Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Wolfgang Krings

Aed M Dudar

Scott Alan Bohr

Kevin W Lucka

Methods and systems are provided for conducting a fuel tank diagnostic. In one example, a method comprises sealing a fuel tank of a vehicle, retrieving data related to fuel tank pressure from a crowd of vehicles, and indicating the fuel tank of the vehicle being diagnosed is degraded responsive to data related to fuel tank pressure from the crowd insufficiently correlating with a set of data related to fuel tank pressure from the vehicle. In this way, fuel tank degradation may be indicated without coupling the fuel tank of the vehicle to atmosphere, which may reduce a release of undesired evaporative emissions to atmosphere.

Systems and methods for fuel tank diagnostics

A fuel system comprises a fuel tank including at least a top wall, a bottom wall, and one or more stanchions positioned within the fuel tank, each stanchion coupled to the top wall and the bottom wall. A strain gauge is positioned on the outside of the fuel tank, opposite an intersection of a stanchion and the top wall, such that degradation of the stanchion results in results in pressure-dependent deformation of the fuel tank that is registered by the strain gauge. In this way, degradation of deformable fuel tanks, such as polymeric fuel tanks, may be diagnosed and indicated.

Growing community of inventors

Kall, Germany

Wolfgang Krings