and detects at least one of stress applied to a brush, a degree of deterioration of the brush, a rush current, a rush current peak value, a rush current duration, a state of the internal combustion engine, and a state of the vehicle at a time of starting the fuel pump, and varies a frequency, with which the fuel pump is stopped by the idle stop accordingly.

6. The drive control device of a fuel pump as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an alarm device for alarming the driver an alarm in at least one of:

a case of driving the fuel pump without stopping the fuel pump at a time of the idle stop,

a case of reducing a frequency with which the fuel pump is stopped at a time of idle stop, and

a case in which a degree of deterioration of the brush is at least equal to a predetermined value.

7. The drive control device of a fuel pump as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a deterioration degree estimation device for estimating a degree of deterioration of the brush according to at least one of a number of times that the fuel pump is started, a rush current at a time of startup, a rush current peak value, and a rush current duration at a time of estimating a degree of deterioration of the brush.

8. The drive control device of a fuel pump as claimed in claim 7, wherein the deterioration degree estimation device estimates a degree of deterioration of the brush according to an integrated value of at least one of a number of times that the fuel pump is started, a rush current at a time of startup, a rush current peak value, and a rush current duration.

10. The drive control device of a fuel pump according to claim 5, wherein the idle stop control device is configured to reduce the frequency of stopping the fuel pump as a predicted or detected value increases.

11. A drive control device of a fuel pump for sucking fuel in a fuel tank of a vehicle, supplying the fuel to an internal combustion engine, and using a motor provided with a brush as a drive source thereof comprising:

an idle stop control device that performs an idle stop for stopping the internal combustion engine and the fuel pump when a specified idle stop condition is satisfied while the vehicle is stopped and thereafter starts the fuel pump to automatically start the internal combustion engine when a driver performs a specified operation of starting the vehicle,

wherein the idle stop control device has a section that predicts or detects at least one of a brush stress applied to the brush and a degree of deterioration of the brush, and

wherein the idle stop control device has a section that inhibits stopping the fuel pump and continues to drive the fuel pump without stopping the fuel pump while stopping the engine at a time of satisfaction of the specified idle stop, when a predicted or detected value of the at least one of the brush stress and the degree of deterioration of the brush exceeds a predetermined value.

12. A drive control device of a fuel pump for sucking fuel in a fuel tank, supplying the fuel to an internal combustion engine, and using a motor provided with a brush as a drive source thereof, comprising:

an idle stop control device that performs an idle stop for stopping the internal combustion engine and the fuel pump when a specified idle stop condition is satisfied while a vehicle is stopped and thereafter starts the fuel pump to automatically start the internal combustion engine when a driver performs a specified operation of starting the vehicle,

wherein the idle stop control device has a section that predicts or detects at least one of brush stress applied to the brush and a degree of deterioration of the brush, and

wherein the idle stop control device has a section that reduces a frequency of stopping the fuel pump relative to a frequency of satisfaction of the specified idle stop, as a predicted or detected value of the at least one of the brush stress and the degree of deterioration of the brush exceeds a predetermined value.