Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Junya Kimoto

Yoshikazu Miyabe

Katsuhiko Makino

Ryuji Kosugi

Naoyuki Tagawa

Takashi Mani

Masanobu Shinagawa

Takanori Akiyama

Masakazu Hasegawa

Masaki Ikeya

Minoru Akita

Hiroshi Takamatsu

Shinji Murai

Sunao Kitamura

Shinji Shimokawa

Kazumichi Hanai

Nobutaka Teshima

Tomonari Toki

Hideo Yamada

Norihisa Yamamoto

Shota Yamanaka

Yuzuru Ito

Eisuke Kato

Hirokazu Sugiura

In a vaporized fuel processing apparatus in which fuel vapor within a fuel tank is adsorbed by a canister, the adsorbed vaporized fuel is drawn to an engine, a closing valve is provided connecting the fuel tank and the canister for controlling communication between the fuel tank and the canister, and a purge valve is provided connecting the canister and the engine for controlling communication between the canister and the engine. The vaporized fuel processing apparatus includes an internal pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure of a space within the fuel tank as an internal pressure, and a closing valve control means configured to open the closing valve for supplying an atmospheric pressure to the fuel tank via the canister when the sensor detects that the internal pressure of the fuel tank is negative, while the purge valve is closed. Therefore, the air/fuel ratio is prevented from being disturbed.

Vaporized fuel processing apparatus

An evaporated fuel processing device includes a flow control valve that is used as a valve to be installed in a pathway connecting a canister and a fuel tank. The device includes an inner pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure in an interior space of the fuel tank as an inner pressure, a valve-opening start position determination means configured to calculate a second order differential value of the inner pressure after a valve opening operation of the flow control valve is started and to determine a valve opening position of the flow control valve as a valve-opening start position when the second order differential value is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, and a learning means configured to store the valve-opening start position as a learned value that is used when a valve-opening control of the flow control valve is performed.

Evaporated fuel processing device

An evaporated fuel processing device configured to adsorb evaporated fuel in a fuel tank to a canister and to feed the adsorbed evaporated fuel to an engine. The device includes an inner pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure in an interior space of the fuel tank, a valve-opening start position determination means configured to change the stroke amount of a flow control valve from an initial condition and to determine a valve-opening start position of the flow control valve based on a requirement that a range of variation of the inner pressure is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a learning means configured to store the valve-opening start position, and a prohibition means configured to prohibit the valve-opening start position determination means from determining the valve-opening start position when the inner pressure falls within a predetermined pressure range relative to the atmospheric pressure.

An evaporated fuel processing device utilizing a flow rate control valve as a valve positioned in a passage connecting a fuel tank with a canister. The device includes: a valve opening means for opening the flow rate control valve at a constant speed; an internal pressure sensor; a valve opening start position detecting means for acquiring a second derivative value of the internal pressure after a valve opening motion of the flow rate control valve has started and for detecting a valve opening start position of the flow rate control valve based on the second derivative value; a learning means for storing the valve opening start position; and a valve opening speed change means for changing a valve opening speed of the valve opening means based on a variation speed of the internal pressure before the valve opening motion of the flow rate control valve has started.

Evaporated fuel processing devices

An evaporated fuel processing device has a canister, a vapor passage, a purge passage, a shutoff valve, a storage device and a control device. The canister includes an adsorbent material that adsorbs evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank. The vapor passage connects the canister and the fuel tank. The purge passage connects the canister and an intake passage of an engine. The shutoff valve is provided in the vapor passage, and adjusts flow rate of gas flowing through the vapor passage. The storage device stores in advance a reference value for the shutoff valve corresponding to internal pressure of the fuel tank. The shutoff valve is controlled based on the reference value, which is obtained from the internal pressure of the fuel tank, and pressure release control is performed on the fuel tank.

A vaporized fuel processing apparatus in which, if an internal pressure of a fuel tank is high when refueling, a closing valve opens before a refueling cap opens, so that vaporized fuel is flown to a canister via a path with a float valve to lower the internal pressure of the tank. The apparatus includes a refueling switch for instructing a start of refueling to the fuel tank, an internal pressure sensor for detecting a space pressure inside the tank, and a closing valve control means for, if the refueling start signal is output from the refueling switch and the internal pressure of the fuel tank is higher than a set pressure, opening the closing valve within a range in which the float valve does not operate, and increasing the valve-opening speed of the closing valve in accordance with a reduction in the internal pressure of the fuel tank.

A fuel vapor processing apparatus includes a canister housing an adsorbent material that adsorbs fuel vapor from a tank, and a valve in a passage connecting the canister and tank. When a stroke amount is within a range, the valve is closed to close the tank and a valve opening start position is learned. In the learning, the stroke amount is varied in the opening direction by repeatedly changing in the opening direction by a first stroke and maintaining for a first time period, and subsequently changing in a closing direction by a second stroke and maintaining for a second time period. The valve opening start position is determined based on the stroke amount in the second time period when the tank pressure is reduced by the predetermined value or more or in a preceding process.

Fuel vapor processing apparatus

A flow rate control valve includes: a valve casing forming a fluid passage; a valve seat provided in the fluid passage; a stepping motor; a valve guide stroke-controlled by the stepping motor via a feed screw mechanism; a valve body configured to be placed and separated on and from the valve seat; a connector connecting the valve guide and the valve body so as to allow them to move in an axial direction within a predetermined range; a valve spring biasing the valve body in a closing direction. When closing the valve body, ECU controls the motor to a closed state such that a connection between the valve guide and the valve body by the connector is released, with the valve body being seated on the valve seat, and the valve guide being situated at a non-contact position spaced away from the valve seat.

Flow rate control valve and fuel vapor processing apparatus including the same

A vaporized fuel processing apparatus has a casing defining an adsorption chamber therein and having a tank port, a purge port, and an atmospheric port. The tank port is connected to a fuel tank. The purge port is connected to an internal combustion engine. The atmospheric port is open to the atmosphere. A heater is disposed between the adsorption chamber and the atmospheric port and has a fin heat exchanger and a heating element. The heating element is configured to generate heat by electricity supply. The fin heat exchanger is joined to the heating element. The surface area of the fin heat exchanger between the heating element and the adsorption chamber is larger than the surface area of the fin heat exchanger between the heating element and the atmospheric port.

An evaporation fuel processing device is provide including: a passage; a tank port and a purge port on one end side of the passage; an atmospheric air port on the other end side of the passage; and adsorbent layers filled with adsorbent for evaporation fuel components, provided in the passage; a region provided on an atmospheric air port side of the passage, being constituted of three or more adsorbent layers and separating parts for separating the adjacent adsorbent layers, in which a volume of the adsorbent layer is smaller in the adsorbent layer closer to the atmospheric air port, a volume of the separating part is larger closer to the atmospheric air port, and the volume of the separating part located farthest on a tank port side is larger than that of the adsorbent layer located farthest on the atmospheric air port side.

Evaporation fuel processing device

A fuel vapor processing apparatus may include a canister, a closing valve provided in a vapor passage connecting the canister and the fuel tank, an actuator coupled to the movable valve member, and a control device coupled to the actuator. The control device may perform a learning control, in which a valve opening start position is learned based on a stroke distance of the movable valve member, which is given at the time when an internal pressure of the fuel tank is reduced by a predetermined pressure value while the moving distance of the movable valve member is changed such that (a) the movable valve member moves from the reference position to a learning start position at a first speed in a valve opening direction and (b) the movable valve member moves further from the learning start position at a second speed in the valve opening direction.

The present invention enables a canister in a fuel tank with the canister to be separately subjected to a product inspection and enables the canister to be replaced. The fuel tank according to the present invention includes: a tank body () configured by joining a plurality of shells () and () to each other; and a canister () configured to enable absorption of fuel vapor generated in the tank body (), wherein, in one () of the shells that constitute the tank body (), and engaging portion () formed to be integral with the shell () is provided, and the canister () is configured to be mounted to the tank body () by engaging an engaged portion () of the canister () with the engaging portion ().

Fuel tank

The present invention provides an evaporation fuel processing device including: a passage formed inside so as to allow a fluid to flow through the passage; a tank port and a purge port formed on one end side of the passage; an atmospheric air port formed on the other end side of the passage; and adsorbent layers filled with adsorbent which can adsorb evaporation fuel components, the adsorbent layers being provided in the passage, wherein a region which is constituted of three or more adsorbent layers and separating parts for separating the adjacent adsorbent layers, and in which a total volume of the adsorbent layers is set smaller than a total volume of the separating parts, is provided on an atmospheric air port side of the passage.

A fuel vapor recovery apparatus to be mounted on a vehicle having a fuel tank has an adsorbent canister capable of adsorbing and desorbing fuel vapor vaporized in the fuel tank, a vapor path providing communication between the fuel tank and the adsorbent canister, a purge path providing communication between the adsorbent canister and an intake path of an internal combustion engine, a purge valve configured to open and close the purge path, a blocking valve configured to open and close the vapor path and having a valve body, and a regulator for controlling the purge valve and the blocking valve. The fuel tank is sealed when the blocking valve is closed. The fuel tank is configured to be depressurized by opening the blocking valve. The blocking valve is composed of a motor valve that has a driving motor and can adjust an opening amount by controlling a stroke of the valve body.

Fuel vapor recovery apparatus

A fuel vapor processing apparatus may include a first canister and a second canister each having an adsorbent disposed therein. The second canister may include a first passage and a second passage each communicating between the first canister and an atmosphere. The first passage may be configured as an adsorption passage having the adsorbent disposed therein. The second passage may be configured as an air passage through which air flows. A control device may control flow of the air through the air passage. A heating device may heat the air flowing through the air passage. The air passage may be arranged so that the adsorbent of the adsorption chamber is heated by heat of the air that is heated by the heating device and flows through the air passage.

Growing community of inventors

Obu, Japan

Junya Kimoto