System and method for engine sound calibration

• US 7,484,405 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Tanin, Konstantin V., Tahry, Sherif H., Stojkovic, Boris D., Hazelton, Gary J., Redon, Fabien G.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/740,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20080264149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 73/350.1, 73/350.6, 73/350.7, 73/350.9, 73/351.1, 731/140.2, 731/140.7
• US Class Current: 73/114.07
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/025 Engine noise, e.g. determined by using an acoustic sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2432 Methods of calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/042 by monitoring a single specific parameter not covered by groups G01M15/06 - G01M15/12

Abstract

A method for calibrating an engine is provided. The engine includes a cylinder for combustion of a fuel. The method includes setting combustion parameters of the engine, detecting a combustion noise during combustion proximate to the cylinder, detecting an engine sound radiated from the engine during combustion, adjusting the combustion parameters and repeating the steps of detecting a combustion noise and detecting an engine sound. The method further includes generating a relationship between the combustion noises and the engine sounds, determining a combustion noise level that correlates to a predefined engine sound threshold from the relationship, adjusting a speed of the engine and a load on the engine and repeating the previous steps to determine a combustion noise level for each engine speed and engine load setting, and calibrating the engine using the combustion noise levels.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating an engine, the engine having a cylinder for combustion of a fuel, the method comprising the following steps:

setting a set of combustion parameters for the engine;

detecting a combustion noise during combustion proximate to the cylinder;

detecting an engine sound radiated from the engine during combustion;

adjusting the combustion parameters and repeating the steps of detecting a combustion noise and detecting an engine sound;

generating a relationship between the detected combustion noises and the detected engine sounds;

determining a combustion noise level that correlates to a predefined engine sound threshold from the relationship;

adjusting a speed of the engine and a load on the engine and repeating the previous steps to determine a combustion noise level for each engine speed and engine load setting; and

calibrating the engine using the combustion noise levels.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of validating the engine calibration to determine the accuracy of the combustion noise levels.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calibrating the engine includes using engine exhaust emission targets, fuel economy targets, and engine performance targets with the combustion noise levels.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of setting the combustion parameters includes setting at least one of a fuel injection timing, exhaust gas recirculation rate, fuel rail pressure, pilot injection fuel quantity, and number of pilot injections.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating a relationship between the combustion noise and the engine sound includes generating a loss function that relates the combustion noise to the engine sound.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the loss function is a linear relationship between the combustion noise and the engine sound.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of determining a combustion noise level includes entering the engine sound threshold into the loss function to calculate the combustion noise level.

8. A system for calibrating an engine, the engine having a cylinder for combustion of a fuel, the system comprising:

a dynamometer for changing a speed of the engine and a load on the engine;

an engine calibration system in communication with the engine for varying a set of combustion parameters for the engine; and

a noise/vibration/harshness system for detecting a combustion noise proximate to the cylinder of the engine during combustion and for detecting an engine sound radiated from the engine during combustion, the system having a controller having a first control logic for detecting the combustion noise and for detecting the engine sound for each of a set of the combustion parameters, a second control logic for generating a relationship between the combustion noise and the engine sound, a third control logic for determining from the generated relationship a combustion level that correlates to a predefined engine sound threshold, and a fourth control logic for repeating the first control logic, the second control logic, and the third control logic to determine a combustion noise level for each of an engine speed and engine load setting set by the dynamometer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the combustion parameters include settings for at least one of a fuel injection timing, exhaust gas recirculation rate, fuel rail pressure, pilot injection fuel quantity, and number of pilot injections.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the second control logic generates a loss function that relates the combustion noise to the engine sound.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the loss function is a linear relationship between the combustion noise and the engine sound.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the third control logic determines the combustion noise level by entering the engine sound threshold into the loss function to calculate the combustion noise level.