Evaporative emissions detection method with vehicle self leveling suspension compensation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326558-B2
Application number	US-201916294697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Nov 5, 2015
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for conducting an evaporative emissions test on a fuel system and an emissions control system in a vehicle. In one example, in response to an indication that a vehicle parking condition may result in the isolation of the fuel system from the emissions control system via the unintentional closing of fuel tank valves, a vehicle's active suspension system may be employed in order to level the vehicle a determined amount such that the fuel system isolation issues may be mitigated prior to an evaporative emissions test procedure. In this way, the entire fuel system and emissions control system may be diagnosed for potential undesired emissions, and potential violations of regulatory requirements for evaporative emissions testing may be reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for a vehicle executable by an electronic controller, comprising:
determining, via the electronic controller, that the vehicle has entered a first vehicle-off condition that includes the vehicle being at a first determined vehicle compound angle determined via on-board sensors and a fuel tank of the vehicle having a first fuel level determined via a fuel level sensor, and in response, conducting, via instructions executed by the electronic controller, an evaporative emissions test without leveling the vehicle, the first determined vehicle compound angle including a summation of a first determined vehicle pitch angle and a first determined vehicle bank angle; and
determining that the vehicle has entered a second vehicle-off condition that includes the vehicle being at a second determined vehicle compound angle and the fuel tank of the vehicle having a second fuel level, and in response, leveling, via instructions executed by the electronic controller, the vehicle a determined amount and then conducting the evaporative emissions test, wherein leveling the vehicle the determined amount includes adjusting, via the electronic controller, an onboard active suspension to change the second determined vehicle compound angle, the second determined vehicle compound angle including a summation of a second determined vehicle pitch angle and a second determined vehicle bank angle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein leveling the vehicle the determined amount is based on the determined amount being above a predetermined threshold, the determined amount determined based on the second vehicle compound angle and the second fuel level.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the determined amount is retrieved via a 2D lookup table based on the second vehicle compound angle and the second fuel level, and wherein during the first vehicle-off condition, the vehicle is not leveled in response to determining that a second determined amount is below the predetermined threshold, the second determined amount retrieved via the 2D lookup table based on the first vehicle compound angle and the first fuel level.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first vehicle compound angle and the first fuel level prevents fuel from isolating one or more fuel tank valves and one or more sections of the fuel tank from any other section of the fuel tank; and
wherein the second vehicle compound angle and the second fuel level causes fuel to isolate the one or more fuel tank valves and/or one or more sections of the fuel tank from another section of the fuel tank.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein leveling the vehicle the determined amount includes leveling the vehicle until one or more fuel tank valves are no longer isolated by fuel and/or until no section of the fuel tank is isolated from another section of the fuel tank; and
wherein the leveling is not executed if it is indicated that the determined amount is greater than a second predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the leveling of the vehicle the determined amount is maintained for a duration of the evaporative emissions test and wherein the vehicle is returned to default conditions subsequent to completion of the evaporative emissions test.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle-off condition and the second vehicle-off condition each include a determination by the electronic controller that the vehicle is not occupied.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining, via the electronic controller, that the vehicle is not occupied based on one or more of a powertrain control module query of seat load cells, door sensing technology, and onboard cameras.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, during the first vehicle-off condition, aborting the evaporative emissions test responsive to a first determination by the electronic controller that the vehicle has become occupied during the evaporative emissions test;
during the second vehicle-off condition, aborting the evaporative emissions test and returning the vehicle to default conditions responsive to a second determination by the electronic controller that the vehicle has become occupied during the evaporative emissions test; and
wherein each determination that the vehicle has become occupied during the respective evaporative emissions test is based on one or more of a powertrain control module query of seat load cells, door sensing technology, and onboard cameras.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dudar Aed M
• Bohr Scott A
• Werner Matthew
• Soltis Michael William

Classifications

• G07C5/0808

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• B60K15/03504

  adapted to avoid loss of fuel or fuel vapour, e.g. with vapour recovery systems · CPC title

• B60G2800/912

  Attitude Control; levelling control · CPC title

• B60G17/017

  characterised by their use when the vehicle is stationary, e.g. during loading, engine start-up or switch-off · CPC title

• B60K2015/062

  Arrangement for filling the fuel reserve systems · CPC title