Controller system and method for selecting a firing fraction for a skip fire controlled internal combustion engine based at least on non-drive train levels of noise, vibration and harshness
First Claim
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1. A skip fire engine controller, comprising:
- a skip fire profile module arranged to monitor noise and vibration generated by one or more sources external to an engine and determine an operational firing fraction and associated cylinder load for delivering a desired engine output, wherein the selection of the operational firing fraction is based at least in part on whether the noise and vibration generated external to the engine at least partially masks noise and vibration generated by the engine; and
a firing controller arranged to direct firings of one or more cylinders of the engine in a skip fire manner that delivers the selected operational firing fraction,wherein the engine when operating at the selected operational firing fraction has at least one cylinder that is fired, skipped and either fired or skipped over successive firing opportunities.
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Abstract
Methods and controllers are described that facilitate the determination of an operational skip fire firing fraction for an engine based at least in part noise levels and/or vehicle vibration levels that are not induced by engine operation. In some embodiments, the firing fraction is determined based at least in part of noise or vibrations associated with road roughness and/or cabin noise levels.
121 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A skip fire engine controller, comprising:
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a skip fire profile module arranged to monitor noise and vibration generated by one or more sources external to an engine and determine an operational firing fraction and associated cylinder load for delivering a desired engine output, wherein the selection of the operational firing fraction is based at least in part on whether the noise and vibration generated external to the engine at least partially masks noise and vibration generated by the engine; and a firing controller arranged to direct firings of one or more cylinders of the engine in a skip fire manner that delivers the selected operational firing fraction, wherein the engine when operating at the selected operational firing fraction has at least one cylinder that is fired, skipped and either fired or skipped over successive firing opportunities. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A skip fire engine controller, comprising:
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at least one lookup table embodied in a non-transitory computer readable media, the at least one lookup table including table entries that indicate different maximum allowable cylinder loads at different vehicle operating parameters; a skip fire profile module arranged to determine an operational firing fraction suitable for delivering a requested engine output for an engine, wherein the skip fire profile module utilizes the at least one lookup table to determine the operational firing fraction and adjusts the operational firing fraction based at least in part on whether noise and vibration generated external to the engine at least partially masks noise and vibration generated by the engine; and a firing controller arranged to direct firings of one or cylinders of the engine in a skip fire manner that delivers the operational firing fraction, wherein when the engine is operating at the operational firing fraction, at least one of the cylinders is fired, skipped and either fired or skipped over successive firing opportunities. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of selecting an operational skip fire firing profile suitable for use in operating an internal combustion engine in a skip fire manner to produce a desired engine output, the method comprising:
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determining the desired engine output; detecting noise and vibration masking associated with noise and vibration generated external to the internal combustion engine at least partially masking noise and vibration generated by the internal combustion engine; selecting a firing fraction based at least in part on the detected noise and vibration masking; and operating the internal combustion engine at the selected firing fraction, wherein at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine is fired, skipped and either fired or skipped over successive firing opportunities when operating at the selected firing fraction. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification