Methods, Devices And Systems For Glow Plug Operation Of A Combustion Engine

• US 20140236460A1
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: NEELY, Gary D., SARLASHKAR, Jayant V.
• Granted Patent: US 9,388,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/113
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/021 characterised by power delivery controls
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/023 Individual control of the glow plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/025 with means for determining glow plug temperature or glow plug resistance
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/026 Glow plug actuation during engine operation
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/028 the glow plug being combined with or used as a sensor

Abstract

A glow plug control apparatus for an engine of a motor vehicle, comprising at least one glow plug; a power source to apply electric power to the at least one glow plug; and a control unit comprising a microprocessor configured and arranged to determine glow plug supply power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug based on input from stored vehicle data and from a plurality of engine sensors, wherein the input includes data of engine operating parameters including fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity.

Claims

1. A glow plug control apparatus for an engine of a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one glow plug;

a power source to apply electric power to the at least one glow plug; and

a control unit comprising a microprocessor configured and arranged to determine glow plug supply power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug based on input from stored vehicle data and from a plurality of engine sensors, wherein the input includes data of engine operating parameters including fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of sensors comprise a fresh air intake mass airflow sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of sensors comprise an intake manifold temperature sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of sensors comprise a coolant temperature sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of sensors comprise an intake manifold pressure sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the stored vehicle data includes the data of target glow plug temperature.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the stored vehicle data includes the data total fuel injection quantity.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the stored vehicle data is from at least one look-up table stored in a memory of the vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the microprocessor is configured and arranged to determine glow plug power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug using a model which equates the engine operating parameters of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity to the glow plug supply power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

the model is a nonlinear function.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

the engine operating parameters of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity each define an independent variable of the model.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

at least two of the engine operating parameters of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity define a cross-variable of the model.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

the microprocessor is configured and arranged to determine the glow plug power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug using an equation of

GP_Power=a+(b*GP_Temp)+(c*Air_Intake_MAF)+(d*Intake_Manifold_MAF)+(e*Intake_Manifold_Temp)+(f*Coolant_Temp)+(g*Fuel_Quantity)+(h*GP_Temp*Intake_Manifold_MAF)

where;

GP_Power=the glow plug supply power;

GP_Temp=the glow plug temperature;

Air_Intake_MAF=the fresh air intake mass airflow;

Intake_Manifold_MAF=the intake manifold total mass airflow;

Intake_Manifold_Temp=the intake manifold temperature;

Coolant_Temp=the engine coolant temperature;

Fuel_Quantity=the total fuel injection quantity per injection period; and

wherein the letters a-h are coefficient values.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the microprocessor is configured and arranged to determine the glow plug power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug using an equation of

GP_Power=a+(b*GP_Temp)+(c*Air_Intake_MAF)+(d*Intake_Manifold_MAF)+(e*Intake_Manifold_Temp)+(f*Coolant_Temp)+(g*Fuel_Quantity)+(h*GP_Temp*Intake_Manifold_MAF)

where;

GP_Power=the glow plug supply power;

GP_Temp=the glow plug temperature;

Air_Intake_MAF=the fresh air intake mass airflow;

Intake_Manifold_MAF=the intake manifold total mass airflow;

Intake_Manifold_Temp=the intake manifold temperature;

Coolant_Temp=the engine coolant temperature;

Fuel_Quantity=the total fuel injection quantity per injection period; and

wherein the letters a-h are coefficient values.

14. A method of glow plug control for a motor vehicle comprising:

providing a glow plug control apparatus comprising;

at least one glow plug;

a power source to apply electric power to the at least one glow plug;

a control unit comprising a microprocessor configured and arranged to determine glow plug supply power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug based on input from stored vehicle data and from a plurality of engine sensors, wherein the input includes data of engine operating parameters including fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity;

providing data of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel quantity to the control unit;

determining glow plug power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug with the microprocessor based on the data of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity provided to the control unit.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the data of fresh air intake mass airflow is provided at least in part from a fresh air intake mass airflow sensor of the engine.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the data of intake manifold temperature is provided at least in part from an intake manifold temperature sensor of the engine.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the data of coolant temperature is provided at least in part from a coolant temperature sensor of the engine.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the data of intake manifold total mass airflow is provided at least in part from each of an intake manifold pressure sensor, a fresh air intake mass airflow sensor, an intake manifold temperature sensor and a map of volumetric efficiency of the engine.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the data of glow plug temperature is provided from the stored vehicle data.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the data of total fuel injection quantity glow is provided from the stored vehicle data.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the stored vehicle data is from at least one look-up table stored in a memory of the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein:

providing the data of the fresh air intake mass airflow, the intake manifold total mass airflow, the intake manifold temperature and the coolant temperature to the control unit further comprises providing the data of the fresh air intake mass airflow, the intake manifold total mass airflow, the intake manifold temperature and the coolant temperature to the control unit from the plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a fresh air intake mass airflow sensor, an intake manifold total mass airflow sensor, an intake manifold temperature sensor and a coolant temperature sensor.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein:

providing the data of the glow plug temperature to the control unit further comprises providing the data of the glow plug temperature to the control unit from the stored vehicle data.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein:

providing data of the total fuel injection quantity to the control unit further comprises providing the data of the fuel injection quantity to the control unit from the stored vehicle data.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the microprocessor is configured and arranged to determine glow plug power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug using a model which mathematically equates the engine operating parameters of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity to the glow plug supply power to be applied from the power source to the at least one glow plug.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein:

the model is a nonlinear function.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein:

the engine operating parameters of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity each define an independent variable of the model.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein:

at least two of the engine operating parameters of fresh air intake mass airflow, intake manifold total mass airflow, intake manifold temperature, coolant temperature, glow plug temperature and total fuel injection quantity define a cross-variable of the model.