Hydrocarbon vapor evacuation system
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDavid Karl Trumpy, Philip J Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vapor evacuation system that is used to intermittently remove hydrocarbon vapors from vehicle components to an available vapor storage canister using an electrically controlled small flow rate vapor-handling pump. The vapor-handling pump is intermittently turned on and off as a function of ambient temperature or inlet manifold temperature and as a function of time since last engine-on operation.
Claims20
A hydrocarbon vapor evacuation system comprising:
- a vehicle component;
- a vapor-retaining device;
- a vapor-handling pump coupled between said vehicle component and said vapor-retaining device for removing hydrocarbon emissions from said vehicle component to said vapor-retaining device when driven;
- an electric motor coupled to said vapor-handling pump capable of driving said vapor-handling pump when activated;
- a battery coupled to said electric motor, said battery used to power said electric motor during engine-off conditions;
- and
- a controller coupled to said electric motor and said battery for activating said electric motor during engine-off conditions when a state of charge of said battery is at or above a predetermined state of charge.
A method for limiting hydrocarbon vapor emission from a vehicle during an engine-off condition comprising the steps of:
- coupling a vapor-handling pump between at least one vehicle component and a vapor-retaining device;
- coupling an electric motor to said vapor-handling pump;
- coupling a battery to said electric motor, said battery capable of powering said electric motor in the engine-off condition;
- coupling a controller to said electric motor and said battery, said controller capable of activating said electric motor to drive said vapor-handling pump to remove hydrocarbon emissions from said at least one vehicle component;
- and
- activating said electric motor to drive said vapor-handling pump to remove hydrocarbon emissions from said at least one vehicle component to said vapor-retaining device in response to an operating condition when a state of charge of said battery is at or above a predetermined state of charge.
In a vehicle evacuation system having an electric motor driven vapor-handling pump coupled between vehicle component and a vapor storage canister during an engine shut off condition, a method for controlling the evacuation of hydrocarbon vapors from the vehicle component comprising the steps of:
- (a) activating the electric motor to drive the vapor-handling pump for a predetermined amount of time in response to an engine shut-off signal;
- thereafter
- (b) intermittently activating the electric motor to drive the vapor-handling pump for a predetermined time interval;
- and
- (c) intermittently activating the electric motor to drive the vapor-handling pump for a second predetermined time interval when a temperature level exceeds a predetermined maximum level wherein the activation of the electric motor in steps (a), (b), and (c) can only occur when a state of charge of a battery used to power the electric motor is at or above a predetermined state of charge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.