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US 10,094,319 B2Granted
Optimizing intermittent fuel pump control
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJoseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various methods are provided for operating a fuel pump. In one example, a method of operating a fuel pump comprises iteratively reducing an on-duration of a low pressure fuel pump pulse, until a peak outlet pressure of the fuel pump decreases from a peak outlet pressure corresponding to a previous pulse, to identify a minimum pulse duration, and applying a pulse having the minimum pulse duration to the fuel pump.
Claims20
A method of operating a fuel pump, comprising:
- during intermittent fuel pump operation including a plurality of voltage pulses being applied to the fuel pump where a speed of the fuel pump falls to zero between voltage pulses:
- iteratively reducing an on-duration of each voltage pulse, until a peak outlet pressure of the fuel pump decreases from a peak outlet pressure corresponding to a previous voltage pulse, to identify a minimum pulse duration;
- and
- applying a voltage pulse having the minimum pulse duration to the fuel pump;
- and
- during continuous fuel pump operation including a plurality of voltage pulses being applied to the fuel pump where the fuel pump turns continuously without stopping between voltage pulses:
- applying a varying duty cycle to the fuel pump.
4 more elements
A method of operating a fuel pump, comprising:
- under first conditions,
- driving the fuel pump intermittently by applying a voltage pulse two or more times;
- and
- iteratively reducing a duration of each voltage pulse until a fuel volume pumped resulting from application of the reduced voltage pulse is reduced to identify a minimum duration;
- and
- under second conditions,
- driving the fuel pump intermittently with a voltage pulse lasting the minimum duration,
- wherein driving the fuel pump intermittently comprises repeatedly applying the voltage pulse to the fuel pump, where each voltage pulse is spaced apart from an adjacent voltage pulse by an inter-pulse duration in which the fuel pump is off and a speed of the fuel pump falls to zero.
5 more elements
A method of operating a fuel pump, comprising:
- during a first condition:
- iteratively reducing an on-duration of a fuel pump pulse, until an outlet pressure of the fuel pump remains at a peak outlet pressure for less than a threshold duration, to identify a desired pulse duration, wherein the fuel pump is pumping fuel during the pulse;
- repeatedly applying the pulse for the desired pulse duration to the fuel pump responsive to a fueling condition, wherein each pulse is spaced apart from successive pulses by an inter-pulse duration;
- and
- adjusting the inter-pulse duration between successive pulses based on a minimum value of pumped fuel for the repeated application of the pulses for the desired pulse duration, wherein a speed of the fuel pump falls to zero during the inter-pulse duration;
- and
- during a second condition:
- continuously applying a duty cycle to the fuel pump, the duty cycle based on an engine speed and an engine load.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.