METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENGINE CONTROL

• US 20130030616A1
• Filed: 07/27/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Syed, Fazal Urrahman, Nallapa, Venkatapathi Raju, Boesch, Mathew Alan, Martin, Douglas Raymond, Kuang, Ming Lang
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/20 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/18 for avoiding ageing of fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0612 determined by estimation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/70 said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0025 Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/064 at cold start F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/30 Controlling fuel injection F02D41/182, F02D41/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting operation of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle responsive to a seasonal grade of the fuel available in the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank. If the seasonal grade of fuel in the fuel tank does not correspond to the seasonal grade of fuel mandated during the time of engine operation, a fuel injection amount is adjusted to compensate for differences between seasonal grades of a fuel.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle including an engine and a motor, comprising:

adjusting an engine fuel injection amount based on a seasonal grade of fuel in a fuel tank of the vehicle relative to a season of vehicle operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a real time clock, and the seasonal grade of the fuel is estimated based on an output of the real time clock, the vehicle being a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes an auxiliary system, and wherein the seasonal grade of the fuel is estimated based on a clock setting of the auxiliary system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the seasonal grade of the fuel is estimated based on one or more of a distance travelled since a last refilling of the fuel tank and an amount of fuel consumed since a last refilling of the fuel tank.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel tank includes a fuel level sensor, and wherein the seasonal grade of the fuel is estimated based on a fuel level output of the fuel level sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the seasonal grade of the fuel is estimated based on an efficiency of cold-start combustion of the fuel, wherein the efficiency of cold-start combustion is inferred from one or more of an engine speed and engine torque.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustment includes,

increasing the fuel injection amount when the fuel is a summer-grade fuel and the vehicle is operated during a winter season;

and

decreasing the fuel injection amount when the fuel is a winter-grade fuel and the vehicle is operated during a summer season.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, adjusting engine operation relative to motor operation to propel the vehicle based on the seasonal grade of the fuel relative to the season of vehicle operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjustment includes increasing engine operation relative to motor operation to propel the vehicle in response to one of a summer-grade fuel in the fuel tank during a winter season of vehicle operation and a winter-grade fuel in the fuel tank during a summer season of vehicle operation.

10. A method of operating a vehicle including an engine and a motor, comprising:

during a first condition, when an estimated fuel age is higher than a threshold, operating the engine while injecting a first, larger amount of fuel; and

during a second condition, when the estimated fuel age is higher than the threshold, operating the engine while injecting a second, smaller amount of fuel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein during the first condition, the injected fuel has a first seasonal grade and wherein during the second condition, the injected fuel has a second, different seasonal grade.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein during the first condition, the injected fuel has a summer grade and the vehicle is operated in winter, and wherein during the second condition, the injected fuel has a winter grade and the vehicle is operated in summer.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the threshold is adjusted based on a season of vehicle operation, the threshold increased during a summer season and decreased during winter season.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the fuel age is estimated based on one or more of, a fuel level in a fuel tank coupled to the engine, a distance traveled since a most recent fuel tank refill event, an amount of fuel consumed since the most recent fuel tank refill event, a clock time, season information from an auxiliary system of the vehicle, and the measured efficiency of cold-start combustion.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is propelled using energy from at least one of engine operation and motor operation, further comprising, increasing engine operation relative to motor operation to propel the vehicle in response to the estimated fuel age being higher than the threshold.

16. A vehicle system, comprising:

an engine;

an electric motor;

a fuel tank for providing fuel to the engine, the fuel tank including a fuel level sensor;

an auxiliary system including a clock;

a control system with computer readable instructions for;

inferring a seasonal grade of the fuel based on an estimated age of the fuel; and

adjusting an engine fuel injection amount based on the seasonal grade of the fuel relative to an estimated season of vehicle operation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control system includes code for estimating the age of the fuel based on one or more of an output of the fuel level sensor, a real-time clock time estimated by the clock of the auxiliary system, a distance traveled since a last fuel tank refilling event based on an output of an odometer, and an amount of fuel consumed since a last fuel tank refilling event based on an output of a fuel usage sensor.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control system includes code for estimating the season of vehicle operation based on the real-time clock time estimated by the clock of the auxiliary system.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the adjusting includes,

increasing the fuel injection amount when a summer-grade fuel is injected during a winter vehicle operation;

and

decreasing the fuel injection amount when a winter-grade fuel is injected during a summer vehicle operation.

20. The vehicle system of claim 16, further comprising increasing engine operation and decreasing electric motor operation in response to the estimated age of the fuel being higher than a threshold.