System and method for randomly adjusting a firing frequency of an engine to reduce vibration when cylinders of the engine are deactivated

• US 9,650,978 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Phillips, Andrew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAILEY, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US13/798,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20140190449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 12340612, 1234062, 12340619, 12340611, 12340618, 12340633, 123322, 12333911, 12340659, 1234066, 12340666, 123 9015, 123198 F, 123692, 60285, 701105, 903905
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 37/02 one of the functions being ignition
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123

Abstract

A system according to the principles of the present invention includes a firing fraction module, an offset generation module, and a firing fraction module. The firing fraction module determines a firing fraction based on a driver torque request. The offset generation module randomly generates an offset. The firing control module adds the firing fraction to a running total each time that a crankshaft of an engine rotates through a predetermined angle, adds the offset to the running total, and executes a firing event in a cylinder of the engine when the running total is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a firing fraction module that determines a firing fraction based on a driver torque request;

an offset generation module that randomly generates an offset; and

a firing control module that;

sums the firing fraction and a running total each time that a crankshaft of an engine rotates through a predetermined angle;

sums the offset and the running total; and

controls an actuator of the engine to execute a firing event in a cylinder of the engine when the running total is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the firing fraction module sets the firing fraction equal to a ratio of the driver torque request to a torque output of the engine when each cylinder in the engine is active.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the firing control module subtracts the offset from the running total after determining whether the running total is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the firing control module subtracts the predetermined value from the running total after executing the firing event.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a firing frequency module that determines a firing frequency of the engine based on an amount of crankshaft rotation between firing events.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the firing control module adds the offset to the running total each time that the crankshaft rotates through the predetermined angle.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the firing control module adds the offset to the running total when a firing frequency of the engine is within a predetermined range of a resonant frequency of a vehicle structure.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the offset generation module randomly selects the offset from an offset range having a mean value of zero.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the offset generation module increases the offset range when a difference between a firing frequency of the engine and a resonant frequency of a vehicle structure decreases.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the offset generation module increases the offset range from zero to a non-zero value when a firing frequency of the engine is within a predetermined range of a resonant frequency of a vehicle structure.

11. A method comprising:

determining a firing fraction based on a driver torque request;

randomly generating an offset;

summing the firing fraction and a running total each time that a crankshaft of an engine rotates through a predetermined angle;

summing the offset and the running total; and

controlling an actuator of the engine to execute a firing event in a cylinder of the engine when the running total is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising setting the firing fraction equal to a ratio of the driver torque request to a torque output of the engine when each cylinder in the engine is active.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising subtracting the offset from the running total after determining whether the running total is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising subtracting the predetermined value from the running total after executing the firing event.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining a firing frequency of the engine based on an amount of crankshaft rotation between firing events.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising adding the offset to the running total each time that the crankshaft rotates through the predetermined angle.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising adding the offset to the running total when a firing frequency of the engine is within a predetermined range of a resonant frequency of a vehicle structure.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising randomly selecting the offset from an offset range having a mean value of zero.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising increasing the offset range when a difference between a firing frequency of the engine and a resonant frequency of a vehicle structure decreases.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising increasing the offset range from zero to a non-zero value when a firing frequency of the engine is within a predetermined range of a resonant frequency of a vehicle structure.