System and method for regulating exhaust gas recirculation in an engine

• US 9,556,810 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ai Alpine Us Bidco LLC
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bizub, Jeffrey Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Thai Ba
• Application Number:
  US14/587,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20160186679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 606/052, 701/108, 701101-104, 701/111, 123/406.11, 123/406.12, 123/406.23, 123/406.29, 123/406.41, 123/435, 123/305
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/024 using an estimation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/027 using knock sensors
• 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 41/0072 Estimating, calculating or determining the EGR rate, amount or flow sensors in EGR systems F02M26/45
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1497 With detection of the mechanical response of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/14 in relation to the exhaust system
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/45 Sensors specially adapted for EGR systems
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/46 for determining the characteristics of gases, e.g. composition
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/47 the characteristics being temperatures, pressures or flow rates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a system and method for regulating exhaust gas recirculation (“EGR”) in an engine. In one embodiment, the system may include a knock sensor coupled to the engine that sends a signal corresponding to at least one operating condition of the engine to a controller. The controller may estimate an amount of EGR gas administered to the engine and regulate the amount of EGR gas being administered to the engine when the estimated amount of EGR gas is not an effective amount.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine system, comprising:

a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory encoding processor-executable instructions to;

receive a signal from at least one knock sensor coupled to a combustion engine, wherein the combustion engine is coupled to an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system;

determine a value of at least one operating condition based on the signal from the at least one knock sensor;

estimate an amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine based at least on the value of the at least one operating condition; and

generate a control signal for adjusting a position of an EGR valve of the EGR system based on the estimated amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one operating condition comprises an in-cylinder pressure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to estimate the amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine by utilizing a look-up table to correlate the value of the at least one operating condition to the estimated amount of EGR gas.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to utilize values of other operating conditions along with the value of the at least one operating condition to estimate the amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to compare an estimated amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine to an expected amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine to determine whether an effective amount of EGR gas was administered into the combustion engine.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to compare the value for the at least one operating condition to an expected value for the at least one operating condition to determine whether the effective amount of EGR gas was administered into the combustion engine.

7. A system, comprising:

a combustion engine comprising an intake manifold and an exhaust manifold;

an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system coupled to the combustion engine and configured to route exhaust generated by the combustion engine from the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold;

an exhaust gas recirculation valve disposed in the EGR system;

at least one knock sensor coupled to the combustion engine; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the combustion engine and the EGR valve of the EGR system, and comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory including executable instructions to;

control operations of both the combustion engine and the EGR valve of the EGR system;

receive a signal from the at least one knock sensor;

determine a value of at least one operating condition based on the signal from the at least one knock sensor;

estimate an amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine based at least on the value of the at least one operating condition; and

generate a control signal for adjusting a position of the EGR valve of the EGR system based on the estimated amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one operating condition comprises an in-cylinder pressure.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the in-cylinder pressure comprises a peak firing pressure.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one operating condition comprises a torque output.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one operating condition comprises a load.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to estimate the amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine by utilizing a look-up table to correlate the value of the at least one operating condition to the estimated amount of EGR gas.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to utilize values of other operating conditions along with the value of the at least one operating condition to estimate the amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the other operating conditions comprise at least one of an air to fuel ratio, an intake manifold pressure, a gas fuel pressure, an EGR valve position, a throttle valve position, a spark timing, an angle of spark firing, a fuel quality, a rotational speed, or any combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to compare the estimate of the amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine to an expected amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine to determine whether an effective amount of EGR gas was administered into the combustion engine.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the non-transitory memory of the controller further includes executable instructions to compare the value for the at least one operating condition to an expected value for the at least one operating condition to determine whether the effective amount of EGR gas was administered into the combustion engine.

17. A method of operating an internal combustion engine, comprising:

receiving, at a controller, a signal from at least one knock sensor coupled to a combustion engine, wherein the combustion engine is coupled to an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system;

determining, via the controller, a value of at least one operating condition from the signal;

estimating, via the controller, an amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine based at least on the value of the at least one operating condition; and

generating, via the controller, a control signal for adjusting a position of an EGR valve of the EGR system to regulate an EGR flow rate based on the estimated amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising comparing, via the controller, an estimated amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine to an expected amount of EGR gas in the combustion engine to determine whether an effective amount of EGR gas was administered into the combustion engine.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising comparing, via the controller, the value for the at least one operating condition to an expected value for the at least one operating condition to determine whether the effective amount of EGR gas was administered into the combustion engine.