INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE CONTROL FOR IMPROVED FUEL EFFICIENCY
First Claim
1. A method of controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having a plurality of working chambers, each working chamber being generally arranged to operate in a succession of working cycles, the method comprising:
- operating the engine in a skip fire operational mode, wherein during operation of the engine in the skip fire operational mode, a selected one of the working chambers will be fired during some working cycles and not fired during other working cycles; and
adjusting a setting of a component that affects a torque output associated with a selected firing of the selected working chamber based at least in part on a current skip/fire firing history of the selected working chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A variety of methods and arrangements for improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines based on skip fire operation of the engine are described. In one aspect the skip fire decisions are made on a working cycle by working cycle basis. During selected skipped working cycles, the corresponding cylinders are deactivated such that air is not pumped through the cylinder during the selected skipped working cycles. In some implementations, the cylinders are deactivated by holding associated intake and exhaust valves closed such that an air charge is not present in the working chamber during the selected skipped working cycles.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method of controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having a plurality of working chambers, each working chamber being generally arranged to operate in a succession of working cycles, the method comprising:
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operating the engine in a skip fire operational mode, wherein during operation of the engine in the skip fire operational mode, a selected one of the working chambers will be fired during some working cycles and not fired during other working cycles; and adjusting a setting of a component that affects a torque output associated with a selected firing of the selected working chamber based at least in part on a current skip/fire firing history of the selected working chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16)
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17. A method of controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having at least one working chamber, each working chamber being generally arranged to operate in a succession of working cycles, the method comprising:
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operating the engine in a skip fire mode in which selected active working cycles are fired and selected skipped working cycles are skipped; and when an active working cycle follows a skipped working cycle in the same working chamber, the quanta of fuel injected for delivery to the working chamber is increased relative to the quanta of fuel that would be delivered to the working chamber when the active working cycle follows another active working cycle in the same working chamber. - View Dependent Claims (14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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- 29. An engine controller configured to direct operation of an engine having at least one working chamber in a skip fire manner in which selected working cycles are fired and selected working cycles are skipped, the engine controller including an engine settings controller arranged to determine an engine setting that affects a torque output associated with a selected firing of a selected one of the working chamber(s) based at least in part on a then current skip/fire firing history of the selected working chamber.
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31. An engine controller suitable for use with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder being arranged to operate in a succession of working cycles, the engine controller comprising:
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a skip fire controller arranged to direct operation of the engine in a skip fire mode that causes selected active working cycles to be fired and selected skipped working cycles not to be fired, the skip fire controller being arranged to make firing decisions; and the engine control being arranged such that when, during skip fire operation, an active working cycle follows a skipped working cycle in the same working chamber, the quanta of fuel injected for delivery to the working chamber is increased relative to the quanta of fuel that would be delivered to the working chamber when the active working cycle follows another active working cycle in the same working chamber. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification