Control apparatus for internal combustion engine

• US 20050194788A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanai, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,161,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/40.00B
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/003 Adding fuel vapours, e.g. drawn from engine fuel reservoir

Abstract

In a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, an amount of electricity to be generated by an alternator (a target charging voltage) is set based on a vapor concentration of vaporized fuel when a purge execution condition is met for purging the vaporized fuel collected by a canister, whereby a fluctuation in rotation in an idling operation state is suppressed, an appropriate purging treatment of the vaporized fuel is allowed, and the drivability is improved.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising:

an electric generator which is driven by the internal combustion engine;

a battery which charges electricity generated by the electric generator;

a canister which absorbs vaporized fuel from a fuel tank;

a vapor concentration detecting unit which detects a vapor concentration of the vaporized fuel; and

a vaporized fuel purging unit that purges the vaporized fuel absorbed by the canister into an intake path of the internal combustion engine when a predetermined purge execution condition is met,

wherein an amount of electricity generated by the electric generator is controlled to become higher when the vapor concentration detected by the vapor concentration detecting unit is high compared with when the vapor concentration is low when the internal combustion engine is in an idling operation state and the purge execution condition is met.

2. The control apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the amount of electricity generated by the electric generator is controlled so that the amount of electricity generated by the electric generator increases along with an increase in the vapor concentration detected by the vapor concentration detecting unit.

3. The control apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising a charge state detecting unit that detects a charge state of the battery, and the amount of electricity generated by the electric generator is controlled so that the amount of electricity generated by the electric generator is increased when a charge amount of the battery detected by the charge state detecting unit is low compared with when the charge amount is high.