Engine start/stop function management and control architecture

• US 9,340,202 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Books, Martin, Muralidhar, Praveen, Sujan, Vivek Anand, Zeng, Fan, Bruner, C. Larry, Puri, Anant, Borhan, Hoseinali
• Primary Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US14/294,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20150252770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/068 Engine exhaust temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/087 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/305 Power absorbed by auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/12 Catalyst or filter state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/192 Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/474 Catalyst warm up
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/02 the substance being ammonia or urea
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/1486 Means to prevent the substance from freezing
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0822 : related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0825 : related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 : Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/084 : State of vehicle accessories, e.g. air condition or power steering
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/023 : Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/026 : Catalyst temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/061 : Battery state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 : Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/101 : Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/102 : Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/12 : said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/306 : with external senders or receivers, e.g. receiving signals from traffic lights, other vehicles or base stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

Unique apparatuses, systems, methods, and techniques for control of engine systems are disclosed. One embodiment is a unique controls process providing engine start/stop functionality. In one form, the controls process includes engine stop controls which evaluate a plurality of engine stop request conditions and a plurality of engine stop capability conditions, as well as engine start controls which evaluate a plurality of engine start request conditions and a plurality of engine start capability conditions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a vehicle system including an engine, a plurality of engine accessories configured to be selectably driven by torque output of the engine, an aftertreatment system configured to receive exhaust from the engine during operation, a motor/generator system operatively coupled with the engine system, an energy storage system operatively coupled with the motor/generator system, an engine controller operatively coupled with the engine, the aftertreatment system, the motor/generator system and the energy storage system, and a plurality of operator controls in operative communication with the engine controller;

while the engine is running, operating the engine controller to conditionally stop the engine based upon a plurality of stop request criteria processed by a stop request block implemented in the engine controller and a plurality of stop capability criteria processed by a stop capability block implemented in the engine controller, the processing of the stop request criteria establishing when the engine controller will request an engine stop and the processing of the stop capability criteria establishing a constraint on the engine controller to conditionally prevent engine stop; and

after the engine has stopped, operating the engine controller to conditionally start the engine based upon a plurality of start request criteria and a plurality of start capability criteria;

wherein the stop request block is structured to receive as input and to evaluate a first plurality of values indicating a condition of the operator controls, a velocity condition of the vehicle system, an operating condition of the vehicle accessories, an operating condition of the engine, and a request provided by a second controller external to the engine controller; and

wherein the stop capability block is structured to receive as input and to evaluate a second plurality of values and the engine controller will conditionally prevent engine stop as long as the evaluation of at least one of said second plurality of values indicates a condition preventing engine stop.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the stop capability criteria include a plurality of temperature criteria including a first criterion for temperature of the engine, a second criterion for temperature of a turbocharger operatively coupled with the engine, and a third criterion for temperature of the aftertreatment system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the stop capability criteria account for a predicted capability of the energy storage system.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the predicted capability of the energy storage system accounts for whether sufficient energy is stored to drive one or more of the engine accessories when the engine is off and whether sufficient energy is stored to restart the engine.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the stop capability criteria account for a predicted capability of the motor/generator system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the predicted capability of the motor/generator system is based upon a temperature associated with the motor/generator system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the start request criteria comprise a temperature condition of the aftertreatment system, a condition of the operator controls, a charge condition of the energy storage system, and a condition of the engine accessories, wherein each of said start request criteria is capable of requesting the engine to start independent of the other start request criteria.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the start capability criteria account for a first capability of the energy storage system to start the engine and a second capability of the motor/generator system to start the engine.

9. A vehicle system comprising:

an engine operatively coupled with a drivetrain;

an aftertreatment system configured to treat exhaust output by the engine;

a motor/generator operatively coupled with the drivetrain;

an energy storage system operatively coupled with the motor/generator; and

an engine controller in operative communication with the engine, the aftertreatment system, the motor/generator, and the energy storage system;

wherein the engine controller is configured to conditionally command the engine to stop based upon a stop request conditional which determines whether to request the engine to stop and a stop capability conditional which conditionally constrains the stop request conditional to prevent engine stop;

wherein the stop request conditional is satisfied if either (a) the engine controller receives a stop request from a second controller, or (b) the engine controller determines that a plurality of conditions are satisfied, the plurality of conditions including an accelerator condition, a brake condition, a vehicle speed condition, and an engine accessories condition, and is conditionally constrained by the stop capability conditionally in both instance (a) and instance (b); and

wherein the stop capability conditional will prevent engine stop as long as one or more of a plurality of inputs received by the stop capability conditional evaluates as true.

10. The vehicle system of claim 9 wherein the stop capability conditional is satisfied if the engine controller determines that a plurality of system protection conditions are satisfied, the plurality of system protection conditions comprising at least one temperature condition of one or more of the system, an energy storage system charge condition, and a motor/generator system condition.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10 wherein the at least one temperature condition of the system accounts for a temperature condition of the engine coolant, a temperature condition of a turbocharger operatively coupled with the engine, and a temperature condition associated with the aftertreatment system.

12. The vehicle system of claim 10 wherein the energy storage system charge condition accounts for whether sufficient energy is stored to drive one or more loads when the engine is off and whether sufficient energy is stored to restart the engine.

13. The vehicle system of claim 10 wherein the motor/generator system condition accounts for a temperature associated with the motor/generator system.

14. The vehicle system of claim 9 wherein the engine controller is configured to conditionally command the engine to restart based upon a restart request conditional and a restart capability conditional;

wherein the restart request conditional comprises a temperature condition of the aftertreatment system, a condition of the operator controls, a charge condition of the energy storage system, and a condition of the engine accessories, wherein each of said start request criteria is capable of requesting the engine to start independent of the other start request criteria;

wherein the restart capability conditional accounts for a first capability of the energy storage system to start the engine and a second capability of the motor/generator system to start the engine.

15. A control module comprising:

at least one processor;

a communication network interface in operative communication with the processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store instructions executable by the processor to evaluate a stop request conditional which determines whether to request the engine to stop, a stop capability conditional which conditionally constrains the stop request conditional to prevent engine stop, a start request conditional which determines whether to request the engine to stop and a start capability conditional which conditionally constrains the start request conditional to prevent engine start;

wherein the stop request conditional evaluates an operator controls variable, a vehicle condition variable, an engine condition variable, and an external stop request received by the communication network interface, and wherein receipt of the external stop request by the communication network interface satisfies the stop request conditional independent of the operator controls variable, the vehicle condition variable, and the engine condition variable while remaining subject to the constraint of the stop capability conditional; and

wherein the stop capability conditional will prevent engine stop as long as any of a plurality of inputs received by the stop capability conditional is true.

16. The control module of claim 15 wherein the stop capability conditional evaluates a plurality of system temperature variables.

17. The control module of claim 16 wherein the stop capability conditional evaluates an energy storage system condition variable.

18. The control module of claim 17 wherein the stop capability conditional evaluates a motor/generator system variable.

19. The control module of claim 15 wherein the start request conditional evaluates true based upon any of an engine sensor error variable, an aftertreatment system temperature variable, an operator controls condition variable, an energy storage system variable, and an engine accessories variable being true.

20. The control module of claim 15 wherein the start capability request conditional evaluates true based upon at least an energy storage system capability variable and a motor/generator system capability variable being true.