Engine control method and apparatus

• US 4,548,185 A
• Filed: 09/10/1984
• Issued: 10/22/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Pozniak, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolfe, W. R.
• Application Number:
  US06/649,119
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 123/416, 123/417, 123/478, 123/480, 123/486, 123/438, 123/585, 123/571, 364/431.05, 364/431.06
• US Class Current: 123/568.27
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/1431 the system including an input-output delay
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/005 according to engine operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/045 Detection of accelerating or decelerating state detection thereof in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/263 the program execution being modifiable by physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling an engine operating parameter as a function of at least one engine operating condition by predicting the value of the engine operating condition at a predetermined time in the future, determining the control signal required to establish the corresponding engine operating parameter at the future time and applying the control signal to establish the desired value at a time preceding the future time by an amount of the known system time delay.

Claims

1. The method of controlling the value of an operating parameter of an engine as a function of at least one engine operating condition, the engine having an actuator responsive to a control signal for adjusting the operating parameter after a known delay time to a desired value, the method comprising the steps of:

determining the value of the engine operating condition;

determining the variation of the engine operating condition;

predicting the value of the engine operating condition at a future time based on the determined value and variation of the engine operating condition;

determining the desired value of the engine operating parameter corresponding to the predicted value of the engine operating condition;

determining the value of a control signal required to establish the desired value of the engine operating parameter;

providing the control signal at the determined value to the actuator at a time that precedes the future time by the known delay time, whereby the desired value of the engine operating parameter is established at the future time at which the corresponding predicted value of the engine operating condition was to occur.

2. For an internal combustion engine in which the desired value of an engine control parameter is determined as a function of engine throttle and engine speed values and an actuator is effective to establish the control parameter at the desired value a predetermined time lag after receiving a command to do so, the method comprising:

determining the present engine throttle value;

determining the present time variance in the engine throttle value;

determining the present engine speed value;

predicting the engine throttle value at a predetermined future time based upon the present engine throttle value and the present time variance in the engine throttle value;

determining the desired value of the engine control parameter at the future time based upon the predicted engine throttle value and the present engine speed value;

commanding the actuator to establish the control parameter at the desired value in such a manner that the command is received by the actuator at a time preceding the future time by the predetermined time lag so that the desired value of the control parameter is established at the future time.

3. A system for controlling the value of an operating parameter of an engine as a function of at least one engine operating condition, the engine having an actuator responsive to a control signal for adjusting the operating parameter after a known delay time to a desired value, the system comprising, in combination:

means for measuring the value of the engine operating condition;

means for measuring the time variance of the engine operating condition;

means for predicting the value of the engine operating condition at a future time based on the measured and determined time variance of the engine operating condition; and

means for providing a control signal to the actuator at a time that precedes the future time by the known delay time, the control signal having a value for establishing a desired value of the engine operating parameter that corresponds to the predicted value of the engine operating condition, whereby the desired value of the engine operating parameter is established at the future time at which the corresponding predicted value of the engine operating condition was to occur.