Control apparatus and control method of internal combustion engine

• US 5,727,528 A
• Filed: 03/19/1997
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hori, Toshio, Atago, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelli, Raymond A.
• Application Number:
  US08/820,547
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 123/486, 123/361, 123/527
• US Class Current: 123/486
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/0017 by simultaneous control of throttle and exhaust gas recirculation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0072 Estimating, calculating or determining the EGR rate, amount or flow sensors in EGR systems F02M26/45
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/18 by measuring intake air flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 43/00 Conjoint electrical control of two or more functions, e.g. ignition, fuel-air mixture, recirculation, supercharging or exhaust-gas treatment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A control apparatus of an internal combustion engine has: an air flow amount determining unit for determining a request intake air flow amount corresponding to a target output of an engine; a fuel flow amount determining unit for determining a request fuel flow amount to be supplied to the engine; an intake air amount limiting unit for outputting a predetermined limit value as an intake gas total amount value when the determined request intake air flow amount exceeds the predetermined limit value under a predetermined control condition; and a correcting unit for correcting the value of the request fuel flow amount so that the engine generates the target output on the basis of the request intake air flow amount and the limit intake air flow amount when the intake air amount of the engine is limited.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

air flow amount determining means for determining a request intake air flow amount corresponding to a target output of an engine;

fuel flow amount determining means for determining a request fuel flow amount which is supplied to the engine;

intake air amount limiting means for outputting a predetermined limit value as an intake gas total amount value when said determined request intake air flow amount exceeds said predetermined limit value under a predetermined control condition; and

correcting means for correcting the value of said request fuel flow amount so that said engine generates said target output on the basis of said request intake air flow amount and said limit intake air flow amount when the intake air amount of said engine is limited.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including an EGR apparatus for introducing a part of exhaust gas into an intake pipe, and wherein said predetermined control condition is a case where said EGR apparatus operates.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said correcting means determines a first correction coefficient corresponding to a ratio between said request intake air flow amount and said intake gas total amount value and a second correction coefficient corresponding to an exhaust gas flow amount of said EGR apparatus and corrects the value of said request fuel flow amount on the basis of said first and second correction coefficients so that said engine generates said target output.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further having a memory device in which values of said first correction coefficient and said second correction coefficient corresponding to a target output value have been stored, and wherein when said target output is given, said correcting means reads out the values of said first and second correction coefficients from said memory device.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said intake air amount limiting means has means for determining said predetermined limit value according to an engine speed, when said request intake air flow amount exceeds said limit value in the case where said EGR apparatus operates, said intake air amount limiting means outputs said limit value, and when said EGR apparatus doesn'"'"'t operate, said intake air amount limiting means outputs said request intake air flow amount value determined by said air flow amount determining means as an intake gas total amount value.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said means for determining said predetermined limit value is a memory device in which a map indicative of said predetermined limit value according to an engine speed has been stored.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said memory device has a plurality of maps in which characteristics of said predetermined limit value for the value of said engine speed are different.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5, further having gas amount determining means for determining an intake air flow amount and an exhaust gas flow amount from said intake gas total amount value which is outputted from said intake air amount limiting means and a desired target EGR rate.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, further having means for calculating a fuel/air ratio of a mixture from the value of the intake air flow amount determined by said gas amount determining means and the value of the request fuel flow amount corrected by said correcting means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, further having:

air flow amount control means for controlling an intake air in accordance with an output from said flow amount determining means; and

fuel injecting means for controlling a flow amount of fuel that is supplied to the engine in accordance with a value of a fuel/air ratio from said means for calculating said fuel/air ratio.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, further having an apparatus for absorbing an evaporation fuel from a fuel system, and wherein said predetermined control condition is a case where fuel gas is purged from said absorbing apparatus into an intake pipe.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8, further having EGR rate determining means, and wherein said EGR rate determining means includes means for predicting an actual EGR rate on the basis of said target EGR rate that is given from said gas amount determining means and predetermined response characteristics of said EGR apparatus, supplies said target EGR rate to said gas amount determining means, and supplies the predicted EGR rate to said correcting means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said air flow amount determining means includes:

means for determining a possible maximum output torque at an engine speed on the basis of said engine speed;

means for calculating an output ratio between a target torque and said maximum output torque;

means for determining a possible maximum intake air amount at said engine speed; and

means for mutually multiplying said maximum intake air amount, said engine speed, and said output ratio, thereby obtaining said request intake air flow amount.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, further having means for determining a fuel flow amount value so that a mixture has a specified air/fuel ratio, and wherein when a driving at said specified air/fuel ratio is required, said means for determining said fuel flow amount value is made operative in place of said correcting means.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said specified air/fuel ratio is substantially a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio.

16. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said intake air amount limiting means and said correcting means have a map indicative of said intake gas total amount value which corresponds to said target output and was determined in consideration of said predetermined limit value and said request fuel flow amount value corrected in the case where said EGR apparatus operates.

17. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control apparatus is installed in a vehicle in which said engine is mounted, said control apparatus has means for generating said target output, and said target output generating means has predetermined output characteristics data indicative of a target output value for a value of an engine speed and determines said target output as a value corresponding to an output torque of the engine in accordance with said output characteristics data on the basis of a depression amount of an acceleration pedal of said vehicle and said engine speed.

18. A control method of an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:

determining a request intake air flow amount corresponding to a target output of an engine;

determining a request fuel flow amount which is supplied to the engine;

outputting a predetermined limit value as an intake gas total amount value when said determined request intake air flow amount exceeds said predetermined limit value under a predetermined control condition; and

correcting the value of said request fuel flow amount so that said engine generates said target output on the basis of the values of said request intake air flow amount and said limit intake air flow amount when an intake air amount of said engine is limited.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein said predetermined control condition is a case where an EGR apparatus for introducing a part of exhaust gas into an intake pipe operates.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein in said correcting step, a first correction coefficient corresponding to a ratio between said request intake air flow amount and said intake gas total amount value and a second correction coefficient corresponding to an exhaust gas flow amount of said EGR apparatus are determined, and the value of said request fuel flow amount is corrected on the basis of said first and second correction coefficients so that said engine generates said target output.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein said step of limiting said intake air amount includes a step of determining said predetermined limit value according to an engine speed, when said request intake air flow amount exceeds said limit value in the case where said EGR apparatus operates, said limit value is outputted, and when said EGR apparatus doesn'"'"'t operate, said request intake air flow amount value determined in said air flow amount determining means is outputted as an intake gas total amount value.