Patent Application
20190390638
The present invention relates to an evaporated fuel processing apparatus configured to process evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank.
For this type of apparatus, for example, there is proposed an apparatus provided with: a canister containing adsorbent for adsorbing evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank; and a blocking valve with a stepping motor disposed in a vapor passage, which connects the canister and the fuel tank (refer to Patent Literature 1). The Patent Literature 1 discloses the following matter. When a valve opening start position of the blocking valve is learned, the following processes are repeated; namely, rotating a stepping motor A-steps in a valve opening direction, rotating it B-steps in a valve closing direction, and detecting tank inner pressure. If the tank inner pressure currently detected is less than a previously detected value by a predetermined value or more, then, it is determined that the valve opening of the blocking valve is started.
A rotation amount (or a rotation angle) of the stepping motor is controlled by a step unit. It can be said that the valve opening start position detected while rotating the stepping motor by one step at each time in the valve opening direction when learning the valve opening start position of the blocking valve, is the valve opening start position with the best detection accuracy. Here, the number of steps per rotation associated with the specification of the stepping motor, in other words, the rotation angle per step, is not considered. The stepping motor, however, rotates only by one step at each time in the valve opening direction, and thus, it takes a relatively long time to learn the valve opening start position. In contrast, if the valve opening start position is detected while rotating the stepping motor by two or more steps at each time in the valve opening direction so as to reduce the time required for the learning of the valve opening start position, then, the detection accuracy is reduced. In the technology/technique described in the Patent Literature 1, it is hardly possible to achieve both an improvement in the detection accuracy of the valve opening start position and a reduction in the time required for the learning of the valve opening start position.
In view of the aforementioned problems, it is therefore an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide an evaporated fuel processing apparatus that can achieve both the improvement in the detection accuracy of the valve opening start position and the reduction in the time required for the learning of the valve opening start position.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an evaporated fuel processing apparatus including: a canister containing adsorbent for adsorbing evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank; a vapor passage connecting the canister and the fuel tank; and a blocking valve, which is disposed in the vapor passage, which is closed when a stroke amount is less than a predetermined amount, and which is opened when the stroke amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount, wherein the blocking valve has a stepping motor configured to adjust the stroke amount, the evaporated fuel processing apparatus comprises a learning device configured to learn a valve opening position of the blocking valve, and the learning device is configured to learn the valve opening position (i) by stepwisely increasing the stroke amount by rotating the stepping motor by two steps at each time in a valve opening direction and (ii) by determining whether a difference between the stroke amount at present and the stroke amount corresponding to the valve opening position is one step of rotation of the stepping motor, or two steps, on the basis of pressure fluctuation on the canister side of the blocking valve associated with the rotation of the stepping motor when the blocking valve is opened, when learning the valve opening position.
On the evaporated fuel processing apparatus, when learning the valve opening position (corresponding to the aforementioned “valve opening start position”), the stepping motor is rotated by two steps at each time in the valve opening direction. Thus, according to the evaporated fuel processing apparatus, it is possible to reduce the time required for the learning, in comparison with when the stepping motor is rotated by one step at each time in the valve opening direction in the learning.
Particularly on the evaporated fuel processing apparatus, it is determined whether the pressure fluctuation on the canister side of the blocking valve when the blocking valve is opened, corresponds to the pressure fluctuation corresponding to one step of the steeping motor, or the pressure fluctuation corresponding to two steps. Thus, according to the evaporated fuel processing apparatus, it is possible to learn the valve opening position by one step of the stepping motor at each time.
Therefore, according to the evaporated fuel processing apparatus, it is possible to achieve both the improvement in the detection accuracy of the valve opening position and the reduction in the time required for the learning of the valve opening position. The “valve opening position” according to the present invention may mean a position that allows the blocking valve to be opened if the stroke amount increases even slightly from that position.
The effect and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiment explained below.
An evaporated fuel processing apparatus according to the present invention will be explained with reference to
A configuration of the evaporated fuel processing apparatus according to the embodiment will be explained with reference to
In
The evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20 is provided with a canister 22, a vapor passage 24, a purge passage 26, and an atmospheric air passage 28. The canister 22 is filled with activated carbon as adsorbent. The canister 22 is configured to adsorb the evaporated fuel in the fuel tank 15 by using the adsorbent. The vapor passage 24 is communicated, at one end, with a gas layer part in the fuel tank 15, and is communicated, at the other end, with the canister 22. The vapor passage 24 is provided with a blocking valve 40 configured to switch between communication and shutoff in the vapor passage 24. The purge passage 26 is communicated, at one end, with the canister 22, and is communicated, at the other end, with a downstream side of a throttle valve 17 in an intake passage 16 of an engine 14. The purge passage 26 is provided with a purge valve 26v configured to switch between communication and shutoff in the purge passage 26.
The canister 22 is communicated with the atmospheric air passage 28 with a tip opened to the atmosphere. The atmospheric air passage 28 is provided with an air filter 28a. The atmospheric air passage 28 is also provided with a switching valve 28v configured to switch between communication and shutoff in the atmospheric air passage 28, wherein the switching valve 28v is disposed nearer to the canister 22 than the air filter 28a. The switching valve 28v includes, for example, a normally open solenoid valve, which is open when the solenoid is not energized. The atmospheric air passage 28 is also provided with a pump 28p configured to forcibly feed an atmospheric air to the canister 22, wherein the pump 28p is parallel to the blocking valve 28b. The pump 28p may be of any type as long as it can pressurize an inside of a system including the canister 22 and the fuel tank 15, but is preferably configured not to generate a gas flow in an OFF state.
The blocking valve 40, the purge valve 26v, the switching valve 28v, and the pump 28p are controlled on the basis of signals from an electronic control unit (ECU) 19. In other words, in the embodiment, a part of functions of the ECU 19 for various electronic controls of the vehicle is used as a part of the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20.
The evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20 is provided with: a tank pressure sensor 15s disposed in the fuel tank 15; and an evaporation system pressure sensor (hereinafter referred to as a “system pressure sensor”) 26s disposed nearer to the canister 22 than the purge valve 26 in the purge passage 26, as pressure sensors configured to detect pressure in the system. The tank pressure sensor 15s is configured to detect pressure of an area on the side of the fuel tank 15 out of two areas into which the system is separated by the blocking valve 40. The system pressure sensor 26s is configured to detect pressure of an area including the canister 22 (or specifically, an area into which the system is partitioned by the purge valve 26v, the switching valve 26v, and the blocking valve 40) (hereinafter referred to as “system pressure”) out of two areas into which the system is separated by the blocking valve 40. The ECU 19 is configured to receive signals from the tank pressure sensor 15s and the system pressure sensor 26s.
Next, an overview of operation of the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20 configured in the above manner will be explained. By the control of the ECU 19, the purge valve 26v is appropriately opened if a predetermined purge condition is satisfied during running of the vehicle. At this time, the switching valve 28v is open, and the atmospheric air thus flows in from the atmospheric air passage 28 due to intake negative pressure of the engine 14. The evaporated fuel purged from the adsorbent of the canister 22 by the atmospheric air is introduced into an intake passage 17 of the engine 14 via the purge valve 26v. The ECU 19 is also configured to open the blocking valve 40 and to perform a pressure relief control of the fuel tank 15 if the pressure of the fuel tank 15 detected by the tank pressure sensor 15s is greater than a predetermined pressure. Various existing aspects can be applied to the control associated with the purge of the evaporated fuel adsorbed on the adsorbent of the canister 22, and the pressure relief control of the fuel tank 15. An explanation of the details of the controls will be thus omitted.
A configuration of the blocking valve 40 will be explained with reference to
The blocking valve 40 is a flow control valve for blocking the vapor passage 24 in a valve open state and controlling a flow rate or a flow volume of a gas that flows in the vapor passage 24 in the valve open state. In
The stepping motor 50 is mounted on an upper part of the valve casing 42. The stepping motor 50 has: a motor body 52; and an output shaft 54, which protrudes from a lower surface of the motor body 52 and which is configured to rotate in forward and reverse directions. The output shaft 54 is concentrically disposed in the valve chamber 44 of the valve casing 42, and a male screw 54n is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the output shaft 54.
The valve guide 60 is provided with a cylindrical wall 62 and an upper wall 64 configured to close an upper end opening of the cylindrical wall 62, and is formed in a topped cylindrical shape. A cylindrical shaft 66 is concentrically formed in a central part of the upper wall 64. A female screw 66w is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft 66. The valve guide 60 is movably disposed in an axial direction (or vertical direction), while rotation around the axial direction is stopped by a not-illustrated detent or rotation stopper, with respect to the valve casing 42.
The male screw 54n of the output shaft 54 of the stepping motor 50 is screwed into the female screw 66w of the cylindrical shaft 66 of the valve guide 60. This makes it possible for the valve guide 60 to move up and down in the axial direction on the basis of the forward and reverse rotation of the output shaft 54 of the stepping motor 50. Around the valve guide 60, there is provided an auxiliary spring 68 configured to bias the valve guide 60 upward.
The valve body 70 is provided with a cylindrical wall 72 and a lower wall 74 configured to close a lower end opening of the cylindrical wall 72, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. On a lower surface of the lower wall 74, for example, there is disposed a seal member 76 made of a disk-shaped rubber elastic material. The valve body 70 is concentrically disposed in the valve guide 60. The seal member 76 of the valve body 70 is disposed to abut on an upper surface of a valve seat of the valve casing 42 (near an end on the side of the valve chamber 44 in the inlet passage 45).
On an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 72 of the valve body 70, a plurality of coupling protrusions 72t are formed in a circumferential direction. The coupling protrusions 72t of the valve body 70 are fit in vertically-grooved coupling recesses 62m formed in an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 62 of the valve guide 60, to be relatively movable in the vertical direction by a fixed dimension. The valve guide 60 and the valve body 70 are configured to integrally move upward (i.e. in a valve opening direction) while bottom walls 62b of the coupling recesses 62m of the valve guide 60 abut on the coupling protrusions 72t of the valve body 70 from below. Between the upper wall 64 of the valve guide 60 and the lower wall 74 of the valve body 70, there is concentrically provided a valve spring 77 configured to bias the valve body 70 always downward (i.e. in a valve closing direction) with respect to the valve guide 60.
Next, operation of the blocking valve 40 as configured above will be explained. The blocking valve 40 is configured to rotate the stepping motor 50 with the predetermined number of steps (hereinafter referred to as the predetermined step number) in the valve opening direction or the valve closing direction on the basis of the signals from the ECU 19. As a result, due to screwing action of the male screw 54n of the output shaft 54 of the stepping motor 50 and the female screw 66w of the cylindrical shaft 66 of the valve guide 60, the valve guide 60 may move by a predetermined stroke amount in the vertical direction.
In an initial state of the blocking valve 40, the valve guide 60 is held at a lower limit position, and a lower end face of the cylindrical wall 62 abuts on the upper surface of the valve seat of the valve casing 42. In this state, the coupling protrusions 72t of the valve body 70 are located above the bottom walls 62b of the coupling recesses 62m of the valve guide 60 (refer to
When the stepping motor 50 is rotated in the valve opening direction from the initial state of the blocking valve 40, the valve guide 60 moves upward due to the screwing action of the male screw 54n and the female screw 66w, and the bottom walls 62b of the coupling recesses 62m of the valve guide 60 abut on the coupling protrusions 72t of the valve body 70 from below. Then, when the stepping motor 50 is further rotated in the valve opening direction and the valve guide 60 further moves upward, the valve body 70 moves upward with the valve guide 60, and the seal member 76 of the valve body 70 leaves the valve seat of the valve casing 42. As a result, the blocking valve 40 is opened.
The valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 varies depending on the blocking valve 40, for example, due to position tolerance of the coupling protrusions 72t formed on the valve body 70, position tolerance of the bottom walls 62b formed on the coupling recesses 62m of the valve guide 60, or the like. Therefore, a learning control for leaning the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is performed on the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20. The learning control according to the embodiment will be explained with reference to
In
Here, the ECU 19 determines that the learning of the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is to be started if, after the start of the engine 14, the engine 14 is in an operating state in which the evaporated fuel adsorbed on the adsorbent of the canister 22 can be purged and in which the pressure of the fuel tank 15 is positive. If the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is once learned after ignition-on, it is not necessary to learn the valve opening position until next ignition-on after ignition-off. The ECU 19 thus determines that the learning of the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is not to be started if there is a learning history of the valve opening position after the present ignition-on.
In the determination in the step S101, if it is determined that the learning of the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is not to be started (the step S101: No), the process is ended. Then, the ECU 19 performs the step S101 again after a lapse of a predetermined time.
On the other hand, in the determination in the step S101, if it is determined that the learning of the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is to be started (the step S101: Yes), the ECU 19 rotates the stepping motor 50 up to the predetermined step number in the valve opening direction or in the valve closing direction. The “predetermined step number” is not necessarily limited to 0 steps (i.e., in the initial state), but may be appropriately set in a range of the step number in which the blocking valve 40 is closed. If the predetermined step number is set to be greater than 0 steps, the step number is reduced from the predetermined step number to a step number corresponding to the valve opening position. It is thus possible to end the learning of the valve opening position at a relatively early stage. The ECU 19 further closes the switching valve 28v and shuts off the atmospheric air passage 28. The ECU 19 maintains a valve closed state of the purge valve 26v.
The ECU 19 then rotates the stepping motor 50 by two steps in the valve opening direction (step S102). The ECU 19 then determines whether or not a change amount of the system pressure between before and after the step S102 is performed (which, in other words, is caused by the rotation of the stepping motor 50 by two steps in the valve opening direction), is less than a predetermined value A, on the basis of signals from the system pressure sensor 26s (step S103).
Here, the change amount of the system pressure being less than the predetermined value A, may mean that the blocking valve 40 maintains the valve closed state. On the other hand, the change amount of the system pressure being greater than or equal to the predetermined value A, may mean that the blocking valve 40 is opened. The “predetermined value A” may be simply “0”, but is preferably set to a value that is slightly greater than 0, in view of a detection error of the system pressure sensor 26s, a variation in the system pressure caused, for example, by a volume change of the canister 22 due to environmental temperature, or the like.
In the determination in the step S103, if it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is less than the predetermined value A (the step S103: Yes), the ECU 19 determines that the blocking valve 40 is not opened (step S104), and performs the step S102.
On the other hand, in the determination in the step S103, if it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A (the step S103: No), the ECU 19 determines whether or not the change amount of the system pressure is less than a predetermined value B (step S105). The predetermined value B is greater than the predetermined value A.
In the control, a process of rotating the stepping motor 50 by two steps in the valve opening direction, i.e., the step S102, and a process of determining whether or not the change amount of the system pressure is less than the predetermined value A, i.e., the step S103, are repeated until it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A. Thus, if no measures are taken, the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40 is learned only by two steps. In other words, the resolution of the valve opening position is two steps.
By the way, cases where the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A (i.e., the blocking valve 40 is opened) include: (i) a case where the seal member 76 of the valve body 70 leaves the valve seat of the valve casing 42 by a stroke amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50; and (ii) a case where the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by a stroke amount corresponding to two steps of the stepping motor 50. The present inventors have focused on this point, and have configured the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20 to determine whether it is a change amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50 or a change amount corresponding to two steps, from the change amount of the system pressure when the blocking valve 40 is opened.
On the basis of the above idea, the “predetermined value B” according to the embodiment may be set as a value with which it is surely possible to distinguish between the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50 and the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to two steps of the stepping motor 50. Specifically, the predetermined value B may be set as a value between the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50 and the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to two steps of the stepping motor 50.
In the determination in the step S105, if it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is less than the predetermined value B (the step S105: Yes), the ECU 19 determines that the blocking valve 40 is opened while the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50 (step S106), and learns a value obtained by subtracting “1” from the present step number, as the valve opening position (step S107).
On the other hand, in the determination in the step S105, if it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value B (the step S105: No), the ECU 19 determines that the blocking valve 40 is opened while the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to two steps of the stepping motor 50 (step S108), and learns a value obtained by subtracting “2” from the present step number, as the valve opening position (step S109).
Next, with reference to
Suppose that at a time point t1 in
The ECU 19 then repeats the process of rotating the stepping motor 50 by two steps in the valve opening direction, i.e., the step S102, and the process of determining whether or not the change amount of the system pressure is less than the predetermined value A, i.e., the step S103, until it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A.
Suppose that at a time point t2, it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A in the determination in the step S103, and that at a time point t3, it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value B in the determination in the step S105. As a result, the ECU 19 learns a value obtained by subtracting “2” from the present step number, as the valve opening position (the step S109). The ECU 19 then rotates the stepping motor 50 up to the predetermined step number in the valve closing direction, to close the blocking valve 40 and to open the switching valve 28v.
In the same manner, suppose that at a time point t3 in
The ECU 19 then repeats the process of rotating the stepping motor 50 by two steps in the valve opening direction, i.e., the step S102, and the process of determining whether or not the change amount of the system pressure is less than the predetermined value A, i.e., the step S103, until it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A.
Suppose that at a time point t4 it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A in the determination in the step S103, and that at a time point t5, it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is less than the predetermined value B in the determination in the step S105. As a result, the ECU 19 learns a value obtained by subtracting “1” from the present step number, as the valve opening position (the step S107). The ECU 19 then rotates the stepping motor 50 up to the predetermined step number in the valve closing direction, to close the blocking valve 40 and to open the switching valve 28v.
On the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20, when learning the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40, the stepping motor 40 is rotated by two steps at each time in the valve opening direction. It is thus possible to reduce the time required for the learning, in comparison with when the stepping motor 50 is rotated by one step at each time in the valve opening direction in the learning.
In addition, on the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20, it is determined whether the seal member 76 of the valve body 70 leaves the valve seat of the valve casing 42 by the stroke amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50 or by the stroke amount corresponding to two steps, by determining whether or not the change amount of the system pressure when the blocking valve 40 is opened (i.e., when it is determined that the change amount of the system pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A) is less than the predetermined value B. Thus, when learning the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40, the stepping motor 50 is rotated by two steps at each time in the valve opening direction, but the valve opening position is learned by one step at each time.
Therefore, according to the evaporated fuel processing apparatus 20, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the valve opening position while reducing the time required for the learning of the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40.
If the system pressure sensor 26s allows, for example, accurate determination of (i) the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 of the valve body 70 leaves the valve seat of the valve casing 42 by the stroke amount corresponding to one step of the stepping motor 50, (ii) the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by the stroke amount corresponding to two steps of the stepping motor 50, and (iii) the change amount of the system pressure when the seal member 76 leaves the valve seat by a stroke amount corresponding to three steps of the stepping motor 50, then, the stepping motor 50 may be rotated by three steps (or by four or more steps) at each time in the valve opening direction when learning the valve opening position of the blocking valve 40.
The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment and example, but various changes may be made, if desired, without departing from the essence or spirit of the invention which can be read from the claims and the entire specification. A evaporated fuel processing apparatus that involves such changes is also intended to be within the technical scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-248045 | Dec 2016 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/042047 | 11/22/2017 | WO | 00 |
