DRIVER-ASSISTED FUEL REDUCTION STRATEGY AND ASSOCIATED APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD

• US 20130297185A1
• Filed: 05/02/2012
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Morris, Andrew A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,719,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/104
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/105 characterised by the function converting demand to actuation, e.g. a map indicating relations between an accelerator pedal position and throttle valve opening or target engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/106 Detection of demand or actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0404 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/602 Pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/604 Engine control mode selected by driver, e.g. to manually start particle filter regeneration or to select driving style
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/606 Driving style, e.g. sporty or economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2422 Selective use of one or more tables

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an apparatus for controlling fuel consumption in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle having a driver-actuated accelerator pedal includes an economy mode activation module and a standard fueling module. The economy mode activation module is configured to compare throttle input data with defined limits. The throttle input data is controllable by a driver of the vehicle via positioning of the accelerator pedal. The economy mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via an economy fuel map if the throttle input data falls within the defined limits for a defined amount of time. The standard fueling mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via a standard fuel map if the throttle input data does not fall within the defined limits for the defined amount of time.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling fuel consumption in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle having a driver-actuated accelerator pedal, comprising:

an economy mode activation module configured to compare throttle input data with defined limits, the throttle input data being controllable by a driver of the vehicle via positioning of the accelerator pedal, wherein the economy mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via an economy fuel map if the throttle input data falls within the defined limits for a defined amount of time; and

a standard fueling mode activation module configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via a standard fuel map if the throttle input data does not fall within the defined limits for the defined amount of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the economy mode activation module is a steady state economy mode activation module and the throttle input data comprises throttle input values corresponding with positions of the accelerator pedal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the determined limits comprise a throttle input value upper limit and a throttle input value lower limit, and wherein a throttle input percent difference between the upper limit and lower limit is between about 10% and about 75%.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the throttle input percent difference is between about 10% and about 20%.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the economy mode activation module is an acceleration economy mode activation module and the throttle input data comprises throttle input rate of change values corresponding with rates of change of the position of the accelerator pedal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the defined limits comprise a throttle input rate of change value upper limit and a throttle input rate of change lower limit, and wherein the throttle input rate of change value upper limit is between about 50% and about 90% of a maximum throttle input rate of change value of the engine, and the throttle input rate of change value lower limit is between about 50% and about 90% of a maximum throttle input rate of change value of the engine.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the throttle input rate of change value upper limit is about 75% of the maximum throttle input rate of change value of the engine, and the throttle input rate of change value lower limit is about 50% of the maximum throttle input rate of change value of the engine.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the throttle input data further comprises throttle input values corresponding with positions of the accelerator pedal, wherein the defined limits further comprise a throttle input value threshold, and wherein the economy mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via the economy fuel map if the throttle input data falls within the defined limits for a predetermined amount of time and the throttle input values remain below the throttle input value threshold, and the standard fueling mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via the standard fuel map if at least one of the throttle input data does not fall within the defined limits for the predetermined amount of time and the throttle input values exceed the throttle input value threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the economy fuel map and standard fuel map each comprises respective fuel addition values for various operating conditions of the engine, and wherein the fuel addition values of the economy fuel map are lower than the fuel addition values of the standard fuel map for the same operating conditions of the engine.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the economy mode activation module comprises a steady state economy mode activation module, the throttle input data comprises throttle input values corresponding with positions of the accelerator pedal, the defined limits comprise predetermined throttle input value limits, the economy fuel map comprises a steady state economy fuel map, and the predetermined amount of time comprises a first defined amount of time;

the apparatus further comprises an acceleration economy mode activation module configured to compare throttle input rate of change values with defined throttle input rate of change value limits, the throttle input rate of change values being controllable by the driver of the vehicle via positioning of the accelerator pedal over time, wherein the acceleration economy mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via an acceleration economy fuel map if the throttle input rate of change values fall within the throttle input rate of change value limits for a second defined amount of time; and

the standard fueling mode activation module is configured to control the fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine via the standard fuel map if the throttle input values do not fall within the defined throttle input value limits for the first defined amount of time and the throttle input rate of change values do not fall within the throttle input rate of change value limits for the second defined amount of time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the steady state economy fuel map and acceleration economy fuel map are the same.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the steady state economy fuel map and acceleration economy fuel map are different.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the defined limits comprise limits determined statically prior to operation of the engine.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the defined limits comprise limits determined dynamically during operation of the engine.

15. An apparatus for controlling fuel consumption in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle having a driver-actuated accelerator pedal, comprising:

a controller comprising an economy fuel map and a standard fuel map; and

an operating mode determination module configured to switch control of a fueling operation of the engine between the economy fuel map and the standard fuel map based on a position of the accelerator pedal over time.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the economy fuel map comprises a steady state fuel map, the controller further comprising an acceleration fuel map, and wherein the operating mode determination module is configured to switch control of the fueling operation of the engine between the steady state fuel map, acceleration fuel map, and standard fuel map based on whether the position of the accelerator pedal remains within first limits for a first amount of time and whether the rate of change of the position of the accelerator pedal remains within second limits for a second amount of time.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein control of the fueling operation of the engine is switchable between the economy and standard fuel maps via driver-controlled actuation of the accelerator pedal.

18. A method for controlling fuel consumption in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle having a driver-actuated accelerator pedal, comprising:

determining whether throttle input data falls within defined upper and lower limits for a defined period of time;

generating a fuel command for the engine based on an economy fuel map if the throttle input data falls within the defined upper and lower limits for the defined period of time; and

generating a fuel command for the engine based on a standard fuel map if the throttle input data does not fall within the defined upper and lower limits for the defined period of time.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the throttle input data comprises a position of a throttle of the engine.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the throttle input data comprises a rate of change of the position of a throttle of the engine.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising actuating the accelerator pedal to switch between generating the fuel command for the engine based on the economy fuel map and generating the fuel command for the engine based on the standard fuel map.