Abnormality determination apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932923-B2
Application number	US-201615078031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

An internal combustion engine to which the apparatus is applied is a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine that includes a passage injection valve and a cylinder injection valve and that can use gasoline and alcohol as fuel. The apparatus performs abnormality determination for a determination object device, based on a detection signal of an oxygen sensor provided in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine. The concentration sensor detects alcohol concentration ALp of the fuel in a first fuel passage through which the fuel is fed to the passage injection valve, and alcohol concentration ALd of the fuel in a second fuel passage through which the fuel is fed to the cylinder injection valve. When a difference ΔAL between the alcohol concentrations ALp, ALd is a determination value or greater (S 13 : YES), the execution of the abnormality determination is prohibited (S 12 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An abnormality determination apparatus that performs abnormality determination for a determination object device based on a detection signal of an oxygen sensor provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
the internal combustion engine including
a passage injection valve that injects fuel into an intake passage, and
a cylinder injection valve that directly injects the fuel into a cylinder,
the internal combustion engine being applied to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine capable of using gasoline and alcohol as the fuel,
the abnormality determination apparatus comprising an electronic control unit programmed to
determine alcohol concentration of the fuel in a first fuel passage and alcohol concentration of the fuel in a second fuel passage, the first fuel passage being a passage through which the fuel is fed to the passage injection valve, the second fuel passage being a passage through which the fuel is fed to the cylinder injection valve, and
prohibit execution of the abnormality determination, when a difference between the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the first fuel passage and the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the second fuel passage is a determination value or greater.

2. The abnormality determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a fuel passage that distributes and feeds the fuel to the passage injection valve and the cylinder injection valve is provided with a common passage, the common passage being provided with a concentration sensor that detects alcohol concentration of the fuel, one end of the common passage being connected with a fuel tank in which the fuel is stored, the other end of the common passage being connected with the first fuel passage and the second fuel passage, and
the electronic control unit is programmed to determine the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the first fuel passage and the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the second fuel passage, based on the relation of the alcohol concentration detected by the concentration sensor, an amount of the fuel injected from the passage injection valve and an amount of the fuel injected from the cylinder injection valve.

3. The abnormality determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a connection part between the first fuel passage and the passage injection valve forms a first delivery pipe,
a connection part between the second fuel passage and the cylinder injection valve forms a second delivery pipe, and
the electronic control unit is programmed to
(i) determine average concentration of the fuel in the first delivery pipe, as the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the first fuel passage, and
(ii) determine average concentration of the fuel in the second delivery pipe, as the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the second fuel passage.

4. The abnormality determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit is programmed to prohibit the execution of the abnormality determination, when at least one of a first condition and a second condition is not satisfied in a process during which the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the first fuel passage and the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the second fuel passage change due to a change in alcohol concentration associated with refueling,
the first condition being a condition that convergence degree of the change in the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the first fuel passage is a predetermined level or higher,
the second condition being a condition that convergence degree of the change in the alcohol concentration of the fuel in the second fuel passage is a predetermined level or higher.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakajima Isao

Classifications

• F02D41/22 Primary

  Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions {(in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809)} · CPC title

• F02D41/222

  relating to the failure of sensors or parameter detection devices · CPC title

• F02D41/1454

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

• F02D41/3094

  the fuel injection being effected by at least two different injectors, e.g. one in the intake manifold and one in the cylinder · CPC title

• G01M15/104

  using oxygen or lambda-sensors (testing catalytic converters F01N3/18, F01N11/007) · CPC title