Fuel odor control system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236708-B1
Application number	US-202117158341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 26, 2021
Priority date	Aug 28, 2020
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A fuel system for a vehicle includes a fuel evaporation gas treatment system configured to control fuel evaporation gas generated inside a fuel tank. The fuel evaporation gas treatment system includes: a gas collection chamber configured to store the fuel evaporation gas discharged from the canister through an atmosphere line connected to the canister; and an outlet of the gas collection chamber is connected to a purge line through a gas intake line so that the fuel evaporation gas stored in the gas collection chamber flows into an engine through the gas intake line and the purge line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel system for a vehicle, the fuel system comprising a fuel evaporation gas treatment system configured to control fuel evaporation gas generated inside a fuel tank, wherein the fuel evaporation gas treatment system comprises:
a canister configured to allow the fuel evaporation gas flowing into the canister from the fuel tank through a loading line to be adsorbed onto an adsorbent substance so as to be collected in the canister, the canister configured such that the fuel evaporation gas adsorbed onto the adsorbent substance flows into an engine through a purge line connecting the canister to the engine;
a purge control solenoid valve disposed in a fuel evaporation gas intake path between the canister and the engine; and
a gas collection chamber configured to store the fuel evaporation gas discharged from the canister through an atmosphere line connected to the canister,
wherein an outlet of the gas collection chamber is connected to the purge line through a gas intake line so that the fuel evaporation gas stored in the gas collection chamber flows to the engine through the gas intake line and the purge line.

2. The fuel system of claim 1 , wherein a three-way valve is disposed on the atmosphere line which is configured to connect the canister to an air filter, and
wherein a gas discharge line configured to branch off from the atmosphere line through the three-way valve is connected to an inlet of the gas collection chamber.

3. The fuel system of claim 2 , wherein the gas intake line connects the outlet of the gas collection chamber to the purge line between the canister and the purge control solenoid valve.

4. The fuel system of claim 3 , wherein a first check valve configured to allow the fuel evaporation gas having passed the three-way valve to flow in a direction towards the gas collection chamber and to block flow of the fuel evaporation gas in an opposite direction is disposed on the gas discharge line, and
wherein a second check valve configured to allow the fuel evaporation gas discharged from the gas collection chamber to flow in a direction towards the purge line and the engine and to block flow of the fuel evaporation gas in an opposite direction is disposed on the gas intake line.

5. The fuel system of claim 2 , wherein the three-way valve comprises:
a first port connected to an atmosphere port of the canister through the atmosphere line;
a second port connected to the air filter through the atmosphere line; and
a third port connected to the gas discharge line, and
wherein the three-way valve is configured to selectively open one of an inner flow path between the first port and the second port and an inner flow path between the first port and the third port.

6. The fuel system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a detector configured to detect environmental information of a place, in which the vehicle is located, and vehicle state information; and
a controller configured to control an opening and closing operation of the three-way valve based on the environmental information and the vehicle state information detected by the detector.

7. The fuel system of claim 6 , wherein, upon determining based on the environmental information detected by the detector that a current environment corresponds to high-temperature and high-altitude conditions satisfying predetermined conditions and upon determining based on the vehicle state information detected by the detector that the vehicle is in a stopped state, the controller controls the operation of the three-way valve to block an inner flow path thereof towards the air filter and to open an inner flow path thereof towards the gas collection chamber so that the fuel evaporation gas discharged from the canister flows to the gas collection chamber alone.

8. The fuel system of claim 7 , wherein, upon determining based on the environmental information detected by the detector that the current environment does not correspond to the high-temperature and high-altitude conditions, the controller controls the operation of the three-way valve to block the inner flow path thereof towards the gas collection chamber and to open the inner flow path thereof towards the air filter so that the fuel evaporation gas discharged from the canister flows to the air filter.

9. The fuel system of claim 7 , wherein the detector comprises:
an outdoor temperature sensor configured to detect an outdoor temperature; and
a vehicle speed sensor configured to determine whether or not the vehicle is in the stopped state, and
wherein the predetermined conditions are set to be either a condition in which the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature or a condition of sharp temperature rise in which a slope of a rise of the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

10. The fuel system of claim 7 , wherein the detector comprises:
a fuel pressure sensor configured to detect an inner temperature of the fuel tank; and
a vehicle speed sensor configured to determine whether or not the vehicle is in the stopped state;
wherein the controller determines an inner temperature of the fuel tank corresponding to the inner pressure of the fuel tank detected by the fuel pressure sensor based on the inner pressure of the fuel tank using set information, and
wherein the predetermined conditions are set to be either a condition in which the determined inner temperature of the fuel tank is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature or a condition of sharp temperature rise in which a slope of a rise of the determined inner temperature of the fuel tank is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

11. The fuel system of claim 6 , wherein the gas intake line is configured to connect the outlet of the gas collection tank to the purge line between the canister and the purge control solenoid valve,
wherein a check valve configured to allow the fuel evaporation gas discharged from the gas collection chamber to flow in a direction towards the purge line and the engine and to block flow of the fuel evaporation gas in an opposite direction is disposed on the gas intake line, and
wherein, upon determining based on the detected vehicle state information that the vehicle is in a driving state, the controller controls a flow rate of the fuel evaporation gas passing through the purge control solenoid valve depending on vehicle driving state information so as to selectively open the check valve.

12. The fuel system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle driving state information comprises a vehicle load, and
wherein, in a high-load state in which the vehicle load is higher than or equal to a designated level, the controller decreases the flow rate of the fuel evaporation gas passing through the purge control solenoid valve to be less than or equal to a predetermined value so that only the fuel evaporation gas collected in the canister is inhaled into the engine and purged in a closed state of the check valve.

13. The fuel system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle driving state information comprises a vehicle load, and
wherein, in a low-load state in which the vehicle load is lower than a designated level, the controller increases the flow rate of the fuel evaporation gas passing through the purge control solenoid valve to exceed a predetermined value so that both the fuel evaporation gas collected in the canister and the fuel evaporation gas collected in the gas collection chamber are inhaled into the engine and purged in an opened state of the check valve.

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Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kim Chang Han
• Kang Gil Eon
• Lim Jun Sik
• Choi Seung Hoon

Classifications

• F02M2025/0845

  Electromagnetic valves · CPC title

• F02M25/0836 Primary

  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 title

• F02M25/08 Primary

  adding fuel vapours drawn from engine fuel reservoir {(electrical control of purge system F02D41/003)} · CPC title

• F02D41/004 Primary

  Control of the valve or purge actuator, e.g. duty cycle, closed loop control of position · CPC title

• F16K11/105

  Three-way check or safety valves with two or more closure members · CPC title