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US 12,601,307 B2Granted
System and method for detecting a fuel tank valve state in a fuel cell electric vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsRoss Dykstra Pursifull, Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control system for a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) includes a controller that is configured to control a fuel delivery system to release fuel via an injector with a selected fuel tank valve among a plurality of fuel tank valves controlled to be in an open state and with the other fuel tank valves controlled to be in a closed state. The control is further configured to cause a corrective action in response to a fuel characteristic indicating the selected fuel tank valve is stuck closed.
Claims15
A control system for a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), comprising:
- a controller configured to:
- control a fuel delivery system to release fuel via an injector with a selected fuel tank valve among a plurality of fuel tank valves controlled to be in an open state and with the other fuel tank valves controlled to be in a closed state;
- and
- cause a corrective action in response to a fuel characteristic indicating the selected fuel tank valve is stuck closed, wherein the fuel characteristic is at least one of a density or a fuel mass;
- wherein with the fuel characteristic being the density, the controller is configured to detect the selected fuel tank valve as being stuck closed in response to the density decreasing;
- and
- wherein with the fuel characteristic being the fuel mass, the controller is configured to detect the fuel mass based on a temperature, a pressure, and a fuel characteristic correlation that associates temperature values and pressure values with fuel mass values, and to detect the selected fuel tank valve as being stuck closed in response to the fuel mass decreasing.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- controlling a fuel delivery system of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) to release fuel via an injector with a selected fuel tank valve among a plurality of fuel tank valves controlled to be in an open state and with the other fuel tank valves controlled to be in a closed state;
- and
- causing a corrective action in response to the selected tank valve being stuck closed as indicated by a fuel characteristic that is decreasing as fuel is being released;
- operating a selected subsequent fuel tank valve from among the plurality of fuel tank valves to have the selected subsequent fuel tank valve in the open state while the other fuel tank valves of the plurality of fuel tank valves are operated in the closed state;
- operating the selected subsequent fuel tank valve from among the plurality of fuel tank valves to have the selected subsequent fuel tank valve in the closed state after the selected fuel tank valve and before the FCEV is turned off;
- controlling the fuel delivery system to release fuel via the injector;
- and
- causing the corrective action in response to the fuel characteristic indicating the selected subsequent fuel tank valve is stuck closed.
5 more elements
A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), comprising:
- a plurality of fuel tanks;
- a plurality of fuel tank valves;
- a plurality of temperature sensors downstream of the plurality of fuel tanks measuring a temperature of fuel from the plurality of fuel tanks;
- a pressure sensor downstream of the plurality of fuel tank valves measuring a pressure of the fuel;
- a fuel delivery system fluidly coupled to the plurality of fuel tanks via the plurality of fuel tank valves, the fuel delivery system including a fuel line connecting the plurality of fuel tanks to an injector;
- and
- a control system including a controller that is configured to execute a fuel valve diagnostic during which the controller is configured to, for each fuel tank valve:
- control the fuel delivery system to release fuel via the injector with a selected fuel tank valve controlled to be in an open state and with the other fuel tank valves controlled to be in a closed state;
- detect a density, as the fuel characteristic, based on a temperature associated with the selected fuel tank valve, the pressure, and a fuel characteristic correlation that associates temperature values and pressure values with density values;
- and
- cause a corrective action in response to the selected tank valve being stuck closed as indicated by a fuel characteristic that is decreasing as fuel is being released.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.