Method of controlling an internal combustion engine

• US 6,484,694 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2000
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MTU America, Inc. (Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG)
• Inventors: Thomas, Eric D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T.
• Application Number:
  US09/730,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20020066445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 123/435, 123/436, 123/305, 123/406.42, 123/406.27, 123/406.43, 123/406.22, 701/106, 701/102, 701/115, 731/15, 731/173
• US Class Current: 123/435
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 1/34 characterised by the provision of means for changing the timing of the valves without changing the duration of opening and without affecting the magnitude of the valve lift
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0406 Intake manifold pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/023 by determining the cylinder pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2474 Characteristics of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3809 Common rail control systems common rail apparatus F02M55/025, F02M63/0225

Abstract

A method of controlling an internal combustion engine includes determining the pressure within the cylinder with a pressure sensor which samples at specific positions of the piston indicating the properties of the thermodynamic cycle. The engine is controlled and operating condition diagnosed in real time based on that series of cylinder pressures at corresponding piston positions.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine comprising:

an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders;

a plurality of pistons with a piston received in each cylinder;

a plurality of pressure sensors with a pressure sensor configured at each cylinder to detect cylinder pressure;

a crankshaft having an encoder, the crankshaft driving the pistons;

a crankshaft sensor for detecting a position of the crankshaft, allowing determination of the position of each piston within its cycle; and

a controller configured to determine a pressure within each cylinder and the position of each corresponding piston within its cycle, and further configured to control the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions including determining a net work for the cycle for each piston based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions.

2. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a cylinder and a piston received in the cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of the piston within the cycle;

determining a pressure within the cylinder, when the piston is at the determined position, with a pressure sensor disposed in the cylinder;

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions wherein the engine operates over a four stroke cycle including an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke, and an exhaust stroke;

determining the position of the piston within the cycle at a plurality of points on the compression stroke and a plurality of points on the power stroke;

determining the pressure within the cylinder with the pressure sensor for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke; and

determining a net work for the cycle based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke.

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

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining the position of the piston within the cycle at first, second, and third points on the compression stroke;

determining the pressure within the cylinder with the pressure sensor for the first, second, and third points on the compression stroke; and

determining a linear status of the compression stroke based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the first, second and third points on the compression stroke.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining a peak cylinder pressure for the cylinder.

6. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a cylinder and a piston received in the cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of the piston within the cycle;

determining a pressure within the cylinder, when the piston is at the determined position, with a pressure sensor disposed in the cylinder; and

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions wherein the pressure sensor has a logarithmic output.

7. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons, each piston received in a corresponding cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of each piston within the cycle;

measuring a pressure within each cylinder, when the corresponding piston is at the determined position; and

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of cylinders and corresponding plurality of pistons wherein the pressure for each cylinder is measured with a pressure sensor has a logarithmic output.

8. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a cylinder and a piston received in the cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of the piston within the cycle;

determining a pressure within the cylinder, when the piston is at the determined position, with a pressure sensor disposed in the cylinder;

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions wherein the engine operates over a four stroke cycle including an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke, and an exhaust stroke; and

wherein the engine includes an intake pressure sensor;

determining the position of the piston within the cycle at a point on the intake stroke;

determining the pressure within the cylinder with the pressure sensor for the point on the intake stroke;

determining the intake pressure form the intake pressure sensor; and

calibrating an offset of the cylinder pressure sensor based on the intake pressure from the intake pressure sensor.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining the position of the piston within the cycle at a plurality of points on the compression stroke;

determining the pressure within the cylinder with the pressure sensor for the plurality of points on the compression stroke;

determining a slope of the compression stroke based on the position and pressures for the plurality of points;

calibrating a gain of the cylinder pressure sensor based on the determined slope of the compression stroke and a predetermined slope of the compression stroke, wherein the predetermined slope is based on thermodynamic properties of the engine cycle.

10. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons, each piston received in a corresponding cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of each piston within the cycle;

measuring a pressure within each cylinder, when the corresponding piston is at the determined position;

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of cylinders and corresponding plurality of pistons wherein the engine operates over a four stroke cycle including an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke, and an exhaust stroke and wherein the engine includes an intake pressure sensor;

determining the position of each piston within the cycle at a point on the intake stroke;

determining the pressure within each cylinder for the point on the intake stroke for the corresponding piston;

determining the intake pressure from the intake pressure sensor; and

calibrating an offset of the pressure measurements for each cylinder based on the intake pressure from the intake pressure sensor.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining the position of each piston within the cycle at a plurality of points on the compression stroke;

determining the pressure within each cylinder for the plurality of points on the compression stroke for the corresponding piston;

determining a slope of the compression stroke based on the positions and pressures for the plurality of points; and

calibrating a gain of the pressure measurements for each cylinder based on the determined slope of the compression stroke and a predetermined slope of the compression stroke, wherein the predetermined slope is based on thermodynamic properties of the engine cycle.

12. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons, each piston received in a corresponding cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of each piston within the cycle;

measuring a pressure within each cylinder, when the corresponding piston is at the determined position;

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of cylinders and corresponding plurality of pistons wherein the engine operates over a four stroke cycle including an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke, and an exhaust stroke;

determining the position of each piston within the cycle at a plurality of points on the compression stroke and a plurality of points on the power stroke;

determining the pressure within each cylinder for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke for the corresponding piston; and

determining a net work for the cycle for each piston based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the engine is a diesel engine.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining the position of each piston within the cycle at first, second, and third points on the compression stroke;

determining the pressure within each cylinder for the first, second, and third points on the compression stroke for the corresponding piston; and

determining a linear status of the compression stroke for each piston based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the first, second and third points on the compression stroke.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining a peak cylinder pressure for each cylinder.

16. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons, each piston received in a corresponding cylinder, the method comprising:

determining a position of each piston within the cycle;

measuring a pressure within each cylinder, when the corresponding piston is at the determined position;

controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of cylinders and corresponding plurality of pistons wherein the engine operates over a four stroke cycle including an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke, and an exhaust stroke;

determining the position of each piston within the cycle at a plurality of points on the compression stroke and a plurality of points on the power stroke;

determining the pressure within each cylinder for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke for the corresponding piston;

determining a net work for the cycle for each piston based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke; and

controlling the engine based on the net work for the cycle for each piston to balance the power output from each engine cylinder.