Fuel vapor purging diagnostics for a multi-path purge ejector system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9856828-B2
Application number	US-201615143185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting and diagnosing one or more canister purge valves in a fuel vapor recovery system. In one example, a method may include adjusting one or more canister purge valves in a passage coupled to a fuel vapor canister of the fuel vapor recovery system to allow flow between an intake passage and an intake manifold of the engine based on engine operating conditions. Further, the method may include indicating the one or more canister purge valves are degraded and based on a change in air-fuel ratio after adjusting the one or more canister purge valves.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
adjusting one or more canister purge valves arranged in a flow passage coupled to a fuel vapor canister, an intake manifold, and an intake passage upstream of a compressor, to allow flow through the flow passage between the intake passage and intake manifold and not to the canister; and
indicating the one or more canister purge valves are degraded based on a change in air-fuel ratio following the adjusting.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting engine operation based on the indicating that the one or more canister purge valves are degraded.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein adjusting engine operation includes one or more of increasing fueling to engine cylinders and decreasing air flow to the engine cylinders.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising actuating the one or more canister purge valves to cycle back and forth between one or more valve positions in response to the indicating that the one or more canister purge valves are degraded in order to unstick the one or more canister purge valves.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the adjusting, estimating a baseline air-fuel ratio, and following the adjusting, comparing an estimated, current air-fuel ratio to the baseline air-fuel ratio to determine the change in air-fuel ratio following the adjusting.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the indicating the one or more canister purge valves are degraded based on the change in air-fuel ratio following the adjusting includes indicating degradation in response to the air-fuel ratio not increasing by a threshold amount from the baseline air-fuel ratio to the current air-fuel ratio.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising not indicating degradation of the one or more canister purge valves and returning the one or more canister purge valves to base positions which block flow through the flow passage between the canister and each of the intake passage and intake manifold in response to the air-fuel ratio increasing by a threshold amount from the baseline air-fuel ratio to the current air-fuel ratio.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein indicating the one or more canister purge valves are degraded includes one or more of setting a diagnostic flag and notifying a vehicle operator via a visual or audible signal.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the one or more canister purge valves to allow flow through the flow passage between the intake passage and intake manifold and not to the canister includes adjusting a single, three-way canister purge valve arranged at a junction between a first passage coupled to the canister, a second passage coupled to the intake manifold, and a third passage coupled to the intake passage into a first position that is open to the intake passage and intake manifold and closed to the canister.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the one or more canister purge valves to allow flow through the flow passage between the intake passage and intake manifold and not to the canister includes adjusting a first canister purge valve arranged in a first passage, between the canister and a junction between the first passage coupled to the canister, a second passage coupled to the intake manifold, and a third passage coupled to the intake passage, into a closed position to block flow from the canister to the junction and adjusting a second canister purge valve arranged in the third passage, between the intake passage and junction, into an open position to allow flow between the intake passage and intake manifold.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the one or more canister purge valves to allow flow through the flow passage between the intake passage and intake manifold and not to the canister is responsive to engine operation at non-boosted conditions when there is not a request to purge vapors from the canister.

12. A method, comprising:
during non-boosted engine operation when purging of a fuel vapor canister is not requested:
adjusting a three-way canister purge valve arranged between the canister, an intake manifold, and an intake passage upstream of a compressor, into a first position that is open to the intake manifold and intake passage and closed to the canister; and
indicating the valve is degraded based on a change in air-fuel ratio after the adjusting.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising adjusting engine operation based on the indicating, where adjusting engine operating includes one or more of adjusting fueling and airflow to engine cylinders based on the change in air-fuel ratio after the adjusting.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein indicating the valve is degraded based on the change in air-fuel ratio after the adjusting includes indicating the valve is degraded in response to the air-fuel ratio not increasing by a threshold amount from before the adjusting to after the adjusting, where the threshold amount is a non-zero threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising not indicating the valve is degraded and returning the valve to a base position that is closed to the intake manifold and the intake passage in response to the air-fuel ratio increasing by the threshold amount from before the adjusting to after the adjusting.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising adjusting the canister purge valve into a second position that is open to the intake passage and canister and closed to the intake manifold in response to a request to purge vapors from the canister or diagnose a position of the canister purge valve when the engine is boosted.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising maintaining the canister purge valve in the second position for a first duration and diagnosing a position of the canister purge valve when the request is a request to diagnose the position of the canister purge valve and maintaining the canister purge valve in the second position for a second duration, longer than the first duration, purging fuel vapors from the canister, and diagnosing the position of the canister purge valve when the request is a request to purge vapors from the canister.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising adjusting the canister purge valve into a third position that is open to the intake manifold and canister and closed to the intake passage in response to a request to purge vapors from the canister or diagnose a position of the canister purge valve when the engine is not boosted.

19. A system, comprising:
an intake manifold coupled to a plurality of engine cylinders;
a turbocharger including a turbine-driven compressor arranged in an intake passage upstream of the intake manifold;
a fuel vapor canister coupled to a fuel tank and a fuel vapor purge passage;
a three-way canister purge valve arranged in the fuel vapor purge passage and fluidly coupled to each of the fuel vapor canister, the intake manifold, and the intake passage upstream of the compressor; and
a controller including memory with computer readable instructions for:
adjusting the three-way canister purge valve into a first position that is open to the intake manifold and intake passage and closed to the canister; and
indicating degradation of the three-way canister purge valve in response to an air-fuel ratio not changing by a threshold amount following the adjusting.

20. The system of claim 19 , further comprising an ejector arranged between the three-way canister purge valve and the intake passage and a check valve arranged between the three-way canister purge v

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dudar Aed M

Classifications

• 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

• F02D41/1454

  the characteristics being an oxygen content or concentration or the air-fuel ratio · CPC title

• F02M25/0827 Primary

  by monitoring engine running conditions · CPC title

• F02D41/0042

  Controlling the combustible mixture as a function of the canister purging, e.g. control of injected fuel to compensate for deviation of air fuel ratio when purging · CPC title

• F02B37/00

  Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust · CPC title