Systems and methods for reducing bleed emissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9651002-B2
Application number	US-201414495796-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A method for a fuel system, comprising: during a first condition, including an engine-off condition and a sealed fuel tank, directing fresh air into a fuel vapor canister responsive to detecting hydrocarbons in a canister vent line. By directing fresh air into the fuel vapor canister, fuel vapor stored within the canister may be redistributed away from the canister vent line. In this way bleed emissions from the fuel system may be reduced without the need for a dedicated bleed canister.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for a fuel system, comprising:
during a first condition, including an engine-off condition and a sealed fuel tank, directing fresh air into a fuel vapor canister responsive to detecting hydrocarbons in a canister vent line.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein directing fresh air into the fuel vapor canister comprises:
directing fresh air into a vent port coupling the fuel vapor canister to the canister vent line.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein directing fresh air into the fuel vapor canister further comprises:
activating a vacuum pump coupled within the canister vent line.

4. The method of claim 3 , where the vacuum pump is coupled within an evaporative leak check module.

5. The method of claim 4 , where the vacuum pump is operable in a first direction to direct fresh air into the fuel vapor canister and further operable in a second direction to draw a vacuum on the fuel vapor canister.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
adjusting a conformation of a vent valve coupled between the fuel vapor canister and a vent line inlet and adjusting a conformation of a reversing valve coupled between a fuel vapor canister buffer and an engine intake.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
opening a canister purge valve coupled between the fuel vapor canister buffer and the engine intake; and
drawing fresh air through the canister purge valve and into the vent port.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
deactivating the vacuum pump responsive to detecting hydrocarbons in the canister vent line.

9. The method of claim 1 , where detecting hydrocarbons in the canister vent line comprises:
following a vehicle-off event, sleeping a controller;
waking the controller after a pre-determined duration; and
measuring a hydrocarbon concentration in the canister vent line with a hydrocarbon sensor.

10. The method of claim 1 , where detecting hydrocarbons in the canister vent line comprises:
following a vehicle-off event, sleeping a controller while maintaining a hydrocarbon sensor coupled within the canister vent line on, the hydrocarbon sensor communicatively coupled to a wake input of the controller; and
waking the controller responsive to a hydrocarbon sensor output increasing above a threshold.

11. A fuel system, comprising:
a fuel vapor canister;
an air pump coupled between a vent port of the fuel vapor canister and atmosphere;
a controller configured with instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed, cause the controller to:
redistribute fuel vapor within the fuel vapor canister away from the vent port by activating the air pump; and

a fuel tank isolation valve coupled between the fuel vapor canister and a fuel tank, wherein the controller is further configured with instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed, cause the controller to:
maintain the fuel tank isolation valve closed while redistributing fuel vapor within the fuel vapor canister away from the vent port.

12. The fuel system of claim 11 , wherein the air pump is coupled within an evaporative leak check module coupled within a vent line coupled between the vent port and atmosphere, the air pump configured to draw a vacuum on the fuel vapor canister.

13. The fuel system of claim 12 , wherein the air pump is operable in a first direction to draw a vacuum on the fuel vapor canister and further operable in a second direction to direct fresh air into the fuel vapor canister.

14. The fuel system of claim 12 , further comprising:
a reversing valve coupled between a fuel vapor canister buffer and a purge line, the reversing valve operable between a first conformation and a second conformation and configured to:
couple the fuel vapor canister buffer to the purge line when in the first conformation; and
couple the fuel vapor canister buffer to the air pump when in the second conformation; and

a canister vent valve coupled between the fuel vapor canister and the vent line, the canister vent valve operable between a first conformation and a second conformation and configured to:
couple the fuel vapor canister to the air pump when in the first conformation;
couple the reversing valve to the air pump when in the second conformation; and
couple the vent port to the purge line when in the second conformation.

15. The fuel system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a hydrocarbon sensor coupled within the vent line;
a purge valve coupled within the purge line; and
wherein the controller is further configured with instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed, cause the controller to:
responsive to a hydrocarbon sensor output increasing above a threshold, open the purge valve;
place the canister vent valve in the second conformation;
place the reversing valve in the second conformation; and
activate the air pump.

16. The fuel system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further configured with instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed, cause the controller to:
responsive to the hydrocarbon sensor output increasing above the threshold, close the purge valve;
place the canister vent valve in the first conformation;
place the reversing valve in the first conformation; and
activate the air pump.

17. The fuel system of claim 15 , where the hydrocarbon sensor is communicatively coupled to a wake input of the controller, and wherein the controller is further configured with instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed, cause the controller to:
sleep following a vehicle-off event; and
wake responsive to the hydrocarbon sensor output increasing above the threshold.

18. A method for a vehicle, comprising:
responsive to a vehicle-off event, setting a hydrocarbon breakthrough detection strategy;
responsive to a hydrocarbon sensor output increasing above a threshold, opening a canister purge valve coupled within a canister purge line;
coupling a canister vent port to the canister purge line;
coupling a canister purge port to a vacuum pump;
maintaining a fuel tank isolation valve closed; and
activating the vacuum pump.

19. The method of claim 18 , where setting the hydrocarbon breakthrough detection strategy includes:
sleeping a controller following the vehicle-off event;
maintaining awake a hydrocarbon sensor coupled to a wake input of the controller; and
waking the controller responsive to the wake input indicating that the hydrocarbon sensor output increased above the threshold.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dudar Aed M

Classifications

• F02M25/0854

  Details of the absorption canister · CPC title

• F02D41/042

  for stopping the engine · CPC title

• F02D41/0035

  to achieve a special effect, e.g. to warm up the catalyst · CPC title

• F02M25/0836

  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

• F02D41/0045

  Estimating, calculating or determining the purging rate, amount, flow or concentration · CPC title