Systems and methods for opportunistic diesel particulate filter regeneration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9732646-B2
Application number	US-201514594987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2015
Priority date	Jan 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for opportunistic regeneration of a diesel particulate filter based on cloud based traffic information and navigation information. In one example, a method may include determining initiation of regeneration, termination of regeneration and a degree of regeneration based on information from a lead vehicular network and navigation information in order to reduce a regeneration fuel penalty.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for a vehicle, comprising:
selectively regenerating a diesel particulate filter based on a soot load, a predicted destination distance, and an estimated ability to maintain a vehicle speed greater than a threshold vehicle speed, the particulate filter receiving exhaust from a vehicle engine combusting diesel fuel;
wherein the estimated ability to maintain the vehicle speed greater than the threshold vehicle speed is based on the vehicle speed and an average speed of other vehicles within a lead vehicle to vehicle network communicatively coupled to the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated ability is maintained for a duration greater than a threshold duration; and wherein the lead vehicle to vehicle network includes one or more vehicles travelling ahead of the vehicle within a threshold distance.

3. A method for a vehicle, comprising:
selectively regenerating a diesel particulate filter based on a soot load, a predicted destination distance, and an estimated ability of the vehicle to maintain a vehicle speed greater than a threshold vehicle speed, the particulate filter receiving exhaust from a vehicle engine combusting diesel fuel, wherein the estimated ability is maintained for a duration greater than a threshold duration; and
wherein the soot load is greater than a first threshold soot load, the predicted destination distance is greater than a first threshold distance, and the vehicle speed is less than an average speed of other vehicles in a vehicle to vehicle network communicating with the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle to vehicle network includes one or more vehicles travelling ahead of the vehicle and within a threshold distance from the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising regenerating the particulate filter based on soot load only in response to the soot load greater than a second threshold load, the second threshold load greater than the first threshold load.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising performing a complete regeneration of the particulate filter in response to the vehicle speed greater than the threshold vehicle speed, and the vehicle speed less than the average speed of the vehicle to vehicle network.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising performing a partial regeneration of the particulate filter in response to the vehicle speed greater than the average speed of the vehicle to vehicle network, and the average speed of the vehicle to vehicle network less than the threshold vehicle speed.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising preparing to terminate the regeneration in response to one or more of detecting a vehicle detour from a predicted path, the predicted destination distance less than a second threshold distance, and the vehicle speed less than the threshold vehicle speed, and wherein the second threshold distance is less than the first threshold distance.

9. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining a first cost of filling the particulate filter, determining a second cost of regenerating the particulate filter, and in response to the second cost of regenerating less than the first cost of filling, commencing the regeneration of the particulate filter.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first cost of filling is based on a probability of forced regeneration, a probability of partial regeneration, and an estimated impact of filling the particulate filter on an efficiency of the engine.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second cost of regenerating is based on a first fuel cost to attain a diesel oxidation catalyst light off temperature, and a second fuel cost to achieve a desired regeneration amount.

12. A method for a vehicle comprising:
during a first condition, performing regeneration of a particulate filter based on an amount of soot accumulated in the particulate filter and a cost based opportunistic regeneration condition; and
during a second condition, performing regeneration based on the amount of soot accumulated and not based on the cost based opportunistic regeneration condition;
wherein, the cost based opportunistic regeneration condition is determined based on one or more of a traffic information of a vehicular network including the vehicle, a lead vehicle network including one or more other vehicles travelling ahead of the vehicle within a threshold distance, a destination information of a destination of the vehicle, and a vehicle speed relative to an average vehicle speed of the lead vehicle network;
wherein performing regeneration during the first condition includes performing complete regeneration in response to the vehicle speed less than the average vehicle speed; and
wherein performing regeneration during the first condition includes performing partial regeneration in response to the vehicle speed greater than the average vehicle speed.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first condition includes the amount of soot greater than a first threshold amount and less than a second threshold amount; and wherein the second threshold amount is greater than the first threshold amount.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second condition includes the amount of soot greater than the second threshold amount.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determination of the cost based opportunistic regeneration condition includes determining a first cost of filling the particulate filter, and a second cost of regenerating the particulate filter; wherein the first cost of filling is based on a probability of forced regeneration, a probability of partial regeneration, and an estimated impact of filling the particulate filter on an efficiency of an engine in the vehicle; and wherein the second cost of regeneration is based on a first fuel cost to attain a diesel oxidation catalyst light off temperature and a second fuel cost to achieve a desired regeneration amount.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising starting regeneration of the particulate filter in response to the second cost of regenerating decreasing below the first cost of filling.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising stopping regeneration of the particulate filter in response to the second cost of regenerating increasing above the first cost of filling, or in response to an estimated duration of the second cost of regenerating remaining below the first cost of filling less than a threshold duration.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein determination of the cost based opportunistic regeneration condition includes determining a conditional probability of achieving a desired amount of regeneration based on a distance remaining to reach a final destination, the average vehicle network speed of the lead vehicle network, an average network load of the lead vehicle network, and a probability of detour; and further comprising regenerating the particulate filter in response to the conditional probability increasing above a preselected probability.

19. A system for a vehicle, comprising:
an engine having an exhaust pipe;
a particulate filter coupled in the exhaust pipe downstream of an emission control device;
a communication module for communicatively coupling the vehicle to an off-board cloud network and for communicatively coupling the vehicle to a navigation system; and
a computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon for controlling regeneration of the particulate filter, including:
instructions to initiate particulate filter regeneration in response to an amount of stor

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Upadhyay Devesh
• Hopka Michael
• Brewbaker Thomas Alan
• Hendrickson Cory Scott

Classifications

• F01N3/0232 Primary

  removing incombustible material from a particle filter, e.g. ash · CPC title

• F01N9/002 Primary

  of filter regeneration · CPC title

• F01N2900/1606

  Particle filter loading or soot amount · CPC title

• F01N2900/10

  said parameters being related to the vehicle or its components · CPC title

• F01N2900/102

  Travelling distance · CPC title