Identifying fuel system degradation

• US 9,546,628 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sanborn, Ethan D., Kumar, Pankaj, Makki, Imad Hassan, Pursifull, Ross Dykstra
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T
• Application Number:
  US14/558,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20160153388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/223 Diagnosis of fuel pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0602 Fuel pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0604 Estimation of fuel pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/02 Fuel evaporation in fuel rails, e.g. in common rails
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/221 relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/222 relating to the failure of sensors or parameter detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3082 Control of electrical fuel pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3854 with elements in the low pressure part, e.g. low pressure pump
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 2200/247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 65/00 Testing fuel-injection apparatus, e.g. testing injection timing testing of ignition F02P17/00; measuring fuel consumption G01F9/00; Cleaning of fuel-injection apparatus

Abstract

Various methods are thus provided for identifying degradation in a fuel system. In one embodiment, a method of operating a fuel system comprises applying a pulse to a fuel pump responsive to detecting that lift pump pressure corresponds to a fuel vapor pressure, ceasing application of the pulse responsive to detecting that the lift pump pressure corresponds to a relief setpoint pressure, and indicating degradation in the fuel system if the detected lift pump pressure deviates from an expected fuel rail pressure, including distinguishing among degradation in the fuel pump, a lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, a fuel rail pressure sensor, and a pressure relief valve.

Claims

1. A method of operating a fuel system, comprising:

applying a pulse to a fuel pump responsive to detecting that lift pump pressure corresponds to a fuel vapor pressure;

ceasing application of the pulse responsive to detecting that the lift pump pressure corresponds to a relief setpoint pressure; and

indicating degradation in the fuel system if the detected lift pump pressure deviates from an expected lift pump pressure, including distinguishing among degradation in the fuel pump, a lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, a fuel rail pressure sensor, and a pressure relief valve.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected lift pump pressure is determined based on a voltage supplied to the fuel pump and a fuel flow rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected lift pump pressure is the fuel vapor pressure.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the expected lift pump pressure is the relief setpoint pressure, and

wherein indicating degradation in the fuel system includes:

if the detected lift pump pressure exceeds the relief setpoint pressure, assuming a fault in the lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, the fuel rail pressure sensor, and/or the pressure relief valve; and

if the detected lift pump pressure is less than the relief setpoint pressure, assuming a fault in the fuel rail pressure sensor, the lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, the pressure relief valve, and/or the fuel pump.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after ceasing application of the pulse, operating a higher pressure fuel pump downstream of the fuel pump until the fuel vapor pressure is reached; and

comparing the lift pump pressure to the fuel vapor pressure and the relief setpoint pressure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein indicating degradation in the fuel system includes:

if the lift pump pressure exceeds, is less than, or is within a range of both the fuel vapor pressure and the relief setpoint pressure, indicating degradation in the lower pressure fuel pressure sensor; and

if the lift pump pressure does not exceed, is not less than, or is not within the range of both the fuel vapor pressure and the relief setpoint pressure, performing a diagnostic during selected conditions.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising after indicating degradation in the lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, applying open loop control to the fuel pump based on a desired pressure.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein performing the diagnostic includes:

deactivating the higher pressure fuel pump;

after the fuel rail pressure approximately reaches the fuel vapor pressure, pressurizing a fuel rail to an expected fuel rail pressure by applying the pulse to the fuel pump, the expected fuel rail pressure being the lift pump pressure minus a constant;

if the fuel rail pressure exceeds or is less than the expected pressure, indicating fault in one of the fuel rail pressure sensor and the pressure relief valve; and

if the fuel rail pressure is within the range of the expected pressure, indicating fault in the fuel pump.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying open loop control to the fuel pump based on a desired pressure.

10. A method of operating a fuel system, comprising:

determining an expected pressure;

performing a first diagnostic by driving a lift pump in the fuel system to the expected pressure and comparing a measured pressure to the expected pressure, the lift pump driven according to an intermittent operation mode; and

identifying degradation in the fuel system based on the comparison.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the comparison includes determining a difference between the measured pressure and the expected pressure, the method further comprising:

if the difference exceeds a threshold, performing a second diagnostic by driving the lift pump to a relief setpoint pressure;

comparing a lift pump pressure to the relief setpoint pressure; and

identifying degradation in the fuel system based on the comparison of the lift pump pressure to the relief setpoint pressure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying degradation in the fuel system based on the comparison of the lift pump pressure to the relief setpoint pressure includes:

if the lift pump pressure exceeds the relief setpoint pressure, assuming a fault in a lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, a fuel rail pressure sensor, and/or a pressure relief valve; and

if the lift pump pressure is less than the relief setpoint pressure, assuming a fault in the lower pressure fuel pressure sensor, the fuel rail pressure sensor, the pressure relief valve, and/or the lift pump.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

performing a third diagnostic by deactivating the lift pump;

operating a higher pressure fuel pump downstream of the lift pump until a fuel vapor pressure is reached; and

comparing the lift pump pressure to the fuel vapor pressure and the relief setpoint pressure.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

if the lift pump pressure exceeds, is less than, or is within a range of both the fuel vapor pressure and the relief setpoint pressure, indicating degradation in the lower pressure fuel pressure sensor; and

if the lift pump pressure does not exceed, is not less than, or is not within the range of both the fuel vapor pressure and the relief setpoint pressure, performing a fourth diagnostic during selected conditions.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein performing the fourth diagnostic includes:

deactivating the higher pressure fuel pump;

after a fuel rail pressure approximately reaches the fuel vapor pressure, pressurizing a fuel rail to the expected pressure, the expected pressure being the lift pump pressure minus a constant; and

identifying degradation in the fuel system based on a comparison of the fuel rail pressure to the expected pressure.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

if the fuel rail pressure exceeds the expected pressure, indicating fault in one of the fuel rail pressure sensor and the pressure relief valve; and

applying open loop control to the lift pump based on a desired pressure.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

if the fuel rail pressure is less than the expected pressure, indicating fault in one of the fuel rail pressure sensor and the pressure relief valve;

if the fuel rail pressure is within the range of the expected pressure, indicating fault in the lift pump; and

applying open loop control to the lift pump based on a desired pressure.

18. The method of claim 10,

wherein in the intermittent mode the lift pump is pulsed on and off responsive to a fuel volume pumped to an accumulator positioned between the lift pump and a higher pressure fuel pump downstream of the lift pump, and

wherein the lift pump is pulsed such that, after an on pulse, the expected pressure becomes a relief setpoint pressure, the relief setpoint pressure being a pressure at which a pressure relief valve limits output from the lift pump, and after a duration following termination of the on pulse, the expected pressure becomes a fuel vapor pressure.

19. A method of operating a fuel system, comprising:

identifying degradation in the fuel system by performing at least one diagnostic in which a lift pump of the fuel system is driven to an expected pressure and a measured pressure is compared to the expected pressure, the lift pump driven according to an intermittent operation mode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the expected pressure is one of a maximum relief setpoint pressure at which a pressure relief valve limits output from the lift pump and a minimum fuel vapor pressure.