# US 11,441,510 B2 · Control apparatus for fuel supply apparatus

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- Number: US 11,441,510 B2
- Document ID: US11441510B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/221,890
- Filed: 2021-04-05
- Published: 2021-11-25
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-21
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Akira Iwai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441510B2

## CPC

- F02D 41/3845: {by controlling the flow into the common rail, e.g. the amount of fuel pumped}
- F02D 33/003: {Controlling the feeding of liquid fuel from storage containers to carburettors or fuel-injection apparatus (control of electrical fuel pumps F02D41/3082, controlling fuel flow to a common rail F02D41/3845); Failure or leakage prevention; Diagnosis or detection of failure; Arrangement of sensors in the fuel system; Electric wiring; Electrostatic discharge}
- F02D 41/2406: {using essentially read only memories}
- F02D 41/3094: {the fuel injection being effected by at least two different injectors, e.g. one in the intake manifold and one in the cylinder}
- F02D 41/3863: {by controlling the flow out of the common rail, e.g. using pressure relief valves}
- F02M 37/0017: {related to fuel pipes or their connections, e.g. joints or sealings (F02M55/004 takes precedence)}
- F02M 55/04: Means for damping vibrations {or pressure fluctuations} in injection pump inlets {or outlets}
- F02D 19/084: {Blends of gasoline and alcohols, e.g. E85}
- F02D 19/087: {with determination of densities, viscosities, composition, concentration or mixture ratios of fuels}
- F02D 41/021: {Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine (conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18)}
- F02D 2200/0606: Fuel temperature
- F02D 2200/0612: determined by estimation
- Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies
- Y02T 10/30: Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A control apparatus for a fuel supply apparatus is used in an engine system. The engine system includes an engine including a fuel injection valve, and the fuel supply apparatus including a fuel pump configured to supply fuel in a fuel tank to a supply pipe connected to the fuel injection valve, and a relief valve provided in the supply pipe. The control apparatus for the fuel supply apparatus includes an executor configured to execute, when the fuel is supplied to the fuel tank, relief pressure control for driving the fuel pump to open the relief valve until a predetermined termination condition is satisfied.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fuel supply apparatus for use in an engine system, the engine system including an engine including a fuel injection valve, the fuel supply apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank,
a supply pipe connected to the fuel injection valve,
a fuel pump configured to supply fuel in the fuel tank to the supply pipe,
a check valve disposed within the supply pipe,
a relief channel connected to the supply pipe on a fuel injection valve side of the supply pipe with respect to the check valve,
a relief valve disposed within the relief channel, and
a control apparatus for the fuel supply apparatus comprising a central processing unit programmed to execute, when the fuel is supplied to the fuel tank, and after the engine system is started, relief pressure control for driving the fuel pump to open the relief valve until a predetermined termination condition is satisfied, wherein the predetermined termination condition is a condition that a cumulative value of consumed flow rate variables, calculated as a sum of the consumed flow rates of a port injection valve and a direct injection valve, is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store a first mapping that uses, as inputs, first input variables including an engine variable related to a condition of the engine and outputs a type variable related to a type of the fuel, wherein:
the central processing unit is programmed to acquire the first input variables, and estimate the type variable by applying the acquired first input variables to the first mapping; and
the central processing unit is programmed not to estimate, when the fuel is supplied to the fuel tank, the type variable until the predetermined termination condition is satisfied.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store a second mapping that uses, as inputs, second input variables including variables that are related to a relief pressure, wherein the second input variables include a pump variable related to a condition of the fuel pump and a fuel temperature variable related to a fuel temperature, wherein the fuel temperature is a temperature of the fuel when the relief pressure control is executed, and wherein the second mapping outputs a characteristic variable related to a characteristic of the fuel pump, wherein the central processing unit is programmed to acquire the second input variables, and set the characteristic variable by applying the acquired second input variables to the second mapping.

### Claim 4

A fuel supply apparatus for use in an engine system, the engine system including an engine including a fuel injection valve, the fuel supply apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank,
a supply pipe connected to the fuel injection valve,
a fuel pump configured to supply fuel in the fuel tank to the supply pipe,
a check valve disposed within the supply pipe,
a relief channel connected to the supply pipe on a fuel injection valve side of the supply pipe with respect to the check valve,
a relief valve disposed within the relief channel, and
a control apparatus for the fuel supply apparatus comprising a central processing unit programmed to execute, when the fuel is supplied to the fuel tank, and after the engine system is started, relief pressure control for driving the fuel pump to open the relief valve until a predetermined termination condition is satisfied, wherein:
the central processing unit is programmed to drive the fuel pump to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed as the relief pressure control; and
the predetermined termination condition is a condition that a change amount of an actuation current of the fuel pump in a predetermined period is equal to or smaller than a predetermined change amount.

### Claim 5

A fuel supply apparatus for use in an engine system, the engine system including an engine including a fuel injection valve, the fuel supply apparatus comprising:
a fuel tank,
a supply pipe connected to the fuel injection valve,
a fuel pump configured to supply fuel in the fuel tank to the supply pipe,
a check valve disposed within the supply pipe,
a relief channel connected to the supply pipe on a fuel injection valve side of the supply pipe with respect to the check valve,
a relief valve disposed within the relief channel, and
a control apparatus for the fuel supply apparatus comprising a central processing unit programmed to execute, when the fuel is supplied to the fuel tank, and after the engine system is turned on, relief pressure control for driving the fuel pump to open the relief valve until a predetermined termination condition is satisfied, and to stabilize a fuel pressure inside the supply pipe at a threshold at which the relief valve is configured to be opened, wherein the predetermined termination condition is a condition that a cumulative value of consumed flow rate variables, calculated as a sum of the consumed flow rates of a port injection valve and a direct injection valve, is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.