System and method to extend operating time of valve actuators of an internal combustion engine

• US 10,018,133 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Leone, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laurenzi, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRIS, WESLEY G
• Application Number:
  US15/272,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20180080398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 13/0005 Deactivating valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2013/001 Deactivating cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/06 Cutting-out cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/001 for engines with variable valve actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/0012 with selective deactivation of cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/021 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/1002 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/101 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3058 the engine working with a variable number of cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1512 with particular means concerning an individual cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining when one or more cylinders of an engine may be deactivated are presented. In one example, different cylinder deactivation strategies are used to determine which engine cylinders are deactivated during an engine cycle in response to an actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than a first threshold.

Claims

1. An engine control method, comprising:

deactivating engine cylinders via a controller according to a first cylinder deactivation strategy in response to an actual total number of valve actuator state changes being less than a first threshold; and

deactivating the engine cylinders via the controller according to a second cylinder deactivation strategy in response to an actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than a second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first cylinder deactivation strategy deactivates a first engine cylinder and activates a second engine cylinder during a first engine cycle while the engine operates at a substantially constant engine speed, a substantially constant load, and a substantially constant temperature, and where the first cylinder deactivation strategy activates the first cylinder and deactivates the second engine cylinder during a second engine cycle while the engine operates at the substantially constant engine speed, a substantially constant load, and a substantially constant temperature.

3. The method of claim 2, where the second cylinder deactivation strategy deactivates a first group of engine cylinders during a first engine cycle while the engine operates at a substantially constant engine speed, a substantially constant load, and a substantially constant temperature, and where the second cylinder deactivation strategy deactivates the first group of engine cylinders during a second engine cycle while the engine operates at the substantially constant engine speed, a substantially constant load, and a substantially constant temperature.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising deactivating the engine cylinders via the controller according to the second cylinder deactivation strategy and the first cylinder deactivation strategy in response to an actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, where the first group of cylinders is a fixed group of cylinders.

6. The method of claim 1, where the actual total number of valve actuator state changes is inferred.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling cylinder deactivation in response to the actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than a third threshold.

8. An engine control method, comprising:

changing which cylinders of an engine are deactivated over a plurality of engine cycles while an engine operates at a substantially constant temperature and a substantially constant engine speed and load via a controller in response to an actual total number of valve actuator state changes being less than a first threshold; and

deactivating a fixed group of engine cylinders while the engine operates at the substantially constant temperature and the substantially constant engine speed and loads via the controller in response to the actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than the first threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, where engine cylinders are deactivated via ceasing to supply fuel to deactivated cylinders and holding intake and exhaust valves of deactivated cylinders closed for at least one cylinder cycle.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising changing which engine cylinders are included in the fixed group of engine cylinders in response to the actual total number of valve actuator state changes.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising disabling cylinder deactivation in response to the actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than a third threshold.

12. The method of claim 8, where changing which cylinders of the engine are deactivated includes deactivating a first cylinder during a first engine cycle and activating the first cylinder during a second engine cycle.

13. The method of claim 8, where a valve actuator state change includes transitioning from a state where the valve actuator opens and closes a valve during a cylinder cycle to a state where the valve actuator holds the valve closed over the cylinder cycle.

14. The method of claim 8, where changing which cylinders of the engine are deactivated over the plurality of engine cycles includes not deactivating a fixed group of engine cylinders over the plurality of engine cycles.

15. An engine system, comprising:

an engine including one or more cylinder deactivating mechanisms;

a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory to adjust an engine operating range that defines where engine cylinders may be deactivated in response to an actual total number of valve actuator state changes being greater than a first threshold, and deactivate engine cylinders according to the engine operating range.

16. The engine system of claim 15, where the engine operating range is an engine speed and load range.

17. The engine system of claim 15, where adjusting the engine operating range includes dividing the engine operating range into two operating ranges.

18. The engine system of claim 17, where the first operating range of the two operating ranges is at a lower engine load than a second operating range of the two operating ranges.

19. The engine system of claim 18, further comprising additional instructions to operate the engine with a fixed group of deactivated cylinders over a plurality of engine cycles in the second operating range.

20. The engine system of claim 15, further comprising additional instructions to change which engine cylinders are in the fixed group of deactivated cylinders in response to the actual total number of valve actuator state changes.