Distinguishing the fuel admitted to a fuel system

• US 8,214,129 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Pursifull, Ross Dykstra
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US12/465,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20100288367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 123/1.A, 123/304, 123/491, 123/494, 123/525, 123/575, 123/576, 701101-105, 701/113, 701/115, 701/123, 137 2- 4, 141/94, 220/86.2, 73/614.1, 73/614.3, 340/450, 702/23, 702/25
• US Class Current: 701/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03006 Gas tanks B60K15/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/04 Tank inlets B60K15/077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03118 Multiple tanks, i.e. two or more separate tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03157 for supply different types of fuel to the motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0319 with electronic systems, e.g. for controlling fuelling or venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03217 Fuel level sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03514 with vapor recovery means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0324 With control of flow by a condition or characteristic of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0329 Mixing of plural fluids of diverse characteristics or conditions

Abstract

A method for registering a content change in a fuel system of a motor vehicle, where the fuel system is configured to receive a first fuel and a second fuel into a common space. A first condition is correlated to receiving the first fuel, and a second condition is correlated to receiving the second fuel. The method comprises admitting fuel to the fuel system and indicating that the first fuel has been admitted if a condition responsive to admitting the fuel matches the first condition and does not match the second condition.

Claims

1. A method for registering a content change in a fuel system of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

admitting fuel to the fuel system, the fuel system configured to receive hydrogen and compressed natural gas into a common space;

indicating that compressed natural gas has been admitted if a temperature in the common space increases by more than a threshold amount when the fuel is admitted, said indicating occurring, if at all, before the compressed natural gas is consumed by an engine of the motor vehicle;

indicating that hydrogen has been admitted if the temperature in the common space increases by less than the threshold amount when the fuel is admitted, said indicating occurring, if at all before the hydrogen is consumed by the engine of the motor vehicle; and

adjusting a start-up operating parameter of the motor vehicle in response to which of said fuels is indicated to have been admitted.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating that the second fuel has been admitted if the condition responsive to admitting the fuel matches the second condition and does not match the first condition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition responsive to admitting the fuel is monitored in response to admitting the fuel.

9. The method of claim 1, where the condition responsive to admitting the fuel comprises a temperature change as a function of a pressure change in the common space, where the first condition comprises a first temperature change, and the second condition comprises a second temperature change, and where the second temperature change is larger than the first temperature change for the same pressure change.

10. The method of claim 1, where the condition responsive to admitting the fuel comprises a position of a fuel door, where the fuel door is in registry with a first fuel port in the first condition, and the fuel door is in registry with a second fuel port in the second condition.

11. The method of claim 1, where the condition responsive to admitting the fuel comprises whether a first fuel port or a second fuel port of the fuel system is breeched, where in the first condition the first fuel port is breeched, and in the second condition the second fuel port is breeched.

12. The method of claim 1, where the condition responsive to admitting the fuel comprises one or both of a temperature change at a first fuel port of the fuel system and a temperature change at a second fuel port of the fuel system, where the first condition comprises an above-threshold temperature change at the first fuel port, and the second condition comprises an above-threshold temperature change at the second fuel port.

13. The method of claim 1, where the condition responsive to admitting the fuel comprises a pressure of fuel in the common space, where the first condition comprises a first supply pressure in the common space, and the second condition comprises a second supply pressure, higher than the first supply pressure, in the common space.

14. The method of claim 1, where the first fuel comprises hydrogen, and the second fuel comprises compressed natural gas.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating that the first fuel has been admitted occurs before the fuel is consumed by an engine of the motor vehicle.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring a fuel-pressure increase in the common space in response to admitting the fuel.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising updating a tally of an amount of the first fuel in the fuel system based on the fuel-pressure increase and on an indication that the first fuel has been admitted.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising refining the tally based on a fuel injection amount and an air-flow amount at a stoichiometric condition of an engine system of the motor vehicle.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting a start-up operating parameter of the motor vehicle in response to indicating that the first fuel has been admitted.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the start-up operating parameter is one or more of a fuel injection amount, a fuel-injection pressure, a fuel-injection timing, and an ignition timing of an engine of the motor vehicle.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising manifesting a combustion property of the fuel admitted to the fuel system, wherein the start-up operating parameter is adjusted before the combustion property is manifest.

2. A method for registering a content change in a fuel system of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

admitting fuel to the fuel system, the fuel system configured to receive a first fuel and a second fuel into a common space, where a first condition is correlated to receiving the first fuel, and a second condition is correlated to receiving the second fuel;

indicating that the first fuel has been admitted if a condition responsive to admitting the fuel matches the first condition and does not match the second condition; and

adjusting a start-up operating parameter of the motor vehicle in response to indicating that the first fuel has been admitted.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the start-up operating parameter is one or more of a fuel injection amount, a fuel-injection pressure, a fuel-injection timing, and an ignition timing of an engine of the motor vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising manifesting a combustion property of the fuel admitted to the fuel system, wherein the start-up operating parameter is adjusted before the combustion property is manifest.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising purging a pre-existing fuel from one or more of a fuel-supply conduit, a fuel-pressure regulator, a fuel rail, and a fuel injector into a fuel-system adsorbent in response to a changing composition of fuel in the fuel system.

6. A method for registering a content change in a fuel system of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

admitting fuel to the fuel system, the fuel system configured to receive a first fuel and a second fuel into a common space, where a first condition is correlated to receiving the first fuel, and a second condition is correlated to receiving the second fuel; and

indicating that the first fuel has been admitted if a condition responsive to admitting the fuel matches the first condition and does not match the second condition.