Variable displacement engine diagnostics

• US 7,921,709 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rollinger, John Eric, Doering, Jeffrey Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III; Freddie
• Application Number:
  US12/352,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20100175463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 731/143.1, 731/147.9, 731/143.7
• US Class Current: 73/114.79
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/00 Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/06 Cutting-out cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/288 for performing a transformation into the frequency domain, e.g. Fourier transformation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0406 Intake manifold pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0002 Controlling intake air
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/221 relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/09 by monitoring pressure in fluid ducts, e.g. in lubrication or cooling parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for monitoring cylinder valve deactivation of a cylinder valve of an engine. One example method comprises, indicating degradation of cylinder valve deactivation in response to manifold pressure at or around a characteristic frequency.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring cylinder valve deactivation of a cylinder valve of an engine, comprising:

setting a diagnostic code in a control system indicating degradation of cylinder valve deactivation in response to a manifold pressure response to cylinder valve events, the manifold pressure response at or around a characteristic frequency and during an intake valve event of the engine, the characteristic frequency including a resonant acoustic frequency of an engine intake manifold.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, differentiating valve degradation among a plurality of cylinder valves of the engine based on a signal content of the manifold pressure response and a crank angle at which the signal content is greater than a threshold amount.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the engine is a variable displacement engine (VDE) configured to operate in a first VDE mode of operation with one or more engine cylinders deactivated, or a second non-VDE mode of operation, wherein the threshold amount is based on the engine mode of operation and engine operating conditions, and wherein the indication of degradation includes an indication of degradation of a cylinder deactivation mechanism coupled to the cylinder valve.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, sampling manifold pressure in each of a plurality of sampling windows.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the sampling window is a crank angle sampling window.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising, adjusting a valve timing of at least one of the cylinder valves, and further adjusting the sampling window responsive to the adjusted valve timing.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the indication of degradation identifies that, for a cylinder, at least one valve is operating while at least another valve is maintained closed, over four strokes of a piston cycle in the cylinder.

8. A method for monitoring a cylinder valve deactivation mechanism coupled in an engine, the cylinder valve deactivation mechanism coupled to at least a cylinder valve of a cylinder of the engine, the cylinder having a plurality of cylinder valves with variable cam timing, the method comprising:

monitoring a signal indicative of intake manifold pressure of the engine;

sampling the signal at least over a movable crank angle window, the crank angle window adjusted responsive to adjustments in cam timing; and

indicating degradation of the cylinder valve deactivation mechanism in response to a magnitude of the sampled signal at or around a characteristic resonant frequency of the intake manifold pressure.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the indication of degradation includes setting a diagnostic code in a control system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the characteristic frequency includes a resonant acoustic frequency of an intake manifold of the engine.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the indication is based on a manifold pressure signal content at or around the resonant acoustic frequency during an intake stroke or intake valve lift event of a cylinder of the engine, wherein the resonant acoustic frequency is adjusted responsive to operating conditions or settings of manifold tuning devices.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising differentiating valve degradation among the plurality of cylinder valves of the engine based on the signal content and a crank angle at which the signal content is greater than a threshold amount.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the threshold value is based on a VDE mode of operation and engine operating conditions.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the indication of degradation identifies that, for a cylinder, at least one valve is operating while at least another valve is maintained closed, over four strokes of a piston cycle in the cylinder.

15. A system, comprising:

an engine having a crankshaft and a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder with a plurality of cylinder valves;

a deactivation mechanism for deactivating at least one cylinder valve;

a variable cam timing mechanism for adjusting a timing of at least one cylinder valve;

an intake manifold;

a sensor providing information indicative of manifold pressure; and

a control system configured to receive a signal from the sensor, sample the signal indicative over a movable crank angle window, the crank angle window adjusted responsive to adjustments in cam timing and including an intake stroke of a cylinder of the engine, indicate degradation of the valve deactivation mechanism in response to a magnitude of the sampled signal at or around a characteristic resonant frequency of the intake manifold pressure, and to differentiate valve degradation among the plurality of cylinder valves of the engine based on the signal content and a crank angle at which the signal content is greater than a threshold amount.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the control system is further configured to indicate that at least one valve is operating while at least another valve is maintained closed, over four strokes of a piston cycle in the cylinder in which the mechanism has degraded.