# US 7,073,494 B2 · System and method for estimating fuel vapor with cylinder deactivation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,073,494 B2 - Document ID: US7073494B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/794,475 - Filed: 2004-03-05 - Published: 2005-09-08 - Granted: 2006-07-11 - Earliest claimed: 2004-03-05 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Michael John Cullen; Gopichandra Sumilla; Christian T. Goralski, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7073494B2 ## CPC - F02D 41/0087: {Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation (deceleration cut-off F02D41/123)} - F01N 13/009: {having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series} - F01N 13/011: {having two or more purifying devices arranged in parallel} - F02D 37/02: one of the functions being ignition - F02D 41/0045: {Estimating, calculating or determining the purging rate, amount, flow or concentration} - F02M 43/00: Fuel-injection apparatus operating simultaneously on two or more fuels, or on a liquid fuel and another liquid, e.g. the other liquid being an anti-knock additive - F02D 41/0002: {Controlling intake air} - F02D 41/0215: {in relation with elements of the transmission} - F02D 41/045: {Detection of accelerating or decelerating state (detection thereof in general G01P)} - F02D 41/064: {at cold start (F02D41/067 takes precedence)} - F02D 41/068: {for warming-up} - F02D 41/08: for idling (F02D41/06, F02D41/16 take precedence) - F02D 41/126: {transitional corrections at the end of the cut-off period} - F02D 41/22: Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions {(in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809)} - F02D 2041/001: {for engines with variable valve actuation} - F02D 2200/0802: Temperature of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus - F02D 2200/1015: Engines misfires - F02D 2250/18: Control of the engine output torque - F02M 25/08: adding fuel vapours drawn from engine fuel reservoir {(electrical control of purge system F02D41/003)} - F02P 5/045: {combined with electronic control of other engine functions, e.g. fuel injection (in general F02D37/02)} - F02P 5/1512: {with particular means concerning an individual cylinder} - 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) - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - F02P: IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES ({anti-pollution means for internal-combustion engines F02B17/00}; specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines F02B53/12; {ignition of gas turbine plants F02C7/26; ignition of jet propulsion plants F02K9/95; starting of combustion engines F02N9/00}; ignition of combustion apparatus in general, glowing plugs F23Q; measuring of physical variables in general G01; controlling in general G05; data processing in general G06; electrical components in general see Section H; {ignition coils H01F38/12}; sparking plugs H01T13/00) ## Abstract Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for estimating a fuel vapor quantity from a fuel vapor recovery system for a vehicle having an engine with a first set of cylinders and a second set of cylinders, the method comprising: operating the first set of cylinders with injected fuel and inducted fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system; operating the second set of cylinders without fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system; mixing exhaust gas from the first and second set; and determining an indication of fuel vapors from a sensor, said sensor measuring said mixed exhaust gas after said exhaust gasses mix, said determining based on the operation of the second set of cylinders. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said indication is a concentration of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said indication is a mass flow rate of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said operating the second set of cylinders occurs during said operation of the first set of cylinders. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates without injected fuel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates with inducted air. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the fist and second sets of cylinders are both coupled to an exhaust manifold, wherein the sensor is located in said exhaust manifold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the first and second sets of cylinders are in the same bank of a v-8 engine. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 where the second set of cylinders operates about stoichiometry. ### Claim 10 A method for estimating a fuel vapor quantity from a fuel vapor recovery system for a vehicle having an engine with a first set of cylinders and a second set of cylinders, the method comprising: operating the first set of cylinders with injected fuel and inducted fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system; operating the second set of cylinders without fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system; mixing exhaust gas from the first and second set; and determining an estimate of fuel vapors to the first set of cylinders based on fuel injected to said first set of cylinders and a sensor measuring said mixed exhaust gas after said exhaust gasses mix. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein said estimate is a concentration of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein said estimate is a mass flow rate of fuel vapors in said first set of cylinder. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein said operating the second set of cylinders occurs during said operation of the first set of cylinders. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates without injected fuel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein the second set of cylinders further operates with inducted air. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the fist and second sets of cylinders are both coupled to an exhaust manifold, wherein the sensor is located in said exhaust manifold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the first and second sets of cylinders are in the same bank of a v-8 engine. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the second set of cylinders operates about stoichiometry. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein said estimate of fuel vapors is further based on an amount of fuel injected to said second set of cylinders. ### Claim 20 A computer readable storage medium having stored data representing instructions executable by a computer for estimating a fuel vapor quantity from a fuel vapor recovery system for a vehicle having an engine with a first set of cylinders and a second set of cylinders, the computer readable storage medium comprising: instructions for operating the first set of cylinders with injected fuel and inducted fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system; instructions for operating the second set of cylinders without fuel vapors from the fuel vapor recovery system; instructions for mixing exhaust gas from the first and second set; and instructions for determining an indication of fuel vapors from a sensor, said sensor measuring said mixed exhaust gas after said exhaust gasses mix, said determining based on the operation of the second set of cylinders.