Patent ID: 7464698

Claim:
An evaporated fuel processing apparatus of an internal combustion engine in which evaporated fuel in a fuel tank is introduced into a canister via an evaporated fuel passage and is temporarily adsorbed by an adsorbent material in the canister and in which when the internal combustion engine is operated, the evaporated fuel adsorbed by the adsorbent material is discharged from the canister via a purge pipe into an intake pipe of the internal combustion engine, the evaporated fuel processing apparatus comprising: a measurement passage having a restrictor; a pump for generating a gas flow passing through the restrictor disposed in the measurement passage; switching means for switching between a state in which the measurement passage communicates with the purge pipe, the canister, and the fuel tank and a state in which the measurement passage does not communicate with the purge pipe; pressure detection means for detecting a pressure change quantity in an air-fuel mixture containing the evaporated fuel discharged from the canister, the pressure change quantity being caused by the restrictor, in a measurement state in which the gas flow is generated by the pump to flow the air-fuel mixture through the restrictor, the gas flow being generated in a state in which the measurement passage is switched by the switching means to be made to communicate with the purge pipe, the canister, and the fuel tank; flow rate control means for controlling a flow rate of the air-fuel mixture introduced from the canister into the intake pipe on the basis of the pressure change quantity in the air-fuel mixture detected by the pressure detection means and a pressure change quantity in air flowing through a specified restrictor; space volume information determination means for determining space volume information corresponding to a space volume in the fuel tank; storage means for storing a relationship between the space volume information and a stabilization time of pressure in the fuel tank, the relationship being a relationship in which as the space volume in the fuel tank becomes larger, the stabilization time becomes longer; and stabilization time determination means for determining the stabilization time on the basis of the space volume information actually determined by the space volume information determination means when the pressure change quantity in the air-fuel mixture is measured by the pressure detection means and the relationship stored in the storage means, wherein when a time that elapses after the measurement state is achieved becomes larger than the stabilization time determined by the stabilization time determination means, the pressure detection means detects the pressure change quantity in the air-fuel mixture.