System and method for providing spark to an engine

• US 9,261,067 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Glugla, Chris Paul, Doering, Jeffrey Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Steckbauer, Kevin R
• Application Number:
  US13/867,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 123/481, 123/198.F, 123/605, 123/618, 123/636, 123/406.2, 701/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/021 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/023 by determining the cylinder pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 15/08 having multiple-spark ignition, i.e. ignition occurring simultaneously at different places in one engine cylinder or in two or more separate engine cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 3/051 Opening or closing the primary coil circuit with semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1522 with particular means concerning an individual cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 7/03 with electrical means ignition occurring simultaneously at different places in one engine cylinder or in two or more separate engine cylinders F02P15/08
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 9/002 Control of spark intensity, intensifying, lengthening, suppression by means of current control in the storage devices F02P3/05, F02P3/09, during starting F02P15/12
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/902 Prime movers comprising electrical and internal combustion motors

Abstract

An approach for supplying spark to a spark ignited engine having activated and deactivated engine cylinders is disclosed. In one example, the approach increases ignition energy supplied to spark plugs of deactivated cylinders to reduce the possibility of spark plug fouling for the deactivated cylinders while continuing to supply spark to activated cylinders.

Claims

1. A method for providing spark to an engine, comprising:

operating a first group of cylinders and deactivating a second group of cylinders, the second group of cylinders deactivated via stopping spark and fuel flow to the second group of cylinders, increasing an amount of ignition energy provided to a cylinder of the second group of cylinders in response to a request to deactivate the cylinder, and deactivating the cylinder after providing the amount of ignition energy for a predetermined duration, the predetermined duration based on engine operating conditions before the request to deactivate the cylinder; and

providing spark without providing fuel to the cylinder of the second group of cylinders a predetermined duration after the second group of cylinders is deactivated.

2. The method of claim 1, where the second group of cylinders is one or more cylinders, and where the spark is provided to the second group of cylinders after a predetermined number of engine or cylinder cycles after the second group of cylinders is deactivated, the predetermined number of engine or cylinder cycles each occurring while the second group of cylinders is disabled.

3. The method of claim 1, where after the second group of cylinders is deactivated, spark is provided without providing fuel to the cylinder of the second group of cylinders a predetermined duration after the second group of cylinders is deactivated during a first condition, and where the spark and fuel are provided to the cylinder of the second group of cylinders a predetermined duration after the second group of cylinders is deactivated during a second condition.

4. The method of claim 1, where the second group of cylinders is deactivated in response to engine load, the engine is operated at a speed and load, and where an amount of ignition energy provided to the cylinder is greater than when the engine is operated at the same speed and load while supplying both spark and fuel to the cylinder of the second group of cylinders.

5. The method of claim 4, where the amount of ignition energy is increased via increasing an ignition coil charging time.

6. The method of claim 4, where the amount of ignition energy is increased via supplying energy from two ignition coils.

7. The method of claim 1, where the predetermined duration is varied depending on at least one engine condition.

8. The method of claim 7, where the engine condition is engine temperature or a pressure in the cylinder.

9. A method for providing spark to an engine, comprising:

operating a first group of cylinders via combusting air-fuel mixtures in the first group of cylinders;

operating a second group of cylinders via combusting air-fuel mixtures in the second group of cylinders;

increasing an amount of ignition energy provided to a cylinder of the second group of cylinders in response to a request to deactivate the cylinder; and

deactivating the cylinder after providing the amount of ignition energy for a predetermined duration, the predetermined duration based on engine operating conditions before the request to deactivate the cylinder.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising reactivating the cylinder and operating the engine at a speed and load, and increasing the amount of ignition energy provided to the cylinder to an amount of energy that is greater than an amount of ignition energy if the engine had been operating at the speed and load for a predetermined amount of time since the cylinder was deactivated.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising deactivating the cylinder via stopping spark and fuel flow to the cylinder, operating the engine at a speed and load, and reactivating spark to the cylinder without reactivating fuel flow to the cylinder after a predetermined duration.

12. The method of claim 11, where spark is reactivated to the cylinder and supplied with an amount of energy that is greater than when the engine is operated at the same speed and load while supplying both spark and fuel to the cylinder.

13. The method of claim 9, where the amount of ignition energy provided to the cylinder is increased via increasing an ignition coil charging time, and further comprising deactivating the cylinder via stopping fuel flow to the cylinder, and reactivating the cylinder after deactivating the cylinder in response to a cylinder reactivation request, reactivating the cylinder including supplying spark to the cylinder at an energy level that exceeds a spark energy level when operating the engine at a same speed and load without adding spark energy to remove fouling matter from a spark plug in the cylinder, the spark supplied to the cylinder a predetermined duration before resupplying fuel to the cylinder.

14. A system for providing spark to an engine, comprising:

an engine including a first group of cylinders and a second group of cylinders;

an ignition system including a first group of spark plugs positioned in the first group of cylinders and a second group of spark plugs positioned in the second group of cylinders; and

a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory for increasing an amount of ignition energy provided to a cylinder of the second group of cylinders based on engine operating conditions before a request to deactivate the cylinder and deactivating the cylinder after providing the amount of ignition energy, and further instructions for supplying spark and fuel to the first and second groups of cylinders, deactivating the second group of cylinders via stopping spark and fuel flow in the second group of cylinders, operating the engine at a speed and load while the second group of cylinders is deactivated, and increasing the amount of ignition energy supplied to the second group of cylinders after deactivating the second group of cylinders without flowing fuel to the second group of cylinders, the amount of ignition energy increased to an amount of ignition energy that is greater than if the engine is operating at the speed and load with the first and second group of cylinders activated.

15. The system of claim 14, where the amount of ignition energy supplied to the second group of cylinders is increased after a predetermined duration since deactivating the second group of cylinders.

16. The system of claim 15, where the predetermined duration is a number of engine cycles.

17. The system of claim 16, where the number of engine cycles varies with engine operating conditions.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising additional instructions for increasing the amount of ignition energy in response to a request to deactivate the second group of cylinders while the second group of cylinders is operating.

19. The system of claim 14, where the ignition system includes two ignition coils per spark plug.