Method and system for transient airflow compensation in an internal combustion engine

• US 7,380,447 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Doering, Jeff A., Ciarrocchi, Rob, Willard, Karen, Pietrzyk, Paul, Cullen, Michael, Rollinger, John
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/423,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20070295067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 724 Days
• Field of Search: 731/12, 731/15, 731/16, 731/171, 731/172, 731/173, 731/181, 731/182, 731/19.R
• US Class Current: 73/114.32
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/09 by monitoring pressure in fluid ducts, e.g. in lubrication or cooling parts

Abstract

A method for determining airflow to a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, such airflow passing to the cylinder through an intake manifold. The method includes providing a model of the intake manifold, such model providing a relationship between expected output airflow from the intake manifold in response to airflow into the intake manifold; determining from the model the expected output airflow from the intake manifold from a previous commanded airflow into the intake manifold; determining a compensation airflow required for the input airflow to the intake manifold to drive the expected output from the intake manifold towards the desired cylinder airflow; and providing such compensation airflow to the intake manifold.

Claims

1. A method for determining airflow to a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, such airflow passing to the cylinder through an intake manifold, comprising:

providing a model of the intake manifold, such model providing a relationship between expected output airflow from the intake manifold in response to airflow into the intake manifold;

determining from the model the expected output airflow from the intake manifold from a previous commanded airflow into the intake manifold;

determining a compensation airflow required for the input airflow to the intake manifold to drive the expected output airflow from the intake manifold towards the desired cylinder airflow; and

providing such compensation airflow to the intake manifold.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the model determination includes changes in volumetric efficiency of the intake manifold from changes in device states or engine operating states that effect cylinder flow or volumetric efficiency.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein the airflow compensation comprises using a differentiation of the Ideal Gas Law comprising a partial derivative of manifold pressure with respect to device states, divided by a product of:

the Ideal Gas Constant, the reciprocal of the volume of the intake manifold, absolute gas temperature in the intake manifold, and the change in time over which the partial derivative being computed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the compensation is an airflow adder to be used via commands to an intake flow control device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the intake flow control device is an electronic throttle.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the intake flow control device is an air bypass or idle control valve.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the intake flow control device is an electrically actuated valve-train.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the intake flow control device is an electric pump or compressor.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the intake flow control device is an electrically controlled variable mechanical compressor, as used in a supercharger or turbo-charger configuration.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the intake flow control device is an electrically controlled variable mechanical compressor, as used in a supercharger or turbo-charger configuration.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from a variable cam, which can be either intake, exhaust, or both.

12. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from a variable valve timing mechanism, which can be either intake, exhaust, or both.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from a runner length control valve.

14. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from a swirl control valve.

15. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from a intake tuning valve.

16. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from an internal dilution mechanism or external exhaust gas recirculation directly into the intake runners or ports.

17. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is from an exhaust device, such as a variable geometry turbocharger, where the exhaust back pressure changes rapidly with the device.

18. The method of claim 3 wherein the device state change is augmented with a change in estimated cylinder charge flow in the calculation of the partial derivative of manifold pressure.

19. The method recited in claim 1 including compensating for lags between the desired airflow and output airflow due to intake manifold filling dynamics.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the compensation is an airflow adder used via commands to an intake flow control device.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the compensation for manifold lags is a Proportional-Integral-Derivative control algorithm, which acts on the error between the target cylinder flow and an estimate of cylinder flow.

22. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the compensation includes modification of a gain term.

23. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of whether a requested action of intake manifold pressure response is in a filling or un-filling regime.

24. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function an error between the desired airflow and the airflow provided by the model.

25. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based on being in a managed tip-in mode from a negative driveline torque condition.

26. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based on being in a cylinder deactivation or variable displacement condition.

27. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based on being in an idle condition.

28. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based on being in a manifold pressure bleed down or dashpot condition.

29. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based in a non-idle closed loop engine speed control condition.

30. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based on being in a low vehicle speed or launch condition.

31. The method recited in claim 22 wherein the gain term is a function of a computer storable and readable value based on being in a torque reduction condition.

32. The method recited in claim 31 wherein the torque reduction condition is due to either engine speed or vehicle speed limiting.

33. The method recited in claim 31 wherein the torque reduction condition is due to transmission shift requirements or truncation of torque to protect the transmission from damage.

34. The method recited in claim 31 wherein the torque reduction condition is due to an active chassis control algorithm such as traction control or roll stability control.

35. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the compensation determination comprises using an inverse intake manifold filling model.

36. The method recited in claim 35 wherein the model is in the form of throttle flow compensation adder=[(1−

FK)/(FK)]*Target Cylinder Flow−

[(1−

FK)/(FKlast)]* Prediction of Cylinder flow without throttle delay, where FK is a manifold filling filter constant.

37. The method recited in claim 36 including determining a symbiotic merger of a manifold filling lag compensator and a manifold outlet device compensator.

38. The method recited in claim 37 including determining a lag adder to allow for a dead-band and reduced gain at lower airflow errors.

39. The method recited in claim 37 wherein the gain is a multiplier that varies as a function of airflow error and target cylinder flow.

40. The method recited in claim 37 wherein the gain is a function of the direction of the target cylinder flow.

41. The method recited in claim 37 wherein the gain varies as a function of operating mode.

42. The method recited in claim 41 including a second gain, such second gain being a function of operating mode.

43. The method recited in claim 38 including providing transient compensation comprising leakage flow compensation.

44. The method recited in claim 1 including:

predicting expected throttle position;

calculating a desired intake flow control device position for the throttle; and

approximating the intake control device position response via a first or second order low pass filter in series with a pure delay.

45. The method recited in claim 1 including:

predicting throttle flow from a prediction of current throttle position and a prediction of current pressure ratio across the throttle from an estimate of barometric pressure and estimated current manifold absolute pressure within an orifice flow equation.

46. The method recited in claim 1 including estimating manifold pressure using a manifold filling dynamics model and feed the estimated manifold pressure into an inferred manifold pressure algorithm.

47. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the compensation determination includes compensating for lag between an intake flow control device based requested cylinder flow and delivered cylinder flow, via a model of intake manifold filling dynamics.

48. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the compensation determination includes using an air flow adder to command an intake flow control device.

49. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the compensation determination includes determining an inversion of a model of manifold filling.

50. The method recited in claim 49 wherein the compensation determination comprises using a Proportional-Integral-Derivative control algorithm.

51. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the compensation determination includes determining the partial derivative of manifold absolute pressure with respect to a device state change and with respect to a change in estimated cylinder charge flow in the calculation of the partial derivative of manifold pressure.