Control of an engine of a machine based on detected load requirements of the machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066074-B2
Application number	US-201916534487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2019
Priority date	Aug 7, 2019
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

An electronic control unit to control an engine control module of an engine is disclosed. The electronic control unit may receive, from a load monitoring device, power command information associated with a load of an engine. The electronic control unit may determine, based on the power command information, a total power command of the engine. The electronic control unit may determine, based on the total power command, a target engine speed for the engine. The electronic control unit may cause an engine control module to control the engine to operate in association with the target engine speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device and from a load monitoring device, power command information associated with a load of an engine controlled by an engine control module;
determining, by the device and based on the power command information, a total power command of the engine;
determining, by the device, an instantaneous engine speed of the engine;
determining, by the device, based on whether a steering input indicates that a steering maneuver of a machine of the engine is being performed, and based on the total power command satisfying a threshold associated with the instantaneous engine speed, a target engine speed for the engine; and
causing, by the device, the engine control module to control the engine to operate in association with the target engine speed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power command information corresponds to a change in a power requirement of the load that is not caused by an operator input.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the load monitoring device includes at least one of:
a transmission controller of a transmission coupled to the engine and the power command information includes at least one of a torque command of the transmission or an associated transmission speed of the transmission,
an electrical implement controller associated with an electrical implement of the engine and the power command information includes a change in at least one of an electrical current command or a voltage command of the electrical implement, or
a hydraulic implement controller associated with a hydraulic implement of the engine and the power command information includes at least one of a pressure command, an associated pump displacement or a corresponding pump speed associated with the hydraulic implement.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold associated with the instantaneous engine speed corresponds to a maximum power output of the engine at the instantaneous engine speed or a minimum power output of the engine at the instantaneous engine speed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target engine speed is determined to be greater than the instantaneous engine speed when the total power command is increased based on the power command information and the target engine speed is determined to be less than the instantaneous engine speed when the total power command is decreased based on the power command.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target engine speed is determined to be equal to the instantaneous engine speed when the steering input indicates that a steering maneuver is being performed, or
wherein the target engine speed is determined to be different from the instantaneous engine speed when the steering input indicates that a steering maneuver is not being performed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the total power command is determined to be greater than a maximum power output threshold of the engine at the instantaneous engine speed when the power command information indicates that a component of the engine is overheating, and
wherein the target engine speed of the engine is determined to be greater than the instantaneous engine speed based on the total power command being greater than the maximum power output threshold of the engine at the instantaneous engine speed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steering maneuver is traveling in any direction other than being within a threshold angular range of moving straight forward or backward.

9. A device, comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors configured to:
receive power command information associated with a set of loads of an engine;
determine, based on the power command information, a total power command for the set of loads;
determine, based on the total power command and an instantaneous engine speed of the engine, a target engine speed for the engine, wherein the target engine speed is determined to be greater than the instantaneous engine speed when a temperature associated with the engine satisfies a threshold temperature; and
cause an engine control module to control the engine to operate in association with the target engine speed.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the total power command corresponds to a sum of individual power requests, in the power command information, of the set of loads.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the set of loads includes at least one of:
a transmission coupled to the engine, wherein the power command information includes a torque command of the transmission,
an electrical implement of the engine, wherein the power command information includes a current command and a voltage command of the electrical implement, or
a hydraulic implement of the engine, wherein the power command information includes a pressure command associated with the hydraulic implement.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the target engine speed is determined to be greater than the instantaneous engine speed independent of the total power command.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein, when the one or more processors receives an operator input that indicates that a steering maneuver associated with a machine of the engine is being performed, the one or more processors are to maintain the target engine speed while the operator input indicates that the steering maneuver is being performed.

14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the target engine speed is determined based on:
increasing a desired engine speed of the engine when the total power command is greater than a threshold corresponding to the instantaneous engine speed of the engine, or
decreasing the desired engine speed of the engine when the total power command is less than a threshold corresponding to the instantaneous engine speed of the engine,
wherein the desired engine speed is determined based on an operator input associated with a power output from the engine.

15. A system comprising:
an engine;
an engine control module;
a load monitoring device; and
electronic control unit to:
receive, from the load monitoring device, power command information associated with a load of an engine;
determine, based on the power command information, a total power command of the engine;
determine, based on the total power command, a target engine speed for the engine; and
maintain or allow an increase in the target engine speed while an operator input indicates that a steering maneuver is being performed.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the power command information corresponds to a request for an increase or decrease in power associated with the load.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the load monitoring device comprises at least one of:
a transmission controller of a transmission coupled to the engine, wherein the power command information includes a torque command of the transmission,
an electrical implement controller associated with an electrical implement of the engine, wherein the power command information includes a current command and a voltage command of the electrical implement, or
a hydraulic implement controller associated with a hydraulic implement of the engine, wherein the power command information includes a pressure command associated with the hydraulic implement.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the target engine speed is determined based on an instantaneous engine speed of the engine and a desired engine speed of the engine,
wherein the desired engine speed is determined based on an operator input associated with a power output from the engine.

19. The sys

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Kuras Brian
• Sharma Ankit
• Cowper Lance

Classifications

• B60W2710/0644

  Engine speed · CPC title

• F02D2200/60

  said parameters being related to the driver demands or status · CPC title

• B60W2510/20

  Steering systems · CPC title

• B60W2510/0638

  Engine speed · CPC title

• F02D29/04 Primary

  peculiar to engines driving pumps · CPC title