Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Dennis S Yang

Aed M Dudar

Russell Randall Pearce

Mark W Peters

Kenneth L Pifher

Daniel Frank Cragel

James Michael Kerns

Scott Alan Bohr

Timothy DeBastos

Michael G Heim

Jeevagan Natarajan

Chris Kragh

Paul Dreier

Jonathan Bauer

Methods and systems are presented for improving operation of an evaporative emissions system. In one example, the methods and systems estimate a fuel vapor concentration based on output of a fuel tank level sensor and output of a fuel pressure sensor. A canister purge valve is adjusted to an initial position at a beginning of a fuel vapor purging cycle to reduce a fuel vapor purging time.

Method and system for improving evaporative emissions of a vehicle

An apparatus and a system are disclosed for preventing fuel starvation in an off-road vehicle that may be operated on a severely inclined surface. A vehicle having a fuel tank for a fuel delivery module disposed in the fuel tank. A fuel pump assembly is disposed in the fuel tank and a slip ring joint is assembled to the fuel delivery module. One or more tubes are assembled to the slip ring joint that extends and retracts relative to the slip ring joint toward and away from the walls of the fuel tank. A remote fuel pick-up is assembled to the tube so that when the vehicle is operated on an inclined surface, the remote fuel pick-up is extended and rotates inside the fuel tank to move toward and away from an inner surface of the fuel tank and follows the fuel contained in the fuel tank.

Apparatus preventing fuel starvation on inclined surfaces

A method of controlling an evaporative emissions system for a vehicle is provided. A fuel system for a vehicle and a vehicle are also provided. A signal indicative of an entry condition associated with a secondary air flow path for a purge of an evaporative emissions canister is received. A filter is decoupled from a port of the evaporative emissions canister in response to receiving the signal and prior to the evaporative emissions canister purge. The evaporative emissions canister is purged by flowing atmospheric air into the port and through the evaporative emissions canister while the filter is decoupled from the port. The filter is coupled to the port of the evaporative emissions canister after purging the canister.

Fuel system for a vehicle and method of controlling

Methods and systems are presented for operating a refueling valve of an evaporative emissions system. The methods and systems may attempt to reactivate a refueling valve that has stuck due to the refueling valve being exposed to liquid fuel. In one example, a voltage that is applied to the refueling valve may be increased to reactivate the refueling valve.

Method and system for operating a refueling valve

Systems and methods are presented herein for detecting a degradation condition in a variable volume device of a fuel tank of a vehicle. In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a diagnostic method for a vehicle with a valve and a fuel tank having a variable volume device internal to the tank, comprising: operating the fuel tank over a diurnal cycle; and differentiating between degradation of the fuel tank and the variable volume device based on a fuel tank pressure at a plurality of different valve conditions; and indicating the differentiated degradation.

Diagnostic method for pressure-less fuel tank

Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing leaks in a fuel system. In one example, a method may include monitoring a fuel level in a vehicle fuel tank of the fuel system during refueling and indicating degradation of the vehicle fuel tank and/or a bellows coupled to the vehicle fuel tank based on the monitored fuel level. In some examples, indicating the degradation may further be based on a rate of fuel supplied to the vehicle fuel tank during the refueling and/or a vehicle fuel economy. In this way, degradation to the vehicle fuel tank and the bellows may be passively determined with minimal specialized components in the fuel system.

Methods and systems for diagnosing fuel system degradation

Methods and systems are provided for conducting diagnostics to indicate whether a fuel system and/or an evaporative emissions system of a vehicle has a source of undesired evaporative emissions, or not. A method comprises conducting such a diagnostic via evacuating the fuel system to a target vacuum, then sealing the fuel system from atmosphere and monitoring a pressure bleed-up in the fuel system, and dynamically adjusting a pressure bleed-up threshold responsive to one or more conditions that impact the pressure bleed-up during the diagnostic, and indicating undesired evaporative emissions responsive to the pressure bleed-up reaching the adjusted pressure bleed-up threshold. In this way, interpretation of the results of such a diagnostic may be more robust, completion rates may improve, and engine operation may be improved.

Systems and methods for conducting vehicle evaporative emissions test diagnostic procedures

A method for operating a vehicle with an internal combustion engine is provided that includes regulating a pressure in a fuel tank by scheduling an engine start-up event based on a rate of change of the fuel tank pressure to reduce fuel tank venting emissions, where the rate of change of the fuel tank pressure is determined based on an ambient temperature and an in-tank pressure.

Evaporative emission control system and method

Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing a vehicle fuel system for a presence or absence of undesired evaporative emissions. In one example, a method comprises conducting a test for undesired evaporative emissions stemming from a fuel system of a vehicle via in a first operating mode, evacuating the fuel system to a variable vacuum level through an entirety of a fuel vapor canister configured to capture and store fuel vapors, and in a second operating mode, evacuating the fuel system to the variable vacuum level through a portion of the fuel vapor canister. In this way, the diagnostic may be conducted in an environmentally friendly fashion, where analysis of a bleed-up portion of the test is not impacted by fuel volatility at the time of the diagnostic.

Systems and methods for vehicle fuel system and evaporative emissions system diagnostics

Methods and systems are provided for operating a fuel vapor recovery system having a fuel tank isolation valve coupled between a fuel tank and a canister. Fuel vapors are purged from the fuel tank to a canister buffer over a plurality of purge pulses. The pulses are adjusted based on the buffer capacity, a purge flow rate, and a fuel tank pressure to improve control of canister loading and reduce air-to-fuel ratio disturbances.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Dennis S Yang