Supervisory thermal management system and method for engine system warm up and regeneration

• US 8,577,568 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Intellectual Property, Inc. (Cummins Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cummins Intellectual Property, Inc. (Cummins Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sujan, Vivek A., Vajapeyazula, Phani, Follen, Kenneth, Wu, An, Moffett, Barty L.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US13/345,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 701/64, 701/103, 701/108, 701/109
• US Class Current: 701/64
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0694 Engine exhaust temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/194 related to low temperature conditions, e.g. high viscosity of hydraulic fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/002 of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/1412 using a predictive controller
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0235 in relation with the state of the exhaust gas treating apparatus control of exhaust gas treating apparatus per se F01N
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/024 to increase temperature of the exhaust gas treating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/029 the exhaust gas treating apparatus being a particulate filter
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1447 with determination means using an estimation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/405 with post injections
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0015 Transmission control for optimising fuel consumptions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0232 Selecting ratios for bringing engine into a particular state, e.g. for fast warming up or for reducing exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect

Abstract

This disclosure provides a thermal management system and method that can recommend operational behavior to an operator of an engine system to optimize fuel economy over a period of time in which a components of the engine system is in a warm up and/or regeneration state. In one representative embodiment, the expected temperature change of the engine component at a later time is determined based on inefficient operation of the engine, such as a transmission down shift resulting in higher engine speed and lower engine torque, and the expected temperature change of the engine component resulting from operating the engine under current conditions or expected conditions at that later time is determined. A determination is made as to whether the inefficient engine operation is the optimal operation in view of fuel economy and a recommendation is generated for the operator based if optimal operation is determined.

Claims

1. A method of managing vehicle engine/transmission systems to assist in thermal management of an engine exhaust aftertreatment system, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of at least one current vehicle operating condition, said operating condition data including data signifying at least one of transmission out power and speed, current gear number, transmission gearing set, current engine temperature, current engine speed, current engine torque, and fueling;

receiving data from engine fueling maps based on warm-up conditions;

receiving a target temperature;

determining a first expected exhaust temperature based on a transmission down shift and higher engine speed in view of said operating condition data and said fueling maps;

determining a second expected exhaust temperature based on a transmission down shift and higher engine speed coupled with fuel dosing;

determining a third expected exhaust temperature based on fuel dosing and non-shifted transmission;

comparing said first, second and third expected exhaust temperatures against said target temperature; and

providing a transmission gear shift recommendation in view of the compared expected exhaust temperatures based on an optimization of overall fuel economy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmission gear shift recommendation is a down shift command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a Global Positioning System (GPS) provides information on route dynamics in utilizing the vehicle engine/transmission system to exploit passive increases in exhaust temperature in the aftertreatment system thermal management.

4. A system adapted to manage vehicle engine/transmission systems to assist in thermal management of an engine exhaust aftertreatment system, comprising:

a vehicle operating condition module including data indicative of at least one current vehicle operating condition, said operating condition data including data signifying at least one of transmission out power and speed, current gear number, transmission gearing set, current engine temperature, current engine speed, current engine torque, and fueling;

an engine fueling map module including data from engine fueling maps based on warm-up conditions;

a target temperature module including a target temperature;

an expected exhaust temperature module containing a first expected exhaust temperature based on a transmission down shift and higher engine speed in view of said operating condition data and said fueling maps, a second expected exhaust temperature based on a transmission down shift and higher engine speed coupled with fuel dosing, and a third expected exhaust temperature based on fuel dosing and non-shifted transmission;

a comparison module containing a comparison of said first, second and third expected exhaust temperatures relative to said target temperature; and

an optimization module containing a transmission gear shift recommendation in view of said comparison of said expected exhaust temperatures, said recommendation being based on an optimization of overall fuel economy.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) module to provide information on route dynamics in utilizing the vehicle engine/transmission system to exploit passive increases in exhaust temperature in the aftertreatment system thermal management.