Method of improving engine startability using hardware wake-up period control and vehicle using the same

• US 10,641,194 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Koo, Bon-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Vilakazi, Sizo B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bacon, Anthony L
• Application Number:
  US15/724,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20180163655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/021 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/023 Temperature of lubricating oil or working fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/064 at cold start F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/065 at hot start or restart F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3082 Control of electrical fuel pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3854 with elements in the low pressure part, e.g. low pressure pump
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/08 electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/18 characterised by provision of main and auxiliary pumps

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a vehicle having improved engine startability using hardware wake-up period control by performing a vehicle state detection mode to which a battery voltage, an engine oil temperature, and an engine coolant temperature are applied by a controller in a key-off state of an engine, a wake-up fuel pressure control mode for determining whether a soaking time reaches a wake-up set time by the count of a key-off timer for 80 minutes, a pump operation control mode for operating a low-pressure fuel pump for approximately 1 second by the current supplied in response to a key-off output signal over the period of 80 minutes, and a wake-up repetition control mode for repeating a number of times the low-pressure fuel pump is operated to maximum 6 times.

Claims

1. A method of improving engine startability, comprising:

performing a vehicle state detection mode in which a battery voltage detection value, an engine oil temperature detection value, and an engine coolant temperature detection value are read by a controller in a key-off state of an engine, a soaking time is stored, and a count of a key-off timer is initiated;

performing a wake-up fuel pressure control mode in which when each of the battery voltage detection value, the engine oil temperature detection value, and the engine coolant temperature detection value satisfies a set condition, whether the soaking time reaches a wake-up set time is determined by the count of the key-off timer;

performing a pump operation control mode in which key-off output is sent in response to a signal of the key-offtimer when the soaking time reaches the wake-up set time, and after a low-pressure fuel pump is operated by a current supplied thereto for a time at which the key-off output is maintained, the operation of the low-pressure fuel pump is configured to be stopped by cut-off of the key-off output; and

performing a wake-up repetition control mode in which a number of times the low-pressure fuel pump is operated is counted as 1, and after the operation and stop of the low-pressure fuel pump are repeated until a number of times the low-pressure fuel pump is operated is counted as 6, the count of the key-off timer is stopped,

wherein the performing the pump operation control mode includes detecting a low-pressure rail pressure and a high-pressure rail pressure formed by residual fuel in a fuel line for supplying fuel to the engine after the key-off, determining and outputting a target pressure of the residual fuel under the low-pressure rail pressure and the high-pressure rail pressure, detecting the high-pressure rail pressure formed by the residual fuel and determining whether the detected high-pressure rail pressure value satisfies a set pressure value, and operating the low-pressure fuel pump in response to the signal of the key-off output and stopping the operation of the low-pressure fuel pump by cut-off of the key-off output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the count of the key-off timer is performed in minutes, and the wake-up set time is 80 minutes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the low-pressure fuel pump is configured to be operated for 1 second.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the wake-up fuel pressure control mode includes determining whether the battery voltage detection value satisfies a set voltage value as the set condition, determining whether the engine oil temperature detection value satisfies a set oil temperature value as the set condition when the battery voltage detection value satisfies the set voltage value, determining whether the engine coolant temperature detection value satisfies a set coolant temperature value as the set condition when the engine oil temperature detection value satisfies the set oil temperature value, and determining whether the soaking time reaches the wake-up set time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the set voltage value is 10V, the set oil temperature value is 70°

C., and the set coolant temperature value is 70°

C.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein when each of the voltage detection value, the engine oil temperature detection value, and the engine coolant temperature detection value does not satisfy the set condition, the time count of the key-off timer is stopped.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the target pressure is a pressure for maintaining the residual fuel in a liquid-phase state to prevent the fuel from changing from liquid phase to gas phase.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set pressure value is 24 bar.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein when the detected pressure value is greater than the set pressure value, the time count of the key-off timer is stopped.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the pump operation control mode further includes stopping a procedure for failure diagnosis of hardware unrelated to operation control of the low-pressure fuel pump, initializing communication with hardware related to the operation control of the low-pressure fuel pump, and supplying a battery current to the low-pressure fuel pump.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the wake-up repetition control mode includes storing a number of times the low-pressure fuel pump is operated as one wake-up NO, determining whether to continuously perform the count of the key-off timer when a low-pressure pump pressure detection value and the battery voltage detection value satisfy a wake-up stop condition, and stopping the count of the key-off timer when the wake-up NO is counted as 6 by the repeated operation and stop of the low-pressure fuel pump.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wake-up stop condition is determined by a relationship between the low-pressure pump pressure detection value and a set low-pressure pump pressure value and a relationship between the battery voltage detection value and a set battery voltage value, and the wake-up stop condition is satisfied when the low-pressure pump pressure detection value is greater than the set low-pressure pump pressure value and when the battery voltage detection value is greater than the set battery voltage value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the set low-pressure pump pressure value is 1.5 bar, and the set battery voltage value is 10V.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein when the low-pressure pump pressure detection value is less than the set low-pressure pump pressure value, the soaking time is updated and then the count of the key-off timer is initiated again, and when the battery voltage detection value is less than the set battery voltage value, the count of the key-off timer is stopped.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the performing the wake-up repetition control mode further includes stopping the count of the key-off timer in a key-on state of the engine.

16. A vehicle comprising:

a controller configured to carry out the method of claim 1, the controller comprising a wake-up determination device configured to generate a determination condition satisfaction signal for operating the low-pressure fuel pump based on an ignition key state, an engine oil temperature, and an engine coolant temperature after key-off of the engine, a key-off operation device configured to generate an operation signal for operating the low-pressure fuel pump at a predetermined period when an operation condition of the low-pressure fuel pump occurs, and a switching output device configured to output a key-off output signal to the low-pressure fuel pump for a predetermined time according to the operation signal; and

the low-pressure fuel pump operated at a predetermined period and for a predetermined time after the key-off of the engine by control of the controller.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the predetermined period is 80 minutes.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the predetermined time is 1 second.

19. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the low-pressure fuel pump is provided in a fuel tank for storing fuel to pump the fuel, the fuel tank is provided with a high-pressure fuel pump for pumping the fuel, and the fuel tank, the low-pressure fuel pump, and the high-pressure fuel pump form a fuel system together with a common rail for supplying the fuel and an injector for injecting the fuel into an engine combustor.