TELEMETRY-BASED REGENERATION STRATEGY FOR AN ENGINE EXHAUST AFTER-TREATMENT DEVICE

• US 20110088374A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Johnson, Randall L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/285
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2430/06 by varying fuel-air ratio, e.g. by enriching fuel-air mixture
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/023 using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/002 of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0245 by increasing temperature of the exhaust gas leaving the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/029 the exhaust gas treating apparatus being a particulate filter
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/405 with post injections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A method for timing performance of a maintenance function, in particular the timing of regeneration of a diesel particulate filter (22) to conserve fuel as a motor vehicle (10) travels along a projected travel route. Certain road data about roads in a roadway system is processed to develop data for anticipating certain modes of vehicle operation during travel of the vehicle along the projected travel route. The data for anticipating certain modes of vehicle operation along the anticipated route of travel and data geographically tracking vehicle travel along the projected route are interactively used to control timing of performance of the maintenance function as the vehicle travels along the projected route.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine for propelling the vehicle comprising an exhaust system through which exhaust gases created by combustion in engine cylinders pass to atmosphere and which comprises an after-treatment device that treats the exhaust gases before leaving the exhaust system but that at times is regenerated by elevation of temperature of the exhaust gases to a regeneration temperature range;

a telematic system providing geographical data tracking travel of the vehicle along roads in a roadway system;

a database containing an electronic map of the roadway system that includes road data about roads in the roadway system useful in anticipating certain modes of engine operation during travel of the vehicle along roads in the roadway system;

an engine controller for initiating, controlling, and terminating regeneration of the after-treatment device and comprising an operating strategy that interactively uses both road data from the database to anticipate modes of engine operation along an anticipated route of travel of the vehicle over roads in the roadway system and geographic tracking data from the telematic system to time initiation of regeneration of the after-treatment device.

2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1 in which the after-treatment device comprises a diesel particulate filter.

3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 2 in which the engine controller strategy comprises a strategy for timing the initiation of regeneration along the anticipated route of travel of the vehicle over roads in the roadway system using anticipated engine speed and load data derived from road data in the database.

4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 3 in which the engine controller strategy comprises timing the initiation of regeneration along the anticipated route of travel of the vehicle over roads in the roadway system using anticipated engine speed and load data derived from data in the database for factors potentially affecting speed of vehicle travel along the anticipated route.

5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4 in which the factors potentially affecting speed of vehicle travel along the anticipated route include one or more of:

traffic control devices along the anticipated route, legal speed limits along the anticipated route, intersections along the anticipated route, and grade of roads along the anticipated route.

6. A strategy for timing regeneration of an after-treatment device in an exhaust system of an engine in a motor vehicle for propelling the vehicle along a projected route of travel over roads in a roadway system, the strategy comprising:

geographically tracking the location of the vehicle as it travels along roads in the roadway system;

processing certain road data about roads along the projected route of travel useful in anticipating certain engine operating data along the projected route to develop certain anticipated engine operating data along the projected route; and

using the anticipated engine operating data to time initiation of regeneration of the after-treatment device as the vehicle travels along the projected route.

7. A strategy as set forth in claim 6 in which using the anticipated engine operating data to time initiation of regeneration as the vehicle travels along the projected route comprises using the anticipated engine operating data to time initiation of regeneration of a diesel particulate filter.

8. A strategy as set forth in claim 7 in which processing certain road data about roads along the projected route of travel useful in anticipating certain engine operating data along the projected route to develop certain anticipated engine operating data along the projected route comprises processing the certain road data to develop anticipated engine speed and load data.

9. A strategy as set forth in claim 8 in which processing certain road data about roads along the projected route of travel useful in anticipating certain engine operating data along the projected route to develop certain anticipated engine operating data along the projected route comprises processing data for factors potentially affecting speed of vehicle travel along the anticipated route.

10. A strategy as set forth in claim 9 in which processing certain road data about roads along the projected route of travel useful in anticipating certain engine operating data along the projected route to develop certain anticipated engine operating data along the projected route comprises processing data for factors potentially affecting speed of vehicle travel along the anticipated route comprising processing data for one or more of:

traffic control devices along the anticipated route, legal speed limits along the anticipated route, intersections along the anticipated route, and grade of roads along the anticipated route.

11. A motor vehicle comprising:

a telematic system providing geographical data tracking travel of the vehicle along roads in a roadway system;

a controller for controlling timing of performance of a maintenance function for a device in the vehicle and comprising an operating strategy for interactively using certain road data about roads in the roadway system to anticipate certain modes of vehicle operation during travel of the vehicle along a projected route of travel along the roadway system and geographical tracking data tracking vehicle travel along the projected route to time performance of the maintenance function as the vehicle travels along the projected route.

12. A method for timing performance of a maintenance function for a device in a motor vehicle as the vehicle travels along a projected travel route in a roadway system, the method comprising:

processing certain road data about roads in the roadway system to develop data for anticipating certain modes of vehicle operation during travel of the vehicle along the projected travel route; and

interactively using the data for anticipating certain modes of vehicle operation along the anticipated route of travel and data geographically tracking vehicle travel along the projected route to control timing of performance of the maintenance function as the vehicle travels along the projected route.