Fuel evaporative gas treatment device for fuel tank

• US 9,695,783 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Norimasa, Tsubone, Toshiyuki, Kato, Hiroshi, Yoshida, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mo, Xiao
• Application Number:
  US14/741,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20160010599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0809 Judging failure of purge control system
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0836 Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0854 Details of the absorption canister
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/089 Layout of the fuel vapour installation

Abstract

A fuel evaporative gas treatment device for a fuel tank is used in a motorcycle including a combustion engine with a supercharger. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device includes a canister which contains an adsorbent for adsorbing fuel evaporative gas from the fuel tank, a communication passage which communicates between an air intake passage for the combustion engine and the canister, and a check valve provided on the communication passage. The check valve blocks fluid flow from the air intake passage to the canister and permits fluid flow from the canister to the air intake passage.

Claims

1. A fuel evaporative gas treatment device for a fuel tank, the fuel evaporative gas treatment device being used in a vehicle including a combustion engine with a supercharger, the fuel evaporative gas treatment device comprising:

a canister containing an adsorbent which adsorbs fuel evaporative gas from the fuel tank;

a communication passage configured to communicate between an air intake passage for the combustion engine and the canister; and

a check valve provided on the communication passage, the check valve being configured to block fluid flow from the air intake passage to the canister and permit fluid flow from the canister to the air intake passage, wherein the check valve includes;

an air intake side communication hole communicating with the air intake passage;

a canister side communication hole communicating with the canister;

a partition wall separating between the air intake side and the canister side communication holes, the partition wall being provided with a valve port configured to communicate between the air intake side and the canister side communication holes; and

a valve body configured to open and close the valve port, and

the valve body is movable between a seated position at which the valve port is closed and a non-seated position at which the valve port is opened, and moves from the air intake passage side to the canister side to close the valve port at the seated position, further comprising;

a drive section configured to move the valve body on the basis of a control command from a vehicle controller; and

a biasing body configured to bias the valve body in a direction toward the seated position, wherein

the drive section moves, when being energized, the valve body to the non-seated position against a biasing force of the biasing body, and

in a state where the check valve is not energized, the valve body closes the valve port and operates as a mechanical check valve.

2. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve port is located below the valve body in a state where the check valve is mounted on the vehicle.

3. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an abnormality detecting section detects an abnormality in the drive section; and

a pressure adjuster suppresses an increase in pressure within the air intake passage when the abnormality detecting section detects an abnormality in the drive section.

4. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pressure adjuster is a solenoid on-off valve disposed on the air intake passage between the supercharger and the air intake side communication hole, and

where the abnormality detecting section detects an abnormality in the drive section, the solenoid on-off valve shifts in a direction in which the air intake passage is closed.

5. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the solenoid on-off valve'"'"'s opening degree thereof is adjustable by an operation of a driver in a state when the abnormality detecting section detects an abnormality in the drive section.

6. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fuel injection device provided on the air intake passage and at a downstream side of the check valve, the fuel injection device injects fuel into the air intake passage, wherein when the check valve opens, the fuel injection device reduces an amount of the fuel injected.

7. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the abnormality detecting section to detect the abnormality in the drive section based on a change in at least one of a resistance value, a current value, and a voltage value of the drive section; and

when the abnormality detecting section detects the abnormality in the drive section, occurrence of the abnormality is displayed on an instrument unit.

8. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 3, wherein pressure adjustment implemented by the use of the pressure adjuster is performed during a stop of the vehicle or when speed of the vehicle is low.

9. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 3, wherein pressure adjustment implemented by the use of the pressure adjuster is performed by either of intake air amount control with the use of an throttle valve and/or a sub-throttle valve, or a fuel injection amount control with the use of a fuel injector.

10. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an average amount of opening degree of the check valve is adjusted by a duty control.

11. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication passage is connected to a position on the air intake passage, which is not opposed to an injection port of a fuel injector.

12. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control command from the vehicle controller is issued on the basis of at least one of a rotation speed of the engine, a throttle opening degree and a pressure in the air intake passage.

13. The fuel evaporative gas treatment device as claimed in claim 12, wherein

the control command from the vehicle controller is issued when at least a negative pressure condition is met, of the negative pressure condition indicating that pressure in the air intake passage becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure and a stable condition indicating that the engine is in a stable state, and

the stable condition includes at least one of a predetermined time has elapsed from start of the engine;

an opening degree of a throttle valve is equal to or higher than a predetermined value;

a change in the opening degree of the throttle valve is within a predetermined range;

a temperature of cooling water for the engine is equal to or higher than a predetermined value;

a vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value; and

a transmission is geared.