A vehicle safety system is for preventing child abandonment in a vehicle. The vehicle safety system may include a controller coupled to a flow sensor, a temperature sensor, and a seat sensor. The controller may be configured to detect when the vehicle is in a fueling state based upon the flow sensor, detect occupancy of a child safety seat based upon the seat sensor, and detect when a driver side door is in an open state based upon a driver side door sensor in the vehicle. The controller may be configured to when the driver side door has entered the open state, when the child safety seat is occupied, and when the vehicle does not enter the fueling state within a time period, then cause the vehicle to enter an alert state.

A method for diagnosing fuel leakage of a vehicle includes: measuring a pressure of a fuel tank by a pressure sensor in a closed state of a fuel system during starting-off of the vehicle; measuring an inner temperature of the fuel tank by a temperature sensor; and diagnosing, by a controller, whether or not leakage occurs by performing different leakage diagnoses depending on a pressure condition of the fuel tank. Thus, the controller performs a first leakage diagnosis when a pressure value of the fuel tank, measured in the measuring the pressure of the fuel tank, is within an atmospheric pressure level; performs a second leakage diagnosis when the pressure value is higher than a positive pressure; and performs a third leakage diagnosis when the pressure value is lower than a negative pressure.

Methods and systems are provided for indication of a degradation in an EVAP and/or fuel system. In one example, a method for indication of a presence or absence of a degradation in a refueling system may include vacuum pull-down and pressure bleed-up tests being carried out based on a state of submersion of a spud valve in liquid fuel in a fuel tank.

Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing leaks/degradation in a fuel system. In one example, a system for a vehicle may comprise a variable volume device disposed within a fuel tank; an atmospheric port of the variable volume device fluidly coupled to a vent line upstream of a hydrocarbon sensor housed in the vent line, the vent line coupling a fuel vapor canister to atmosphere; and a controller storing instructions for monitoring output of the hydrocarbon sensor; and generating an indication of a degradation in the variable volume device based on the monitored hydrocarbon sensor. In this way, it is possible to effectively detect a degradation/leak in the variable volume device with minimal specialized components in the fuel system.

Methods and systems are provided for aging a new plastic fuel tank in a vehicle. In one example, during a plug-in event to recharge a battery of the vehicle, the fuel tank is isolated and the fuel pump is actuated to agitate fuel within the tank and increase fuel vapors until the plastic fuel tank becomes aged to a predetermined degree by fuel vapors generated therein. In this manner, the fuel tank is aged more rapidly, resulting in more accurate fuel level readings and less noise and vibration.

A method for determining the volatility of fuel in a fuel storage system which entails: determining that a refueling event has occurred (210) and that the fuel storage system has subsequently been sealed (220); performing a first pressure measurement (230) at a first time after the determining; performing a second pressure measurement (240) at a second time, the second time occurring after the first time; determining a pressure evolution rate (250) from the first pressure measurement at the first time and the second pressure measurement at the second time; and deriving an estimation (260) of the volatility of the fuel from the pressure evolution rate.

A fuel tank structure includes: a fuel tank that is installed in an automobile and that accommodates fuel; a bag-shaped member that is fixed to a ceiling portion of an interior of the fuel tank, and whose state of contact with a liquid surface of fuel accommodated in the fuel tank is maintained due to the bag-shaped member inflating or deflating in accordance with a height of the liquid surface; a temperature sensor that senses a temperature of the fuel or evaporated fuel that is within the fuel tank; and a cooling wind introducing section that introduces cooling wind into an interior of the bag-shaped member in a case in which the temperature of the fuel or the evaporated fuel detected by the temperature sensor becomes higher than a predetermined temperature.

Methods and systems are provided for conducting a fuel tank pressure transducer rationality test diagnostic procedure in vehicles with sealed fuel tanks. In one example, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure-to-vehicle (V2I2V) technology may be utilized to obtain fuel tank pressure transducer data from a select crowd of vehicles, where the select crowd may be based on the vehicles in the select crowd experiencing similar ambient temperature and weather as the vehicle being diagnosed. In this way, FTPT data from vehicles in the select crowd may be compared to FTPT data in the vehicle being diagnosed, in order to indicate whether the FTPT in the vehicle being diagnosed is functioning as desired, where such a diagnostic can be performed without unsealing the fuel tank on either the vehicle being diagnosed or the vehicles in the select crowd, and which may thus reduce undesired evaporative emissions.

Methods and systems are provided for indication of a degradation in an EVAP and/or fuel system. In one example, a method for indication of a presence or absence of a degradation in a refueling system may include vacuum pull-down and pressure bleed-up tests being carried out based on a state of submersion of a spud valve in liquid fuel in a fuel tank.

A fluid testing system comprises a source that generates electromagnetic waves, a detector that receives the transmitted electromagnetic waves and generates analog signals corresponding to the colours represented in the electromagnetic waves and, a receptacle, having a fluid inlet and an optical inner tube with transparent walls. The receptacle is positioned between the source and the detector to enable the electromagnetic waves to pass through its walls and through a fluid sample in the receptacle. A repository stores a pre-determined range of reference values corresponding to the values of digital signals for fluids of various colours. An analog to digital converter in the system cooperates with the detector to receive the analog signals, converting them into digital signals, wherein the values are compared with the reference values by a comparator. A fluid outlet provides tested fluid. Further, a fuel supply system is disclosed for supplying fuel to a vehicle.