32 results about "Flexible-fuel vehicle" patented technology

The present invention relates to a fuel system as well as a method for controlling the same. More specifically, it relates to a fuel system of motor vehicles adapted to be powered by alcohol-containing fuels, and specifically by alcohol-containing fuels and by petrol, so-called Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV). These vehicles can be powered by fuels with varying alcohol content, and also by pure petrol. The fuel system according to the invention comprises a main tank (1) for fuel, a cold-start tank (2) with fuel which is sufficiently inflammable to be used in connection with cold starts, as well as fuel line system connecting these tanks to each other and to injection means of the engine of the vehicle, where at least one pump (8, 13) is adapted to transfer fuel through the fuel line system. Specifically, the invention relates to a system which is controlled so that fuel is transferred from the main tank (1) to the cold-start tank (2) when the alcohol content of the fuel is below a predetermined threshold value.

The invention relates to a cold start system and start method for a flexible fuel vehicle. The cold start system comprises an engine control unit, a fuel system and a fuel oil preheating module. The fuel oil preheating module comprises a water temperature sensor, a preheating indicator light, a power output module and a heating type oil sprayer. When a start switch is turned on, the preheating indicator light is firstly lightened, the water temperature sensor transmits a cooling water temperature signal to the engine control unit, the engine control unit calculates a duty ratio signal and judges whether the power output module needs to output power or not, the power output module outputs a current to the heating type oil sprayer, and the heating type oil sprayer heats ethanol fuel and feeds back a temperature signal of the heating type oil sprayer to the engine control unit at the same time so as to judge the preheating finish time.

Alternative fuel compositions, blends of the alternative fuel compositions and gasoline, and methods for their preparation and use are disclosed. The alternative fuel compositions ideally include ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and one or more of sec-butanol and t-butanol, and ideally include no more than 3% methanol, and no more than 15% C₅ or higher alcohols. The fuel compositions can be prepared using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to convert syngas to a product stream comprising C_2-4 olefins, and hydrolyzing these olefins. The process facilitates isolation of C_2-4 alkanes, because the boiling point difference of these alkanes is significantly lower than that of the C_2-4 alcohols. Ideally, the compositions provide more energy per unit volume than E85, even without the addition of gasoline, although the compositions can be blended with gasoline in any desired ratio. The resulting alternative fuel can be derived, at least in part, from renewable resources, in that the syngas can be derived from renewable resources, and a significant portion of the molecule is derived from the water used to hydrolyze the olefins. The alternative fuel compositions, and blends thereof with gasoline, can help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign crude oil.

The invention relates to a control method of methyl alcohol flexible fuel vehicle and a system thereof. The system comprises a mixed fuel feeding system, an electronic control system and an engine, wherein, mixed fuel in a mixed fuel box comprises methyl alcohol and auxiliary fuel as the balance. A fuel recognition sensor is used for recognizing methyl alcohol content in fuel, corresponding data is transmitted to a data processing unit, the data processing unit analyzes the data and transmits a result to a central control unit, and the central control unit chooses a corresponding working module to adjust the corresponding control parameter, which ensures that the engine works at the optimum state. The invention mainly provides a control system of a methyl alcohol flexible fuel vehicle, which can add mixed fuel at any ratio to the mixed fuel box, needs no additives, has favorable starting performance and high dynamic property and discharges cleanly. The invention solves the technical problems that the fuel supply is out of control because of methyl alcohol-petrol mixed fuel delamination and vehicle starting performance is lowered in the prior art.

A method and a system for indicating a fuel efficiency in a vehicle is provided that includes a density sensor configured to measure the density of a fuel mixture stored in a fuel tank. In addition, a controller is configured to derive the mix ratio related to the fuel mixture via the density measured by the density sensor and change a reference value of a fuel calculation logic based on the mix ratio. In addition, the controller is configured to determine the fuel efficiency based on the changed reference value.

The present invention relates to a diagnosis method for an ethanol sensor of a flexible fuel vehicle, the diagnosis method including: a) the fuel refilling detection step of detecting whether fuel is filled to a fuel tank; b) the maximum changeable content range calculation step of calculating a content range of ethanol in the fuel stored in the fuel tank; c) the ethanol sensor value acquirement step of determining whether the data detected from an ethanol sensor converges into a given value; d) the oxygen sensor value acquirement step of determining whether the data detected from an oxygen sensor converges into a given value; and e) the ethanol sensor abnormality determination step of determining that an error is generated from the ethanol sensor if the data acquired at the ethanol sensor value acquirement step or the data acquired at the step is not a value in the calculated range.

An injection system for cold start improvement of a flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV), may include a first injector installed in an intake port, and a second injector installed in the intake port in which the first injector may be installed and having a built-in heater, wherein the first injector and the second injector may be positioned upstream of intake valves.

An engine torque compensation method is based on a change in the concentration of ethanol for a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV). In the method, a concentration of ethanol in fuel that is supplied to an engine is acquired. A driver-required torque based on an opening rate of a throttle valve depending on manipulation of an accelerator by a driver is calculated. A torque correction factor depending on the opening rate of the throttle valve and the concentration of the ethanol is calculated. A final driver-required torque is obtained by multiplying the torque correction factor by the driver-required torque.

The invention discloses an engine starting control method used by a flexible fuel vehicle. After an engine starting command is received, if the ethanol content in fuel is higher than a set content, an air inlet bypass valve is firstly controlled by a stepping motor to be closed to the minimum position opening degree; and after a starter drives an engine to start to work, drives an oil sprayer to start to spray oil and drives an ignition plug to start to ignite, the air inlet bypass valve is controlled by the stepping motor to be opened to the starting target opening degree. By means of the engine starting control method used by the flexible fuel vehicle, sufficient combustible mixed gas can be formed, and reliable starting of the engine is achieved.

Disclosed is an engine starting control method for a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) of supplying the heated fuel to the engine by heating an injector heater during cranking when it is determined that cranking condition and fuel heating condition are satisfied at the time of starting the vehicle having a starting auxiliary device for cranking the engine of FFV and a device for heating the fuel using the injector heater provided in an injector, wherein a pre-injection is auxiliary performed prior to a main injection during cold starting of the engine when the heating time of the injector heater exceeds a predetermined value, allowing stable starting with low fuel consumption at a time of cold starting an engine using ethanol fuel in winter.

The invention discloses a shifting prompt method of ethanol flexible fuel vehicles. The shifting prompt method includes calculating the fitting coefficient according to the universal characteristic data and curve of the ethanol flexible fuel engine, fitting the shifting speed based on the current fuel concentration and the current gear position by combining the fuel concentration, and prompting the vehicles to shaft gear when the vehicle speed reaches the required shifting speed. The shifting prompt method can fit the optimum economical shifting rule according to the ethanol gasoline concentration, accordingly prompts drivers to shift gears when the vehicles are in the economical shifting section, and improves the fuel economy of the whole vehicles.

A method of managing an auxiliary fuel system for a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV), may include monitoring a number of operations of the auxiliary fuel system when an engine of a vehicle starts, determining whether it may be necessary to perform maintenance of the auxiliary fuel system on the ground that the auxiliary fuel system has not been used for a predetermined time period in which the number of starts of the engine reaches a predetermined number, on the basis of the result of the monitoring, and operating the auxiliary fuel system in accordance with a predetermined setting, when the determining of whether it may be necessary to perform the maintenance of the auxiliary fuel system reveals that the auxiliary fuel system has not been used for the predetermined time period.

In an FFV (flexible fuel vehicle) on which an internal-combustion engine using alcohol blended fuel in mounted, the remaining amount of fuel vapor presumed to remain in a canister in accordance with a usual purge processing is presumed based on an alcohol concentration in the alcohol blended fuel. According to this remaining amount, the size of the tank side channel which is a channel in a canister near the connection section with a connection pathway (tank line) with a fuel tank is adjusted by a canister throttle control means, and/or, the timing of opening and closing of an intake valve is changed by a variable valve timing mechanism. Thereby, the desorption rate (the amount of desorption) of fuel vapor from adsorption material in a canister is adjusted, and the concentration of the fuel included in purge gas is adjusted. As a result, even when the change of the remaining amount of the fuel vapor adsorbed by the adsorption material in the canister and/or the uneven concentration distribution of an alcohol component within the canister occur, the accuracy of an air/fuel ratio control in the FFV can be raised, and the discharge of a toxic substance can be suppressed effectively.