Cylinder deactivation entrance and exit control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10125705-B2
Application number	US-201615286856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2016
Priority date	Oct 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed that include an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders operable by a valve actuation mechanism. Staging of engine operating conditions is disclosed to facilitate exit from and/or entrance into a cylinder deactivation event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an internal combustion engine for propelling a vehicle, the internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, each of the cylinders including at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve;
a valve actuation mechanism connected to each of the plurality of cylinders, the valve actuation mechanism including a lifting mechanism for opening and closing the at least one intake valve and the at least one exhaust valve;
a fueling system connected to each of the plurality of cylinders for providing fuel to the plurality of cylinders;
a controller operably connected with the valve actuation mechanism and the fueling system, wherein the controller is configured to:
determine an active cylinder deactivation event associated with the at least one cylinder in which the valve actuation mechanism is deactivated and the fueling is cut off from the at least one cylinder;
in response to the active cylinder deactivation event being present, determine at least one of a speed of the vehicle and an acceleration of the vehicle; and
in response to the at least one of the speed and the acceleration crossing a first threshold, activating the valve actuation mechanism to open and close the at least one intake valve and the at least one exhaust valve of the at least one cylinder, and in response to the at least one of the speed and the acceleration crossing a second threshold after crossing the first threshold, fueling the at least one cylinder with the fueling system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein, before fueling the at least one cylinder, the controller is further configured to increase a speed of a turbocharger connected to the internal combustion engine in response to the at least one of the speed and the acceleration crossing the first threshold.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder deactivation event includes remaining ones of the plurality of cylinders receiving fueling and the valve actuation mechanism opening and closing the at least one intake and exhaust valves of the remaining ones of the plurality of cylinders.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the speed of the vehicle and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cylinder deactivation event includes a motored mode of operation of the internal combustion engine in which fueling is cut off to all the plurality of cylinders and a portion of the plurality of cylinders have the valve actuation mechanism deactivated.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold.

7. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:
determining a cylinder deactivation event associated with at least one cylinder of an internal combustion engine is present during which a valve actuation mechanism operably connected to the at least one cylinder is deactivated and fueling to the at least one cylinder is cut off;
in response to the cylinder deactivation event being present, determining at least one of a speed of the vehicle and an acceleration of the vehicle;
in response to the at least one of the speed and acceleration crossing a first threshold, activating the valve actuation mechanism to open and close at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve of the at least one cylinder; and
in response to the at least one of the speed and acceleration crossing a second threshold after crossing the first threshold, fueling the at least one cylinder.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising increasing a speed of a turbocharger in the exhaust system in response to the at least one of the speed and acceleration crossing the first threshold and before the at least one of the speed and the acceleration crosses the second threshold.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the cylinder deactivation event includes remaining ones of the plurality of cylinders receiving fueling and the valve actuation mechanism opening and closing the at least one intake and exhaust valves of the remaining ones of the plurality of cylinders, and further comprising determining the speed of the vehicle and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the internal combustion engine operates in a motored mode of operation during the cylinder deactivation event and the first threshold is less than the second threshold, wherein fueling is cut off to all cylinders of the internal combustion engine in the motored mode.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders and in the motored mode of operation a remaining portion of the plurality of cylinders include intake and exhaust valves that are opened and closed by the valve actuation mechanism.

Assignees

• Cummins Inc

Inventors

• Dickson Jonathan A
• Shute Raymond C
• Flessner Matthew D

Classifications

• F02D41/0087 Primary

  Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation (deceleration cut-off F02D41/123) · CPC title

• F02D41/0007

  for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines (control of the pumps per se F02B37/12) · CPC title

• F02D2041/389

  for injecting directly into the cylinder · CPC title

• F02D13/06

  Cutting-out cylinders · CPC title

• F02D2041/0012

  with selective deactivation of cylinders · CPC title