Patent ID: 8074503
Filing Date: 2011-12-13
Classification: F02D

Abstract:
1. A fuel property sensing device for an internal combustion engine, comprising: a fuel property sensing unit for sensing a fuel property of fuel based on a physical value, which is related to a combustion state of the fuel in the internal combustion engine; a determining unit for determining whether a predetermined prerequisite operational condition for the sensing of the fuel property with the fuel property sensing unit is satisfied in the internal combustion engine; a commanding unit for commanding the sensing of the fuel property to the fuel property sensing unit when the determining unit determines that the predetermined prerequisite operational condition is satisfied upon each occurrence of consumption of a predetermined amount of fuel that serves as a parameter for determining a sensing frequency of the fuel property, which is sensed with the fuel property sensing unit; a fueling sensing unit for sensing an occurrence of fueling of a fuel tank, which stores fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine, wherein the commanding unit commands the fuel property sensing unit to sense the fuel property when the determining unit determines that the predetermined prerequisite operational condition is satisfied upon each occurrence of the sensing of the fueling of the fuel tank with the fueling sensing unit, wherein the commanding unit commands the fuel property sensing unit to sense the fuel property when the determining unit determines that the predetermined prerequisite operational condition is satisfied upon consumption of a predetermined amount of fuel, which corresponds to a volume of a fuel supply system that supplies the fuel from the fuel tank to the internal combustion engine, after each occurrence of the sensing of the fueling of the fuel tank with the fueling sensing unit; a remaining fuel amount sensing unit for sensing the amount of remaining fuel in the fuel tank; and a remaining fuel amount-based sensing frequency adjusting unit for adjusting the sensing frequency of the fuel property by adjusting the parameter based on the amount of remaining fuel, which is sensed with the remaining fuel amount sensing unit before the fueling of the fuel tank, and the amount of remaining fuel, which is sensed with the remaining fuel amount sensing unit after the fueling of the fuel tank, wherein the remaining fuel amount based sensing frequency adjusting unit increases the sensing frequency of the fuel property by adjusting the parameter when the amount of remaining fuel, which is sensed with the remaining fuel amount sensing unit before the fueling of the fuel tank, is generally the same as the amount of newly supplied fuel that is supplied to the fuel tank in the fueling of the fuel tank.