This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2019-157993 filed on Aug. 30, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an evaporated fuel treatment apparatus for treatment to introduce evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank into an engine.
Improvement of fuel consumption reduces the frequency of driving an engine, leading to a reduced opportunity to purge a canister under engine negative pressure. This causes an increase in the amount of fuel (i.e., hydrocarbon (HC)) remaining in activated carbon in the canister. Thus, the amount of fuel to be released from the canister through its atmosphere port is apt to increase while a vehicle is parked, that is, during parking. Some countermeasures against such a defect are conceivable; for example, high-performance activated carbon is used in the canister or another canister is additionally provided in the outside of the atmosphere port. However, these countermeasures may lead to increased cost of the apparatus and increased size of the canister.
As one of conventional arts related to an evaporated fuel treatment apparatus equipped with the above-mentioned canister, U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,354 discloses an evaporated fuel treatment apparatus for a vehicle in which an on-off valve is provided on a partition wall located on an upstream side (a purge port side) of at least an adsorbent layer positioned closest to an atmosphere port.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,354 does not provide any disclosures about a leak determination of an apparatus and a failure determination of a valve. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,354, furthermore, when the pressure of a fuel tank excessively changes (rises or drops) while the on-off valve is closed, components of the apparatus, such as a canister, may not be protected.
The present disclosure has been made to address the above problems and has a purpose to provide an evaporated fuel treatment apparatus capable of reducing the amount of evaporated fuel to be released to the atmosphere during parking and further addressing a request of a vehicle, such as a purge control, a leak determination of an apparatus, and a failure determination of a valve, and also protecting components of the apparatus.
To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, one aspect of the present disclosure provides an evaporated fuel treatment apparatus comprising: a canister connected to a fuel tank and provided with a plurality of adsorption layers for adsorbing evaporated fuel generated in the fuel tank; a purge passage configured to allow purge gas containing the evaporated fuel to flow from the canister to an engine; a purge valve configured to open and close the purge passage; an atmosphere passage configured to take atmospheric air into the canister; a controller configured to perform purge control by placing the purge valve in an open state to introduce the purge gas from the canister into the engine through the purge passage; a partition wall dividing an inside of the canister into a first region located close to the purge passage and the fuel tank and a second region located close to the atmosphere passage; an electromagnetic valve provided in the partition wall and configured to open and close between the first region and the second region; a relief part provided in the partition wall and configured to release pressure between the first region and the second region; and a determination unit configured to perform a leak determination of the apparatus and a failure determination of the purge valve and the electromagnetic valve based on behaviors of internal pressure of the canister according to an opening and closing operation of the electromagnetic valve.
According the above aspect, while a vehicle equipped with the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus is parked, the electromagnetic valve is placed in a closed state, thereby preventing the evaporated fuel from diffusing or spreading from the first region located close to the purge passage and the fuel tank into the second region located close to the atmosphere passage. Thus, the evaporated fuel is less likely to diffuse from the second region into the atmosphere passage. This can reduce release of the evaporated fuel from the canister to the atmosphere through the atmosphere passage during parking.
In contrast, when the purge control is to be executed, the electromagnetic valve is placed in an open state, thereby enabling communication between the first region and the second region to allow purge gas to flow within the canister. This can prevent an increase in pressure loss which may be caused by the electromagnetic valve if it is in a closed state which stops a flow of purge gas during execution of the purge control, and therefore avoid an insufficient flow rate of the purge gas.
Even when the pressure of the fuel tank excessively changes while the electromagnetic valve is in a closed state, the relief part allows pressure release between the first region and the second region, so that the pressure in the first region located close to the fuel tank is less likely to excessively change. Thus, components of the apparatus, including the canister, can be protected.
The above-mentioned evaporated fuel treatment apparatus can perform the leak determination of the apparatus and the failure determination of the purge valve and the electromagnetic valve by use of the electromagnetic valve.
Accordingly, the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus configured as above can suppress the evaporated fuel from releasing to the atmosphere during parking of a vehicle and further address a request of the vehicle, such as the purge control, the leak determination of the apparatus, and the failure determination of the valve, and also can protect components of the apparatus.
A detailed description of embodiments of an evaporated fuel treatment apparatus according to the present disclosure will now be given referring to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus of the present disclosure is applied to an engine system to be mounted in a vehicle, such as a car.
The first embodiment will be described blow.
<Outline of Evaporated fuel treatment apparatus>
An evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 in the present embodiment is an apparatus configured to introduce evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank FT into an engine (not shown) through an intake passage (not shown). This evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 includes a canister 11, a purge passage 12, a purge valve 13, an atmosphere passage 14, a vapor passage 15, a controller 16, and others, as shown in
The canister 11 is connected to the fuel tank FT through the vapor passage 15 and configured to temporarily store evaporated fuel flowing therein from the fuel tank FT through the vapor passage 15. The canister 11 communicates with the purge passage 12 and also with the atmosphere passage 14.
The canister 11 is provided with a canister case 21, activated carbons 22 (one example of an adsorption layer of the present disclosure), and space chambers 23.
The canister case 21 is a container for storing evaporated fuel flowing therein from the fuel tank FT through the vapor passage 15. This canister case 21 is provided with a purge port 24 and an atmosphere port 25. The purge port 24 is an outlet port to allow purge gas (i.e., the gas containing purge air (that is, atmospheric air) and evaporated fuel) to flow out of the canister case 21. The atmosphere port 25 is an inlet port to allow purge air to flow into the canister case 21 from the atmosphere.
The activated carbon 22 is an adsorbent capable of adsorbing thereon evaporated fuel generated in the fuel tank FT. This activated carbon 22 is provided in a plurality of layers in the canister case 21. In this embodiment, as one example, the activated carbon 22 is provided in two layers in the canister case 21. Specifically, these two layers of the activated carbon 22 include a first layer of activated carbon (“first-layer activated carbon”) 22-1 and a second-layer activated carbon 22-2, which are arranged in this order in the canister case 21 from a position close to the purge port 24 to a position close to the atmosphere port 25.
The space chamber 23 is a space region formed in the canister case 21. In the present embodiment, the space chamber 23 is provided between the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 and the second-layer activated carbon 22-2.
The purge passage 12 is connected to the intake passage and also to the canister 11. This configuration allows the purge gas that flows out of the canister 11, i.e., the gas containing evaporated fuel, to flow through the purge passage 12 into the intake passage. In other words, the purge passage 12 is a channel for allowing a purge gas to be introduced from the canister 11 to the engine to flow.
The purge valve 13 is placed in the purge passage 12. This purge valve 13 is configured to open and close the purge passage 12. While the purge valve 13 is in a closed state, the purge gas in the purge passage 12 is shut off by the purge valve 13 from flowing to the intake passage. While the purge valve 13 is in an open state, on the other hand, the purge gas is allowed to flow into the intake passage.
The atmosphere passage 14 has one end that is open to the atmosphere and the other end that is connected to the canister 11 to permit the canister 11 to communicate with the atmosphere. The atmosphere passage 14 is configured to take atmospheric air into the canister 11. In other words, the atmosphere passage 14 is a channel for introducing atmospheric air into the canister 11.
The vapor passage 15 is connected to the fuel tank FT and also to the canister 11. This allows the evaporated fuel in the fuel tank FT to flow in the canister 11 through the vapor passage 15.
The controller 16 is a part of an ECU (not illustrated) mounted in a vehicle and placed integral with other parts of the ECU (e.g., parts for controlling the engine). This controller 16 may be provided separately from the other parts of the ECU. The controller 16 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and others. The controller 16 is configured to control the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 and the engine system according to programs stored in advance in a memory. For instance, the controller 16 is configured to control the purge valve 13 and the electromagnetic valve 32 which will be mentioned later.
In the present embodiment, the canister 11 is provided with a partition wall 31, an electromagnetic valve 32, and a small hole 33 (one example of a relief part in the present disclosure) in the space chamber 23 between the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 and the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 in order to prevent diffusing or spreading of evaporated fuel between the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 and the second-layer activated carbon 22-2.
The partition wall 31 is provided to divide the inside of the canister 11 into a first region 34 and a second region 35 so that the first region 34 is located on a side close to the purge passage 12 and the fuel tank FT (i.e., the vapor passage 15) and the second region 35 is located on a side close to the atmosphere passage 14. The first region 34 is provided with the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 and the second region 35 is provided with the second-layer 22-2.
The electromagnetic valve 32 is provided in the partition wall 31 and configured to open and close between the first region 34 and the second region 35. This electromagnetic valve 32 is a normally-closed valve, i.e., a valve that is closed during non-energization. As an alternative, the electromagnetic valve 32 may be a valve that is driven by a stepping motor to open and close.
The small hole 33 is provided in the partition wall 31 and configured to allow communication between the first region 34 and the second region 35 to release the pressure between the first region 34 and the second region 35. This small hole 33 is a fixed aperture having a small, fixed aperture opening degree. As an alternative, instead of the small hole 33, a relief valve 36 may be installed as illustrated in
The canister 11 including the partition wall 31 and the electromagnetic valve 32 as configured above can reduce the quantity of evaporated fuel (i.e., HC) caused to move from the first-layer 22-1 to the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 due to diffusion. Accordingly, the diffusional quantity of evaporated fuel diffused from the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 to the atmosphere passage 14 can be reduced, thereby enabling a reduction in the release quantity of evaporated fuel released through the atmosphere port 25 of the canister 11 during parking.
In the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 configured as above, when a purge condition is satisfied during operation of the engine, the controller 16 performs a purge control by placing the purge valve 13 in an open state to introduce purge gas from the canister 11 into the engine through the purge passage 12 and the intake passage under an engine negative pressure. The “engine negative pressure” represents the negative pressure generated in the purge passage 12 and the intake passage when the engine is driven.
At that time, concretely, the canister 11 is subjected to the following purge process, that is, a separation process of fuel adsorbed on the activated carbon 22. Firstly, purge air, i.e., atmospheric air, flows from the atmosphere into the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 through the atmosphere port 25, thereby causing separation of the fuel adsorbed on the second-layer activated carbon 22-2. Then, purge gas, i.e., a mixture gas of the purge air and evaporated fuel, flows from the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 into the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 through the space chamber 23, thereby causing separation of the fuel adsorbed on the first-layer activated carbon 22-1. Subsequently, the purge gas containing the fuel separated from the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 and the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 flows from the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 into the purge passage 12 through the purge port 24.
While the purge control is being executed, the engine is supplied with the air taken into the intake passage, the fuel injected from the fuel tank FT through an injector (not shown), and further the purge gas introduced into the intake passage under the purge control. The controller 16 is also configured to adjust the injection time of the injector, the opening time of the purge valve 13, and others to regulate an air-fuel ratio (A/F) of the engine to an optimum air-fuel ratio, for example, an ideal air-fuel ratio.
<Control of Electromagnetic Valve under Purge Control>
In the present embodiment, during execution of the purge control, the electromagnetic valve 32 is held in an open state, thereby allowing purge gas to flow within the canister 11. Therefore, the control of the electromagnetic valve 32 to perform the purge control will be described below.
Example 1 is firstly described. In this Example, the controller 16 is configured to start the purge control and simultaneously place the electromagnetic valve 32 in an open state. Concretely, when a purge request is present at time T1 or T3, as shown in
In this Example, the electromagnetic valve 32 is a normally-closed valve. This electromagnetic valve 32 is not continuously energized when no purge request is given, and thus the electromagnetic valve 32 is held in a closed state. This configuration can prevent heat generation caused by continuous energization.
Next, Example 2 will be described below. In this Example, the controller 16 is configured to predict the timing for performing the purge control based on vehicle information and turn the electromagnetic valve 32 to an open state at the time earlier by a predetermined time than the predicted timing. The controller 16 is one example of a purge predicting part of the present disclosure.
Concretely, as shown in
At time T12, the controller 16 subsequently maintains the electromagnetic valve 32 in the open state at a predetermined opening degree. At time T3, when a purge request is present, the controller 16 starts the purge control by placing the purge valve 13 in the open state. At that time, the electromagnetic valve 32 has already been in the open state.
In this Example, preferably, the electromagnetic valve 32 is a valve that is driven by a stepping motor to open and close. The controller 16 starts energization of the electromagnetic valve 32 at time T11, adjusts the step position of the stepping motor to a predetermined position at time T12, and keeps the electromagnetic valve 32 in the open state at the predetermined opening degree.
In this Example, the electromagnetic valve 32 is opened in advance of the start of the purge control. Thus, the electromagnetic valve 32 may have to be maintained in the open state over a long period before the start of the purge control. In this Example, however, the electromagnetic valve 32 is a valve that is driven by the stepping motor to open and close. If the step position of the stepping motor can be adjusted to the predetermined position, therefore, the electromagnetic valve 32 can be maintained in the open state at the predetermined opening degree during non-energization. Thus, the electromagnetic valve 32 does not need to be energized continuously for a long period, so that the heat generation of the electromagnetic valve 32 is suppressed.
The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 in the present embodiment includes the partition wall 31 to divide the inside of the canister 11 into the first region 34 and the second region 35 so that the first region 34 is located close to the purge passage 12 and the fuel tank FT and the second region 35 is located close to the atmosphere passage 14. The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 further includes the electromagnetic valve 32 placed in the partition wall 31 and configured to open and close between the first region 34 and the second region 35, and the small hole 33 provided in the partition wall 31 and configured to release the pressure between the first region 34 and the second region 35.
Accordingly, during parking of a vehicle equipped with the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1, when the electromagnetic valve 32 is placed in a closed state, evaporated fuel is less likely to diffuse from the first-layer activated carbon 22-1 provided in the first region 34 located close to the purge passage 12 and the fuel tank FT to the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 provided in the second region 35 located close to the atmosphere passage 14. Thus, the evaporated fuel is unlikely to diffuse from the second-layer activated carbon 22-2 provided in the second region 35 to the atmosphere passage 14. This can prevent release of evaporated fuel from the canister 11 to the atmosphere through the atmosphere passage 14 during parking.
In contrast, when the purge control is performed, the electromagnetic valve 32 is placed in an open state. This allows the first region 34 and the second region 35 to communicate with each other, thereby enabling a flow of the purge gas within the canister 11. This can prevent an increase in pressure loss which may be caused by the electromagnetic valve 32 if it is in a closed state which blocks a flow of purge gas during purge control, and can avoid an insufficient flow rate of purge gas.
Moreover, even when the internal pressure of the fuel tank FT excessively changes while the electromagnetic valve 32 is in a closed state, the small hole 33 allows the pressure to release between the first region 34 and the second region 35, so that the pressure in the first region 34 located close to the fuel tank FT is less likely to excessively change. This makes it possible to protect the components of the apparatus including the canister 11, for example, the canister 11 communicating with the fuel tank FT, the electromagnetic valve 32, the purge passage 12, and the purge valve 13.
The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 in the present embodiment configured as above can prevent the evaporated fuel from releasing to the atmosphere during parking, address a request of a vehicle, such as the purge control, and also protect the components of the apparatus.
Furthermore, the electromagnetic valve 32 is a normally-closed valve. Accordingly, while the electromagnetic valve 32 is in a closed state, this can save power and prevent heat generation.
The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 in the present embodiment includes the controller 16 configured to predict the timing for performing the purge control based on vehicle information. This controller 16 turns the electromagnetic valve 32 to an open state at the time earlier by a predetermined time than the predicted timing for performing the purge control.
Accordingly, the electromagnetic valve 32 is placed in the open state in advance of the start of the purge control. Thus, the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 enables the purge gas to flow within the canister 11 while preventing a delay in the timing to open the electromagnetic valve 32 when the purge control is started and further.
A second embodiment will be described below, in which similar or identical parts or elements to those in the first embodiment are assigned the same reference signs as those in the first embodiment and their details are omitted. The following description is made with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.
Example 1 will be described below. In this Example, as shown in
The key-off pump 41 is a pump provided at a connection of the canister 11 with the atmosphere port 14. The switching valve 42 is configured to open and close the atmosphere passage 14 and is a normally-open valve. The pressure sensor 43 is configured to detect the pressure in the second region 35 of the canister 11. The pressure sensor 44 is configured to detect the pressure in the first region 34 of the canister 11.
The determination unit 45 in this Example is configured to perform a leak determination of the apparatus (“apparatus leak determination”) and a failure determination of the purge valve 13 and the electromagnetic valve 32 (“valve failure determination”) based on behaviors of the pressure in the canister 11 according to the opening and closing operations of the electromagnetic valve 32 as will be described in detailed later. In this embodiment, the “apparatus leak determination” means a determination as to whether or not a leak exists in the apparatus, that is, whether or not gas (e.g., purge gas) is leaking in the canister 11 and its surroundings (e.g., the purge passage 12 and the vapor passage 15) in the evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1. The determination unit 45 may be provided as a part of the controller 16 or provided separately from the controller 16.
In this Example, the determination unit 45 is configured to perform the apparatus leak determination and the valve failure determination based on detection values of the pressure sensor 43 and the pressure sensor 44 obtained when the electromagnetic valve 32 and the switching valve 42 are individually switched between an open state and a closed state during execution of the purge control. In this embodiment, the “valve failure determination” means a determination as to whether or not the purge valve 13, the electromagnetic valve 32, or the switching valve 42 has failed. The determination unit 45 is configured to perform the valve failure determination after executing the apparatus leak determination.
Concretely, as shown in
In this preliminary diagnosis, the leak determination of the apparatus 1 and the failure determination of the purge valve 13 and the switching valve 42 are performed. Specifically, as shown in
Returning to
In this primary determination, the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is performed. Specifically, as shown in
Returning to
If the primary determination result in step S2 is negative (step S2: NO), the determination unit 45 then determines the abnormality (Abnormality determination), that is, determines that the the purge valve 13, the electromagnetic valve 32, or the switching valve 42_is abnormal (step S9).
If the primary determination result is negative in step S4 (step S4: NO), that is, if the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 is equal to or larger than the second determination value JVb, the determination unit 45 suspends the abnormality determination (step S6) and instead performs a secondary determination (step S7).
In this secondary determination, the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is performed. Specifically, as shown in
However, gas (i.e., purge air or purge gas) is allowed to flow little by little from the second region 35 to the first region 34 through the small hole 33, and therefore the first region 34 is made to gradually comes under negative pressure. This causes a detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to gradually change to a negative value (that is, the pressure decreases). If a time Ta required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to reach a predetermined pressure Pa falls within a specified range, therefore, the determination unit 45 determines that the electromagnetic valve 32 is not in a close failure state and judges that the result of the secondary determination is affirmative. The above predetermined pressure Pa is a negative pressure.
Returning to
When the failure determination is executed based on such a flowchart as shown in
Thereafter, the normal purge control is executed. At time T24, the primary determination is performed. When the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 in the primary determination is less than the second determination value JVb, the primary determination is completed and instead the secondary determination is started at time T25. At that time, the electromagnetic valve 32 is turned to the closed state. In this secondary determination, it is determined whether or not a time Ta required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 (expressed as “P2 sensor value” in
Example 2 will be described below. This Example exemplifies that execution of the preliminary diagnosis is unnecessary. Thus, differently from Example 1, the determination unit 45 in this Example is configured to perform the primary determination and the secondary determination as shown in
Example 3 will be described below. In this Example, as shown in
In this Example, the determination unit 45 is configured to perform the preliminary diagnosis, the primary determination, and the secondary determination in a similar manner to those in Example 1 as shown in
In the preliminary diagnosis, herein, the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the purge valve 13 and the switching valve 42 are performed. Specifically, as shown in
In the primary determination, as shown in
In the secondary determination, furthermore, as shown in
When the failure determination is executed as above, a time chart shown in
Thereafter, the normal purge control is executed. At time T44, the primary determination is performed. When the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 in the primary determination is less than the second determination value JVb, the primary determination is completed and instead the secondary determination is started at time T45. At that time, the electromagnetic valve 32 and the switching valve 42 are turned to the closed state. In this secondary determination, it is determined whether or not the time Tb required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 to reach the predetermined pressure Pb falls within the specified range. At time T46, the secondary determination is completed.
Example 4 will be described below. This Example exemplifies that execution of the preliminary diagnosis is unnecessary. Thus, differently from Example 3, the determination unit 45 in this Example is configured to perform the primary determination and the secondary determination as shown in
Example 5 will be described below. In this Example, as shown in
In this Example, the determination unit 45 is configured to perform the preliminary diagnosis, the primary determination, and the secondary determination as shown in
In the preliminary diagnosis in this example, the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the purge valve 13 and the CCV 51 are performed. Specifically, as shown in
In the primary determination, the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is also performed. Specifically, as shown in
In the secondary determination, subsequently, the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is performed. Specifically, as shown in
However, gas (i.e., purge air or purge gas) is allowed to flow little by little from the second region 35 to the first region 34 through the small hole 33, and therefore the first region 34 gradually comes under negative pressure. This causes the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to gradually change to a negative value. If the time Ta required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to reach the predetermined pressure Pa falls within the specified range, therefore, the determination unit 45 determines that the electromagnetic valve 32 is not in a close failure state and judges that the result of the secondary determination is affirmative.
When the failure determination is executed as above, a time chart shown in
Thereafter, the normal purge control is executed. At time T64, the primary determination is performed. When the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 in the primary determination is less than the second determination value JVb, the primary determination is completed and the secondary determination is started at time T65. At that time, the electromagnetic valve 32 is turned to the closed state. In this secondary determination, it is determined whether or not the time Ta required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to reach the predetermined pressure Pa falls within the specified range. At time T66, the secondary determination is completed.
Example 6 will be described below. This Example exemplifies that execution of the preliminary diagnosis is unnecessary. Thus, differently from Example 5, the determination unit 45 in this Example is configured to perform the primary determination and the secondary determination as shown in
The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 in the present embodiment includes the partition wall 31, the electromagnetic valve 32, and the small hole 33, and further includes the determination unit 45 configured to perform the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the purge valve 13 and the electromagnetic valve 32 based on behaviors of the internal pressure of the canister 11 according to the opening and closing operations of the electromagnetic valve 32.
The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 configured as above can address a request of a vehicle, such as the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the purge valve 13 and the electromagnetic valve 32, by use of the electromagnetic valve 32.
The electromagnetic valve 32 is an electrically-operated valve that is driven by a stepping motor. Accordingly, the electromagnetic valve 32 can be maintained in the open state at a predetermined opening degree without energization. This can save power and prevent heat generation.
A third embodiment will be described below, in which similar or identical parts or elements to those in the first or second embodiment are assigned the same reference signs as those in the first or second embodiment and their details are omitted. The following description is made with a focus on differences from the first or second embodiment.
Example 1 will be described below. In this Example, as shown in
The determination unit 45 in this Example is configured to perform the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 after executing the apparatus leak determination.
In the apparatus leak determination, as shown in
In the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32, furthermore, as shown in
When the leak determination of the apparatus and the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 are executed as above, a time chart shown in
At time T83, when the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 becomes an atmospheric pressure, it is determined whether or not the electromagnetic valve 32 is in the open failure state and the small hole 33 is in the closed failure state based on the time length from time T82 to time T83, that is, the time required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 to reach the atmospheric pressure.
To be specific, as shown in
The normal range of the counter value, from A to B, is defined based on parameters (for example, a fuel remaining amount in the fuel tank FT, outside air temperature, atmospheric pressure, density, and the size of the canister 11) related to changes in the detection value of the pressure sensor 43.
The failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is carried out as above based on the time required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 43 to increase from the negative pressure obtained during the apparatus leak determination to the atmospheric pressure. In the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 to be performed after execution of the apparatus leak determination, specifically, the pressure in the second region 35 obtained during the apparatus leak determination is utilized. Accordingly, for execution of the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32, the components (i.e., the purge valve 13, the electromagnetic valve 32, the key-off pump 41, and the switching valve 46) are not individually driven for each determination, so that the number of times each component is driven is reduced. Furthermore, since the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is always performed after execution of the apparatus leak determination, the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 can be carried out at a certain level of frequency.
Example 2 will be described below. In this Example, as shown in
In this Example, as in Example 1 described above, the determination unit 45 is configured to perform the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 after executing the apparatus leak determination.
In the apparatus leak determination, as shown in
In the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32, furthermore, as shown in
When the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 are executed as above, a time chart shown in
At time T93, when the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 becomes an atmospheric pressure, it is determined whether or not the electromagnetic valve 32 is in the open failure state and the small hole 33 is in the closed failure state based on the time length from time T92 to time T93, that is, the time required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to reach the atmospheric pressure.
The failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is carried out as above based on the time required for the detection value of the pressure sensor 44 to increase from the negative pressure obtained during the apparatus leak determination to the atmospheric pressure. In the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 to be performed after execution of the apparatus leak determination, specifically, the pressure in the first region 34 obtained during the apparatus leak determination is utilized. Accordingly, for execution of the apparatus leak determination and the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32, the components (i.e., the purge valve 13, the electromagnetic valve 32, and the CCV 51) are not individually driven for each determination, so that the number of times each component is driven is reduced. Furthermore, since the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 is always performed after execution of the apparatus leak determination, the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 can be carried out at a certain level of frequency.
According to the present embodiment, the determination unit 45 is configured to perform the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 after executing the apparatus leak determination. This can reduce the number of times each component is driven. The evaporated fuel treatment apparatus 1 in the present embodiment can have a certain level of frequency of performing the failure determination of the electromagnetic valve 32 without lowering the frequency.
A next description will be given to the control to be performed by the controller 16 during refueling with respect to a vehicle provided with a refueling switch 61, a lid sensor 62, a refueling lid 63, and a refueling gun 64 as shown in
To be specific, when a refueling trigger is present (step S21: YES) as shown in
When the control is executed based on such a flowchart as shown in
In the above manner, when detecting a refueling operation based on turn-on of the refueling switch 61, the controller 16 turns the electromagnetic valve 32 to the open state. Accordingly, the pressure in the fuel tank FT is allowed to escape through the canister 11 and the atmosphere passage 14 and thus does not excessively increase. Thus, the refueling gun 64 is prevented from automatically stopping before the fuel tank FT is not sufficiently supplied with fuel. Consequently, the fuel tank FT can be reliably filled with fuel during refueling. As an alternative, the controller 16 may be configured to detect the refueling operation based on any means other than the refueling switch 61.
The foregoing embodiments are mere examples and give no limitation to the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof.
For instance, the activated carbon 22 is not limited to the two parts or layers as exemplified above but may be provided in three or more parts or layers. Further, the adsorbent may be any materials other than the activated carbon.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2019-157993 | Aug 2019 | JP | national |