Method and apparatus for controlling an engine based on a target pressure curve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909522-B2
Application number	US-201615097831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2016
Priority date	Apr 13, 2016
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

An illustrative example method of controlling an engine of a vehicle, includes determining a target pressure curve for a cylinder of the engine for a first combustion cycle, determining a heat release model for the cylinder for the first combustion cycle, determining a mass flow of fuel from the heat release model to achieve the target pressure curve during the first combustion cycle, and automatically controlling opening of an injector of the cylinder of the engine during the first combustion cycle to provide the determined mass flow of fuel to the cylinder. The method includes determining a real pressure curve during the first combustion cycle and automatically adjusting at least one of the heat release model or the mass flow for a second, subsequent combustion cycle based on a difference between the target pressure curve and the real pressure curve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling an engine of a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining a target pressure curve for a first combustion cycle of a cylinder of the engine;
determining a heat release model for the cylinder for the first combustion cycle;
determining a mass flow of fuel from the heat release model to achieve the target pressure curve during the first combustion cycle;
automatically controlling an injector of the cylinder of the engine to provide the determined mass flow of fuel to the cylinder during the first combustion cycle;
determining a real pressure curve during the first combustion cycle;
automatically adjusting the heat release model based on a difference between the target pressure curve and the real pressure curve by adjusting the heat release model using a combustion rate factor that describes a rate with which a current maximum heat release potential can be converted, the combustion rate factor being formulated dependent on an operating point and condition of the engine during the first combustion cycle; and
using the adjusted the heat release model to determine the mass flow for a second, subsequent combustion cycle.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
determining an injector profile based on the determined mass flow of fuel, the injector profile comprising an opening time and a closing time for the injector.

3. The method according to claim 1 , comprising determining the target pressure curve based on at least one of an operation point of the engine, a status of the engine and a status of the cylinder.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
determining the combustion rate factor as a real combustion rate factor from the real pressure curve; and
using the real combustion rate factor when automatically adjusting the heat release model.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the combustion rate factor comprises a variable combustion factor based on at least one engine parameter.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the combustion rate factor comprises a combination factor combining at least two different combustion types.

7. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
determining a load situation of the engine; and
temporarily suspending performing determining the real pressure curve and automatically adjusting the heat release model when the load situation is a transient load situation.

8. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
determining a correlation between the heat release model, the target pressure curve and the mass flow;
determining the mass flow to achieve the target pressure curve for the second, subsequent combustion cycle from the adjusted heat release model; and
using the determined mass flow to achieve the target pressure curve for the second, subsequent combustion cycle to control opening of an injector to the cylinder during the second combustion cycle.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
using the adjusted heat release model for translating the target pressure curve into control signals for opening and closing the injector during the second combustion cycle.

10. A vehicle engine controller, comprising
at least one processor and data storage associated with the at least one processor, the processor being configured to:
determine a target pressure curve for a cylinder of the engine for a first combustion cycle;
determine a heat release model for the cylinder for the first combustion cycle;
determine a mass flow of fuel from the heat release model to achieve the target pressure curve during the first combustion cycle;
control opening of an injector of the cylinder of the engine to provide the determined mass flow of fuel to the cylinder during the first combustion cycle;
determine a real pressure curve during the first combustion cycle;
automatically adjust the heat release model and based on a difference between the target pressure curve and the real pressure curve by adjusting the heat release model using a combustion rate factor that describes a rate with which a current maximum heat release potential can be converted, the combustion rate factor being formulated dependent on an operating point and condition of the engine during the first combustion cycle; and
use the adjusted heat release model to determine the mass flow for a second, subsequent combustion cycle.

11. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine an injector profile of the injector based on the determined mass flow of fuel, the injector profile comprising an opening time and a closing time for the injector.

12. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor determines the target pressure curve based on at least one of an operation point of the engine, a status of the engine and a status of the cylinder.

13. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor
determines a load situation of the engine; and
temporarily suspends determining the real pressure curve and automatically adjusting the heat release model when the load situation is a transient load situation.

14. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein
the combustion rate factor comprises a variable combustion factor based on at least one engine parameter.

15. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein the combustion rate factor comprises a combination factor combining at least two different combustion types.

16. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to
determine the combustion rate factor as a real combustion rate factor from the real pressure curve; and
use the real combustion rate factor when automatically adjusting the heat release model.

17. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to
determine a correlation between the heat release model, the target pressure curve and the mass flow;
determine the mass flow to achieve the target pressure curve for the second, subsequent combustion cycle from the adjusted heat release model; and
use the determined mass flow to achieve the target pressure curve for the second, subsequent combustion cycle to control opening of an injector to the cylinder during the second combustion cycle.

18. The vehicle engine controller according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to use the adjusted heat release model for translating the target pressure curve into control signals for opening and closing the injector during the second combustion cycle.

19. A vehicle comprising:
an engine having a plurality of cylinders;
a plurality of fuel injectors respectively associated with the cylinders; and
a controller comprising at least one processor and data storage associated with the processor, the at least one processor being configured to:
determine a target pressure curve for a cylinder of the engine for a first combustion cycle;
determine a heat release model for the cylinder for the first combustion cycle;
determine a mass flow of fuel from the heat release model ( 20 ) to achieve the target pressure curve during the first combustion cycle;
control opening of an injector of the cylinder of the engine to provide the determined mass flow of fuel to the cylinder during the first combustion cycle;
determine a real pressure curve during the first combustion cycle;
automatically a

Assignees

• Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Inventors

• Joerg Christian
• Schnorbus Thorsten
• Neaves Ben
• Schaefers Lukas
• Neumann Daniel
• Bandila Kiran
• Jarvis Simon

Classifications

• F02D2200/024

  Fluid pressure of lubricating oil or working fluid · CPC title

• F02D35/025

  by determining temperatures inside the cylinder, e.g. combustion temperatures · CPC title

• F02D35/023

  by determining the cylinder pressure · CPC title

• F02D41/3836

  Controlling the fuel pressure · CPC title

• F02B75/18

  Multi-cylinder engines (scavenging aspects F02B25/00) · CPC title