METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING VEHICLE OPERATION

• US 20140297161A1
• Filed: 03/27/2013
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Stanek, Joe F., Doering, Jeffrey Allen, Hashemi, Sam, Lockwood, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 9,587,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• 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 2200/04 Engine intake system parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/602 Pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0002 Controlling intake air
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/062 for starting F02D41/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1454 the characteristics being an oxygen content or concentration or the air-fuel ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/182 for the control of a fuel injection device
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2429 Methods of calibrating or learning
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2454 Learning of the air-fuel ratio control
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2464 Characteristics of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2467 for injectors
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2474 Characteristics of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/30 Controlling fuel injection F02D41/182, F02D41/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3005 Details not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A method and system improving vehicle operation is presented. In one example, the vehicle data is transmitted between a vehicle and a cloud computer. The cloud computer adjusts engine control parameters and the vehicle is operated based on the adjusted engine control parameters.

Claims

1. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

collecting data without driver input from a single source that is correlated with two regulated engine inputs while the vehicle is on a road;

processing the data off-board the vehicle into control adjustments for the two regulated engine inputs; and

operating the vehicle in response to the control adjustments.

2. The method of claim 1, where the single source is an exhaust gas oxygen sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, where the first of the two regulated inputs is a fuel mass quantity, and where the second of the two regulated inputs is an air mass quantity.

4. The method of claim 1, where the control adjustments include adjustments to two transfer functions of two actuators.

5. The method of claim 4, where a first actuator of the two actuators is a throttle, and where the second actuator is a fuel injector.

6. The method of claim 1, where the control adjustments include adjustments to an accelerator pedal position transfer function and an air sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, where the data is processed in a computer that processes data from a plurality of vehicles traveling on the road, and where the vehicle is not owned by a vehicle manufacturer.

8. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

collecting air-fuel data, fuel injection data, air amount data in a vehicle controller;

transmitting the air-fuel data, fuel injection data, air amount data to a remote computer, the remote computer adjusting a control parameter in response to the air-fuel data, fuel injection data, and air amount data, the remote computer processing data from a plurality of vehicles; and

operating the vehicle in response to the control parameter.

9. The method of claim 8, where the control parameter is an engine air amount control parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, where the engine air amount parameter is a throttle transfer function.

11. The method of claim 9, where the engine air amount parameter is an air amount sensor transfer function.

12. The method of claim 9, where the engine air amount parameter is an engine volumetric efficiency related transfer function.

13. The method of claim 8, where the air-fuel data, fuel injector data, and air amount data is separated into steady state data and transient data.

14. The method of claim 8, where the air-fuel data, fuel injector data, and air amount data is separated into engine stopping data and engine starting data.

15. A vehicle performance improvement system, comprising:

a vehicle including an engine;

a data processing unit external from the vehicle; and

a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory to transmit data from a single source that is correlated to two engine control devices, the data transmitted to the data processing unit external from the vehicle, and additional executable instructions for receiving revised engine actuator transfer functions.

16. The vehicle performance improvement system of claim 15, further comprising additional executable instructions for receiving revised engine sensor transfer functions, and where the engine control devices include a fuel injector and an air mass sensor.

17. The vehicle performance improvement system of claim 15, where the vehicle is owned by a private party other than a vehicle manufacturer, and where the data processing unit external from the vehicle is owned by the vehicle manufacturer.

18. The vehicle performance improvement system of claim 15, further comprising additional executable instructions for separating steady state data and transient data from the single source, and where the single source is an exhaust gas sensor.

19. The vehicle performance improvement system of claim 15, further comprising additional executable instructions for separating engine starting data and engine stopping data from the single source, and where the single source is an exhaust gas sensor.

20. The vehicle performance improvement system of claim 15, further comprising a transmitter and a receiver within the vehicle.