Patent · US Expired

Fault diagnostic method and apparatus for fuel evaporative emission control system

US5750888A · kind A · utility

46Cited by
14References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 18, 1996
Grant dateMay 12, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 18, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF02M25/0809
  • WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting faults in a fuel evaporative emission control system, in which the fuel evaporative emission which is admitted from a fuel tank and adsorbed once by a canister is separated from the canister by purge air and sucked into a suction passage of an engine. The fault diagnostic apparatus fluid-tightly closes the fuel tank such that a vacuum is held in the fuel tank, and then detect the presence of a leak in a fuel evaporative emission flow path on the basis of a rate of increase of the pressure in the fuel tank. At the same time, the average value of the pressure in the fuel tank is calculated at regular intervals, and the calculated average value is compared with levels of the pressure in the tank detected within a predetermined period of time, so that the detection of the leak is interrupted depending upon the result of the comparison.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.