Fuel cutoff transition control systems and methods

• US 8,386,150 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Whitney, Christopher E., Lu, Jun, Pitsch, Michael J., Goode, Ryan, Kar, Krishnendu
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, HAI H
• Application Number:
  US12/769,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 123/436, 123/443, 123/676, 123/481, 123/482, 123/406.23, 123/406.24, 123/406.32, 123/406.44, 123/406.47, 701/103, 701/110, 701/112
• US Class Current: 701/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/20 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/0219 by shifting the phase, i.e. the opening periods of the valves are constant
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/21 during a transition between engine operation modes or states
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/22 by keeping a torque reserve, i.e. with temporarily reduced drive train or engine efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/123 the fuel injection being cut-off
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1497 With detection of the mechanical response of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/307 to avoid torque shocks
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/05 High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/045 combined with electronic control of other engine functions, e.g. fuel injection in general F02D37/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An engine control system includes a fuel cutoff (FCO) module, a fuel control module, and a spark control module. The FCO module, when a FCO event is disabled, determines a feed-forward (FF) number of cylinders to offset a delay period associated with supplying fuel to the cylinders of an engine and selectively maintains a FCO torque request at a predetermined torque. The fuel control module commands fuel be supplied to the FF number of cylinders of the engine when the FCO event is disabled. The spark control module maintains a spark timing of the FF number of cylinders at a fully retarded spark timing based on the FCO torque request.

Claims

1. An engine control system comprising:

a fuel cutoff (FCO) module that, when a FCO event is disabled, determines a feed-forward (FF) number of cylinders to offset a delay period associated with supplying fuel to the cylinders of an engine and selectively maintains a FCO torque request at a predetermined torque;

a fuel control module that commands fuel be supplied to the FF number of cylinders of the engine when the FCO event is disabled; and

a spark control module that maintains a spark timing of the FF number of cylinders at a fully retarded spark timing based on the FCO torque request.

2. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein the spark control module maintains the spark timing further based on an actual number of cylinders being fueled.

3. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein the FCO module maintains the FCO torque request at the predetermined torque until one of the fuel has been supplied to the FF number of cylinders and a predetermined ratio of a total number of cylinders of the engine.

4. The engine control system of claim 3 wherein the FCO module increases the FCO torque request after the fuel has been supplied to the FF number of cylinders.

5. The engine control system of claim 4 wherein the spark control module selectively advances the spark timing from the fully retarded spark timing based on the increase, and

wherein the fuel control module selectively commands fuel to an additional cylinder based on the FCO torque request and the FF number of cylinders.

6. The engine control system of claim 5 wherein the spark control module retards the spark timing toward the fully retarded spark timing when the fuel is supplied to the additional cylinder.

7. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined torque is negative and is determined based on a sum of friction losses of the engine, engine pumping losses, and accessory loads imposed on the engine.

8. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein the FCO module determines the FF number of cylinders based on a rate of decrease of an engine speed.

9. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein the FCO module determines the FF number of cylinders based on a rate of increase of a driver torque request.

10. The engine control system of claim 1 further comprising a diagnostic module that selectively monitors a response to one of a lean to rich transition and a rich to lean transition and that diagnoses a fault in at least one of a catalyst and an oxygen sensor located downstream of the catalyst based on the response;

wherein the FCO module determines the FF number of cylinders based on whether the diagnostic module is monitoring the response.

11. An engine control method comprising:

determining a feed-forward (FF) number of cylinders to offset a delay period associated with supplying fuel to the cylinders of an engine when a FCO event is disabled;

selectively maintaining a FCO torque request at a predetermined torque when the FCO event is disabled;

commanding fuel be supplied to the FF number of cylinders of the engine when the FCO event is disabled; and

maintaining a spark timing of the FF number of cylinders at a fully retarded spark timing based on the FCO torque request when the FCO event is disabled.

12. The engine control method of claim 11 further comprising maintaining the spark timing further based on an actual number of cylinders being fueled.

13. The engine control method of claim 11 further comprising maintaining the FCO torque request at the predetermined torque until the fuel has been supplied to one of the FF number of cylinders and a predetermined ratio of a total number of cylinders of the engine.

14. The engine control method of claim 13 further comprising increasing the FCO torque request after the fuel has been supplied to the FF number of cylinders.

15. The engine control method of claim 14 further comprising:

selectively advancing the spark timing from the fully retarded spark timing based on the increase; and

selectively commanding fuel to an additional cylinder based on the FCO torque request and the FF number of cylinders.

16. The engine control method of claim 15 further comprising retarding the spark timing toward the fully retarded spark timing when the fuel is supplied to the additional cylinder.

17. The engine control method of claim 11 further comprising determining the predetermined torque based on a sum of friction losses of the engine, engine pumping losses, and accessory loads imposed on the engine,

wherein the predetermined torque is negative.

18. The engine control method of claim 11 further comprising determining the FF number of cylinders based on a rate of decrease of an engine speed.

19. The engine control method of claim 11 further comprising determining the FF number of cylinders based on a rate of increase of a driver torque request.

20. The engine control method of claim 11 further comprising:

selectively monitoring a response to one of a lean to rich transition and a rich to lean transition;

diagnosing a fault in at least one of a catalyst and an oxygen sensor located downstream of the catalyst based on the response; and

determining the FF number of cylinders based on whether the response is being monitored.