KR20250107392A - Integrated sensor for active purge pump - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated sensor for an active purge pump, comprising: a sensor housing having a first sensor cell and a second sensor cell installed therein; and measuring an inlet pressure and an outlet pressure of the purge pump to thereby measure an input pressure and an outlet pressure of the purge pump.

Description

INTEGRATED SENSOR FOR ACTIVE PURGE PUMP

The present invention relates to an integrated sensor for an active purge pump, and more particularly, to an integrated sensor for an active purge pump capable of measuring input-side pressure and outlet-side pressure of a purge pump.

Sensors for active purge pumps are installed at the front and rear ends of the active purge pump, respectively, for feedback control in an active purge system or canister purge system.

Specifically, fuel stored in a vehicle's fuel tank generates vaporization gas over time, and when this vaporization gas is emitted into the atmosphere, not only is fuel wasted, but unburned gas is emitted, causing pollution. Accordingly, automobiles are equipped with a purge system that supplies vaporization gas generated from the fuel tank to the intake system of the engine.

A canister purge system may include a canister that traps fuel vapor generated in a fuel tank, and a purge control valve that purges the evaporative gas trapped in the canister to the intake system of an engine. Under an engine purge control condition, that is, a condition in which sufficient engine negative pressure is formed, the purge control valve is opened by a controller such as an engine control unit or an engine control module, so that the evaporative gas trapped in the canister can be purged to the intake system of the engine.

Meanwhile, some engines, such as TGDI HEV, may have relatively insufficient vacuum pressure to transfer the evaporative gas captured in the canister to the engine intake system using only the engine's vacuum pressure. For vehicles equipped with such types of engines lacking vacuum pressure, an active purge system with a purge pump that forcibly purges the evaporative gas captured in the canister to the engine's intake system is applied.

In a conventional active purge system, a purge pump is placed between a purge control valve and a canister, and when the purge pump is operated while the purge control valve is open, evaporative gases captured in the canister can be forcibly purged into the intake system of the engine.

A conventional active purge system includes a purge control valve that operates according to a duty cycle, a purge pump located upstream of the purge control valve, and two pressure sensors individually mounted on the upstream and downstream sides of the purge pump.

The inlet pressure of the purge pump and the outlet pressure of the purge pump are individually detected by two pressure sensors, and the differential pressure of the purge pump (the pressure difference between the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of the purge pump) can be calculated.

The purge flow rate is determined by the RPM of the purge pump and the differential pressure of the purge pump (the pressure difference between the inlet pressure of the pump and the outlet pressure of the pump). When a negative pressure is formed at the inlet of the purge pump by driving the purge pump, the purge control valve is operated according to the set duty cycle, thereby controlling the purge flow rate supplied to the intake system of the engine.

Meanwhile, conventional active purge systems have problems in that the number of parts increases, which increases costs as each pressure sensor is required to measure the inlet and outlet pressures of the purge pump, and the layout of the engine becomes complicated as multiple pressure sensors are installed.

In addition, there was a problem that the process became complicated and the wiring structure became complicated because wiring such as signal lines and wire lines were connected to the terminals of the pressure sensor for the inlet pressure of the active purge pump and the terminals of the pressure sensor for the outlet pressure of the active purge pump, respectively.

Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0083785 (Published on July 7, 2021)

The present invention has been made in the context of the foregoing background, and its purpose is to provide a compact integrated sensor for an active purge pump that measures the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of a purge pump by reducing the number of parts, thereby reducing costs, and saving space to improve the layout utilization of an engine.

In addition, the purpose is to provide an integrated sensor for an active purge pump that can improve product reliability by making it easy to connect signal lines and wire lines and simplifying the wiring structure by having a single terminal section.

The purpose of the present invention is not limited thereto, and other purposes not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to the present invention, an integrated sensor for an active purge pump, which measures an inlet pressure and an outlet pressure of the purge pump, can be provided, including a sensor housing having a first sensor cell and a second sensor cell installed therein.

The above purge pump may have an inlet connected to an inlet-side line having an inlet-side measuring point, an outlet connected to an outlet-side line having an outlet-side measuring point, and the sensor housing may have a first pipe connected to the inlet-side measuring point on one side and a second pipe connected to the outlet-side measuring point on the other side.

The above sensor housing is configured by connecting a first housing and a second housing through a connecting portion, and the first housing may have a first pressure measuring unit in a hollow shape, one end of which is closed by the first sensor cell and the other end is connected to the first pipe; and the second housing may have a second pressure measuring unit in a hollow shape, one end of which is closed by the second sensor cell and the other end is connected to the second pipe.

The first pressure measuring unit and the second pressure measuring unit may be provided on each side of the sensor housing.

The first sensor cell and the second sensor cell are positioned facing each other inside the sensor housing, and the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell have a first sensing portion and a second sensing portion for measuring pressure respectively formed on opposite sides of the faces facing each other, and an atmospheric pressure maintaining space may be provided between the faces facing each other.

The above sensor housing may be provided with a first pressure measuring unit and a second pressure measuring unit having a hollow shape, each of one end of which is closed by the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell, and each of the other ends of which is connected to the first pipe and the second pipe.

The sensor housing may have the first pressure measuring unit and the second pressure measuring unit on one side, and the opposite side formed to be open and coupled with the sensor cover, and the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell may have an atmospheric pressure maintaining space between them and the sensor cover.

The above sensor housing may have a terminal portion electrically connected to the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell.

According to the present invention, the inlet pressure and outlet pressure of the purge pump are measured as one, thereby reducing the number of parts, saving costs, and reducing spatial constraints, thereby improving the layout utilization of the engine.

In addition, since it has one terminal section, it is easy to connect signal lines and wire lines, and the wiring structure is simplified, which has the effect of improving product reliability.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to one embodiment of the present invention is connected to a purge pump;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to another embodiment of the present invention connected to a purge pump.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, when describing the present invention, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to an embodiment of the present invention connected to a purge pump, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated sensor for an active purge pump according to another embodiment of the present invention connected to a purge pump.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the present invention relates to an integrated sensor for an active purge pump, including a sensor housing (100, 200) in which a first sensor cell (101) and a second sensor cell (102) are installed, and capable of measuring the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of a purge pump (30).

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a part of an active purge system in which an integrated sensor (10) of the present invention is installed. The active purge system basically consists of a canister (not shown) that captures evaporative gas generated from a fuel tank (not shown), a purge control valve (PCSV) (not shown) that purges evaporative gas (fuel vapor) captured in the canister to the upstream side of an engine turbocharger, a purge pump (30) positioned upstream of the purge control valve, and a controller (ECU) that controls them.

And, the active purge system has a plurality of purge lines. Specifically, a canister filter (not shown) for filtering outside air and supplying it to the canister, a canister line (not shown) for connecting the canister and the fuel tank, an upstream purge line for connecting the canister and the purge pump (30), a downstream purge line for connecting the purge pump (30) and the purge control valve, a purge control valve (70), and an intake manifold line (4) for connecting the intake system leading to the intake manifold (100) are provided. Here, the upstream purge line may include an inlet line (31) connected to the purge pump (30), and the downstream purge line may include an outlet line (32) connected to the purge pump (30). When air flows from the left to the right in the drawing, the inlet line (31) is connected to the left side of the purge pump (30), and the outlet line (32) is connected to the right side of the purge pump (30).

The purge pump (30) is driven according to a duty cycle from the controller to generate negative pressure and actively purge the evaporated gas captured by the canister.

And, an integrated sensor (10, 20) is mounted on the upstream purge line to measure the pressure and temperature of the evaporation gas (purge gas) flowing in from the canister. And, an integrated sensor (10, 20) is mounted on the downstream purge line to measure the pressure of the evaporation gas pumped from the purge pump (30) to the purge control valve.

In this way, the integrated sensor (10, 20) according to the present invention measures the pressure at the inlet-side measuring point (31a) of the inlet-side line (31) and the pressure at the outlet-side measuring point (32a) of the outlet-side line (32). In addition, the integrated sensor (10, 20) may be a temperature sensor-integrated pressure sensor to measure the temperature of the evaporation gas flowing to the purge pump (30).

These integrated sensors (10, 20) include a sensor housing (100, 200) in which a first sensor cell (101) and a second sensor cell (102) are installed, and measure the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of the purge pump (30). Specifically, the integrated sensors (10, 20) measure the pressure at the inlet measurement point (31a) and the pressure at the outlet measurement point (32a).

The purge pump (30) can be connected to an inlet line (31) having an inlet-side measuring point (31a) through a first pipe (41), and an outlet line (32) having an outlet-side measuring point (32a) through a second pipe (42).

The sensor housing (100, 200) has a first pipe (41) connected to an inlet-side measuring point (31a) on one side, and a second pipe (42) connected to an outlet-side measuring point (32a) on the other side. Specifically, the sensor housing (100, 200) has two pressure measuring units (110, 130). A first sensor cell (101) is arranged at one end of the first pressure measuring unit (110, 210), and the other end is connected to the inlet-side measuring point (31a). A second sensor cell (102) is arranged at one end of the second pressure measuring unit (130, 230), and the other end is connected to the outlet-side measuring point (32a).

These first pressure measuring units (110, 210) and second pressure measuring units (130, 230) are formed in a hollow shape, and a first pipe (41) and a second pipe (42) are respectively connected to the other end. A first sealing member that supports each of the first pressure measuring units (110, 210) and the first pipe (41) is interposed between them, and a first sealing member insertion groove (111) may be formed along the circumference of the outer surface of the first pressure measuring unit (110, 210) so as to be sunken, and into which the first sealing member is inserted. A second sealing member that supports each of the second pressure measuring units (130, 230) and the second pipe (42) is interposed between them, and a second sealing member insertion groove (131) may be formed along the circumference of the outer surface of the second pressure measuring units (130, 230) by being sunken and into which the second sealing member is inserted.

And, the integrated sensor (10, 20) has an atmospheric pressure maintenance space (170, 270) inside, and measures the atmospheric pressure when the purge pump (30) is not in operation. And, the purge pump (30) is operated to measure the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of the purge pump (30). The first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) must be installed so as to be exposed to the atmospheric pressure maintenance space (170, 270), but since both the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) are exposed to one atmospheric pressure maintenance space (170, 270), only one atmospheric pressure maintenance space (170, 270) can be configured, and the volume of the integrated sensor (10, 20) can be reduced.

In addition, the integrated sensor (10, 20) has one terminal portion (190, 290). The terminal portion (190, 290) is configured with a plurality of pins through which the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) are electrically connected via the terminal. For example, the integrated sensor (10, 20) of the present invention has a terminal portion (190, 290) configured with four pins, two of which are electrically connected to both the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) to supply power to the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102). Another one of the four pins is electrically connected to the first sensor cell (101) to transmit and receive a signal of the first sensor cell (101), and the remaining one of the four pins is electrically connected to the second sensor cell (102) to transmit and receive a signal of the second sensor cell (102). Since the integrated sensor (10, 20) has a terminal section (190, 290) composed of four pins, wiring connections such as signal lines and wire lines are easy.

First, an integrated sensor (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The sensor housing (100, 200) can be configured by combining a first housing (120) and a second housing (140) through a connecting portion (150).

The first housing (120) is formed so that one side is open, and the open side is combined with the second housing (140), and a first sensor cell (101) is installed inside. The first housing (120) has a first pressure measuring unit (110) whose one end is closed by the first sensor cell (101).

The second housing (140) is formed so that one side is open, and the open side is combined with the first housing (120), and a second sensor cell (102) is installed inside. The second housing (140) has a second pressure measuring unit (130) whose one end is closed by the second sensor cell (102).

The first housing (120) and the second housing (140) are connected through a connecting portion (150) to form a sealed space inside. The open side of the first housing (120) and the open side of the second housing (140) are formed in shapes corresponding to each other. The connecting portion (150) may be a hook fastening structure including a hook hole and a hook, or a bolt fastening structure including a plurality of bolts that connect flanges formed on each flange, and may include a sealing structure.

Inside the sensor housing (100, 200), a first sensor cell (101) and a second sensor cell (102) may be arranged to face each other. The first sensor cell (101) has a first detection unit (101a) formed on the opposite side of the faces facing each other for measuring the inlet pressure of the purge pump (30), and has an atmospheric pressure maintenance space (170) formed between it and the second sensor cell (102). The second sensor cell (102) has a second detection unit (102a) formed on the opposite side of the faces facing each other for measuring the outlet pressure of the purge pump (30), and has an atmospheric pressure maintenance space (170) formed between it and the first sensor cell (101).

And, the first pressure measuring unit (110) and the second pressure measuring unit (130) are respectively provided on both sides of the sensor housing (100), and the first pipe (41) and the second pipe (42) are respectively fitted and connected. In this way, the sensor housing (100) is provided with the first pressure measuring unit (110) and the second pressure measuring unit (130) on both sides, so that the first pipe (41) and the second pipe (42) can be easily connected, and space utilization is improved.

In addition, as an example, the first housing (120) is provided with a first cell mounting groove (121) in which a part of the inner surface of the portion where the first pressure measuring unit (110) is provided is formed to be sunken and into which the first sensor cell (101) is inserted and installed. In addition, the second housing (140) is provided with a second cell mounting groove (141) in which a part of the inner surface of the portion where the second pressure measuring unit (130) is provided is formed to be sunken and into which the second sensor cell (102) is inserted and installed.

Below, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, an integrated sensor (20) for an active purge pump according to another embodiment is described.

In another embodiment, the integrated sensor (20) may have the first pressure measuring unit (210) and the second pressure measuring unit (230) arranged in parallel on the same side of the sensor housing (200) to increase space utilization. In addition, the integrated sensor (20) is formed as a single housing in which the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) are installed and a sensor cover (250) is provided so that an atmospheric pressure maintenance space (270) shared by the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) is formed inside.

The sensor housing (200) has a first pressure measuring unit (210) and a second pressure measuring unit (230) on one side, and is formed so as to be open on the opposite side and is coupled with a sensor cover (250). In addition, the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) are installed by being inserted into a first cell mounting groove (251) and a second cell mounting groove (252), which are formed by being sunken on a side facing the sensor cover (250), respectively. In addition, the hole formed in the first cell mounting groove (251) is formed so as to be in communication with the first pressure measuring unit (210), and the hole formed in the second cell mounting groove (252) is formed so as to be in communication with the second pressure measuring unit (230).

According to this arrangement, the first sensor cell (101) and the second sensor cell (102) can have an atmospheric pressure maintenance space (270) between them and the sensor cover (250).

In addition, the sensor housing (200) may have a connector portion (291) on one side, and a terminal portion (290) may be placed inside the connector portion. The connector portion (291) is formed to surround the terminal portion (290), but is formed so that external wiring is connected.

According to embodiments of the present invention having such a shape and structure, the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of the purge pump are measured as one, thereby reducing the number of parts, saving costs, and reducing spatial constraints, thereby improving the layout utilization of the engine.

In addition, since it has one terminal section, it is easy to connect signal lines and wire lines, and the wiring structure is simplified, which has the effect of improving product reliability.

In the above, although all the components constituting the embodiments of the present invention have been described as being combined as one or operating in combination, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the present invention, all of the components may be selectively combined as one or more and operate.

The above description is merely an illustrative description of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

10, 20: Integrated sensor 30: Purge pump
31: Inlet side line 31a: Inlet side measuring point
32: Exit side line 32a: Exit side measurement point
41: 1st pipe 42: 2nd pipe
100, 200: Sensor housing 101: First sensor cell
101a: 1st sensor unit 102: 2nd sensor cell
102a: Second sensing section 110, 210: First pipe connection section
111: First sealing member insertion groove 120: First housing
121, 251: 1st cell mounting groove 130, 230: 2nd pipe connection
131: Second sealing member insertion groove 140: Second housing
141, 252: Second cell mounting groove 150: Joint
170, 270: Atmospheric pressure maintenance space 190, 290: Terminal
250: Sensor Cover

Claims (8)

An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized in that it measures the inlet pressure and the outlet pressure of the purge pump, including a sensor housing having a first sensor cell and a second sensor cell installed therein.
In paragraph 1,
The above purge pump,
The inlet is connected to an inlet line having an inlet-side measuring point, and the outlet is connected to an outlet line having an outlet-side measuring point.
The above sensor housing,
A first pipe is connected to the inlet side measuring point on one side,
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized in that a second pipe is connected to the outlet side measuring point on the other side.
In the second paragraph,
The above sensor housing is configured by connecting a first housing and a second housing through a connecting portion,
The above first housing,
It has a hollow first pressure measuring unit, one end of which is closed by the first sensor cell and the other end is connected to the first pipe;
The above second housing,
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized by comprising a second pressure measuring unit having a hollow shape, one end of which is closed by the second sensor cell and the other end of which is connected to the second pipe.
In the third paragraph,
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized in that the first pressure measuring unit and the second pressure measuring unit are respectively provided on both sides of the sensor housing.
In paragraph 1,
The first sensor cell and the second sensor cell are arranged facing each other inside the sensor housing,
The above first sensor cell and second sensor cell,
A first sensing part and a second sensing part are formed on opposite sides of the opposing surfaces to measure pressure, respectively.
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized by having an atmospheric pressure maintaining space between opposing surfaces.
In the second paragraph,
The above sensor housing,
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized in that each one end is closed by the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell, and each other end has a first pressure measuring unit and a second pressure measuring unit in a hollow shape to which the first pipe and the second pipe are connected.
In paragraph 6,
The above sensor housing,
The first pressure measuring unit and the second pressure measuring unit are provided on one side, and the opposite side is formed to be open and is connected to the sensor cover.
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized in that the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell have an atmospheric pressure maintenance space between them and the sensor cover.
In paragraph 1,
The above sensor housing,
An integrated sensor for an active purge pump, characterized by having a terminal portion electrically connected to the first sensor cell and the second sensor cell.