Method and apparatus for controlling a phase varying apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9416689-B2
Application number	US-201214749901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2012
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

[Problems to be Solved]
In the valve opening and closing timing controlled by an ECU, since the responsivity of a phase varying apparatus becomes low and the valve opening and closing timing cannot be appropriately controlled in the state of low engine rpm, desired engine characteristics cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is a problem to be solved by the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for controlling a phase varying apparatus capable of obtaining the considerably high responsiveness of the phase varying apparatus under condition of low engine rpm.
[Solution]
The above problem can be solved by a phase control method for controlling a phase varying apparatus constituted so as to calculate an estimated relative angle value one step later by the Kalman filter using a relative angle calculated from rotational velocity values of the associated shafts in the current step and a command value to an electromagnetic clutch in the current step, input the estimated relative angle value to a sliding mode controller as a feedback signal, calculate a command value to the electromagnetic clutch one step later based on the value of the feedback signal and output the command signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A phase controlling method for controlling a phase varying apparatus for varying a valve timing of an engine valve in an internal combustion engine by varying a phase of rotation of a camshaft with respect to a crankshaft,
the phase varying apparatus comprising:
a driving rotor to which rotation is transmitted from the crankshaft,
a driven rotor which is coaxial with the driving rotor and disposed on a side of the camshaft and
a phase variation mechanism for varying a relative angle between the driving rotor and the driven rotor using an electromagnetic clutch to control the phase varying apparatus, wherein
a relative angle between the crankshaft and the camshaft in the current step, which is calculated based on a rotational velocity value of the crankshaft and the rotational velocity value of the camshaft, and a command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step are inputted into a phase varying apparatus estimator and, wherein
an estimated relative angle value one step later is calculated by Kalman filter based on the thus inputted values in the phase varying apparatus estimator, wherein
the thus calculated estimated relative angle value is input to a sliding mode controller as a feedback signal and a command value to the electromagnetic clutch one step later is calculated using common parameters to those used in the phase varying apparatus estimator based on the thus inputted value in the sliding mode controller so that the thus calculated command value is outputted to the phase varying apparatus.

2. A phase controlling method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the command value to the electromagnetic clutch is calculated from an output value from the sliding mode controller and an output value from a feed forward controller for equalizing a relative angle to a target phase angle registered in advance.

3. A phase controlling method in accordance with claim 1 or 2 , wherein when a sensor flag from a sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the crankshaft or the camshaft in the internal combustion engine is not set, the Kalman filter calculates an estimated relative angle value one step later from only the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step, and when the sensor flag is set, the Kalman filter calculates an estimated relative angle value one step later based on the relative angle in the current step and the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step.

4. A phase controlling method in accordance with claim 1 or 2 , wherein system identification of the phase varying apparatus is effected using the Kalman filter based on the relative angle in the current step and the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step to create a parametric model and calculates the estimated relative angle value one step later using the parametric model.

5. A phase controlling method in accordance claim 3 , wherein system identification of the phase varying apparatus is effected using the Kalman filter based on the relative angle in the current step and the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step to create a parametric model and calculates the estimated relative angle value one step later using the parametric model.

6. A phase control apparatus for controlling a phase varying apparatus for varying a valve timing of an engine valve in an internal combustion engine by varying a phase of rotation of a camshaft with respect to a crankshaft, the phase varying apparatus comprising:
a driving rotor to which rotation is transmitted from the crankshaft,
a driven rotor which is coaxial with the driving rotor and disposed on a side of the camshaft, and
a phase variation mechanism for varying a relative angle between the driving rotor and the driven rotor using an electromagnetic clutch to control the phase varying apparatus,
the phase control apparatus further comprising:
a phase varying apparatus estimator for calculating an estimated relative angle value one step later by a Kalman filter using a relative angle between the crankshaft and the camshaft in the current step calculated based on a rotational velocity value of the crankshaft and a rotational velocity value of the camshaft and a command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step, and
a sliding mode controller for receiving the estimated relative angle value one step later as a feedback signal and calculating a command value to the electromagnetic clutch one step later using parameters common to those used for the calculation in the phase varying apparatus estimator based on the input vale of the feedback signal, and outputting the thus calculated command value one step later.

7. A phase control apparatus in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the command value to the electromagnetic clutch is calculated based on an output value from the sliding mode controller and an output value from a feed forward controller for equalizing the relative angle to a target phase angle registered in advance.

8. A phase control apparatus in accordance with claim 6 or 7 , which further comprises a phase varying apparatus estimator and in which when a sensor flag of a sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the crankshaft or the camshaft in the internal combustion engine is not set, the Kalman filter calculates the estimated relative angle value one step later from only the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step, and when the sensor flag is set, the Kalman filter calculates the estimated relative angle value one step later based on the relative angle in the current step and the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step and feeds back the estimated relative angle value one step later.

9. A phase control apparatus in accordance with claim 6 or 7 , which further comprises a phase varying apparatus estimator for effecting system identification of the phase varying apparatus by the Kalman filter using the relative angle in the current step and the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step to create a parametric model and the estimated the relative angle value one step later using the parametric model.

10. A phase control apparatus in accordance with claim 8 , which further comprises a phase varying apparatus estimator for effecting system identification of the phase varying apparatus by the Kalman filter using the relative angle in the current step and the command value to the electromagnetic clutch in the current step to create a parametric model and the estimated the relative angle value one step later using the parametric model.

Assignees

• Nittan Valva

Inventors

• Totsuka Takumi
• Kishiki Yutaka

Classifications

• G05B19/19

  characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path · CPC title

• F01L1/344 Primary

  changing the angular relationship between crankshaft and camshaft, e.g. using helicoidal gear · CPC title

• G05B2219/41259

  Coupling, clutch · CPC title

• F02D35/028

  by determining the combustion timing or phasing · CPC title

• F01L2001/34483

  Phaser return springs · CPC title