Engine assembly and vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses an engine assembly and a vehicle, and the engine assembly comprises a plurality of air cylinders including a first air cylinder and a second air cylinder; the controller is configured in the mode that the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder are sequentially ignited in a staggered mode. And the controller is configured to control the first air cylinder to carry out rich combustion and control the second air cylinder to carry out lean combustion. The torque difference between the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder is compensated by controlling the ignition sequence of the rich gas cylinder and the lean gas cylinder, and the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly is adjusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle engines, and in particular to an engine assembly and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The key advantages of lean burn technology are high combustion efficiency, economy, and environmental protection, while also increasing engine power output. Oxygen-rich burn technology offers wide fuel and environmental adaptability, as well as strong load transient response. Properly utilizing lean and rich burn can balance engine efficiency and economy.

[0003] While the engine's specific fuel consumption decreases under lean-burn conditions, exhaust NOx concentration becomes uncontrollable. Related technologies address this with active SCR, but this requires additional urea maintenance and the addition of an SCR catalyst, which is costly. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides an engine assembly that adjusts the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly by controlling the firing order of rich-burn cylinders and lean-burn cylinders to compensate for the torque difference between the first cylinder and the second cylinder.

[0005] The present invention provides a vehicle.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, an engine assembly includes: a plurality of cylinders, including: a first cylinder and a second cylinder; a controller, wherein the controller is configured to: stagger ignite the first cylinder and the second cylinder in sequence; and the controller is configured to: control the first cylinder to perform rich combustion and control the second cylinder to perform lean combustion.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the air-fuel ratio of an engine assembly is adjusted by controlling the firing order of the rich-burn cylinders and the lean-burn cylinders to compensate for the torque difference between the first cylinder and the second cylinder.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the number of the cylinders is even, the controller is configured to: ignite one of the first cylinders for the first time.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the controller is configured to: control the first cylinder and the second cylinder to switch between rich combustion and lean combustion at every target time interval.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the air intake of the first cylinder is provided with a first throttle valve, and the air intake of the second cylinder is provided with a second throttle valve. The first throttle valve and the second throttle valve are both communicatively connected to the controller, and the controller can control the opening of the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve respectively.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes: an injector, the injector being in communication with the first cylinder and the second cylinder, the controller being in communication with the injector, and the controller being capable of controlling an injection amount of the injector.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes: a first intake pipe and a second intake pipe, the first intake pipe being in communication with an intake port of the first cylinder, and the second intake pipe being in communication with an intake port of the second cylinder.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes: a first air outlet pipe and a second air outlet pipe, the first air outlet pipe being connected to the air outlet of the first cylinder; the second air outlet pipe being connected to the air outlet of the second cylinder.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first cylinder and the second cylinder have different intake phases; and / or the first cylinder and the second cylinder have different exhaust phases.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes: a first oxygen sensor and a second oxygen sensor, the first oxygen sensor being arranged on the first exhaust pipe, and the second oxygen sensor being arranged on the second exhaust pipe; the first oxygen sensor and the second oxygen sensor being electrically connected to the controller.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first cylinder includes a first throttle valve, the second cylinder includes a second throttle valve, and the controller is configured to control the openings of the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve according to detection results of the first oxygen sensor and the second oxygen sensor.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes: an injector, wherein the injector is connected to the first cylinder and the second cylinder, the controller is in communication with the injector, and the controller controls the injection amount of the injector according to the detection results of the first oxygen sensor and the second oxygen sensor.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes a catalyst, wherein the catalyst is in communication with the first air outlet pipe and the second air outlet pipe.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first air outlet pipe and the second air outlet pipe have different lengths.

[0020] A vehicle according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention includes: the engine assembly.

[0021] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a V-type four-cylinder engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a V-type six-cylinder engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a three-cylinder engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a three-cylinder engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0023] Reference numerals: 11. First cylinder; 12. Second cylinder; 13. First air inlet pipe; 14. Second air inlet pipe; 15. First air outlet pipe; 16. Second air outlet pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary. The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0025] Reference below Figures 1-6 An engine assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is described, and a vehicle including the engine assembly is also proposed.

[0026] The engine assembly includes multiple cylinders and a controller. Power is generated by burning the air-fuel mixture in the cylinders, and the exhaust gas generated by the combustion in the cylinders is discharged.

[0027] The plurality of cylinders include a first cylinder 11 and a second cylinder 12. The controller is configured to control the sequential firing of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 in a staggered manner. In other words, the controller controls the sequential firing of the plurality of cylinders, with the firing order of the plurality of cylinders varying. The staggered firing of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 occurs sequentially, meaning that one of the two adjacent cylinders that are fired sequentially is the first cylinder 11, and the other is the second cylinder 12.

[0028] Furthermore, the controller is configured to control the first cylinder 11 to perform rich combustion and the second cylinder 12 to perform lean combustion. Specifically, the controller controls the first cylinder 11 to perform rich combustion and the second cylinder 12 to perform lean combustion. Thus, when two adjacent cylinders are ignited sequentially, one cylinder must be rich combustion and the other cylinder must be lean combustion, thereby maintaining a rich-lean balance. By controlling the ignition order of the rich and lean combustion cylinders, the torque difference between the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 is compensated, thereby adjusting the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly.

[0029] For example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the engine assembly may include four cylinders, which may be arranged horizontally or in a V-shaped arrangement. Two of the cylinders are first cylinders 11, and the other two are second cylinders 12. That is, during ignition, the two first cylinders 11 perform rich combustion, while the two second cylinders 12 perform lean combustion. This ensures sufficient power for the engine assembly while maintaining thermal efficiency and adjusting the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly.

[0030] For example, Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the engine assembly may include three cylinders. During ignition, two of the cylinders may be the first cylinder 11 and the other may be the second cylinder 12. The controller controls the first cylinder 11 to perform rich combustion and the second cylinder 12 to perform lean combustion. Alternatively, two of the cylinders may be the second cylinder 12 and the other may be the first cylinder 11. The controller controls the first cylinder 11 to perform rich combustion and the second cylinder 12 to perform lean combustion.

[0031] In some embodiments, when the number of cylinders is even, the controller is configured to initially ignite one of the first cylinders 11. For example, if the plurality of cylinders is four cylinders, the cylinder that is initially ignited is the first cylinder 11, and the controller controls the first cylinder 11 to perform rich combustion. The controller then controls the second cylinder 12 to perform lean combustion, and the multiple cylinders that are sequentially ignited follow a rich-lean-rich-lean combustion pattern.

[0032] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, when there are six cylinders, the six cylinders can be arranged horizontally or in a V-shaped arrangement. The first cylinder to ignite is the first cylinder 11, and the controller controls rich combustion in the first cylinder 11. The controller controls lean combustion in the second cylinder 12, which is then ignited. The sequential combustion of the multiple cylinders is rich-lean-rich-lean-rich-lean.

[0033] When the number of cylinders is a multiple of four but not four, two cylinders may be ignited simultaneously. Of the two cylinders ignited simultaneously, one is the first cylinder 11 and performs rich combustion, and the other is the second cylinder 12 and performs lean combustion.

[0034] Furthermore, the controller is configured to control the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 to switch between rich and lean combustion at target intervals. In other words, to prevent prolonged rich combustion in a single cylinder from causing carbon deposits or a prolonged large temperature gradient, the rich combustion cylinder and the lean combustion cylinder need to be switched after a certain period of time.

[0035] Specifically, after the engine assembly has been running for the target time since ignition, the combustion states of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 are reversed. Specifically, the controller controls the first cylinder 11 to operate lean burn, while the controller controls the second cylinder 12 to operate rich burn. This prevents prolonged rich burn in the first cylinder 11, which could cause carbon deposits, or a prolonged, large temperature gradient. Then, after another target time, the controller controls the first cylinder 11 to operate rich burn, while the second cylinder 12 operates lean burn. This cycle repeats.

[0036] In some embodiments, a first throttle valve is provided at the intake port of the first cylinder 11, and a second throttle valve is provided at the intake port of the second cylinder 12. Both the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve are communicatively connected to a controller, which can control the openings of the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve. Specifically, the first throttle valve controls the intake volume of the first cylinder 11. If there are multiple first cylinders 11, the first throttle valve can control the intake volume of the multiple first cylinders 11, and the intake volume of each first cylinder 11 can be consistent. The second throttle valve controls the intake volume of the second cylinder 12. If there are multiple second cylinders 12, the second throttle valve can control the intake volume of the multiple second cylinders 12, and the intake volume of each second cylinder 12 can be consistent. Specifically, the controller can control the intake volume of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 separately, so that the intake volumes of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 are different, thereby precisely adjusting the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly to approach the ideal air-fuel ratio.

[0037] The controller can control the opening of the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve to control the intake amount of the first cylinder 11 and the intake amount of the second cylinder 12 respectively, so as to control the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 to perform lean combustion or rich combustion.

[0038] The engine assembly also includes fuel injectors, which are connected to the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12. A controller is in communication with the injectors and controls the amount of fuel injected by the injectors. Specifically, the injectors can inject fuel into multiple cylinders. Because the amount of fuel injected is related to the torque of the engine assembly, if the injection amounts of fuel in the multiple cylinders differ, the output torque of the engine assembly will be unstable. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the fuel injectors are connected to multiple cylinders, and the fuel injectors provide the same amount of fuel to each cylinder. This results in a more stable torque output from the engine assembly with less fluctuation.

[0039] In addition, the controller can control the amount of fuel injected by the injector. At the same time, the controller also controls the opening of the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve, ultimately controlling the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly within a narrow, nearly ideal range (14.7:1). Moreover, since the amount of fuel injected into each cylinder is the same, the torque output by the engine assembly is relatively stable with less fluctuation.

[0040] The engine assembly also includes an air purifier, which filters air drawn from the outside (intake) and supplies it to the cylinders. Before entering the cylinders, the turbocharger compresses (supercharges) the intake air through the rotation of the compressor. After compression, the intake air passes through a throttle valve and is first stored in a surge tank before entering multiple cylinders, mixing with fuel and burning.

[0041] Combine Figures 1-6 As shown, the engine assembly further includes a first intake pipe 13 and a second intake pipe 14. The first intake pipe 13 communicates with the intake port of the first cylinder 11, and the second intake pipe 14 communicates with the intake port of the second cylinder 12. Specifically, the first intake pipe 13 communicates with the first cylinder 11, and intake air enters the first cylinder 11 from the first intake pipe 13, and intake air enters the second cylinder 12 from the second intake pipe 14. A first throttle valve adjusts the amount of intake air in the first intake pipe 13 to supply it to the first cylinder 11; a second throttle valve adjusts the amount of intake air in the second intake pipe 14 to supply it to the second cylinder 12.

[0042] Intake air and fuel from the injector are supplied to the cylinder. Inside the cylinder, the supplied air and fuel form an air-fuel mixture, which is ignited by the spark of the spark plug and combusts. This combustion causes the piston to reciprocate, and this reciprocating motion is transmitted to the crankshaft via the connecting rod, ultimately enabling the vehicle to operate.

[0043] Combine Figures 1-6As shown, the engine assembly further includes a first exhaust pipe 15 and a second exhaust pipe 16. The first exhaust pipe 15 communicates with the exhaust port of the first cylinder 11; the second exhaust pipe 16 communicates with the exhaust port of the second cylinder 12. Specifically, the exhaust port of the first cylinder 11 has a first exhaust valve that selectively connects the first cylinder 11 to the catalyst, while the exhaust port of the second cylinder 12 has a second exhaust valve that selectively connects the second cylinder 12 to the catalyst. One end of the first exhaust pipe 15 communicates with the first exhaust valve, and the other end communicates with the catalyst. One end of the second outlet pipe 16 communicates with the second exhaust valve, and the other end communicates with the catalyst. This ensures that the exhaust gas generated by the first cylinder 11 and the exhaust gas generated by the second cylinder 12 are fully mixed in the catalyst to prevent afterburning.

[0044] In some embodiments, the intake phases of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 are different. That is, after ignition, the intake timing of the first cylinder 11 is different from the intake timing of the second cylinder 12. This means that the opening times of the first and second throttle valves are different. Consequently, engines with different numbers of cylinders will have different exhaust phases for the first and second cylinders 11, 12. In actual operation, multiple experiments are required to find the most appropriate intake phase.

[0045] In some embodiments, the exhaust phases of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 differ. Specifically, the first cylinder 11 has a first exhaust valve that selectively connects the first cylinder 11 to the catalyst, and the second cylinder 12 has a second exhaust valve that selectively connects the second cylinder 12 to the catalyst. The exhaust timings of the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 differ, meaning that the first and second exhaust valves open at different times. Engines with different numbers of cylinders may have different exhaust phases for the first and second cylinders 11, 12, requiring multiple trials to determine the optimal exhaust phase.

[0046] Therefore, the engine assembly of the embodiment of the present invention further includes: a first oxygen sensor and a second oxygen sensor, the first oxygen sensor being disposed on the first outlet pipe 15, and the second oxygen sensor being disposed on the second outlet pipe 16; both the first oxygen sensor and the second oxygen sensor being electrically connected to a controller. Specifically, the first oxygen sensor measures the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas from the first outlet pipe 15, converts the measured oxygen concentration into an electrical signal, and transmits it to the controller; the second oxygen sensor measures the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas from the first outlet pipe 15, converts the measured oxygen concentration into an electrical signal, and transmits it to the controller. The controller controls the openings of the first and second throttle valves based on the electrical signals fed back from the first and second oxygen sensors, thereby maintaining the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly within a narrow, near-ideal range (14.7:1).

[0047] That is, the engine assembly further includes a fuel injector, which is connected to the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12. A controller is in communication with the fuel injector and is capable of controlling the fuel injection amount of the fuel injector. Specifically, the fuel injector can inject fuel into multiple cylinders. Since the fuel injection amount is related to the torque of the engine assembly, if the fuel injection amounts of multiple cylinders are different, the output torque of the engine assembly will be unstable. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel injector is connected to multiple cylinders, and the fuel injection amount provided by the fuel injector to each cylinder is the same. The controller can control the fuel injection amount of the fuel injector based on the feedback signals from the first and second oxygen sensors. The feedback signals from the first and second oxygen sensors can be used to determine the current air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly. Based on the current air-fuel ratio, the controller controls the opening of the first and second throttle valves and the fuel injection amount of the fuel injectors, ultimately controlling the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly within a narrow, near-ideal range (14.7:1).

[0048] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the engine assembly further includes: a catalyst, which is connected to the first outlet pipe 15 and the second outlet pipe 16. The catalyst is provided with a function of purifying exhaust gas. A catalyst, such as a three-way catalyst, may be provided in the catalyst. The three-way catalyst is a catalyst with precious metals such as platinum and rhodium as active ingredients, which has the function of removing nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and other substances in the exhaust gas. In addition, the exhaust gas purification performance of the three-way catalyst varies with temperature. The exhaust gas purification performance of the three-way catalyst is improved at a temperature close to the activation temperature. Therefore, at low temperatures such as cold start, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the three-way catalyst to reach the activation temperature. Note that the type of catalyst is not limited to the three-way catalyst. Various types of catalysts can be used.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first and second exhaust pipes 15 and 16 have different lengths. For the first and second cylinders 11 and 12 with different exhaust phases, the first and second exhaust pipes 15 and 16 need to have different lengths. That is, the distances from the first and second cylinders 11 and 12 to the catalyst are different. The distance from the first exhaust valve of the first cylinder 11 to the catalyst is different from the distance from the second exhaust valve of the second cylinder 12 to the catalyst. This allows the exhaust gases from the first and second cylinders 11 and 12 to be fully mixed after entering the catalyst, preventing afterburn.

[0050] A vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes an engine assembly that adjusts the air-fuel ratio of the engine assembly by controlling the ignition sequence of the rich-burn cylinders and the lean-burn cylinders to compensate for the torque difference between the first cylinder 11 and the second cylinder 12 .

[0051] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0052] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0053] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An engine assembly, characterized in that: include: A plurality of cylinders, including: a first cylinder (11) and a second cylinder (12); A controller configured to: control the first cylinder (11) and the second cylinder (12) to be ignited in a staggered manner; Furthermore, the controller is configured to: control the first cylinder (11) to perform rich combustion and control the second cylinder (12) to perform lean combustion.

2. The engine assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the number of cylinders is even, the controller is configured to: ignite one of the first cylinders (11) for the first time.

3. The engine assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is configured to control the first cylinder (11) and the second cylinder (12) to switch between rich combustion and lean combustion at target time intervals.

4. The engine assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake of the first cylinder (11) is provided with a first throttle valve, and the air intake of the second cylinder (12) is provided with a second throttle valve. The first throttle valve and the second throttle valve are both communicatively connected to the controller, and the controller can control the opening of the first throttle valve and the second throttle valve respectively.

5. The engine assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A fuel injector is connected to the first cylinder (11) and the second cylinder (12); the controller is in communication with the fuel injector; and the controller can control the fuel injection amount of the fuel injector.

6. The engine assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A first air intake pipe (13) and a second air intake pipe (14), wherein the first air intake pipe (13) is connected to the air intake port of the first cylinder (11), and the second air intake pipe (14) is connected to the air intake port of the second cylinder (12).

7. The engine assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: A first air outlet pipe (15) and a second air outlet pipe (16), wherein the first air outlet pipe (15) is communicated with the air outlet of the first cylinder (11); and the second air outlet pipe (16) is communicated with the air outlet of the second cylinder (12).

8. The engine assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first cylinder (11) and the second cylinder (12) have different intake phases; and / or, The exhaust phases of the first cylinder (11) and the second cylinder (12) are different.

9. The engine assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: a first oxygen sensor and a second oxygen sensor, wherein the first oxygen sensor is arranged on the first outlet pipe (15), and the second oxygen sensor is arranged on the second outlet pipe (16); The first oxygen sensor and the second oxygen sensor are both electrically connected to the controller.

10. The engine assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: A catalyst is connected to the first air outlet pipe (15) and the second air outlet pipe (16).

11. The engine assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first air outlet pipe (15) and the second air outlet pipe (16) have different lengths.

12. A vehicle, characterized in that: include: The engine assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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