Controller for homogenous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine

• US 7,757,659 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kamio, Junichi, Kurotani, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Hieu T
• Application Number:
  US12/153,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20080289600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 123/304, 123/305, 123/299, 123/295, 123/478, 123/480, 701103-105
• US Class Current: 123/304
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/12 with compression ignition with fuel-air charge ignited by compression ignition of an additional fuel F02B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/061 by controlling fuel injectors
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0636 by estimation, i.e. without using direct measurements of a corresponding sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0649 Liquid fuels having different boiling temperatures, volatilities, densities, viscosities, cetane or octane numbers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0692 Arrangement of multiple injectors per combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0694 operating with a plurality of fuels
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/081 Adjusting the fuel composition or mixing ratio; Transitioning from one fuel to the other
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/021 using an ionic current sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/028 by determining the combustion timing or phasing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0025 Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0085 Balancing of cylinder outputs, e.g. speed, torque or air-fuel ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3035 a mode being the premixed charge compression-ignition mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 43/00 Fuel-injection apparatus operating simultaneously on two or more fuels, or on a liquid fuel and another liquid, e.g. the other liquid being an anti-knock additive
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 69/046 for injecting into both the combustion chamber and the intake conduit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine (HCCI) (1) is able to supply two types of fuels with different octane numbers to each cylinder (3) through fuel supply devices (17, 18). A controller (2) detects via an ion current sensor (21) disposed in each cylinder (3) a combustion timing corresponded state value having a regular correlativity to a combustion timing for each cylinder (3) and then adjusts by using the fuel supply devices (17, 18) a relative proportion of a respective supplied quantity of each fuel to each cylinder (3) according to a deviation between the combustion timing corresponded state value and a desired state value set according to a working state of the HCCI engine 1. Thereby, it is able to efficiently inhibit variations on the combustion timing for each cylinder of the HCCI engine 1 having plural cylinders without involving a complex mechanism.

Claims

1. A controller for a homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine which includes a plurality of cylinders, and a fuel supply device capable of supplying respectively plural types of fuels with mutually different octane numbers to a combustion chamber in each of the plurality of cylinders and adjusting a supplied quantity of the respective plural types of fuels supplied to each of the plurality of cylinders, wherein a fuel-air mixture having a fuel supplied to the combustion chamber in each of the plurality of cylinders by the fuel supply device and air inhaled to the combustion chamber is ignited to make a combustion by compressing the fuel-air mixture, comprising:

a combustion timing corresponded state value detection means for detecting a combustion timing corresponded state value which is a state value of a predefined type having a regular correlativity to a combustion timing of the fuel-air mixture for each cylinder;

a desired state value setting means for setting a desired state value of the combustion timing corresponded state value for each cylinder according to a working state of the homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine; and

a fuel supply control means for adjusting by using the fuel supply device a relative proportion of a supplied quantity of the respective plural types of fuels to each cylinder according to a deviation between the detected combustion timing corresponded state value and the desired state value set by the desired state value setting means so as to approximate the deviation to zero.

2. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply control means includes a basic operation value group determination means for determining a basic operation value group which is a group of basic operation values with respect to the plural types of fuels for defining a supplied quantity of the respective plural types of fuels in a constant working state of the homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to the working state of the homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine and a deviation-actuated correction means for correcting at least one of the basic operation values among the basic operation value group according to the deviation so as to approximate the deviation to zero, and controls the fuel supply device according to a control operation value group obtained by correcting the basic operation value group by using at least the deviation-actuated correction means.

3. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 2, wherein the deviation-actuated correction means corrects at least two basic operation values among the basic operation value group according to the deviation so as to approximate the deviation to zero, while maintaining a total calorific value of a composite fuel consisting of the plural types of fuels with respective supplied quantity defined according to an operation value group obtained by correcting the basic operation value group by using the deviation-actuated correction means at a total calorific value of a composite fuel consisting of the plural types of fuels with respective supplied quantity defined according to the basic operation value group.

4. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 2, wherein the plural types of fuels consist of two types of fuels of a low-octane fuel and a high-octane fuel;

the deviation-actuated correction means corrects at least one of the basic operation values among the basic operation value group according to the deviation so as to increase a proportion of a supplied quantity of the high-octane fuel with respect to a supplied quantity of the low-octane fuel to be greater than a proportion defined according to the basic operation value group when a combustion timing corresponding to the detected combustion timing corresponded state value is advanced in comparison with a desired value of a combustion timing corresponding to the desired state value of the combustion timing corresponded state value and a proportion of a supplied quantity of the low-octane fuel with respect to a supplied quantity of the high-octane fuel greater than a proportion defined according to the basic operation value group when a combustion timing corresponding to the detected combustion timing corresponded state value is retarded in comparison with a desired value of a combustion timing corresponding to the desired state value of the combustion timing corresponded state value.

5. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 4, wherein the deviation-actuated correction means includes a first correction operation value determination means for determining a first correction operation value used to correct the basic operation value relating to either one fuel of the low-octane fuel and the high-octane fuel and a second correction operation value determination means for determining a second correction operation value used to correct the basic operation value relating to the other fuel of the low-octane fuel and the high-octane fuel, wherein the first correction operation value determination means determines the first correction operation value according to the deviation so as to approximate the deviation to zero;

and the second correction operation value determination means determines the second correction operation value according to the first correction operation value so as to maintain a total calorific value of a composite fuel consisting of the two types of fuels with respective supplied quantity defined according to an operation value group obtained by correcting the basic operation value group with the first correction operation value and the second correction operation value at a total calorific value of a composite fuel consisting of the two types of fuels with respective supplied quantity defined according to the basic operation value group.

6. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the controller further includes an ion current sensor disposed in each cylinder for detecting ion current for the combustion chamber of each cylinder, wherein the combustion timing corresponded state value detected by the detection means corresponds to a timing where the ion current detected by the ion current sensor disposed in each cylinder reaches a predefined state.

7. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the plural types of fuels consist of two types of fuels having gasoline as the low-octane fuel and ethanol as the high-octane fuel.

8. The controller for homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the plural types of fuels consist of two types of fuels having diethyl ether as the low-octane fuel and ethanol as the high-octane fuel.