KR20140078424A - Cold start system for ethanol vehicle and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a cold start apparatus for an ethanol vehicle, which is capable of improving the cold start properties by preheating fuel at the time of cold start. According to the present invention, the cold start apparatus for an ethanol vehicle comprises a cold start fuel line branching off from a fuel line connecting an engine and a fuel tank; a cold start injector mounted on one end of the cold start fuel line and installed at an air intake manifold; a heater installed at a predetermined position on the cold start fuel line and heating ethanol fuel forcibly transferred from the fuel tank; a control valve shutting off the ethanol fuel supplied to the cold start injector; and a control part heating the ethanol fuel, which is forcibly transferred from the fuel tank, by turning on the heater while turning off a main injector mounted in the engine and the control valve of the cold start fuel line when the cold start is required, and performing the cold start with the heated ethanol fuel by opening the control valve and operating an auxiliary injector after the ethanol fuel is completely heated.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a cold start device for an ethanol vehicle,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ethanol vehicle, and more particularly, to a cold start device and method of an ethanol vehicle capable of pre-heating a cold simultaneous fuel to provide an improvement in cold start and stoppage.

In recent years, the automobile industry has been developing vehicles that utilize bioenergy as a fuel in order to enhance eco-friendliness and cope with high oil prices, and vehicles using ethanol fuel, which is one of the bioenergies refined in corn and sugar cane, Trend.

For example, market trends for Brazilian ethanol vehicle (Flex Fuel Vehicle) have increased from 3% in 2003 to 82% in 2008 and more than 90% in passenger cars.

Bio-energy ethanol accounts for 60% of gasoline, and the annual fuel cost is 75%, which dominates the fuel economy.

However, since ethanol has a high ignition point of 12 ° C, there is a problem in starting property at an outside temperature of 15 ° C or less, and since the vaporization is not performed at a low vapor pressure, fuel injection amount is increased compared to gasoline at startup, .

In Brazil, the cold start performance of ethanol vehicles is required at -5 ℃.

To improve this, the ethanol vehicle is equipped with an auxiliary fuel tank in which the gasoline fuel is stored in the engine room, and the gasoline fuel stored in the auxiliary fuel tank is injected at the rear end of the throttle body at the time of starting the engine under the condition of the outside temperature of 15 ° C or less, .

However, since the gasoline fuel is not used at the initial start in the summer operation in which the outside temperature is maintained at 15 ° C or higher, oxidization and deterioration are caused by long-term gasoline gasoline, which may cause deterioration of startability at an outside temperature of 15 ° C or lower in the future, The use of gasoline fuels can cause corrosion of some engine parts.

In addition, since an auxiliary fuel tank for storing gasoline fuel is installed, the production cost of the ethanol vehicle is caused to rise, thereby deteriorating the price competitiveness and increasing the weight.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2010-203348 (September 16, 2010) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2010-169031 (Aug. 5, 2010)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been developed to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in startability by preheating an ethanol fuel in a cold state without installing a gasoline fuel tank for cold start in an ethanol vehicle.

A feature according to an embodiment of the present invention is a cold start fuel line branching from a fuel line connecting an engine and a fuel tank; A cold start injector installed at one end of the cold start fuel line and installed in an intake manifold; A heater installed at a predetermined position of the cold start fuel line for heating the ethanol fuel fed in the fuel tank; A control valve for interrupting the ethanol fuel supplied to the cold start injector; When the cold start is required, the main injector mounted on the engine and the control valve of the cold start fuel line are turned off, the heater is turned on to heat the ethanol fuel fed in the fuel tank, and when the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, And a control section for operating the auxiliary injector to perform cold starting with the heated ethanol fuel.

The control valve may comprise an on / off solenoid valve.

The controller can spray the ethanol fuel heated by the heater to the intake manifold to form a mixer which is easy to ignite.

The controller may determine the cold start by analyzing the information of the outside temperature and the cooling water temperature.

The control unit recognizes a cold start condition when the outside air temperature is lower than the first temperature, heats the ethanol fuel by operating the heater, and preheats the ethanol fuel for a predetermined time when the outside temperature is lower than the second temperature.

And a display unit for indicating preheating information of the ethanol fuel in the cold start.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a fuel cell system, the method comprising: operating the fuel pump to pressurize the fuel stored in the fuel tank; Closing the main injector when the cold start condition is satisfied, turning off the control valve mounted on the cold start fuel line to shut off the ethanol fuel supplied to the auxiliary injector, and heating the ethanol fuel which is pressure-fed by the heater; And when the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, turning on the control valve and operating the auxiliary injector to inject the heated ethanol fuel to a predetermined position of the intake manifold to provide cold static electricity. do.

The engine is started by the injection of the heated ethanol fuel. When the engine speed exceeds the set number of revolutions, the control valve is turned off, the heater and the auxiliary injector are turned off, and the main injector is turned on to provide normal combustion.

If the outside air temperature is lower than 5 ° C under the cold start condition, preheating may be performed for a predetermined time, and the progress of preheating may be indicated in a predetermined manner through the display unit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a fuel supply system comprising: a fuel line connecting an engine and a fuel tank; A heater installed at a predetermined position of the fuel line for heating the ethanol fuel which is fed from the fuel tank; A control valve for interrupting the ethanol fuel supplied to the engine during cold start; When the cold start is required, the control valve is turned off to shut off the ethanol fuel supplied to the injector, and the heater is turned on to heat the ethanol fuel fed in the fuel tank. When the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, And performing a cold start with the heated ethanol fuel.

The control unit determines the cold start by analyzing the outside air temperature and the cooling water temperature. If the outside air temperature is lower than the first temperature, the control unit recognizes the cold start condition and heats the ethanol fuel with the heater. If the outside air temperature is lower than the second temperature, Ethanol fuel can be preheated.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an internal combustion engine, the method comprising: operating a fuel pump to pressurize and feed ethanol fuel stored in a fuel tank when a start-up is required; Closing the control valve mounted on the fuel line to shut off the ethanol fuel supplied to the injector and heating the heater to heat the pressurized ethanol fuel if the cold start condition is satisfied; And a step of turning on the control valve when the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, and injecting the heated ethanol fuel into the engine by operating the injector to provide cold static electricity.

The engine is started by injection of the heated ethanol fuel, and if the engine speed exceeds the set number of revolutions, the heater is turned off to provide normal combustion.

If the outside temperature is less than 20 캜, the cold start is controlled. If the outside temperature is less than 5 캜, preheating is performed for a predetermined time, and the preheating progress can be designated in a predetermined manner.

As described above, according to the present invention, the installation of the gasoline fuel tank for cold starting in the ethanol vehicle is eliminated, thereby reducing the production cost of the ethanol vehicle, improving the price competitiveness, and reducing the weight of the vehicle.

1 is a schematic view illustrating a cold start device of an ethanol vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a cold start control procedure of an ethanol vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view schematically showing a cold start device of an ethanol vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a cold start control procedure of an ethanol vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention.

The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

In addition, since the components shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings.

1 is a schematic view illustrating a cold start device of an ethanol vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

1, a cold start device for an ethanol vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a main injector 102 as a main injector mounted on an engine 101, and a fuel tank 103 for storing ethanol fuel A cold start fuel line 105 which is connected through a fuel line 104 and branches at the fuel line 104 is installed.

A cold start injector 108 which is an auxiliary injector mounted on an intake manifold is connected to one end of the cold start fuel line 105. A cold start fuel injector 108 is connected between the cold start injector 108 and the fuel tank 103, A control valve 107 for determining the supply of fuel through the line 104 and a heater 106 for preheating the ethanol fuel supplied from the fuel tank 103 under the cold start condition.

The control valve 107 is turned off during the heating process of the ethanol fuel through the heater 106 so that the ethanol fuel can be preheated to a proper vaporization state for a predetermined time.

The control valve 107 may be constituted by an on / off solenoid valve.

In addition, the present invention includes an operation information detection unit 201, a control unit 202, and a display unit 203.

The operation information detecting unit 201 detects operation information including a start-on request, an outside temperature of an area to be operated, and a cooling water on in the operation of the ethanol vehicle, and provides the detected information to the control unit 202.

The control unit 202 analyzes the information provided by the operation information detection unit 201 and turns off the main injector 102 which is the main injector mounted on the engine 101 when the cold start is determined, The control valve 107 is turned on and the heater 106 is operated to preheat the ethanol fuel to a state in which proper vaporization is maintained. When the preheating for a set time period is completed, And controls the cold start injector 108 to spray the preheated ethanol fuel to improve the cold start performance.

The preheated ethanol fuel injected through the cold start injector 108 is injected at a predetermined position of the intake manifold so that it can be rapidly circulated with the intake air to facilitate the ignition.

The controller 202 recognizes that the engine 101 is in the cold start state when the outside air temperature is lower than 20 占 폚 when the start of the engine 101 is requested and heats the ethanol fuel through the heater 106 to actively generate vaporization, The ethanol fuel is preheated for a predetermined period of time and then sprayed to facilitate ignition.

The display unit 203 directs the preheating state of the ethanol fuel in a predetermined manner in accordance with a control signal applied from the controller 202. [

The operation of the present invention including the functions described above will now be described with reference to FIG.

In the ethanol vehicle to which the present invention is applied, the operation information detection unit 201 detects information including the engine start request, the outside temperature of the operated area, the cooling water temperature, and the like, and provides the information to the control unit 202.

The control unit 202 determines whether startup of the engine 101 is requested from the information provided from the operation information detection unit 201 in a state where the engine 101 maintains the start-off state (S101) (S102).

The control unit 202 operates the fuel pump mounted on the fuel tank 103 to push the ethanol fuel stored in the fuel tank 103 to the fuel line 104 when the startup of the engine 101 is detected in S102 (S103).

Then, in the information provided by the operation information detection unit 201, the outside air temperature at the time when the startup is requested is detected (S104), and it is determined whether the outside air temperature exceeds the set reference temperature X ° C (S105).

The set reference temperature (X DEG C) is a temperature for judging the cold start, and is set to approximately 20 DEG C, and may be set differently according to the conditions of the area in which the vehicle is operated or the regulations of the corresponding country.

When the outside air temperature exceeds the set reference temperature (X DEG C) in S105, the control unit 202 executes the common startup mode to start up the engine 101 (S106).

However, if the outside air temperature is lower than the set reference temperature X DEG C in S105, the control unit 202 recognizes the cold start state and turns off the main injector 102, which is the main injector mounted on the engine 101 (S107) , The heater 106 mounted on the cold start line 105 is turned on to heat the ethanol fuel that is fed from the fuel tank 103 (S108).

The heater 106 mounted on the cold start line 105 is turned on to determine whether the temperature of the outside air is lower than a preset reference temperature (Y ° C) required for preheating (S109).

The reference temperature (Y ° C) required for the pre-heat can be set at 5 ° C and can be set differently according to the conditions of the area in which the vehicle is operated or the laws of the corresponding country.

In step S109, the controller 202 performs preheating in which the ethanol fuel is heated through the heat of the heater 106 when the outside air temperature is lower than the reference temperature YC.

At this time, the control unit 202 notifies that the preheating is proceeding in a predetermined manner set through the display unit 203 provided in the cluster, inhibits starting during the time during which the preheating proceeds, (S111).

If it is determined that preheating has been completed for a predetermined period of time, the controller 202 determines whether preheating has been completed through the display unit 203 of the cluster (S113).

When the ignition is turned on (ignition switch start contact selection) is performed by the driver in step S114 upon completion of preheating, the control unit 202 drives the start motor to perform cranking of the engine 101, 107 is opened to supply the preheated ethanol fuel to the cold start injector 108 as the auxiliary injector and the cold start injector 108 as the subordinate injector to operate the preheated ethanol fuel in the proper vaporizing condition to the intake manifold And the start-on of the engine 101 is executed (S115).

The control unit 202 determines that the engine 101 has been started and the engine speed has exceeded the set reference speed (A'RPM) (S116) And the cold start injector 108 which is the sub-injector are turned off, and the main injector 102, which is the main injector, is operated to provide the normal combustion of the engine 101 (S117).

If the start-up (ignition switch start contact selection) by the driver is not performed within a predetermined time after the preheating of the ethanol fuel is completed (S118), the controller 202 keeps the control valve 107 off The heater 106 is turned off to terminate preheating (S119).

Therefore, in the vehicle using the ethanol fuel having low vaporization property, the cold startability can be improved and the commerciality of the vehicle can be improved.

3 is a view schematically showing a cold start device of an ethanol vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

3, the cold start device for an ethanol vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes an injector 302 mounted in an engine 301 and a fuel tank 303 in which ethanol fuel is stored, And a heater 305 for heating the ethanol fuel supplied from the fuel tank 303 under a cold start condition is connected to a predetermined position of the fuel line 104. The ethanol 305 supplied to the injector 302 A control valve 306 for interrupting the fuel is mounted.

The control valve 306 is turned off during the time for heating the ethanol fuel through the heater 305 so that the ethanol fuel can be preheated to an appropriate vaporized state.

The control valve 306 may be configured as an on / off solenoid valve.

The present invention also includes an operation information detection unit 401, a control unit 402, and a display unit 403.

The operation information detecting unit 401 detects operation information including a start-on request, an outside air temperature of a traveling area, a cooling water on, and the like in the operation of the ethanol vehicle, and provides the detected information to the controller 402.

The controller 402 analyzes the information provided by the operation information detector 401 and determines whether the heater 305 is operated for a predetermined period of time while the control valve 306 mounted on the fuel line 304 is turned off, The control valve 306 is opened and the injector 302 is controlled so that the preheated ethanol fuel is injected into the control valve 306. In this case, Thereby improving the cold start performance.

When the outside temperature is less than 20 占 폚 when the start of the engine 301 is requested, the controller 402 recognizes that the engine is in the cold start state and heats the ethanol fuel through the heater 305 so that vaporization is actively generated. The ethanol fuel is preheated for a predetermined period of time and then sprayed to facilitate ignition.

The condition of the outside temperature may be set differently according to the conditions of the area where the vehicle is operated and the regulations of the corresponding country.

The display unit 403 directs the preheating state of the ethanol fuel in a predetermined manner in accordance with a control signal applied from the controller 402.

The operation of the present invention including the functions as described above will now be described with reference to FIG.

In the ethanol vehicle to which the present invention is applied, the operation information detecting unit 401 detects information including a start request of the engine, an outside temperature of a traveling area, a cooling water temperature, and the like, and provides the information to the controller 402.

The control unit 402 determines whether the engine 301 is required to turn on the engine 301 from the information provided from the operation information detection unit 401 in a state in which the engine 301 maintains the start-off state (S201) (S202).

The control unit 402 operates the fuel pump mounted on the fuel tank 303 to feed the ethanol fuel stored in the fuel tank 303 to the fuel line 304 when the startup of the engine 301 is detected in S202 (S203).

Then, in the information provided by the operation information detection unit 401, the outdoor temperature at the time when the startup is requested is detected (S204), and it is determined whether the outdoor temperature exceeds the set reference temperature (X1 ° C) (S205).

The set reference temperature X1 DEG C is a temperature for judging the cold start and is set to approximately 20 DEG C and can be set differently according to the conditions of the area where the vehicle is operated or the regulations of the country.

If the outside air temperature exceeds the set reference temperature X1 DEG C in S205, the control unit 402 executes a common startup mode to start up the engine 301 (S206).

However, if the outside temperature is lower than the set reference temperature X1 DEG C in S205, the control unit 402 recognizes the cold start condition and turns off the control valve 306 mounted on the fuel line 304 to supply the fuel to the injector 302 And the heater 305 is turned on to heat the ethanol fuel that is fed from the fuel tank 303 (S207).

The control unit 402 determines whether the outside air temperature is lower than a preset reference temperature Y1 ° C that requires preheating in a state where the ethanol fuel is heated by the heater 305 mounted on the fuel line 304 at step S208.

The reference temperature (Y1 DEG C) required for the pre-heat can be set to 5 DEG C and can be set differently according to the conditions of the area where the vehicle is operated or the regulations of the corresponding country.

If the outside air temperature is lower than the reference temperature (Y1 ° C) in S208, the controller 402 performs preheating for heating the ethanol fuel through the heater 305 (S209).

At this time, the control unit 402 notifies that the preheating is proceeding in a predetermined manner set through the display unit 403 included in the cluster, prohibits starting during the time during preheating, (S210).

If it is determined that preheating has been completed for a predetermined period of time (S211), the controller 402 turns off the warning lamp of the display unit 403 provided in the cluster It is notified that the preheating is completed (S212).

The controller 402 drives the start motor to perform cranking of the engine 301 when the start-up by the driver is performed (ignition switch start contact selection) (S213) 306 is opened and the injector 302 is operated to inject the preheated ethanol fuel into the combustion chamber of the engine 101 under appropriate vaporization conditions to start up the engine 101 (S214).

When the engine 301 is turned on at S214 and the engine speed exceeds the set reference speed (A1'RPM) (S215), the control unit 402 determines that the start of the engine has been completed and transmits the control valve 306 and the heater 106 ) Is turned off so as to perform normal combustion (S216).

The controller 402 turns off the heater 305 if the engine is not turned on (ignition switch start contact selection) is not performed within a predetermined time after the preheating of the ethanol fuel is completed (S217).

Therefore, in the vehicle using the ethanol fuel having low vaporization property, the cold startability can be improved and the commerciality of the vehicle can be improved.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

101, 301: engine 102, 302: injector
103, 303: Fuel tank 104, 304: Fuel line
105; Cold start fuel line 106, 305: Heater
107, 306: Heaters 201, 401: Operation information detector
202, 402: Control section 203, 403:

Claims (14)

A cold start fuel line branching from the fuel line connecting the engine and the fuel tank;
A cold start injector installed at one end of the cold start fuel line and installed in an intake manifold;
A heater installed at a predetermined position of the cold start fuel line for heating the ethanol fuel fed in the fuel tank;
A control valve for interrupting the ethanol fuel supplied to the cold start injector;
When the cold start is required, the main injector mounted on the engine and the control valve of the cold start fuel line are turned off, the heater is turned on to heat the ethanol fuel fed in the fuel tank, and when the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, A control unit for operating the auxiliary injector to perform cold starting with the heated ethanol fuel;
And the cold start device of the ethanol vehicle. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control valve is constituted by an on / off solenoid valve. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit injects the ethanol fuel heated by the heater into the intake manifold to form a mixer which is easy to ignite. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit analyzes the information of the outside air temperature and the cooling water temperature to determine the cold start. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit recognizes the cold start condition when the outside air temperature is lower than the first temperature, heats the ethanol fuel by operating the heater, and if the outside air temperature is lower than the second temperature, Starting device. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a display unit for indicating preheating information of the ethanol fuel in the cold start. When the start-up is required, the fuel pump is operated to feed the fuel stored in the fuel tank, and the outdoor temperature is detected to determine whether the cold start condition is satisfied;
Closing the main injector when the cold start condition is satisfied, turning off the control valve mounted on the cold start fuel line to shut off the ethanol fuel supplied to the auxiliary injector, and heating the ethanol fuel which is pressure-fed by the heater;
When the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, a control valve is turned on and the auxiliary injector is operated to inject the heated ethanol fuel to a predetermined position of the intake manifold to provide cold inertia;
And the cold start method of the ethanol vehicle. 8. The method of claim 7,
The engine is started by the injection of the heated ethanol fuel and the control valve is turned off when the number of revolutions of the engine exceeds the set number of revolutions and the heater and the auxiliary injector are turned off while the main injector is turned on to provide normal combustion Cold start method. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the preheating is performed for a predetermined period of time when the outside air temperature is less than 5 占 폚 in the cold start condition and the progress of the preheating is indicated in a predetermined manner through the display unit. A fuel line connecting the engine and the fuel tank;
A heater installed at a predetermined position of the fuel line for heating the ethanol fuel which is fed from the fuel tank;
A control valve for interrupting the ethanol fuel supplied to the engine during cold start;
When the cold start is required, the control valve is turned off to shut off the ethanol fuel supplied to the injector, and the heater is turned on to heat the ethanol fuel fed in the fuel tank. When the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, the control valve is opened and the injector is operated A controller for performing cold starting with the heated ethanol fuel;
And the cold start device of the ethanol vehicle. The control unit determines the cold start by analyzing the outside air temperature and the cooling water temperature. When the outside air temperature is lower than the first temperature, the control unit recognizes the cold start condition and heats the ethanol fuel with the heater. A cold start device for an ethanol vehicle preheating ethanol fuel. When the start-up is required, the fuel pump is operated to feed the ethanol fuel stored in the fuel tank, and the outdoor temperature is detected to determine whether the cold start condition is satisfied;
Closing the control valve mounted on the fuel line to shut off the ethanol fuel supplied to the injector and heating the heater to heat the pressurized ethanol fuel if the cold start condition is satisfied;
When the heating of the ethanol fuel is completed, the control valve is turned on, the injector is operated, and the heated ethanol fuel is injected into the engine to provide cold inertia;
And the cold start method of the ethanol vehicle. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the engine is started by injection of the heated ethanol fuel, and when the engine speed exceeds a predetermined number of revolutions, the heater is turned off to provide normal combustion. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the cold start is controlled at a temperature lower than 20 占 폚 and the preheating is performed for a predetermined time when an outside temperature is lower than 5 占 폚.

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