IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,221,912
Granted Patent B2
US 12,221,912 · App. 18/365,587 · Granted Feb 11, 2025

Straddled vehicle

Inventors: Yoh Aramaki (Shizuoka, JP); Hisatoshi Kinoshita (Shizuoka, JP); Nobuyuki Kawashima (Shizuoka, JP); Ryota Nakashima (Shizuoka, JP); Satoshi Shiokawa (Shizuoka, JP); Ryo Tomii (Shizuoka, JP); Yuta Shimizu (Shizuoka, JP); Haruhiko Fujita (Shizuoka, JP)
Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
F01N11/007F01N3/101F02D41/0235F02D41/1454F01N2550/02F01N2550/24F01N2560/025F01N2590/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,221,912
App. No.
18/365,587
Granted
Feb 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A straddled vehicle, including: an engine, which includes a combustion chamber; a three-way catalyst, which is configured to purify exhaust gas exhausted from the combustion chamber; an upstream oxygen sensor, which is provided upstream of the three-way catalyst in a flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect an oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas; a downstream oxygen sensor, which is provided downstream of the three-way catalyst in the flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas; and a controller, which includes a processor, and a non-transitory storage medium containing program instructions, execution of which by the processor causes the controller to execute a detachment determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is detached at least based on a signal input as a signal of the downstream oxygen sensor.

Claims (66)

1. A straddled vehicle, comprising:

an engine, which includes a combustion chamber;

a three-way catalyst, which is configured to purify exhaust gas exhausted from the combustion chamber;

an upstream oxygen sensor, which is provided upstream of the three-way catalyst in a flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect an oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas,

a downstream oxygen sensor, which is provided downstream of the three-way catalyst in the flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas; and

a controller, which includes:

a processor, and

a non-transitory storage medium containing program instructions, execution of which by the processor causes the controller to

control a fuel amount supplied to the combustion chamber to periodically increase and decrease the fuel amount, based on a signal input as a signal of an upstream oxygen sensor, and

execute a detachment determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on both the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor and the signal input as a signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, when the fuel amount is controlled to periodically increase and decrease based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, wherein

the controller is configured

to perform first feedback control, thereby controlling the fuel amount to periodically increase and decrease with a first cycle, based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, and

to perform second feedback control, thereby controlling the fuel amount to periodically increase and decrease with a second cycle, based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor,

the second cycle in the second feedback control being longer than the first cycle in the first feedback control, and/or an amplitude of the fuel amount in the second feedback control being larger than the amplitude of the fuel amount in the first feedback control, and

in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on both the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor and the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, while the second feedback control is in execution.

2. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on an oxygen sensor delay time while the second feedback control is in execution, the oxygen sensor delay time being a time difference between a change of the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor and a change of the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor.

3. The straddled vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein, in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached by comparing the oxygen sensor delay time while the second feedback control is in execution with a threshold.

4. The straddled vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein

in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached by comparing the oxygen sensor delay time while the second feedback control is in execution with a second oxygen sensor delay time,

the second oxygen sensor delay time is a time difference between a change of the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor and a change of the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, while fourth feedback control is in execution before the second feedback control, and

the fourth feedback control is another control with which the controller periodically increases and decreases the fuel amount with a fourth cycle based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, the fourth cycle and the amplitude of the fuel amount in the fourth feedback control being identical to the second cycle and the amplitude of the fuel amount in the second feedback control.

5. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein, the controller is configured to execute a deterioration determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is deteriorated based on both the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor and the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, while the second feedback control is in execution.

6. The straddled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein,

the controller is configured to perform third feedback control, thereby controlling the fuel amount to periodically increase and decrease with a third cycle based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor,

the third cycle in the third feedback control is longer than the first cycle in the first feedback control, and/or the amplitude of the fuel amount in the third feedback control is larger than the amplitude of the fuel amount in the first feedback control,

the third cycle in the third feedback control is different from the second cycle in the second feedback control, and/or the amplitude of the fuel amount in the third feedback control is different from the amplitude of the fuel amount in the second feedback control, and

the controller is configured to execute a deterioration determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is deteriorated based on both the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor and the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, while the third feedback control is in execution.

7. A straddled vehicle, comprising:

an engine, which includes a combustion chamber;

a three-way catalyst, which is configured to purify exhaust gas exhausted from the combustion chamber;

an upstream oxygen sensor, which is provided upstream of the three-way catalyst in a flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect an oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas,

a downstream oxygen sensor, which is provided downstream of the three-way catalyst in the flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas; and

a controller, which includes:

a processor, and

a non-transitory storage medium containing program instructions, execution of which by the processor causes the controller to

control a fuel amount supplied to the combustion chamber to periodically increase and decrease the fuel amount, based on a signal input as a signal of an upstream oxygen sensor, and

execute a detachment determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on both the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor and the signal input as a signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, when the fuel amount is controlled to periodically increase and decrease based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, wherein

the controller is configured

to perform first feedback control, thereby controlling the fuel amount to periodically increases and decreases with a first cycle, based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, and

to perform second feedback control, thereby controlling the fuel amount to periodically increases and decreases with a second cycle, based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor,

the second cycle in the second feedback control being longer than the first cycle in the first feedback control, and/or an amplitude of the fuel amount in the second feedback control being larger than the amplitude of the fuel amount in the first feedback control, and

in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on both the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor and the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, while the first feedback control is in execution.

8. The straddled vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein, when the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor is changed while the first feedback control is in execution, the controller is configured to execute the detachment determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on an oxygen sensor delay time while the first feedback control is in execution, the oxygen sensor delay time being a time difference between the change of the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor and a change of the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor.

9. The straddled vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein, in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached by comparing the oxygen sensor delay time while the first feedback control is in execution with a threshold.

10. The straddled vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein

in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached by comparing the oxygen sensor delay time while the first feedback control is in execution with a second oxygen sensor delay time,

the second oxygen sensor delay time is a time difference between a change of the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor and a change of the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, while fifth feedback control is in execution before the first feedback control, and

the fifth feedback control is another control with which the controller periodically increases and decreases the fuel amount with a fifth cycle based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, the fifth cycle and the amplitude of the fuel amount in the fifth feedback control being identical to the first cycle and the amplitude of the fuel amount in the first feedback control.

11. The straddled vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein, in the detachment determination process, the controller is configured to determine whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on

a number of changes of the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor during a first time period in which the first feedback control is in execution, and

a number of changes of the signal input as the signal of the downstream oxygen sensor during the first time period.

12. A straddled vehicle comprising:

an engine, which includes a combustion chamber;

a three-way catalyst, which is configured to purify exhaust gas exhausted from the combustion chamber;

an upstream oxygen sensor, which is provided upstream of the three-way catalyst in a flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect an oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas;

a downstream oxygen sensor, which is provided downstream of the three-way catalyst in the flow direction of the exhaust gas, and is configured to detect the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas; and

a controller, which includes:

a processor, and

a non-transitory storage medium containing program instructions, execution of which by the processor causes the controller to

control a fuel amount supplied to the combustion chamber to periodically increase and decrease the fuel amount, based on a signal input as a signal of an upstream oxygen sensor, and

execute a detachment determination process of determining whether the three-way catalyst is detached based on at least the signal input as a signal of the downstream oxygen sensor, when the fuel amount is controlled to periodically increase and decrease based on the signal input as the signal of the upstream oxygen sensor, wherein,

the controller further includes a downstream oxygen sensor interface connected to the downstream oxygen sensor and an upstream oxygen sensor interface connected to the upstream oxygen sensor,

the controller is so configured that,

when the downstream oxygen sensor is detached from the straddled vehicle, a value of a signal input to the downstream oxygen sensor interface is maintained at a predetermined first value, and

when the upstream oxygen sensor is detached from the straddled vehicle, a value of a signal input to the upstream oxygen sensor interface is maintained at a predetermined second value, and

the controller is further configured to execute a second detachment determination process of determining that the three-way catalyst is detached, when the value of the signal input to the downstream oxygen sensor interface is maintained at the first value, or when the value of the signal input to the downstream oxygen sensor interface is maintained at the first value and the value of the signal input to the upstream oxygen sensor interface is maintained at the second value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 17, 2023
From: ARAMAKI, YOH; KINOSHITA, HISATOSHI; KAWASHIMA, NOBUYUKI; NAKASHIMA, RYOTA; SHIOKAWA, SATOSHI; TOMII, RYO; SHIMIZU, YUTA; FUJITA, HARUHIKO
To: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 065249/0171 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation In Part PCTJP2022003596 · Jan 31, 2022
Provisional Application 63146163 · Feb 5, 2021
Related Publication 20240044276A1 · Feb 8, 2024
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