Air mass determination for cylinder activation and deactivation control systems

• US 9,249,747 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Matthews, Gregory P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K
• Assistant Examiner(s): MO, XIAO EN
• Application Number:
  US13/798,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20140069374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 123/481, 123/198.F, 123/325, 123/332, 123/350, 701101-104, 701/112
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/0012 with selective deactivation of cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/1412 using a predictive controller
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0402 the parameter being determined by using a model of the engine intake or its components
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/18 Control of the engine output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 37/02 one of the functions being ignition
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0062 Estimating, calculating or determining the internal EGR rate, amount or flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/18 by measuring intake air flow

Abstract

A system includes a cylinder event module that determines an air-per-cylinder value for a cylinder intake event or a cylinder non-intake event of a current cylinder based on a mass air flow signal and an engine speed signal. A status module generates a status signal indicating whether the current cylinder is activated. A deactivation module, based on the status signal, determines a current accumulated air mass in an intake manifold of an engine: for air received by the intake manifold since a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder and prior to one or more consecutive cylinder non-intake events of one or more deactivated cylinders; and based on a previous accumulated air mass in the intake manifold and the air-per-cylinder value. An activation module, based on the status signal, determines an air mass value for the current cylinder based on the air-per-cylinder value and the current accumulated air mass.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a cylinder event module that determines an air-per-cylinder value for one of a cylinder intake event or a cylinder non-intake event of a current cylinder of an engine based on a mass air flow signal and an engine speed signal, wherein the engine includes a plurality of cylinders including the current cylinder;

a status module that generates a status signal indicating whether the current cylinder is activated or deactivated;

a deactivation module that, based on the status signal, determines a current accumulated air mass in an intake manifold of the engine

for air received by the intake manifold since a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder and prior to one or more cylinder non-intake events of one or more deactivated cylinders, and

based on a previous accumulated air mass in the intake manifold and the air-per-cylinder value;

an activation module that, based on the status signal, determines an air mass value for the current cylinder based on the air-per-cylinder value and the current accumulated air mass; and

a fuel control module configured to control fuel injection for one or more of the plurality of cylinders based on the air mass value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cylinder event module determines:

air-per-cylinder values for cylinder intake events of activated cylinders of the engine based on the mass air flow signal and the engine speed signal, wherein the mass air flow signal indicates an amount of air received by the intake manifold, and wherein each of the air-per-cylinder values for the cylinder intake events indicates an amount of air received by the intake manifold since a beginning of

a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder, or

a last cylinder non-intake event of a deactivated cylinder; and

air-per-cylinder values for cylinder non-intake events of deactivated cylinders of the engine based on the mass air flow signal and the engine speed signal, wherein each of the air-per-cylinder values for the cylinder non-intake events indicates an amount of air received by the intake manifold since a beginning of

a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder, or

a last cylinder non-intake event of a deactivated cylinder.

3. The system of claim 1, a cylinder control module that randomly selects one or more of the plurality of cylinders, deactivates the selected one or more cylinders, and activates the other ones of the plurality of cylinders.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an engine speed module configured to determine an engine speed of the engine,

wherein the cylinder event module determines the air-per-cylinder value based on the engine speed.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising an air flow module that generates a frequency signal based on a voltage received from a mass air flow sensor,

wherein the cylinder event module determines the air-per-cylinder value based on the frequency signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the status signal indicates that the current cylinder is deactivated;

the deactivation module sets the current accumulated air mass equal to a sum of the previous accumulated air mass and the air-per-cylinder value; and

the previous accumulated air mass was determined prior to a cylinder non-intake event of a cylinder having an intake stroke consecutively prior to an intake stroke of the current cylinder.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the status signal indicates that the current cylinder is activated;

the activation module sets the air mass value equal to a sum of the air-per-cylinder value and the current accumulated air mass; and

the current accumulated air mass was determined prior to a cylinder non-intake event of a cylinder having an intake stroke consecutively prior to an intake stroke of the current cylinder.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the cylinder event module determines air-per-cylinder values for each cylinder intake event of activated cylinders and air-per-cylinder values for each cylinder non-intake event of deactivated cylinders.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation module determines the current accumulated air mass for air received by the intake manifold since a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder and during a plurality of consecutive cylinder non-intake events of a plurality of deactivated cylinders.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the cylinder event module determines an air-per-cylinder value for a second cylinder, wherein the second cylinder is subsequent to the current cylinder and is activated; and

the activation module overwrites the current accumulated air mass to be equal to the second air-per-cylinder value and determines a second air mass value for the second cylinder based on the second air-per-cylinder value, not the previous accumulated air mass, and not the first air mass value.

15. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating a frequency signal based on a voltage received from a mass air flow sensor,

wherein the air-per-cylinder value is determined based on the frequency signal.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining an air-per-cylinder value for a second cylinder, wherein the second cylinder is subsequent to the current cylinder and is activated; and

overwriting the current accumulated air mass to be equal to the second air-per-cylinder value and determines a second air mass value for the second cylinder based on the second air-per-cylinder value, not the previous accumulated air mass, and not the first air mass value.

11. A method comprising:

determining an air-per-cylinder value for one of a cylinder intake event or a cylinder non-intake event of a current cylinder of an engine based on a mass air flow signal and an engine speed signal, wherein the engine includes a plurality of cylinders including the current cylinder;

generating a status signal indicating whether the current cylinder is activated or deactivated;

based on the status signal, determining a current accumulated air mass in an intake manifold of the engine

for air received by the intake manifold since a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder and prior to consecutive cylinder non-intake events of at least two deactivated cylinders, and

based on a previous accumulated air mass in the intake manifold and the air-per-cylinder value;

based on the status signal, determining an air mass value for the current cylinder based on the air-per-cylinder value and the current accumulated air mass; and

controlling fuel injection for one or more of the plurality of cylinders based on the air mass value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining air-per-cylinder values for cylinder intake events of activated cylinders of the engine based on the mass air flow signal and the engine speed signal, wherein the mass air flow signal indicates an amount of air received by the intake manifold, and wherein each of the air-per-cylinder values for the cylinder intake events indicates an amount of air received by the intake manifold since a beginning of

a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder, or

a last cylinder non-intake event of a deactivated cylinder; and

determining air-per-cylinder values for cylinder non-intake events of deactivated cylinders of the engine based on the mass air flow signal and the engine speed signal, wherein each of the air-per-cylinder values for the cylinder non-intake events indicates an amount of air received by the intake manifold since a beginning of

a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder, or

a last cylinder non-intake event of a deactivated cylinder.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

randomly selecting one or more of the plurality of cylinders;

deactivating the selected one or more cylinders; and

activating the other ones of the plurality of cylinders.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining an engine speed of the engine,

wherein the air-per-cylinder value is determined based on the engine speed.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising setting the current accumulated air mass equal to a sum of the previous accumulated air mass and the air-per-cylinder value, wherein:

the status signal indicates that the current cylinder is deactivated; and

the previous accumulated air mass was determined prior to a cylinder non-intake event of a cylinder having an intake stroke consecutively prior to an intake stroke of the current cylinder.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising setting the air mass value equal to a sum of the air-per-cylinder value and the current accumulated air mass, wherein:

the status signal indicates that the current cylinder is activated; and

the current accumulated air mass was determined prior to a cylinder non-intake event of a cylinder having an intake stroke consecutively prior to an intake stroke of the current cylinder.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining air-per-cylinder values for each cylinder intake event of activated cylinders and air-per-cylinder values for each cylinder non-intake event of deactivated cylinders.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the current accumulated air mass for air received by the intake manifold since a last cylinder intake event of an activated cylinder and during a plurality of consecutive cylinder non-intake events of a plurality of deactivated cylinders.