Method and system for control of an EGR valve during lean operation in a boosted engine system

• US 9,074,541 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Surnilla, Gopichandra, Rumpsa, Todd Anthony, Hilditch, James Alfred, Clark, Timothy Joseph, Cunningham, Ralph Wayne, Buckland, Julia Helen, Styles, Daniel Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Audrey K
• Application Number:
  US14/063,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 602/74, 602/76, 602/78, 602/85, 602/99, 123/568.11, 123/568.12, 123/568.14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/0265 Negative valve overlap for temporarily storing residual gas in the cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0007 for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines control of the pumps per se F02B37/12
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/005 according to engine operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0052 Feedback control of engine parameters, e.g. for control of air/fuel ratio or intake air amount
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/006 using internal EGR control of valve overlap for internal EGR F02D13/0261; arrangements for internal EGR F02M26/01
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0072 Estimating, calculating or determining the EGR rate, amount or flow sensors in EGR systems F02M26/45
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0077 Control of the EGR valve or actuator, e.g. duty cycle, closed loop control of position EGR valve position sensor F02M26/48
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1439 characterised by the position of the sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/144 Sensor in intake manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1454 the characteristics being an oxygen content or concentration or the air-fuel ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1456 with sensor output signal being linear or quasi-linear with the concentration of oxygen
• 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: F02M 26/06 Low pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust downstream of the turbocharger turbine and reintroduced into the intake system upstream of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10222 Exhaust gas recirculation [EGR]; Positive crankcase ventilation [PCV]; Additional air admission, lubricant or fuel vapour admission
• 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 reducing EGR estimation errors during lean engine operating conditions. During lean engine operation, EGR is disabled if the estimated exhaust air-fuel ratio becomes leaner than a lean threshold. The lean threshold is adjusted based on an upper limit of EGR errors that may be tolerated by the engine at a given engine speed and load.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

while operating an engine with an air-fuel ratio adjusted to be leaner than stoichiometry, in response to exhaust air-fuel ratio being leaner than a threshold, closing an EGR valve, the threshold increased as an engine speed and load increases.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exhaust air-fuel ratio is measured by an exhaust oxygen sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is based on engine speed and load.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising opening the EGR valve when the exhaust air-fuel ratio is at or below the threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the exhaust air-fuel ratio being leaner than the threshold, suspending an EGR monitor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the engine is boosted, fueled via direct injection, and further comprises an exhaust manifold which includes a three-way catalyst.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the exhaust air-fuel ratio is estimated by an exhaust oxygen sensor positioned upstream of the three-way catalyst.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after closing the EGR valve, adjusting a valve timing to increase internal EGR.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the valve timing includes one or more of advancing the timing of intake valve opening or retarding the timing of exhaust valve closing to increase valve overlap.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the air-fuel ratio adjusted to be leaner than stoichiometry is a combustion air-fuel ratio of air and fuel combusting in a cylinder of the engine, the combustion initiated via spark-ignition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein closing the EGR valve includes fully sealing the EGR valve against a seat of the EGR valve.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the EGR valve is coupled to a low pressure EGR passage and wherein closing the EGR valve includes disabling low pressure EGR.

13. A method for an engine, comprising:

flowing low pressure EGR; and

in response to an exhaust air-fuel ratio becoming leaner than a threshold based on engine speed and load,

disabling the EGR; and

while disabling the EGR, suspending a counter of an EGR monitor.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, estimating a flow rate of the flowing EGR via an intake oxygen sensor and measuring an exhaust oxygen content of the flowing EGR via an exhaust oxygen sensor.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold being based on the engine speed and load includes:

estimating an EGR error upper limit that can be tolerated at the engine speed and load;

estimating an air error upper limit based on the EGR error upper limit; and

calculating the threshold based on the air error upper limit.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, while flowing low pressure EGR, incrementing the counter of the EGR monitor responsive to an indication of EGR error.

17. An engine system, comprising:

an engine with an intake and an exhaust;

an EGR system including an EGR passage for recirculating exhaust residuals from the exhaust to the intake via an EGR valve;

an EGR monitor including a counter;

an intake oxygen sensor coupled to the intake, upstream of an intake throttle and downstream of an outlet of the EGR passage, the intake oxygen sensor configured to estimate one or more of a combustion air-fuel ratio and EGR;

an exhaust oxygen sensor coupled to the exhaust, upstream of an emission control device, the exhaust oxygen sensor configured to estimate an exhaust air-fuel ratio; and

a controller with computer readable instructions for;

flowing EGR based on engine speed and load;

during the flowing, incrementing the counter in response to an indication of EGR system error; and

in response to the exhaust air-fuel ratio rising above a lean threshold,

closing the EGR valve; and

suspending the counter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein closing the EGR valve includes fully closing the EGR valve irrespective of a difference between EGR estimated by the intake oxygen sensor and a target EGR based on the engine speed and load.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller includes further instructions for:

after closing the EGR valve, adjusting engine cylinder valve timing to increase internal EGR, the adjusting cylinder valve timing including one or more of advancing timing of an intake valve opening and retarding timing of an exhaust valve closing to increase valve overlap.