System and method for operating an engine oil pump

• US 10,208,687 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Willard, Karen, Rollinger, John Eric, Milton, Robert, Russell, Jeremy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Solis, Erick
• Application Number:
  US15/429,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20170356373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 123 9033
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 1/181 Centre pivot rocking arms
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 13/0005 Deactivating valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/0476 Camshaft bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/0535 Single overhead camshafts [SOHC]
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/0537 Double overhead camshafts [DOHC]
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2001/186 Split rocking arms, e.g. rocker arms having two articulated parts and means for varying the relative position of these parts or for selectively connecting the parts to move in unison
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2013/001 Deactivating cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2250/02 the camshaft being driven by chains
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2250/04 the camshaft being driven by belts
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2305/00 Valve arrangements comprising rollers
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2800/00 Methods of operation using a variable valve timing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 2810/02 Lubrication
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 1/02 using lubricating pumps pumps in general F04; lubricating pumps per se F16N
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 1/16 Controlling lubricant pressure or quantity rendering machines or engines inoperative or idling on lubricant pressure failure F01M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2001/0246 Adjustable pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2001/083 for lubricating cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 9/00 Lubrication means having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01M1/00 - F01M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/0012 with selective deactivation of cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0007 for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines control of the pumps per se F02B37/12
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 : Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 : Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

Systems and methods for operating an engine with an oil pump that supplies engine oil to various oil consumers in an engine are presented. In one example, a displacement of a variable displacement engine oil pump is adjusted to provide sufficient oil pressure throughout the engine, but low enough to conserve fuel.

Claims

1. A method for operating an engine, comprising:

receiving engine operating conditions to a controller;

adjusting oil flow through piston cooling jets to provide a static pressure increase via the controller in response to a maximum value of a plurality of minimum oil gallery pressures to operate a plurality of engine oil consumers and a request to deactivate one or more engine poppet valves; and

adjusting the oil flow through the piston cooling jets to provide a dynamic pressure increase in response to the request to deactivate the one or more engine poppet valves.

2. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of engine oil consumers includes the piston cooling jets, and further comprising adjusting a pressure output of an engine oil pump in response to oil quality.

3. The method of claim 2, where the plurality of engine oil consumers includes one or more poppet valve deactivators, and where the static pressure is increased for an entire duration of the request to deactivate the one or more engine poppet valves.

4. The method of claim 3, where the plurality of engine oil consumers includes an engine crankshaft and camshaft bearings.

5. The method of claim 1, where the static pressure increase and the dynamic pressure increase adjust a pressure in an oil gallery supplying the plurality of engine oil consumers, and further comprising:

reducing the pressure in the oil gallery when the one or more engine poppet valves are deactivated.

6. The method of claim 5, where adjusting a displacement of an engine oil pump includes increasing engine oil pump displacement during deactivating the one or more engine poppet valves and decreasing engine oil pump displacement in response to the one or more engine poppet valves being deactivated.

7. A method for operating an engine, comprising:

increasing oil pressure supplied to an oil gallery via control of piston cooling jets in response to a request to deactivate one or more engine poppet valves; and

decreasing oil pressure supplied to the oil gallery via control of the piston cooling jets in response to the one or more engine poppet valves being deactivated.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising decreasing oil pressure supplied to the oil gallery when the one or more engine poppet valves is deactivated.

9. The method of claim 7, where oil flow to the piston cooling jets is adjusted via a valve in response to the request to deactivate the one or more engine poppet valves.

10. The method of claim 7, where the one or more engine poppet valves are determined to be deactivated based on an amount of time since the request to deactivate the one or more engine poppet valves.

11. The method of claim 7, where the one or more engine poppet valves being deactivated are intake valves, and where the engine does not include any exhaust valves that may be deactivated.

12. The method of claim 11, where the one or more engine poppet valves are operated via a camshaft.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting oil pressure supplied to the oil gallery in response to a maximum value of a plurality of minimum oil gallery pressures to operate a plurality of engine oil consumers.

14. A vehicle system, comprising:

an engine including one or more deactivating cylinder poppet valves and an oil pressure control device; and

a controller including non-transitory executable instructions, which when executed by the controller, cause the controller to increase oil pressure supplied to an oil gallery via the oil pressure control device in response to a request to deactivate the one or more deactivating cylinder poppet valves, and cause the controller to decrease oil pressure supplied to the oil gallery via the oil pressure control device in response to the one or more deactivating cylinder poppet valves being deactivated, where the oil pressure control device is a piston cooling jet.

15. The vehicle system of claim 14, where the deactivating cylinder poppet valves are intake valves, and where the engine does not include deactivating cylinder poppet valves that are exhaust valves.

16. The vehicle system of claim 14, further comprising instructions to vary a total actual number of the one or more deactivating cylinder poppet valves in a cycle of the engine.

17. The vehicle system of claim 14, further comprising additional instructions to combust air-fuel mixtures in a first number of cylinders of the engine in a first engine cycle, combust air-fuel mixtures in a second number of cylinders of the engine in a second engine cycle, and combust air-fuel mixtures in a third number of cylinders of the engine in a third engine cycle.