METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENGINE TORQUE CONTROL

• US 20150114345A1
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lockwood, John Anthony, Doering, Jeffrey Allen
• Granted Patent: US 9,840,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/344
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/046 involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle, e.g. via telemetry, satellite, Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/065 by reducing the computational load on the digital processor of the control computer
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/1433 using a model or simulation of the system
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/1002 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/1004 Estimation of the output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0007 for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines control of the pumps per se F02B37/12
• 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 41/1473 characterised by the regulation method
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1497 With detection of the mechanical response of the engine

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for improving vehicle torque control accuracy. Data points of an engine torque data set are adjusted en masse by an on-board vehicle controller while also being adjusted individually by an off-board controller. By adjusting engine operation based on a torque data set that is updated by each of the on-board and off-board controllers, engine torque errors can be reliably determined and compensated for.

Claims

1. A method for controlling vehicle torque, comprising:

adjusting each data point of an engine torque data set with a slope and offset modifier from engine torque data on-board the vehicle;

adjusting individual data points of the engine torque data set from engine torque data off-board the vehicle; and

adjusting an engine airflow control based on the engine torque data set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting airflow control includes adjusting a throttle of the engine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the engine is a turbocharged engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting airflow control includes adjusting airflow control of engine torque by controlling boost of a turbocharger of the engine.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting each data point with a slope and offset modifier from engine torque data on-board the vehicle includes adjusting each data point with the same slope and same offset modifier.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting individual data points from engine torque data off-board the vehicle includes adjusting one or more data points, each of the one or more data points adjusted with different, independent adjustments.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting on-board the vehicle includes adjusting using a first computation model having a first, smaller number of parameters, and wherein adjusting off-board the vehicle include adjusting using a second computation model having a second, larger number of parameters.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting on-board the vehicle includes adjusting via a vehicle control system on-board the vehicle, and wherein adjusting off-board the vehicle includes adjusting via a cloud computing system off-board the vehicle, the cloud computing system communicatively coupled to the vehicle control system.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting each data point on-board the vehicle includes increasing each data point or decreasing each data point.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting individual data points off-board the vehicle includes increasing a first data point, decreasing a second data point, and increasing a third data point, the first data point increased more than the third data point, the decrease in the second data point being larger than the increase in the third data point.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusting each data point includes periodically adjusting each data point on-board the vehicle at a first, shorter interval, and wherein the adjusting individual data points includes periodically adjusting individual data points off-board the vehicle at a second, longer interval.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first interval includes one of a threshold number of combustion cycles and a threshold duration, and wherein the second interval includes one of an engine-on/off cycle and a key-on/off cycle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting each data point on-board the vehicle is performed during a first engine operating window, and wherein the adjusting individual data points off-board the vehicle is performed during a second engine operating window, the first operating window more restrictive than the second operating window.

14. A method, comprising:

during vehicle operation over a vehicle life;

scaling all data points of an engine torque data set on an on-board vehicle control system based on on-board sensed and processed data; and

differentially adjusting a plurality of single data points of the engine torque data set on the vehicle control system based on on-board sensed and processed data and off-board processed data; and

adjusting engine airflow control based on the data set.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the scaling all data point includes increasing or decreasing all data points with a common slope and offset modifier, and wherein differentially adjusting a plurality of single data points includes increasing a first data point by a first amount while decreasing a second data point by a second, different amount.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein off-board processed data includes data processed on a cloud computing system, the method further comprising:

uploading the engine torque data set from the vehicle control system to the cloud computing system for processing, and downloading the processed data set from the cloud computation system onto the vehicle control system.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the on-board processed data is processed using a first computation model having a first, smaller number of parameters and a first, narrower engine operating window, and wherein the off-board processed data is processed using a second computation model having a second, larger number of parameters and a second, wider engine operating window, and

wherein the scaling all data points is performed once every threshold duration, and wherein the differentially adjusting is performed once every key-on/off event.

18. A vehicle system, comprising:

a turbocharged engine;

one or more engine torque indicators;

and an on-board control system communicatively coupled to an off-board control system,

the on-board control system including computer readable instructions for;

processing raw data received from the one or more engine torque indicators;

scaling every data point of an engine torque data set stored on the on-board control system based on the processing;

uploading the raw data to the off-board control system for processing;

downloading processed data from the off-board control system;

differentially adjusting single data points of the engine torque data set based on downloaded data; and

adjusting engine turbocharger boost based on the engine torque data set.

19. The vehicle system of claim 18, wherein the off-board control system is a cloud computing system in wireless communication with the on-board control system, and

wherein the scaling every data point includes increasing or decreasing each data point by a common slope and offset modifier, and wherein differentially adjusting single data points includes increasing a first data point by an amount, decreasing a second data point by a different amount, and maintaining a third data point, and wherein adjusting engine operation includes,

automatically, and without receiving an input from the operator, adjusting engine operation based on the scaling of the engine torque data set;

and

adjusting engine operation only upon receiving permission from an operator to adjust engine operation based on the differential adjusting of the engine torque data set.