Method and system for improving turbocharger efficiency

• US 9,835,082 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: VanDerWege, Brad Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Ngoc T
• Application Number:
  US14/516,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20160108798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 60602
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/025 Multiple scrolls or multiple gas passages guiding the gas to the pump drive
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/12 Control of the pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/06 Cutting-out cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/0012 with selective deactivation of cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0007 for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines control of the pumps per se F02B37/12
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for enhancing turbocharger performance for a boosted engine system configured to operate with a pattern of deactivated cylinders. In one example, a method may include, in response to a demand for boost, operating with a cylinder pattern based on boost demand and turbocharger configuration. The specific pattern may depend on the pattern constraints imposed by engine load and NVH metrics.

Claims

1. A method for a boosted engine system, comprising:

in response to a boost demand being below a boost threshold,

selectively deactivating individual cylinders of the boosted engine system to provide a cylinder pattern;

wherein the cylinder pattern includes a total number of deactivated and active cylinders; and

wherein the cylinder pattern is selected based on engine vibration and engine load to direct exhaust from the active cylinders into only one scroll of a multi-scroll exhaust turbine.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the boost demand being above the boost threshold, activating all cylinders of the boosted engine system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, selecting the one scroll of the multi-scroll exhaust turbine based on one or more of exhaust turbine speed and the boost demand.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the one scroll of the multi-scroll exhaust turbine further includes selecting one of an inner and an outer scroll of the multi-scroll exhaust turbine when the exhaust turbine speed at a time of receiving the boost demand is higher than an exhaust turbine speed threshold, and selecting a remaining one of the inner and the outer scroll of the multi-scroll exhaust turbine when the exhaust turbine speed at the time of receiving the boost demand is lower than the exhaust turbine speed threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the boost demand includes a predicted boost demand, and wherein selecting the one scroll of the multi-scroll exhaust turbine further includes selecting one of an inner and an outer scroll of the multi-scroll exhaust turbine when the predicted boost demand is lower than the boost threshold, and selecting a remaining one of the inner and the outer scroll when the predicted boost demand is higher than the boost threshold.