Systems and methods for diagnosing a vehicle engine intake manifold and exhaust system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10436138-B2
Application number	US-201715657655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2017
Priority date	Jul 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for indicating a presence or absence of a source of degradation stemming from one of an intake manifold, exhaust system, or engine of an engine system. In one example, a method comprises rotating the engine unfueled and indicating the source of degradation based on both an intake air flow and an exhaust flow, as compared to baseline intake air flow and baseline exhaust flow. In this way, a source of degradation may be pinpointed, which may increase a lifetime of a vehicle engine system, reduce undesired emissions, and which may increase customer satisfaction resulting from shorter time spent on diagnosing such a source of degradation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
conducting an engine system diagnostic on an engine system by rotating an engine of a vehicle unfueled to draw an intake air flow into the engine via an intake manifold and to route an exhaust flow via an exhaust system to atmosphere; and
indicating a source of degradation stemming from one of the engine, the intake manifold, or the exhaust system based on both the intake air flow and the exhaust flow during the rotating.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to conducting the engine system diagnostic, obtaining a set of baseline comparator data that includes a baseline intake air flow and a baseline exhaust flow under a substantially equivalent set of conditions as that for conducting the engine system diagnostic, including rotating the engine unfueled via a motor powered via a battery.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substantially equivalent set of conditions further comprises rotating the engine at a predetermined speed for a predetermined duration of time, and controlling a throttle positioned in the intake manifold to a predetermined position to allow air to be drawn into the engine via the intake manifold.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the intake air flow and the baseline intake air flow is measured via a mass air flow sensor positioned in the intake manifold, and wherein the exhaust flow and the baseline exhaust flow is measured via a pressure sensor positioned in the exhaust system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a differential pressure sensor corresponding to a gas particulate filter positioned in the exhaust system.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein obtaining the set of baseline comparator data is conducted under conditions where the engine system is free from the source of degradation.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the source of degradation is indicated in the intake manifold responsive to the intake air flow during the engine system diagnostic being substantially equivalent to the baseline intake flow, but wherein the exhaust flow during the engine system diagnostic is greater than the baseline exhaust flow.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the source of degradation is indicated in the exhaust system responsive to the intake air flow during the engine system diagnostic being substantially equivalent to the baseline intake air flow, but wherein the exhaust flow is lower during the engine system diagnostic as compared to the baseline exhaust flow.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the source of degradation is indicated as stemming from the engine responsive to both the intake air flow and the exhaust flow during the engine system diagnostic being lower than the baseline intake air flow and the baseline exhaust flow, respectively.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the source of degradation is not present in any of the intake manifold, the exhaust system, or the engine responsive to both the intake air flow during the engine system diagnostic being substantially equivalent to the baseline intake air flow, and the exhaust flow during the engine system diagnostic being substantially equivalent to the baseline exhaust flow.

11. A system for a vehicle, comprising:
an engine system including an intake manifold, an exhaust system, and an engine;
a mass air flow sensor positioned in the intake manifold;
a differential pressure sensor positioned in the exhaust system, configured to measure a pressure difference across a gasoline particulate filter positioned in the exhaust system;
a motor, capable of rotating the engine;
a throttle positioned in the intake manifold; and
a controller, storing instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to: in a first condition, obtain a set of baseline measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow via the mass air flow sensor and the differential pressure sensor, respectively; in a second condition, obtain a set of test measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow during conducting an engine system diagnostic, which includes indicating a presence or absence of a degradation source stemming from one of the intake manifold, the exhaust system, or the engine; and wherein the presence or absence of the degradation source is based on comparing both 1) the baseline measurements of intake air flow and the test measurements of intake air flow obtained during both the first and second conditions, respectively, to one another, and 2) the baseline measurements of exhaust flow and the test measurements of exhaust flow obtained during both the first and second conditions, respectively, to one another; and wherein the controller stores further instructions to in both the first and second conditions, rotate the engine unfueled via the motor, for a predetermined duration, with the throttle controlled to a predetermined position to allow air to be drawn into the engine while the engine is being rotated unfueled.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising additional instructions to:
indicate the presence of the degradation source in the intake manifold responsive to the test measurements of intake air flow being substantially equivalent to the baseline measurements of intake flow, but where the test measurements of exhaust flow are greater than the baseline measurements of exhaust flow;
indicate the presence of the degradation source in the exhaust system responsive to the test measurements of intake air flow being substantially equivalent to the baseline measurements of intake air flow, but where the test measurements of exhaust flow are lower than the baseline measurements of exhaust flow; and
indicate the presence of the degradation source in the engine responsive to both the test measurements of intake air flow being lower than the baseline measurements of intake air flow, and the test measurements of exhaust flow being lower than the baseline measurements of exhaust flow.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising an intake air filter positioned upstream of the throttle, and wherein the controller stores additional instructions to:
obtain the set of test measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow in the second condition responsive to an indication that the set of baseline measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow have been obtained in the first condition, and further responsive to an indication that the gasoline particulate filter has not been regenerated and that the intake air filter has not been replaced since obtaining the set of baseline measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow in the first condition.

14. The system of claim 11 , further comprising additional instructions to:
obtain the set of test measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow and obtain the set of baseline measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow responsive to an indication that the vehicle is not occupied in both the first and second conditions.

15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising additional instructions to prevent regeneration of the gasoline particulate filter responsive to obtaining the set of baseline measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow in the first condition, provided that the pressure difference across the gasoline particulate filter is not above a threshold pressure difference.

16. The system of claim 11 , further comprising additional instructions to again obtain the set of baseline measurements of intake air flow and exhaust flow prior to the second condition, responsive to the gasoline particulate filter being regenerated subsequent to the first condition and pri

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dudar Aed M

Classifications

• G01N33/0006

  Calibrating gas analysers · CPC title

• F01N2550/00

  Monitoring or diagnosing the deterioration of exhaust systems · CPC title

• F02D2250/24

  by using an external load, e.g. a generator · CPC title

• F02D35/02

  on interior conditions · CPC title

• F02D41/18 Primary

  by measuring intake air flow · CPC title