CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STARTING AN ENGINE WITH PORT FUEL INJECTION AND A VARIABLE PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEM

• US 20090216425A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Carr, Mark D., Miller, Jon C., Avallone, Louis A., Hutmacher, Jeffrey M., Hay, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,848,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/103
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0602 Fuel pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/065 at hot start or restart F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 99/006 Providing a combustible mixture inside the cylinder

Abstract

A fuel control system includes a pressure comparison module that generates a pressure control signal when a fuel supply pressure is greater than a predetermined pressure value, a temperature comparison module that generates a temperature control signal when a temperature of an engine is greater than a predetermined temperature value, and a pre-crank fuel module that selectively dispenses pre-crank fuel prior to cranking the engine based on the pressure control signal and the temperature control signal. A related fuel control method is also provided.

Claims

1. A fuel control system comprising:

a pressure comparison module that generates a pressure control signal when a fuel supply pressure is greater than a predetermined pressure value;

a temperature comparison module that generates a temperature control signal when a temperature of an engine is greater than a predetermined temperature value; and

a pre-crank fuel module that selectively dispenses pre-crank fuel prior to cranking said engine based on said pressure control signal and said temperature control signal.

2. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising a fuel pump, wherein said pre-crank fuel module disables operation of said fuel pump while said pre-crank fuel is dispensed.

3. The fuel control system of claim 1, wherein said pre-crank fuel module determines a desired quantity of said pre-crank fuel to dispense based on at least one of said fuel supply pressure and said temperature.

4. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising a fuel injector for dispensing said pre-crank fuel, wherein said temperature is an estimated temperature of said fuel injector.

5. The fuel control system of claim 4, wherein at least one of said predetermined pressure value and said predetermined temperature value is based on a voltage supplied to said fuel injector.

6. The fuel control system of claim 4 further comprising a volume determination module that determines an actual quantity of said pre-crank fuel dispensed by said fuel injector.

7. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of fuel injectors for dispensing fuel to a plurality of cylinders of said engine, wherein at least one of said plurality of fuel injectors dispenses said pre-crank fuel.

8. The fuel control system of claim 7, wherein said pre-crank fuel module pulses a selected number (N) of said plurality of fuel injectors to dispense said pre-crank fuel based on positions of a corresponding plurality of intake valves of said engine, where N is an integer greater than zero.

9. The fuel control system of claim 8 wherein said selected number (N) of said plurality of fuel injectors corresponds to closed positions of said plurality of intake valves.

10. The fuel control system of claim 8, wherein said selected number (N) of said plurality of fuel injectors are simultaneously pulsed to dispense said pre-crank fuel.

11. A method of fuel control comprising:

comparing a fuel supply pressure and a predetermined pressure value;

comparing a temperature of an engine and a predetermined temperature value; and

dispensing a quantity of pre-crank fuel prior to cranking said engine based on said pressure comparison and said temperature comparison.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising disabling operation of a fuel pump of said engine during said dispensing said quantity of pre-crank fuel.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining said quantity of pre-crank fuel based on at least one of said fuel supply pressure and said temperature.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said temperature is an estimated temperature of a fuel injector of said engine.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining at least one of said predetermined pressure value and said predetermined temperature value based on a voltage supplied to a fuel injector of said engine.

16. A method of fueling an engine comprising:

providing a plurality of fuel injectors for dispensing fuel to said engine;

comparing a pressure of said fuel and a predetermined pressure value;

comparing a temperature of said engine and a predetermined temperature value;

selecting a number (N) of said plurality of fuel injectors based on positions of a plurality of intake valves of said engine, where N is an integer greater than zero; and

pulsing said N fuel injectors to dispense a quantity of pre-crank fuel prior to cranking said engine based on said pressure comparison and said temperature comparison.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said number (N) corresponds to closed positions of said intake valves.