JP2009108709A - Internal combustion engine warm-up system - Google Patents

Abstract

An internal combustion engine warm-up system capable of using the heat of combustion when evaporative fuel is combusted by a combustion device to warm up the internal combustion engine.
A circulation pipe (24) provided with a combustion device (28) is connected to the canister (14). A heat exchanger 30 is disposed at a position adjacent to the combustion device 28, and a cooling water pipe 32 through which the cooling water of the engine 20 circulates passes through the inside thereof. When the evaporated fuel stored in the canister 14 is circulated in the circulation pipe 24 and combusted in the combustion device 28, combustion heat is given to the cooling water by the heat exchanger 30, and warming up of the engine 20 is promoted. The
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine warm-up system.

  In general, evaporative fuel generated in a fuel tank or the like is processed by a canister. However, in Patent Document 1, evaporative fuel taken out from a canister is burned by a combustion means, and combustion heat is converted into electric power by a power changing means. Thus, there is described a configuration that is used for driving a motor or heating an exhaust gas purification device.

However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the combustion heat generated when the evaporated fuel is burned by the combustion means cannot be used to warm up the internal combustion engine.
JP 2006-177323 A

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain an internal combustion engine warm-up system that can use the combustion heat generated when evaporative fuel is combusted by a combustion device to warm up the internal combustion engine.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a canister containing activated carbon on which evaporated fuel is adsorbed, a combustion device that burns evaporated fuel stored in the canister, and heat generated by the combustion device is supplied to the internal combustion engine. And a heat supply means.

  Therefore, the evaporated fuel is adsorbed by the activated carbon in the canister, but a part of the evaporated fuel stored in the canister is burned by the combustion device. The heat generated by the combustion device is supplied to the internal combustion engine by the heat supply means. Thereby, the warming-up can be promoted by using the combustion heat generated when the evaporated fuel is burned by the combustion device to warm-up the internal combustion engine.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the heat supply means is capable of supplying heat generated by the combustion device to the internal combustion engine before starting.

  By supplying heat to the internal combustion engine by the heat supply means before starting the internal combustion engine, warm-up can be promoted and warm-up can be performed in a short time when the internal combustion engine needs to be warmed up.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a start prediction unit that predicts the start of the internal combustion engine, and the heat supply unit when the start prediction unit predicts the start of the internal combustion engine. And control means for controlling to drive.

  The start predicting means predicts the start of the internal combustion engine, and when the start is predicted, the control means drives the heat supply means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent heat from being supplied to the internal combustion engine by driving the heat supply means at a timing that does not require warm-up.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the start prediction means includes a door lock sensor that detects a door lock state of the vehicle.

  By detecting the door lock state of the vehicle by the door lock sensor and predicting the start of the internal combustion engine based on this, it is possible to make a reliable start prediction.

  Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to use the heat of combustion when evaporating fuel is burned by the combustion device to warm up the internal combustion engine.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an internal combustion engine warm-up system 12 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The internal combustion engine warm-up system 12 has a canister 14 in which activated carbon (not shown) is accommodated. The evaporated fuel (vapor) generated in the fuel tank 16 is sent to the canister 14 through the vapor pipe 18 and is adsorbed by the activated carbon. The fuel tank 16 and the engine 20 are connected by a supply pipe 22, and the fuel in the fuel tank 16 is supplied to the engine 20 by a pump or the like (not shown).

  The canister 14 is connected to an air communication pipe and a purge pipe (both not shown) for sending evaporated fuel to the engine 20. When the atmosphere is introduced by the negative pressure applied from the engine 20, the evaporated fuel adsorbed by the activated carbon in the canister 14 is desorbed (purged) and sent to the engine 20.

  A circulation pipe 24 is connected to the canister 14. The circulation pipe 24 is provided with a circulation pump 26 so that the evaporated fuel stored in the canister 14 can be circulated in the circulation pipe 24. In particular, in the present embodiment, a part of the circulation pipe 24 is shared with the vapor pipe 18, and the structure is simplified.

  Further, the canister 14 is provided with a combustion device 28. The combustion device 28 reacts evaporated fuel with oxygen and burns it. As a result, the evaporated fuel is processed, so that the purge load is reduced, the release of the evaporated fuel is suppressed, and thermal energy is generated by combustion. In particular, in the present embodiment, platinum is used as the catalyst of the combustion device 28, so that combustion over a long time can be maintained.

  A heat exchanger 30 is disposed at a position adjacent to the combustion device 28, and a cooling water pipe 32 through which the cooling water of the engine 20 circulates passes through the inside thereof. The heat exchanger 30 has a function of giving heat energy generated by the combustion device 28 to the cooling water.

  A door lock sensor 34 is attached to the door of the vehicle so that the state of the door lock can be detected. The detected door lock information is sent to the ECU 36. The ECU 36 is also connected to the engine 20 and transmits / receives a signal (engine drive signal) indicating the drive state of the engine 20. The ECU 36 drives and controls the circulation pump 26 and the combustion device 28 based on the door lock state signal and the engine drive signal. Therefore, the start prediction means of the present invention is constituted by the door lock sensor 34 and the ECU 36, and the control means of the present invention is constituted by the ECU 36.

  In the internal combustion engine warm-up system 12 of the first embodiment having such a configuration, the ECU 36 detects that the door lock is released by the door lock sensor 34 while the engine 20 is not driven. Drives the circulation pump 26 and the combustion device 28. As a result, the evaporated fuel stored in the canister 14 is circulated in the circulation pipe 24 and burned by the combustion device 28. Then, the heat energy generated by the combustion is given to the cooling water by the heat exchanger 30, and the temperature of the cooling water rises. Since the cooling water also circulates through the cooling water pipe 32 and returns to the engine 20, as a result, warm-up of the engine 20 is promoted. Since warm-up is performed early and the engine 20 reaches a predetermined temperature in a short time, fuel consumption can be improved.

  As described above, in the internal combustion engine warm-up system 12 of the present embodiment, the heat (combustion heat) generated when the evaporated fuel is combusted by the combustion device 28 can be effectively used for warming up the engine 20.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the circulation pump 26 and the combustion device 28 are driven by predicting the timing before the engine 20 is started by releasing the door lock by the door lock sensor 34. That is, it is possible to predict the time before the engine is started, which is the timing at which the engine 20 needs to be warmed up, and accurately promote the warming up of the engine 20 at this timing.

  In addition, since the engine coolant is heated and the temperature rises before the engine 20 is started, the performance of the heater can be exhibited at an early stage in a vehicle including a heater using the engine coolant.

  In the above embodiment, the timing before the engine 20 is started is predicted based on the signal from the door lock sensor 34, and warm-up of the engine 20 is promoted at an appropriate time. The configuration for predicting the timing is not limited to this. That is, attention is paid to an operation performed before starting the engine 20, and when this operation is performed, the engine 20 may be predicted to be started thereafter.

  Alternatively, or in combination with this, a timer may be provided in the ECU 36, for example, and the circulation pump 26 and the combustion device 28 may be driven at a predetermined time set in advance. . For example, depending on how the vehicle is used, the engine 20 may be started at the same time every day. Therefore, this time may be input to the ECU 36 in advance, and the circulation pump 26 and the combustion device 28 may be driven at a predetermined timing (for example, 5 minutes before). At this time, the time from when the circulation pump 26 and the combustion device 28 are driven to when the engine 20 is started can be set appropriately, so that sufficient time can be secured for applying heat to the engine cooling water to promote warm-up. become.

  Furthermore, the timing for supplying heat to the engine 20 is not limited to before the start, and may be the same as the start of the engine 20 or immediately after the start, for example. In particular, it is preferable to supply heat to the engine 20 before starting because warming up is promoted when warming up is required, and the effect of promoting warming up is high.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the heat generated in the combustion device 28 is given to the engine cooling water has been described. However, if it is possible to promote the warm-up of the engine 20, this heat is given to other elements. It may be a simple configuration. In the following, from such a viewpoint, an example in which heat generated in the combustion device 28 is given to elements other than engine cooling water to promote warm-up of the engine 20 will be described. Note that. In each embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 2 shows an internal combustion engine warm-up system 42 according to the second embodiment. In the internal combustion engine warm-up system 42 according to the second embodiment, an oil circulation pipe 44 through which engine oil is circulated is provided and passes through the heat exchanger 30. Therefore, in the internal combustion engine warm-up system 42, heat is transmitted to the engine oil, and the warm-up of the engine 20 is promoted through the engine oil whose temperature has increased.

  Further, in the internal combustion engine warm-up system 42, the temperature of the engine oil rises due to the heat that is applied from the heat exchanger 30 before the engine 20 is started, so that the viscosity thereof is lowered. For this reason, the fluidity of the oil before the engine 20 is started and immediately after the engine is also improved.

  FIG. 3 shows an internal combustion engine warm-up system 52 according to the third embodiment. In the internal combustion engine warm-up system 52 according to the third embodiment, supply piping for supplying fuel from the fuel tank 16 to the engine 20 is shown. 22 passes through the inside of the heat exchanger 30. Therefore, in the internal combustion engine warm-up system 52, heat is transmitted to the fuel, and warm-up of the engine 20 is promoted through the fuel whose temperature has increased.

  In this internal combustion engine warm-up system 52, the temperature of the fuel rises and vaporization is promoted, so that the startability of the engine 20 is improved.

  FIG. 4 shows an internal combustion engine warm-up system 62 according to the fourth embodiment. In the internal combustion engine warm-up system 62 of the fourth embodiment, the heat exchanger 30 is disposed in an engine block 20B that constitutes the engine 20. Therefore, in the internal combustion engine warm-up system 62, heat is directly transmitted from the heat exchanger 30 to the engine block 20B, and warm-up of the engine 20 is promoted.

  Moreover, since the engine block 20B is directly warmed, the engine coolant and engine oil can be warmed through the engine block 20B.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an internal combustion engine warm-up system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the internal combustion engine warming-up system of 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the internal combustion engine warming-up system of 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the internal combustion engine warming-up system of 4th embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

12 internal combustion engine warm-up system 14 canister 16 fuel tank 18 vapor pipe 20 engine 20B engine block 22 supply pipe 24 circulation pipe 26 circulation pump 28 combustion device 30 heat exchanger (heat supply means)
32 Cooling water piping 34 Door lock sensor (starting prediction means)
36 ECU (starting prediction means, control means)
42 Internal combustion engine warm-up system 44 Oil circulation piping 52 Internal combustion engine warm-up system 62 Internal combustion engine warm-up system

Claims (4)

A canister containing activated carbon on which evaporated fuel is adsorbed;
A combustion device for combusting evaporative fuel stored in the canister;
Heat supply means for supplying heat generated in the combustion device to the internal combustion engine;
An internal combustion engine warm-up system characterized by comprising:   The internal combustion engine warm-up system according to claim 1, wherein the heat supply means is capable of supplying heat generated by the combustion device to the internal combustion engine before starting. Start prediction means for predicting start of the internal combustion engine;
Control means for controlling the heat supply means to be driven when the start of the internal combustion engine is predicted by the start prediction means;
The internal combustion engine warm-up system according to claim 2, wherein   The internal combustion engine warm-up system according to claim 3, wherein the start prediction means includes a door lock sensor that detects a door lock state of the vehicle.

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