Method for monitoring for a rupture in a fuel vapor container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797345-B2
Application number	US-201414892877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2014
Priority date	May 24, 2013
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A method for monitoring for a rupture in a storage element of a fuel tank system having a fuel tank includes: detecting, by a mass flow sensor, thermal conductivity of an unmoved air mass in a first line of the fuel tank system; and identifying a rupture in the storage element if the detecting by the mass flow sensor detects a change in the thermal conductivity of the unmoved air mass in the first line when a second valve is in a closed state and/or when an air pump is at a standstill.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring for a rupture in a storage element ( 5 ) of a fuel tank system, the fuel tank system having a fuel tank ( 4 ) and the storage element ( 5 ) being configured to temporarily store hydrocarbons, the fuel tank ( 4 ) and the storage element ( 5 ) being connected to one another such that hydrocarbons outgassed from fuel situated in the fuel tank ( 4 ) are stored in the storage element ( 5 ), the storage element ( 5 ) being connected to a first line ( 6 ) through which fresh air is deliverable to the storage element ( 5 ), and the storage element ( 5 ) being connected to a second line ( 12 ) connecting the storage element ( 5 ) to an intake line ( 16 ) and through which fresh air enriched with hydrocarbons is deliverable from the storage element ( 5 ) to the intake line ( 16 ), wherein a mass flow sensor ( 8 ) and an air pump ( 7 ) are arranged in the first line ( 6 ) upstream of the storage element ( 5 ) as viewed in the direction of the fresh air flow, and a second valve ( 13 ) is arranged in the second line ( 12 ) between the storage element ( 5 ) and the intake line ( 16 ), the method comprising:
detecting, by the mass flow sensor ( 8 ), thermal conductivity of an unmoved air mass in the first line ( 6 ); and
identifying that a rupture has occurred in the storage element ( 5 ) if the detecting by the mass flow sensor ( 8 ) detects a change in the thermal conductivity of the unmoved air mass in the first line ( 6 ) in a case in which the second valve ( 13 ) is in a closed state and/or in a case in which the air pump ( 7 ) is at a standstill.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the air pump ( 7 ) is a radial pump.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mass flow sensor ( 8 ) is a sensor that operates based on the calorimetric principle.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the mass flow sensor ( 8 ) is integrated in the housing of the air pump ( 7 ).

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the fuel tank system further has a first valve arranged in the first line ( 6 ).

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a rupture in the storage element ( 5 ) is identified if the mass flow sensor ( 8 ) detects a change in the thermal conductivity of the air in the first line ( 6 ) when the first valve is in the closed state.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Weigl Manfred
• Grass Philippe

Classifications

• G01N25/18

  by investigating thermal conductivity (by calorimetry G01N25/20; by measuring change of resistance of an electrically-heated body G01N27/18) · CPC title

• G01M3/3209

  Details, e.g. container closure devices · 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

• F02M25/0818

  having means for pressurising the evaporative emission space · CPC title

• B60K2015/03514

  with vapor recovery means · CPC title