Method and system for engine control
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a vehicle including an engine, a motor, and a control system, comprising:
- via the control system;
determining an age and a seasonal grade of fuel in a fuel tank of the vehicle relative to a current season of vehicle operation, andadjusting an engine fuel injection amount based on the determined seasonal grade of fuel in the fuel tank, and the determined age, wherein the adjusting includes decreasing the fuel injection amount when fuel is determined to be a winter-grade fuel and the vehicle is operated during a summer season.
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Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for adjusting operation of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle responsive to a seasonal grade of the fuel available in the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank. If the seasonal grade of fuel in the fuel tank does not correspond to the seasonal grade of fuel mandated during the time of engine operation, a fuel injection amount is adjusted to compensate for differences between seasonal grades of a fuel.
35 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of operating a vehicle including an engine, a motor, and a control system, comprising:
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via the control system;
determining an age and a seasonal grade of fuel in a fuel tank of the vehicle relative to a current season of vehicle operation, andadjusting an engine fuel injection amount based on the determined seasonal grade of fuel in the fuel tank, and the determined age, wherein the adjusting includes decreasing the fuel injection amount when fuel is determined to be a winter-grade fuel and the vehicle is operated during a summer season. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 20)
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10. A method of operating a plug-in hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor, and a control system, comprising:
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via the control system;
during a first condition, when the control system determines that an estimated fuel age is higher than a threshold, operating the engine with a first, larger fuel injection amount; andduring a second condition, when the control system determines that the estimated fuel age is higher than the threshold, operating the engine with a second, smaller fuel injection amount; wherein the threshold is adjusted based on a determined season of vehicle operation, and the threshold is increased during a determined summer season and decreased during a determined winter season, and wherein the plug-in hybrid vehicle further includes a battery adapted for connection to a power source during recharging operation. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A plug-in hybrid vehicle system, comprising:
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an engine; an electric motor; a battery adapted for connection to a power source during recharging operation; a fuel tank including a fuel level sensor for providing fuel to the engine; an auxiliary system including a clock; and a control system with computer readable instructions for; inferring a seasonal grade of fuel based on an estimated age of the fuel; and adjusting an engine fuel injection amount based on the seasonal grade of the fuel relative to a current estimated season of vehicle operation. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification