Method and device for controlling an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10920735-B2
Application number	US-201916459723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2019
Priority date	Jul 16, 2018
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A method and a device are provided for controlling an internal combustion engine, a knock sensor being provided for acquiring combustion signals of the internal combustion engine. Devices are also provided that, during running operation of the internal combustion engine, select operating ranges of the internal combustion engine that are suitable for a determination of fuel quality, and carry out a determination of the fuel quality in these ranges on the basis of signals of the knock sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an internal combustion engine, a knock sensor being provided for acquiring combustion signals of the internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
selecting, during running operation of the internal combustion engine, a particular one or more of a plurality of operating ranges of the internal combustion engine that are suitable for determining fuel quality; and
based on the selection, determining a fuel quality on the basis of signals of the knock sensor occurring in the selected operating ranges.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders;
the method further includes selecting, as suitable for the determining of the fuel quality, a subset of the cylinders, from which at least one of the plurality of cylinders is excluded; and
based on the selection of the subset of the cylinders:
the determining of the fuel quality is based on the signals of the knock sensor occurring in the subset of the cylinders; and
information of the knock sensor regarding the at least one of the plurality of cylinders that is excluded from the subset is disregarded in the determining of the fuel quality.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the method further includes selecting, as suitable for the determining of the fuel quality, a subset of a plurality of load and rotational speed regions, from which at least one of the plurality of load and rotational speed regions is excluded; and
based on the selection of the subset of the load and rotational speed regions:
the determining of the fuel quality is based on the signals of the knock sensor occurring in the load and rotational speed regions; and
information of the knock sensor regarding the at least one of the plurality of load and rotational speed regions that is excluded from the subset is disregarded in the determining of the fuel quality.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
the method further includes, for each of a plurality of operating ranges, determining whether the respective operating range has been realized for a predefined length of time during driving operation; and
the selecting of the particular one or more of the plurality of operating ranges as suitable for determining the fuel quality includes selecting those of the plurality of operating ranges that have been determined to have been realized for the predefined length of time during the driving operation, so that information of the knock sensor regarding those of the plurality of operating ranges that have not been realized for the predefined length of time is disregarded in the determining of the fuel quality.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the determining of the fuel quality is performed based on an ignition angle adjustment of a knock regulation system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the determining of the fuel quality is performed based on a comparison of an ignition angle adjustment of a knock regulation system in the selected operating ranges to a threshold value.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein for determining the fuel quality, it is determined how long the ignition angle adjustment of the knock regulation system exceeds the threshold value in the selected operating ranges.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein:
the method further includes, when the ignition angle adjustment exceeds the threshold value, incrementing a counter, and, when the ignition angle adjustment does not exceed the threshold value, decrementing a counter; and
the determining of the fuel quality includes recognizing a worsening of the fuel quality based on the counter exceeding a specified counter state.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising setting a maximum torque of the internal combustion engine as a function of the fuel quality.

10. A device for controlling an internal combustion engine, a knock sensor being provided for acquiring combustion signals of the internal combustion engine, the device comprising:
a control device configured to:
select, during running operation of the internal combustion engine, a particular one or more of a plurality of operating ranges of the internal combustion engine suitable for a determination of fuel quality; and
based on the selection, carry out a determination of the fuel quality on the basis of signals of the knock sensor occurring in the selected operating ranges.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Dieringer Jasmin
• Kluth Carsten
• Dierssen Kai

Classifications

• F02D41/2451

  characterised by what is learned or calibrated · CPC title

• F02P5/045 Primary

  combined with electronic control of other engine functions, e.g. fuel injection (in general F02D37/02) · CPC title

• F02D41/0025

  Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures · CPC title

• F02D2041/224

  Diagnosis of the fuel system · CPC title

• F02P5/152

  dependent on pinking (detecting or indicating knocks in internal-combustion engines G01L23/22) · CPC title