CLIAMS:We claim,
1. A fuel supply module for controlling fuel supply to an engine;
said fuel supply module characterized by an encoded data matrix corresponding to its fuel flow characteristics inscribed on the fuel supply module, wherein said encoded data matrix is machine readable.
2. A fuel supply module as claimed in claim (1) wherein said fuel flow characteristics indicate the fuel pressure and the fuel flow rate corresponding to the operating voltage of the fuel supply module.
3. A method for manufacturing a fuel supply module, said method characterized in that,
measuring actual fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module;
encoding the measured fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module to form a data matrix; and
inscribing the encoded data matrix on said fuel supply module.
4. A method as claimed in claim (3) is performed after completing the assembly of a fuel supply module.
5. A method as claimed in claim (3) wherein said encoded data matrix inscribed on the fuel supply module is machine readable.
6. A method as claimed in claim (3) wherein actual fuel flow characteristics are measured at pre defined strategic operating points of the fuel supply module.
7. A method as claimed in claim (3) wherein said fuel flow characteristics indicate the fuel pressure and the fuel flow rate corresponding to the operating voltage of the fuel supply module.
8. A method for configuring an electronic control unit (ECU) with fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module;
said method comprising, scanning the encoded data matrix on the fuel supply module by a scanning means in communication with the ECU;
decoding the encoded data matrix to obtain fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module; and
storing the decoded fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module in the ECU memory.
9. A method as claimed in claim (8) wherein scanning of the encoded data matrix inscribed on the fuel supply module is done during the engine assembly.
10. A method as claimed in claim (8) wherein the ECU controls the engine operation based on the decoded fuel flow characteristics stored in the memory.
,TagSPECI:The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

Field of the invention:
[001] The invention relates to a fuel supply module for controlling fuel supply in gasoline vehicles.
Background of the invention:
[002] For efficient operation of an engine it is necessary that the air fuel ratio should be controlled. Typically this is achieved by using on board sensors which provide a feedback to the fuel injection systems in order to adjust the air fuel ratio. In low cost EFI (electronic fuel injection) systems, the on-board sensors required for controlling the air fuel ratio accurately are absent. Thus it is necessary to have an accurate and robust pre-control or a feed forward control in such systems. The two main sub systems that influence the control of the air fuel ratio are the air system (Throttle body assembly) and the fuel system (Fuel supply module and fuel injector). For the engine management system to function effectively the fuel flow from the Fuel supply module has to be maintained within the predefined tolerance level. To maintain the specified tolerance values in the Fuel supply module all the process relating to manufacturing the Fuel supply module need to be controlled. These processes have to meet the tight tolerance specifications which lead to increase in cost and in case of any deviation to the tolerance the system functionality will be affected adversely.

[003] There is a need for a system which can overcome the tolerance related issues and reduce the necessity of meeting the tolerance specifications. Also there is a need for a Fuel supply module which enables efficient operation of the engine by providing accurate fuel supply to the engine.
Brief description of the invention:
[004] The present invention proposes a method for manufacturing a fuel supply module which does not require adherence to tight tolerance limits and reduces the overall effective cost of manufacturing the fuel supply module.

[005] The present invention describes a fuel supply module for controlling fuel flow to an engine. The fuel supply module has an encoded data matrix corresponding to its fuel flow characteristics inscribed on the fuel supply module. This encoded data matrix is machine readable. Actual fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module are measured for each fuel supply module manufactured. The measured fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module are encoded to form a data matrix and this data matrix is inscribed on the fuel supply module. The inscribed encoded data matrix on the fuel supply module is scanned by a scanning means in communication with the engine ECU. The ECU decodes the encoded data matrix to obtain fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module and these characteristics are stored in the ECU memory. The further operation of the engine is controlled based on these fuel flow characteristics which are stored in the memory.
[006] The present invention enables to achieve accurate control over the fuel supply from the fuel supply module by providing the exact fuel flow characteristics of the particular fuel supply module being used. The unique fuel flow characteristics for each fuel supply module at the selected operating points is encoded in the data matrix inscribed on the fuel supply module and the ECU of the engine is configured to these characteristics during the assembly of fuel supply module to the engine. Thus, the need of sensors for the online adaptation or the complex and time consuming adaptation technique during the vehicle production line can be eliminated. Also the need of accurate and precision manufacturing process to maintain the high tolerance levels can be completely eliminated, reducing the overall production cost. The proposed invention reduces the need for the additional sensors and meets the target emission legislation with improved fuel efficiency and reduced overall vehicle cost in comparison to the existing systems.
Brief description of the drawings:
[007] The present invention is described with reference to the following accompanying drawings,
[008] Fig. 1 illustrates a fuel supply module with an encoded data matrix of the fuel flow characteristics inscribed on it in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and
[009] Fig. 2 illustrates a graph representing the fuel flow characteristics as encoded in the data matrix in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and
[0010] Fig. 3 illustrates a graph corresponding to the fuel system pressure of a fuel supply module against the operating voltage of the fuel supply module, as encoded in the data matrix in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
Detailed description of the embodiments:
[0011] Fig. 1 illustrates a table indicating the fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module measured at predefined strategic points and an encoded data matrix inscribed on the fuel supply module, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0012] The fuel flow characteristics of each fuel supply module that is manufactured are measured at end of the manufacturing line. These fuel flow characteristics are measured at certain pre defined strategic points. The table A in Fig. 1 indicates the measured fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module. The fuel flow characteristics correspond to the fuel system pressure and fuel flow rate with respect to the system operating voltage. The measured fuel flow characteristics are encoded using suitable encoding algorithms to form a data matrix (M). The encoded data matrix (M) is inscribed on the fuel supply module using suitable inscribing methods.
[0013] A method for manufacturing a fuel supply module is envisaged in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The steps for manufacturing fuel supply module include the measuring of actual fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module at end of the manufacturing line. Further the measured fuel flow characteristics are encoded to form a data matrix and inscribing the encoded data matrix on said fuel supply module. The method is performed after completing the assembly of a fuel supply module. The encoded data matrix inscribed on the fuel supply module is in a machine readable format. In accordance with one embodiment of the method the actual fuel flow characteristics are measured at pre defined strategic operating points of the fuel supply module. For example as shown in table A, the fuel flow and the system pressure is measured at strategic points based on the operating voltage of the fuel supply module. The actual values measured for each of the fuel supply module manufactured will vary and the values listed in the table are only for illustrative purpose. These fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module are encoded to form the data matrix (M) by means of a suitable encoding algorithm. The data matrix as shown in the fig. 1 is generated using an encoding algorithm in accordance with one embodiment of the invention and similar other encoding algorithms may be used for the same.
[0014] Fig. 2 illustrates a graph corresponding to the fuel flow rate of a fuel supply module against the operating voltage of the fuel supply module, and Fig. 3 illustrates a graph corresponding to the fuel system pressure of a fuel supply module against the operating voltage of the fuel supply module, as encoded in the data matrix in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0015] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention the measuring of fuel flow characteristics is carried out at certain pre defined strategic points of operation of the fuel supply module. V1, V2, V3, V4, V5 to Vn are the strategic operating voltage points in accordance with one embodiment of the invention at which measurements are carried out for the fuel flow rate and the fuel system pressure. The graph R of Fig. 2 illustrates the changes in the fuel flow rate against the operating voltage of the fuel supply module. The graph P of Fig. 3 illustrates the changes in the fuel systems pressure against the operating voltage of the fuel supply module. These fuel flow characteristics of each fuel supply module are encoded to form a data matrix to be engraved on the fuel supply module.
[0016] It is envisaged that the tolerance specifications for the fuel supply module during manufacturing are eliminated and for each of the fuel supply module the fuel flow measurements are carried out at these predefined strategic points of operation. The proposed invention simplifies the manufacturing process and all the deviations from each fuel supply module will be recorded by measuring fuel flow at certain strategic operating voltage points of the fuel supply module. At the final stage of manufacturing process this information is encoded into the fuel supply module in the form of data matrix which will be decoded and stored in the ECU during the engine or vehicle assembly process.
[0017] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention a method for configuring an electronic control unit (ECU) with fuel flow characteristics of a fuel supply module is disclosed. The method for configuring the ECU includes the step of scanning the encoded data matrix on the fuel supply module by a scanning means in communication with the ECU. The scanning of the encoded data matrix inscribed on the fuel supply module is done at the time of engine assembly or vehicle assembly or during end of line testing of the vehicle. The ECU decodes the encoded data matrix to obtain fuel flow characteristics unique to the fuel supply module being assembled to the engine. The ECU stores the decoded fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module in a memory. The ECU controls the engine operation based on the decoded fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module stored in the memory. Based on the operating voltage of the system, the corresponding fuel flow rate and the system pressure are determined from the data matrix information stored in the ECU memory. The fuel supply module is controlled accordingly to achieve the optimum engine operation.
[0018] The measurement of fuel flow and system pressure is based on the strategic points of operating voltage of the fuel supply module to yield the maximum benefit, and the measurement time required in case of on board sensors is reduced as the ECU is provided with the fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module. With the fuel flow characteristics known this data can be decoded during the engine assembly when the fuel supply module is fitted to the engine and thus ensuring the predefined fuel flow characteristics of each fuel supply module are known to the engine management system it is fitted to. Since the data recording is based on the actual values from the fuel supply module, the need of maintaining accurate tolerances during manufacturing is not necessary. With the fuel flow characteristics of the fuel supply module known, the engine control unit does not require a feedback during engine operation which reduces the need of on board sensor like the oxygen sensor. This leads to the system with open loop to operate efficiently and also meet the target emission norms thus ensuring the reduction of overall system cost.