Internal combustion engine control for improved fuel efficiency
First Claim
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1. An engine controller arranged to control working chamber firings in an engine, the engine controller comprising:
- a working chamber output calculator arranged to determine a relative proportion of output delivered by each working chamber firing relative to a reference output;
a firing fraction calculator arranged to receiving a signal indicative of a desired output and to output a signal indicative of a desired firing fraction, wherein the desired firing fraction signal is based at least in part on results of the working chamber output calculator; and
a drive pulse generator arranged to receive the signal indicative of the desired firing fraction and output a drive pulse signal having a sequence of drive pulses that define a skip fire firing pattern that indicates when working chamber firings are appropriate to deliver the desired firing fraction.
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Abstract
A variety of methods and arrangements for improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines are described. In some aspects, methods and arrangements are described for operating an engine in a throttled skip fire mode. In other aspects, methods and arrangements are described for controlling the operational state of a variable displacement engine.
210 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An engine controller arranged to control working chamber firings in an engine, the engine controller comprising:
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a working chamber output calculator arranged to determine a relative proportion of output delivered by each working chamber firing relative to a reference output; a firing fraction calculator arranged to receiving a signal indicative of a desired output and to output a signal indicative of a desired firing fraction, wherein the desired firing fraction signal is based at least in part on results of the working chamber output calculator; and a drive pulse generator arranged to receive the signal indicative of the desired firing fraction and output a drive pulse signal having a sequence of drive pulses that define a skip fire firing pattern that indicates when working chamber firings are appropriate to deliver the desired firing fraction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having a plurality of working chambers, each working chamber being generally arranged to operate in a succession of working cycles, the method comprising:
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receiving a signal indicative of a desired output; determining an actual working chamber output fraction indicative of a relative proportion of output delivered by each working chamber firing relative to a reference output; determining a desired firing fraction suitable for delivering the desired output operating based at least in part upon the actual working chamber output fraction; and firing the working chambers in a skip fire firing pattern that is dynamically determined during operation of the engine that skips the firing of selected skipped working cycles and fires selected active working cycles, wherein the firing pattern is arranged to deliver the desired firing fraction. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine having a plurality of working chambers, each working chamber being generally arranged to operate in a succession of working cycles, the method comprising:
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receiving a signal indicative of a desired output; setting a throttle position based at least in part on the desired output; determining a desired firing fraction suitable for delivering the desired output operating based on current engine operating conditions; and firing the working chambers in a skip fire firing pattern that is dynamically determined during operation of the engine that skips the firing of selected skipped working cycles and fires selected active working cycles, wherein the firing pattern is arranged to deliver the desired firing fraction. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification