Methods and systems for an exhaust gas recirculation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459964-B2
Application number	US-202017114073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2020
Priority date	Dec 7, 2020
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system. In one example, the high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system comprises pressure seconds arranged on different sides of a valve. The pressure sensors are used to regulate exhaust-gas recirculate flow without a fixed orifice delta pressure sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (HP-EGR) system comprising a first sensor upstream of a valve and a second sensor downstream of the valve relative to a direction of exhaust gas flow, wherein the HP-EGR system is free of a fixed orifice delta pressure sensor, and further comprising a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory thereof that when executed enable determination whether one or more of the sensors is degraded, wherein the instructions further enable the controller to regulate HP-EGR flow based on feedback from only the first sensor and the second sensor, and wherein the instructions further enable the controller to compare feedback from the second sensor to a manifold air pressure sensor in response to the valve being fully closed.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further enable the controller to determine a pressure ratio based on feedback from the first sensor and the second sensor in response to the valve being in an open position.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the pressure ratio corresponds to a single position of the valve, and wherein a plurality of pressure ratios are calculated for a plurality of open positions of the valve, each pressure ratio corresponding to a single open position.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further enable the controller to indicate a degradation of the second sensor in response to feedback from the second sensor differing from feedback from the manifold air pressure sensor by a threshold range.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further enable the controller to compare an estimated HP-EGR pressure to a sensed HP-EGR pressure, wherein the estimated HP-EGR pressure is estimated via an estimated pressure drop across a cooler downstream of the second sensor, and wherein the sensed HP-EGR pressure is sensed via the second sensor.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the instructions further enable the controller to indicate a degradation of the second sensor in response to the sensed HP-EGR pressure and the estimated HP-EGR pressure differing by a threshold range.

7. An engine system, comprising:
a high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (HP-EGR) system comprising an EGR valve arranged between a first sensor and a second sensor in a passage, wherein the passage is fluidly coupled to an intake system comprising a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor; and
a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory thereof that when executed enable the controller to:
compare feedback between the second sensor and the MAP sensor during conditions where the EGR valve is fully closed to determine if the second sensor is degraded; and
determine if the first sensor is degraded in response to the second sensor not being degraded based on a ratio calculated via feedback from the first sensor and the second sensor.

8. The engine system of claim 7 , wherein the first sensor is degraded if the ratio deviates from 1 by more than a desired range.

9. The engine system of claim 7 , further comprising a cooler arranged between the second sensor and the intake system.

10. The engine system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further enable the controller to estimate a pressure drop across the cooler based on one or more of a position of the EGR valve, an EGR flow rate, and wherein the pressure drop is compared to a difference between the second sensor and the MAP sensor.

11. The engine system of claim 10 , wherein the second sensor is degraded in response to the difference deviating from the pressure drop by more than a first desired range and the compared feedback between the second sensor and the MAP sensor being different by more than a second desired range.

12. The engine system of claim 10 , wherein the cooler requests a cleaning in response to the difference deviating from the pressure drop by more than a first desired range and the compared feedback between the second sensor and the MAP sensor being different by less than a second desired range.

13. The engine system of claim 7 , wherein the first sensor is an exhaust gas pressure sensor upstream of the EGR valve and the second sensor is an EGR pressure sensor downstream of the valve, and wherein the HP-EGR system is free of a fixed orifice delta pressure sensor.

14. A method for a high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system free of a fixed orifice delta pressure sensor, the method, comprising:
comparing, using a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non- transitory memory thereof, feedback from a first sensor to a second sensor during conditions where a position of an exhaust gas recirculation valve is outside of a fully closed position; and
comparing, using the controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory thereof, feedback from the second sensor to a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor during conditions where the position of the exhaust gas recirculation valve is at the fully closed position.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising calculating a ratio based on feedback from the first sensor and the second sensor, and wherein the ratio is compared to 1.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining the first sensor is degraded in response to feedback from the second sensor being equal to the MAP sensor when the exhaust gas recirculation valve is at the fully closed position.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising calculating an estimated pressure drop across a cooler arranged downstream of the second sensor relative to a direction of exhaust gas flow based on an exhaust gas recirculation flow rate and the position of the exhaust gas recirculation valve, wherein the estimated pressure drop is compared to a measured pressure drop, wherein the measured pressure drop is based on a difference between the second sensor and the MAP sensor when the exhaust gas recirculation valve is outside of the fully closed position.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising determining a matter load of the cooler being greater than a threshold load in response to the second sensor determined to not be degraded during exhaust gas recirculation valve closed conditions and the measured pressure drop differing from the estimated pressure drop during exhaust gas recirculation valve open conditions.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Hagner Dave
• Dadam Sumanth
• Rejeti Sitaram
• Doemer Edward
• Jentz Robert
• Smithberger Patrick Edward

Classifications

• F02D41/0077 Primary

  Control of the EGR valve or actuator, e.g. duty cycle, closed loop control of position (EGR valve position sensor F02M26/48) · CPC title

• F02M26/52 Primary

  Systems for actuating EGR valves · CPC title

• F02D41/1448

  the characteristics being an exhaust gas pressure · CPC title

• F02D41/0072

  Estimating, calculating or determining the EGR rate, amount or flow (sensors in EGR systems F02M26/45) · CPC title

• F02D2200/0406

  Intake manifold pressure · CPC title