Abstract: A fuel sensor for a vehicle includes a housing, a fuel composition sensor element disposed within the housing, and two removable and interchangeable fuel connector modules attached to the housing. The fuel composition sensor element comprises an outer cylindrical electrode and an inner cylindrical electrode disposed within and concentric with the outer cylindrical electrode. Both of the fuel connector modules include a flange having a mating surface and an opposing outer surface. The mating surface is configured to removably engage the sensor housing, at either its input side or its output side. Attached to the outer surface of the flange is a fuel connector fitting that is of a standard type configured for connection to a standard fuel connector fitting of the vehicle's fuel system. Use of the removable and interchangeable fuel connector modules eliminates the need for fuel fitting adaptors, thereby reducing the overall size of the sensor.

Abstract: An apparatus intercepts and modifies sensor signals generated by vehicle sensors and provides the modified signals to an engine control unit in the vehicle. The engine control unit is configured to receive the modified sensor signals and generate engine control signals based thereon. The apparatus includes a fuel composition sensor and a fuel control module. The fuel composition sensor senses characteristics of fuel in the vehicle and generates a fuel composition signal based on the sensed characteristics. The fuel control module, which intercepts the sensor signals from the vehicle sensors, includes a processor programmed to generate modified sensor signals based on the intercepted sensor signals and the fuel composition signal. Based on the modified sensor signals, the engine control unit optimizes the performance of the engine for a given ratio of alcohol to gasoline in an alcohol/gasoline fuel blend.