System for controlling an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10788005-B2
Application number	US-201314425369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2013
Priority date	Sep 5, 2012
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

System for controlling an internal combustion engine, the system comprising stop means to stop automatically an internal combustion engine according to a predefined operating condition of the internal combustion engine, verification and/or restoration means to verify or to restore a first component of the internal combustion engine, learning means to learn a control variable of a second component of the internal combustion engine, inhibition means of the stop means to prevent/ignore an engine stop, wherein only the verification and/or restoration means, when activated, are suitable to cause an activation of the inhibition means, and wherein the learning means are enabled to activate only when the verification and/or restoration means are active.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control method of an internal combustion engine (Eng), the method comprising:
detecting whether a first condition is true, the first condition being that a process is being performed from among one or more verification and/or restoration processes, whose being performed inhibits an automatic stop of the internal combustion engine independently of an outcome of the same verification and/or restoration process; and
providing a computer programmed to learn a control variable of a component of said internal combustion engine only while the first condition is true such that the learning of the control variable is only performed while the first condition is true and the automatic stop of the internal combustion engine is thus inhibited;
wherein the one or more verification and/or restoration processes are selected from the group consisting of:
verification of the activation of a vehicle air conditioner (AC),
restoration of a particulate filter (FR),
verification of the activation of a compressor for compressed air (CA),
restoration of a drying cartridge of a compressor for compressed air (DR),
verification of the activation of recharging means for vehicle batteries (BR),
verification of the efficiency of a recharging system for vehicle batteries (BRE),
verification of the activation of a warm up process of an exhaust line (ATSW),
verification of the activation of a warm up process of the internal combustion engine (EW),
verification of the opening of an engine bonnet (LO), and
verification of the efficiency of electric propulsion systems (EE).

2. The control method according to claim 1 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process has a running time greater than a running time of the learning of the control variable.

3. The control method according to claim 2 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a sufficient condition that the second condition is true.

4. The control method according to claim 2 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a further necessary condition that it is necessary to learn said control variable.

5. The control method according to claim 1 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes absorbing a torque from the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

6. The control method according to claim 1 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes introducing a variation fixed to a control parameter of the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

7. The control method according to claim 1 , wherein the learning of the control variable includes limiting a torque absorbed by the internal combustion engine and/or a variation of a control parameter of the internal combustion engine introduced by the process.

8. The control method according to claim 1 , wherein the learning of the control variable includes compensating for a noise introduced by a variation introduced by the process.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded program code executable by a computer to perform operations for controlling an internal combustion engine (Eng), the operations comprising:
detecting whether a first condition is true, the first condition being that a process is being performed from among one or more verification and/or restoration processes, whose being performed inhibits an automatic stop of the internal combustion engine independently of an outcome of the same verification and/or restoration process; and
learning a control variable of a component of said internal combustion engine only while the first condition is true such that the learning of the control variable is only performed while the first condition is true and the automatic stop of the internal combustion engine is thus inhibited;
wherein the one or more verification and/or restoration processes are selected from the group consisting of:
verification of the activation of a vehicle air conditioner (AC),
restoration of a particulate filter (FR),
verification of the activation of a compressor for compressed air (CA),
restoration of a drying cartridge of a compressor for compressed air (DR),
verification of the activation of recharging means for vehicle batteries (BR),
verification of the efficiency of a recharging system for vehicle batteries (BRE),
verification of the activation of a warm up process of an exhaust line (ATSW),
verification of the activation of a warm up process of the internal combustion engine (EW),
verification of the opening of an engine bonnet (LO), and
verification of the efficiency of electric propulsion systems (EE).

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process has a running time greater than a running time of the learning of the control variable.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a sufficient condition that the second condition is true.

12. The control method according to claim 10 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a further necessary condition that it is necessary to learn said control variable.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes absorbing a torque from the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9 , wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes introducing a variation fixed to a control parameter of the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9 , wherein the learning of the control variable includes limiting a torque absorbed by the internal combustion engine and/or a variation of a control parameter of the internal combustion engine introduced by the process.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9 , wherein the learning of the control variable includes compensating for a noise introduced by a variation introduced by the process.

17. An apparatus comprising:
the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9 ; and
a computer for executing the program code.

18. An internal combustion engine integrating the apparatus according to claim 17 .

19. A vehicle comprising the internal combustion engine according to claim 18 .

Assignees

• Fpt Ind Spa

Inventors

• Pettigiani Alberto
• Gnasso Agostino
• Bussei Damiano
• Fiume Orazio

Classifications

• F02N2200/0814

  Bonnet switches · CPC title

• F02D28/00

  Program control of engines · CPC title

• F02D41/22

  Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions {(in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809)} · CPC title

• F02N11/0829 Primary

  related to special engine control, e.g. giving priority to engine warming-up or learning · CPC title

• F02D41/2441

  characterised by the learning conditions · CPC title