Controller and control method for internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11067027-B2
Application number	US-201916530033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2019
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A controller for an internal combustion engine is configured to control the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes an in-cylinder injection valve, an ignition device, an exhaust passage, and a three-way catalyst. The controller includes a fuel introduction processor configured to execute a fuel introduction process of introducing air-fuel mixture of fuel and air, which has been introduced into a cylinder, into the exhaust passage without burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder. The fuel introduction processor is configured to execute the fuel introduction process in a state in which only a port injection valve of the in-cylinder injection valve and the port injection valve performs fuel injection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller configured to control an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including: an in-cylinder injection valve that injects fuel into a cylinder, a port injection valve that injects fuel into an intake port, an ignition device that ignites, by a spark, an air-fuel mixture of fuel and air introduced into the cylinder, an exhaust passage through which gas discharged out of the cylinder flows, and a three-way catalyst device provided in the exhaust passage, the controller comprising:
a fuel introduction processor configured to:
execute a fuel introduction process of introducing the air-fuel mixture, which has been introduced into the cylinder, into the exhaust passage without burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder;
execute the fuel introduction process in a state in which only the port injection valve of the in-cylinder injection valve and the port injection valve performs fuel injection; and
not execute the fuel introduction process when a requested injection amount is less than a minimum injection amount of the port injection valve.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to execute the fuel injection process when a condition in which a fuel cut-off execution flag has been set, a condition in which an increase in a temperature of the three-way catalyst device has been requested, and a condition in which burned gas has been scavenged from the exhaust passage are satisfied.

3. A method for controlling an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including: an in-cylinder injection valve that injects fuel into a cylinder, a port injection valve that injects fuel into an intake port, an ignition device that ignites, by a spark, an air-fuel mixture of fuel and air introduced into the cylinder, an exhaust passage through which gas discharged out of the cylinder flows, and a three-way catalyst device provided in the exhaust passage, the method comprising:
executing a fuel introduction process of introducing the air-fuel mixture, which has been introduced into the cylinder, into the exhaust passage without burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder,
wherein the fuel introduction process is executed in a state in which only the port injection valve of the in-cylinder injection valve and the port injection valve performs fuel injection, and
the fuel introduction process is not executed when a requested injection amount is less than a minimum injection amount of the port injection valve.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nose Yuki
• Ikeda Yuto
• Shogenji Yoshiyuki
• Ando Hirokazu

Classifications

• F01N2900/1602

  Temperature of exhaust gas apparatus · CPC title

• F01N2560/025

  for measuring or detecting O2, e.g. lambda sensors · CPC title

• F02D37/02 Primary

  one of the functions being ignition · CPC title

• F02D2200/0802

  Temperature of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus · CPC title

• F01N13/009

  having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series · CPC title