Vehicle utilizing gasoline particulate filter soot regeneration strategy with standard emission reduction for low NOx emissions

Abstract

According to an example implementation, a vehicle includes: a body; an engine within the body; and at least one exhaust pipe extending from the engine and having a particulate filter fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe to receive exhaust material from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle also has at least one air injection duct having a first end with an inlet arranged to receive airflow into the body upon movement of the vehicle, where the air injection duct includes a second end fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe and having an outlet fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe. The outlet is positioned to provide airflow from the injection conduit into the exhaust pipe upstream of the particulate filter. Passive soot regeneration with THC and CO reduction is achieved by this introduced gas stream.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field generally relates to vehicles, and more specifically to methods and systems for controlling the regeneration of particulate filters for gasoline engines used in vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Many vehicles have exhaust aftertreatment systems with particulate filters to reduce harmful emissions. Due to the accumulation of soot within the filter, particulate filters often require regeneration from time to time. However, some existing passive and active regeneration technologies can be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In an example implementation, a vehicle includes: a body; an engine within the body; and at least one exhaust pipe extending from the engine and having a particulate filter fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe to receive exhaust material from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle also has at least one air injection duct having a first end with an inlet arranged to receive airflow entering the body as the vehicle moves. The air injection duct includes a second end fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe and having an outlet positioned to supply airflow from the injection duct to the exhaust pipe upstream of the particulate filter.

[0004] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the vehicle includes a valve located on the air injection duct and arranged to open and close according to the temperature at the particulate filter.

[0005] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the entry point includes a collector with a free end facing the front of the vehicle.

[0006] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the vehicle includes an intake manifold with a manifold duct for guiding airflow. The inlet is coupled to the manifold duct.

[0007] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the vehicle includes at least one catalytic converter that is fluidly coupled to an exhaust pipe between the engine and the outlet.

[0008] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the engine includes two cylinder blocks, each cylinder block having one of the exhaust pipes, and the injection pipe includes a single inlet and a split to two outlet sections, each outlet section having one of the second ends and an outlet fluidly coupled to the different exhaust pipes in the exhaust pipe.

[0009] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the engine includes multiple cylinder blocks, and at least one exhaust pipe includes two fluidly parallel exhaust pipe sections. Each exhaust pipe section has a first end coupled to a different cylinder block within the cylinder block and a second end that merges at a merged exhaust pipe section fluidly coupled to a particulate filter. The injection pipe is coupled to only one of the parallel exhaust pipe sections.

[0010] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the injection pipe has a sidewall with a tapered edge that defines the outlet.

[0011] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the vehicle includes a temperature sensor for the particulate filter, a valve for the injection duct, and a controller having at least one processor communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the valve. The processor is arranged to operate by controlling the valve to allow air to flow through the air injection duct and to the particulate filter when the temperatures before and after the particulate filter are both above a threshold and the exhaust pressure in the exhaust pipe is less than the air pressure at the inlet.

[0012] In an example implementation, one method includes: obtaining sensor data indicating the temperature of at least one particulate filter of a vehicle's emission system via processor circuitry forming at least one processor. The particulate filter is fluidly coupled to an exhaust pipe extending from the vehicle's engine. Depending on the temperature sensed at the particulate filter, the method includes: opening an air injection duct via at least one processor, the air injection duct having an inlet facing forward on the vehicle and configured to capture under-hood airflow entering the vehicle as the vehicle decelerates. The air injection duct includes an outlet fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe between the particulate filter and the engine.

[0013] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the method includes controlling the maximum air mass flow rate of the air to be injected by setting the diameter of the air injector nozzle at the outlet of the injection duct and the diameter of the air collector at the inlet of the injection duct.

[0014] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the method includes passively activating the regeneration of the particulate filter by allowing air to flow through the injection pipe when the particulate filter has a temperature of at least 600 degrees Celsius for the non-catalyst particulate filter and at least 350 degrees Celsius for the catalyst particulate filter.

[0015] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the method includes passively activating the regeneration of the particulate filter by allowing air to flow through the injection pipe when the vehicle decelerates sufficiently to reduce the exhaust pressure to below the air pressure at the inlet.

[0016] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the method includes reducing THC and CO emissions during a tip-in after deceleration by releasing oxygen stored in the catalytic converter during a deceleration dynamic cylinder cutoff (DCCO) event.

[0017] In addition, in the example implementation, the method includes: shutting off the air jet duct when the particulate filter temperature rises to 900 degrees Celsius or 950 degrees Celsius.

[0018] In an example implementation, the vehicle's emission system includes: at least one exhaust pipe extending from the vehicle's engine and having a particulate filter fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe. At least one temperature sensor is arranged to sense the temperature at the particulate filter. At least one injection duct has an inlet facing forward on the vehicle and configured to capture under-hood airflow entering the vehicle as the vehicle decelerates. The air injection duct includes an outlet fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe between the particulate filter and the engine, and a valve. Processor circuitry forms at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one temperature sensor and the valve, and is arranged to operate by opening and closing the air injection duct according to the sensed temperature of the particulate filter.

[0019] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the emission system includes a mixer device within the exhaust pipe between the outlet and the particulate filter.

[0020] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the air injection duct has a sidewall with an opening forming an outlet, and the size of the opening is set to control the amount of air mass flow rate.

[0021] Furthermore, in the example implementation, at least one processor is configured to operate by opening the air injection ducts when it is determined that the vehicle is running during a DCCO event. The air injection ducts may be open for two seconds or longer at a time.

[0022] Furthermore, in the example implementation, the particulate filter has an inlet temperature sensor and an outlet temperature sensor. At least one processor is arranged to operate by performing health diagnostics on the air injection system and the particulate filter, including determining at least one of the following: the particulate filter temperature difference before and after air is injected into the particulate filter and at multiple different engine speeds, or the particulate filter inlet and outlet temperature difference at different engine speeds with and without air injection. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The present disclosure will now be described in conjunction with the following accompanying drawings, wherein the same numerals denote the same elements, and the drawings are not drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0024] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of an example vehicle based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article;

[0025] Figure 2 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the front view of an example vehicle;

[0026] Figure 3 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example emission system on a vehicle;

[0027] Figure 4 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an alternative example emission system on a vehicle;

[0028] Figure 5 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another alternative example of an emission system on a vehicle;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view of an air collector according to at least one of the implementation methods described in this paper;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view of an air injection pipe according to at least one of the implementation methods described herein; and

[0031] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a process for regenerating a particulate filter for a vehicle according to at least one of the implementations described herein. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following detailed description describes only exemplary implementations and is not intended to limit this disclosure or its application and use. Furthermore, it is not intended to be bound by the foregoing background art or any theories presented in the following detailed description.

[0033] refer to Figure 1 Example vehicle 100 has a drive system 102, an emission system 114, and a control system 104. Furthermore, as described below according to various implementations, the drive system 102 includes an engine 112, and the emission system 114 has a particulate filter (PF) 116 and an air injection assembly (AIA) 118. The control system 104 controls the regeneration of the particulate filter of the PF via the AIA 118 (e.g., as described below according to various implementations). Figure 1 Vehicle 100 and Figure 8 The process is described in more detail in 800.

[0034] In various implementations, vehicle 100 includes automobiles. Vehicle 100 can be any of several different types of automobiles, such as, for example, sedans, vans, trucks, or sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and can be two-wheel drive (2WD) (i.e., rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive), four-wheel drive (4WD), or all-wheel drive (AWD) and / or various other types of vehicles. In some implementations, vehicle 100 may also include motorcycles or other vehicles, such as aircraft, spacecraft, boats, etc., and / or one or more other types of mobile platforms (e.g., robots and / or other mobile platforms) with emission systems.

[0035] like Figure 1 The depicted vehicle 100 includes a body 105 disposed on a chassis 110. The body 105 substantially surrounds the other components of the vehicle 100 and has a front portion 160 with a front grille or air grille 162. Figure 2 As shown, the body 105 may include a hood 204 covering the engine 112, while an air grille 162 on the front 160 of the vehicle (and consequently in front of the engine 112) provides a passage for airflow from outside the body into the body and to the engine 112 on or above (or below) it; this airflow is referred to herein as under-hood air or airflow. Air can reach the engine 112 and exhaust system 114 from below the body 105 and from other openings on the body 105. The body 105 and chassis 110 may collectively form a frame. The vehicle 100 also includes a plurality of wheels 106 and axles 108 coupled thereto. Each wheel 106 is rotatably coupled to the chassis 110 near a corresponding corner of the body 105 to facilitate movement of the vehicle 100. In one implementation, the vehicle 100 includes four wheels 106, although this may vary in other implementations (e.g., for trucks and certain other vehicles).

[0036] In various implementations, the drive system 102 is mounted on the chassis 110 and drives the wheels 106 via axles 108. In the depicted implementation, the drive system 102 is a propulsion system including an engine 112 as an internal combustion engine 112. The engine 112 is fluidly coupled to an exhaust system 114. In various implementations, the exhaust system 114 directs exhaust gas from the engine 112 to an emission reduction device such as a PF 116 before it is discharged from the vehicle 100. The PF 116 filters soot from the exhaust gases generated by the engine 112 and needs to be periodically regenerated to remove soot from the PF 116. The vehicle 100 adds an air injection assembly 118 to the exhaust system 114, and adds the operation of a control system 104 to control the air injection assembly 118. Details are provided below.

[0037] refer to Figure 3The example emission system 114 of vehicle 100 is the same as or similar to emission system 300. System 300 extends from engine 302, which may be the same as or similar to engine 112. Engine 302 has two cylinder blocks 304 and 306, each with cylinder bores 308 and 310, each with a spark plug 314 and a fuel injector 312. Fuel rail 316 delivers fuel to fuel injector 312.

[0038] The intake manifold 318 has an inlet (or inlet portion) 320 that directs air through an air filter 322 and subsequently to an arrangement of a duct 324 that directs the air to cylinder blocks 304 and 306. Air pressure (or intake manifold pressure) 326 monitors the air pressure within the intake manifold 318. Air and fuel delivered to cylinder bores 308 and 310 are burned, causing a piston (not shown) to reciprocate within the bore, thereby driving a drive shaft that in turn drives wheel axle 108 and wheel 106. The engine 302 and its components may or may not be considered part of the emission system 300.

[0039] Regarding the exhaust system 300, one or more (two in this case) exhaust assemblies 330 and 332 extend rearward from cylinder blocks 304 and 306 respectively, and have corresponding exhaust pipes 334 and 336, each with branch inlet ends 338 and 340, each with branches 342 and 344 respectively, the branches fluidly coupled to different cylinder bores 308 or 310 to provide outlets for exhaust material from cylinder bores 308 and 310. It should be noted that the terms pipe, conduit, and duct are used interchangeably herein and refer to a component that provides a passage for solid, liquid, and / or gas, and are not limited to a particular cross-sectional shape (such as circular or cylindrical) unless the context otherwise indicates. Furthermore, it will be understood that one or more exhaust valve phasers (not shown) may be located on or attached to engine 302 to control the exhaust gas flow from cylinder bores 308 and 310 and into exhaust pipes 334 and 336.

[0040] In this example configuration, emission system 300 is a dual catalytic converter, three-way catalytic converter (such as TWC-1) system, but other types of emission systems may be used alternatively. In this example, exhaust pipes 334 and 336 are each fluidly coupled to or have a catalytic converter device 346 or 348 located downstream of engine 112 (or further downstream in this example), and each catalytic converter device 346 and 348 has a front-closed coupled catalytic converter 350 or 352 and a rear-closed catalytic converter 354 or 356, but many other types and arrangements of catalytic converter devices may also be used alternatively.

[0041] Furthermore, in this example implementation, exhaust pipes 334 and 336 each have a fluid-coupled particulate filter (PF) 360 or 362, and by way of example, it is a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) that can be a bare PF or a catalytic PF. Each PF 360 and 362 has an inlet end 364 and an outlet end 366. Downstream of PF 360 and 362, before terminating at an outlet (not shown) typically located at the rear of vehicle 100, the exhaust pipe can be fluidly connected to other known components, such as a muffler. It will be understood that other types of PF 360 and 362 can be used.

[0042] The emission system 300 also has several sensors throughout the system 300 to monitor various parameters of the system's operation. Most relevant here are thermocouples 368 and 370 for each PF 360 and 362, each thermocouple having an inlet-side exhaust gas temperature (EGT) sensor 372 near the inlet end 364 of PF 360 and 362, and an outlet-side exhaust gas temperature (EGT) sensor 374 near the outlet end 366 of PF 360 and 362. Other pressure and temperature sensors are also provided in this example, including, by way of one example, an EGT sensor 376 upstream of PF 360 and 362, and also upstream of catalytic converter units 346 and 348 and downstream of engine 302.

[0043] The emission system 300 has the same characteristics as AIA118 ( Figure 1 A similar or identical air injection assembly (AIA) 380 is fluidly coupled to exhaust pipes 334 and 336 to inject air (which may be outside air) into exhaust pipes 334 and 336, and subsequently into PFs 360 and 362. Specifically, AIA 380 has an air injection duct 382, ​​and in this example, includes an inlet section 386 in three sections, which has an inlet collector 384 and is split into at least two outlet branches 388 and 390, each of which has an outlet (or outlet end) 392 and 394 respectively coupled to a different exhaust pipe in exhaust pipes 334 and 336. It will be understood that air injection duct 382 may have one outlet branch for each coupled exhaust pipe. Alternatively, outlets 392 and 394 may be near, at, or within the outlet of catalytic converter devices 346 or 348.

[0044] The air injection duct 382 of the AIA 380 can be made of steel, low-carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum steel, composite materials such as carbon fiber or glass fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), as long as the material is sufficient to withstand the temperature and air or gas pressure that the AIA 380 is expected to experience in the emission system.

[0045] The AIA 380 may optionally include an air injection line valve 398, which can be an on / off valve, shut-off valve, etc., controlled to be fully open or closed, but may also be a valve with intermediate positioning for precise change of airflow, such as a control valve. The AIA 380 may also include a check valve 399 to prevent any unwanted backflow. The collector 384 also includes an air filter 396. Further details of the collector 384 are available in... Figure 6 The following are provided: and other details of exports 392 and 394 (including optional nozzles) are in Figure 7 It was provided in China.

[0046] Using this arrangement, particulate filters 360 or 362 can be passively regenerated when the vehicle is moving in deceleration mode. Specifically, deceleration can occur when the user is not pressing the accelerator and the vehicle is coasting, or when the autonomous drive system is not injecting fuel into the engine, and this is for a short or transient period of as little as two seconds. In other cases, the vehicle can be in Dynamic Cylinder Cutoff (DCCO) mode, where less than all cylinders or no cylinders in engine 112 are used. DCCO mode is typically used to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions during test cycles. Another case is Deceleration Fuel Cutoff (DFCO) mode, where fuel injection is temporarily stopped during deceleration to save fuel. As the vehicle 100 moves forward, by one example, these and other deceleration modes result in a situation where the exhaust from engine 112 in exhaust pipes 334 and 336 has a low exhaust back pressure compared to the relatively high air mass flow rate or relatively high air pressure of external or ambient air entering the vehicle body from the front air grille 162 below hood 204. Air can also enter from other locations below the shroud 204 and / or into the intake manifold 318.

[0047] Low exhaust pressure allows air (or more air) to be introduced into particulate filters (PFs) 360 or 362 via air injection pipe 382. The air trapped in PFs 360 and 362 is burned at sufficiently high temperatures to reduce particulate matter (PM), total hydrocarbons (THC), and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, or in other words, soot. This is a passive process, not an active one. This avoids the active regeneration that would otherwise tend to increase NOx emissions. The reduction in NOx and soot is achieved by controlling the airflow rate to PFs 360 and 362. When the engine 302 is propelling the vehicle, the oxygen stored in the GPF can further reduce HC and CO emissions during hard acceleration. This provides vehicle 100 with better compliance with government vehicle emission regulations. Furthermore, this passive regeneration can indirectly lead to a reduction in platinum group metals (PGM) consumption at catalytic converter devices 346 and 348, resulting in significant financial savings.

[0048] When an engine cylinder suddenly shuts off, the low exhaust pressure and high air mass flow rate (or high airflow pressure) cause an intake pressure pulse, which results in air being injected into the front of PF 360 or 362 at the onset of a deceleration (DCCO) event. Additionally, this situation improves drive quality performance during sudden acceleration after a deceleration event (when the engine is reactivated to propel the vehicle again) by further releasing or pulsed air from intake manifold 318 into PF 360 or 362. In this situation, PF 360 or 362 uses the additional oxygen in PF 360 or 362 to burn additional THC and CO.

[0049] Regarding valve 398, as detailed below, controller 140 ( Figure 1 Valve 398 can be opened and closed based on the detection (or assumption) of PF activation and deactivation temperatures and lower exhaust pressures. However, in alternative forms, valve 398 can be omitted entirely to save costs. In this case, air injection conduit 382 remains open. In this example, valve 398 can be an on / off valve or a shut-off valve with only a fully open or fully closed position. In other forms, valve 398 can have a position that varies between open and closed to more precisely control the air mass flow rate as needed.

[0050] Refer again Figure 1 In various implementations, when the control system 104 controls the regeneration of, for example, particulate filters (PF) 360 or 362 (or 116), the control system 104 provides instructions or control signals to the control valve 398 to selectively open or close, for example, as described below. Figure 8 The process 800 is described in more detail. Furthermore, in various implementations, the control system 104 may be coupled to the drive system 102 and the emission system 114 to provide various other control functions for the drive system 102, the emission system 114, and / or for various other systems and components of the vehicle 100.

[0051] In various implementations, the control system 104 includes a sensor array 120 and a controller 140. In various implementations, the sensor array 120 includes sensors that acquire sensor data relating to the emission system 114 and for controlling the drive system 102 (including the regeneration of the PF 116). In the depicted implementation, the sensor array 120 includes one or more soot sensors 122 and temperature sensors 124. It will be understood that in some implementations, the sensor array 120 may also include any number of other sensors 126, including air or exhaust pressure sensors.

[0052] In various implementations, the soot sensor 122 detects the presence, amount, and / or concentration of soot in the PF 116. As used throughout this application, the term "socks" is used to refer to any particulate matter or substance generated by combustion of the engine 112, including but not limited to powdery, flaky, or other carbonaceous material generated by combustion. In some implementations, the soot sensor 122 may include one or more pressure sensors, such as differential pressure sensors or ΔP sensors. Additionally, a temperature sensor itself may be used to calculate pressure and, consequently, an indication of the amount of soot in the PF 116. However, this may vary in other implementations; for example, in some implementations, one or more other sensors may be utilized.

[0053] In various implementations, temperature sensor 124 includes exhaust gas temperature (EGT) sensor thermocouples 368 and 370. Figure 3 ), upstream exhaust temperature sensor 376 ( Figure 3 (This includes) and other sensors configured to measure the air temperature of one or more portions of the air in the exhaust system 114 when needed. In various implementations, temperature sensor 124 is used to measure the temperature of the exhaust gas at, for example, at inlet 364 and / or outlet 366 at PF 360 or 362.

[0054] In some implementations, the sensor array 120 may also include one or more additional types of sensors 126, such as an intake pressure sensor 326, an oxygen sensor, an intake manifold airflow sensor, and many other sensors as needed, such as one or more engine torque sensors as an example, and other different possible types of sensors.

[0055] In various implementations, controller 140 is coupled to sensor array 120. In various implementations, controller 140 is also coupled to drive system 102 and emission system 114. In various implementations, controller 140 may also be coupled to one or more other systems and / or components of vehicle 100.

[0056] like Figure 1 As depicted, in various implementations, controller 140 includes a computer system (also referred to herein as computer system 140), and includes processor circuitry forming at least one processor 142, memory 144, interface 146, storage device 148, and computer bus 150. In various implementations, controller (or computer system) 140 controls the regeneration filtering of PF 116. In various implementations, controller 140 controls various other functions of vehicle 100, including the movement of vehicle 100, and various other functions of drive system 102 and various other vehicle systems and components. In various implementations, controller 140 according to... Figure 8The process 800 operates to provide these and other functions, as further described below.

[0057] In various implementations, the controller 140 (and in some implementations, the control system 104 itself) is housed within the body 105 of the vehicle 100. In one implementation, the control system 104 is mounted on the chassis 110. In some implementations, the controller 140 and / or the control system 104 and / or one or more components thereof may be located outside the body 105, for example, on a remote server, in the cloud, or in other devices where image processing is performed remotely. Therefore, it will be understood that the controller 140 may otherwise differ from... Figure 1 The implementation described herein. For example, controller 140 may be coupled to or otherwise utilize one or more remote computer systems and / or other control systems, for example as part of one or more of the equipment and systems of vehicle 100 described above.

[0058] At least one processor 142 performs the computing and control functions of the controller 140 and may include any type of processor or multiple processors, a single integrated circuit such as a microprocessor, multiple processor cores, a system-on-a-chip (SoC), or any suitable number of integrated circuit devices and / or circuit boards that work together to perform the functions of the processing unit.

[0059] During operation, at least one processor 142 executes one or more programs 152 contained in memory 144, and thus controls the controller 140 and the general operation of the computer system of the controller 140, typically during the execution of the processes described herein, such as Figure 8 The process 800 is described in conjunction with its further description below. Therefore, process 800 can be executed by a program 152 (such as a particulate filter (PF) regeneration program or system) operated by at least one processor 142, and processor 142 can execute each operation of process 800 by operating individual units or modules of program 152 that perform the various operations of process 800, through any combination of software, firmware, and / or hardware. It will be understood that a single unit or module of program 152 can perform multiple operations of process 800. It will be understood that one or more units of program 152 that perform the operations of process 800, as well as one or more processors 142, can be remote from vehicle 100 and wirelessly communicate with units or program 152 still on the vehicle to operate air injection duct valve 398.

[0060] Memory 144 can be any suitable type of memory. For example, memory 144 can include various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (such as SDRAM), various types of static RAM (SRAM), and various types of non-volatile memory (PROM, EPROM, and flash memory). In some examples, memory 144 is located on and / or co-located with processor 142 on the same computer chip. In the depicted implementation, memory 144 stores the aforementioned program 152 and one or more stored values ​​156 (e.g., a threshold for controlling particle filter regeneration).

[0061] Bus 150 is used to transmit programs, data, status, and other information or signals between various components of the computer system of controller 140. Interface 146 allows communication, for example, from system drives and / or another computer system to the computer system of controller 140, and can be implemented using any suitable methods and means. In one implementation, interface 146 obtains various data from sensor array 120. Interface 146 may include one or more network interfaces for communicating with other systems or components. Interface 146 may also include one or more network interfaces for communicating with technicians, and / or one or more storage interfaces for connecting to storage devices (such as storage device 148).

[0062] Storage device 148 can be any suitable type of storage device, including various types of direct-access memory and / or other memory devices. In one example implementation, storage device 148 includes a program product from which memory 144 can receive program 152, which executes. Figure 8 One or more implementations of the process, and as further described below in conjunction with them. In another example implementation, the program product may be stored directly in memory 144 and / or disk (e.g., disk 157) and / or otherwise accessed by memory 144 and / or disk, as referenced below.

[0063] Bus 150 can be any suitable physical or logical structure for connecting computer systems and components. This includes, but is not limited to, direct hardwired connections, fiber optic, infrared, and wireless bus technologies. During operation, program 152 is stored in memory 144 and executed by processor 142.

[0064] It will be understood that although this example implementation is described in the context of a full-featured computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of this disclosure can be distributed as a program product using one or more types of non-transitory computer-readable signal-bearing media used to store a program and its instructions and to perform its distribution, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying a program and containing computer instructions stored therein for causing a computer device or computer processor (such as processor 142) to execute and run the program. Such program products can take various forms, and this disclosure applies equally regardless of the specific type of computer-readable signal-bearing medium used to perform the distribution. Examples of signal-bearing media include recordable media such as floppy disks, hard disks, memory cards, and optical disks, and transmission media such as digital and analog communication links. It will be understood that cloud-based storage and / or other technologies may also be utilized in some implementations. Similarly, it will be understood that the computer system of controller 140 may otherwise differ from... Figure 1 The implementation described herein, for example, includes a computer system of controller 140 that may be coupled to or otherwise utilize one or more remote computer systems and / or other control systems.

[0065] refer to Figure 4 The alternative emission system 400 for vehicle 100 has many identical or similar components, the designations of which are the same as those already present in emission system 300. Figure 3 The components numbered above are similar, so they do not need to be described again. However, the difference here is that exhaust pipes 432 and 434 each have merged outlet ends 457 and 459, which are merged together to form a single shared or combined exhaust pipe 461. This exhaust pipe has one or more shared PFs 460, which have inlet ends 462, outlet ends 464, and thermocouples 468 with inlet temperature sensors 472 and outlet temperature sensors 474. In this example, PF 460 may also have a ΔP sensor (or other type of pressure sensor) that measures the pressure difference across PF 460, which can be used to measure the amount of soot at PF 460. Exhaust pipe 461 may lead to a single GPF and other known exhaust components, rather than as in exhaust system 300. Figure 3 Multiple components are used for multiple exhaust pipes, as in the example, in order to reduce financial costs.

[0066] In this example, where parallel exhaust pipes 432 and 434 are combined, the air injection assembly (AIA) 480 has an air injection duct 482 extending from one of the parallel exhaust pipes 432 or 434, but not both. Similar to the air injection assembly 380, the air injection assembly 480 has a widened free-end collector 484 serving as the inlet to the air injection duct 482, and an outlet 492 fluidly coupled to one of the exhaust pipes 432 or 434 to provide a collected high-mass airflow to the PF 460 via the exhaust pipes 432 or 434 and the exhaust duct 461. The injected air from one side of the engine assembly (or a single exhaust pipe 432 or 434) can achieve better mixing and, consequently, better uniformity, resulting in a more concentrated air-exhaust gas mixture entering the PF 460 at the shared or combined duct 461, leading to a greater reduction in THC, CO, and PM soot within the PF 460.

[0067] The AIA 480 has an on / off (or shut-off or otherwise) valve 498 on the air injection duct 482 to control the air mass flow rate to the PF 460, and a one-way valve 499 to limit backflow in the air injection duct 482. Valve 498 can be controlled by controller 140 and program 152 as described elsewhere herein.

[0068] When the vehicle is moving in the low exhaust pressure mode as described above, this arrangement collects and filters the high air mass flow, and the other advantages mentioned above regarding the emission system 300 (such as further soot combustion during hard acceleration) still apply here as well.

[0069] As another alternative, a mixer device 477 (e.g., a swirl vane or spherical mixer) can be placed upstream of the inlet 462 of the PF 460 in the combined exhaust duct 461 to provide further mixing of the injected air with any exhaust gases present, to generate an even more homogeneous mixed flow before entering the PF 460.

[0070] refer to Figure 5 The alternative emission system 500 for vehicle 100 has many of the same or similar components, the designations of which are the same as those already present in emission system 300. Figure 3 ) and / or 400 ( Figure 4The components numbered in the diagram are similar, so they need not be described again. However, the difference here is that the air injection assembly (AIA) 580 has an air injection duct 582 with an inlet 593 that is directly fluidly coupled (or fluid-sealed) to a conduit 591 of the intake manifold 518, instead of using a collector at a free inlet end. The AIA 580 still has, for example, a one-way valve 599 and an optional valve 598 controlled by controller 140 and procedure 152 to open or close the air injection duct 582. Again, many of the advantages of exhaust systems 300 and 400 in providing a high or good air mass flow rate to the PF during low exhaust pressures also apply here to exhaust system 500.

[0071] refer to Figure 6 Collector 600 (and Collector 384) Figure 3 ) or 484 Figure 4 (Similar or identical) It has a funnel-shaped body 602 with an inlet end 604 to form an inlet for air injection ducts 382 or 482. The collector 600 also has an opening at the inlet end 604, the inner diameter or width F of which can be determined experimentally to set or limit the maximum air mass flow rate. A pyramid-shaped sidewall 606 extends from the inlet end 604 to an outlet end 610 for connection to the air injection duct. An air filter 612, formed of paper, fabric, or other known filter material, is mounted on the inner surface 608 of the sidewall 606. The inlet end 604 is positioned under the vehicle hood to face forward and collect air entering the vehicle under the hood. The inlet end is a free end, meaning that the free end is not fluidly closed in another duct or air passage to collect ambient air or air under the hood. Therefore, the inlet end 604 can still be fixed to other structures to limit or stop movement of the inlet end 604 relative to the vehicle or other components in the vehicle 100.

[0072] refer to Figure 7 The air injection duct 700 (similar or identical to air injection ducts 382, ​​482, or 582) has a tubular body 702, which may be made of stainless steel or other materials described above. The body 702 is shown here as straight, but does not always need to be straight. The body 702 has an outlet end 704, which is welded closed. The inlet of the air injection duct 700 is described above... Figures 3-6As shown. The outlet end 704 has a sidewall 706 with an outlet opening (or outlet or opening) 708 defined by an edge 710. In one form, the edge 710 is rounded and outwardly inclined to have a frustoconical surface, such that the outer edge of the edge 710 has a larger diameter than the inner edge of the edge 710. Alternatively, the outlet 708 is coupled to a nozzle 720, such as by welding, molding, or other attachment, and the nozzle is frustoconical with the same or different slope as the edge 710, or machined into a tapered orifice. The inclination of the edge 710 and / or the nozzle 720 guides the injected air to diffuse as it enters the exhaust pipe 712. The air injection conduit 700 is shown as extending through a sidewall 716 of the exhaust pipe 712.

[0073] The dimensions of the air injection duct 700 can be determined to control the air mass flow rate and may include the outer diameter a and wall thickness d, the inner diameter c of the outlet 708, the distance b from the centerline 714 of the outlet 708 to the distal end of the outlet end 704, and the included angle e at the truncated conical edge 710 or nozzle 720. By way of an example, a = 1.0 inch, b = 0.4 inches, c = 0.5 inches, d = 0.3 inches, and e = 80 degrees. The dimensions of the injection duct 700 (particularly at the edge 710 and nozzle 720) and the diameter at the collector 600 can be determined to set the maximum air mass flow rate to be injected. The air inlet diameter determines how much air will be trapped at the PF, and the air injection nozzle diameter value determines the flow coefficient and air distribution to be used in the exhaust system.

[0074] Specifically, for a possible example, the airflow when using nozzle 720 can be obtained by calculating the following formula:

[0075]

[0076] Where m is the airflow rate (or air mass flow rate), Cnozzle is the nozzle emission coefficient, and a Nozzle Let be the cross-sectional area of ​​the nozzle throat, where P1 and P2 are the upstream and downstream pressures relative to the nozzle, respectively, where R is the gas constant (J / kg, K), T is the temperature before the PF inlet, and γ is the specific heat ratio. An example way to determine the relationship between P1 and P2 is as follows:

[0077]

[0078] Where ρ is the fluid density, v is the fluid velocity, and to include hydrostatic pressure, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the fluid depth.

[0079] Now for reference Figure 8This document describes a process 800 for regenerating a particulate filter using air jets, based on an example implementation. Process 800 is described herein as operations 802 to 822, which are generally numbered with even numbers. In various implementations, process 800 may be combined with... Figure 1 Vehicle 100 (including those referenced in the relevant context herein) Figure 1 and Figures 3-5 Drive system 102, emission system 114, 300, 400 or 500, Figure 1 It is achieved through the control system 104 and its components.

[0080] Process 800 includes "operating the vehicle" 802, which refers to the first stage of normal operation, where it is irrelevant whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating, or even idling, because at this time the system or process 800 will first check the amount of soot in PF 116. It will be understood that this operation and other operations of process 800 can be performed continuously in a loop during the operation of the vehicle while it is moving.

[0081] Process 800 includes "receiving emission parameters" 804, and in various implementations, sensor data is acquired. In various implementations, the sensor data is relative to... Figure 1 and Figures 3-5 The data is obtained from the operation of drive system 102 and emission systems 114, 300, 400, and 500. In various implementations, sensor data is obtained via sensors in sensor array 120 and provided to processor 142. Figure 1 (For processing)

[0082] Specifically, in various implementations, the sensor data includes engine control module (ECM) data, which includes information about the particulate filter 116 ( Figure 1 The presence and amount of soot in the soot (e.g., estimated volume, mass, and / or its percentage concentration) is soot detection data. In various implementations, the soot data is transmitted via one or more soot sensors 122 ( Figure 1 The soot sensor obtained is, for example, one or more differential pressure sensors, such as a ΔP sensor, because the pressure difference across PF indicates the soot load. Alternatively, one or more temperature sensors (mentioned below) can be used to convert the temperature into pressure at, for example, PF360 and 362 (or 116). Other types of soot detection sensors can also be used, and the sensor data is provided to processor 142 for processing.

[0083] Furthermore, in various implementations, the sensor data operated by 804 also includes information about, for example, along... Figure 3Temperature data of one or more temperatures of the air flowing through the exhaust pipes 334 and 336. In various implementations, the temperature data is generated from thermocouples 368 and 370 at PF 368 and 370 and from temperature sensor 376 at the upstream end of exhaust pipes 334 and 336 near engine 302. The temperature data is also provided to processor 142 for processing. In various implementations, sensor data (including soot volume data and temperature data) are continuously collected and used throughout process 800.

[0084] Other sensors 126 may include sensors that measure engine speed, torque, airflow, coolant, ambient temperature, intake manifold air pressure, etc., which can be used by the emission system.

[0085] In an optional manner, particulate filter regeneration is not performed until requested. In this example method, particulate filter regeneration is requested when the soot concentration in particulate filter 116 exceeds a predetermined threshold that can be stored in memory 144 as its stored value 156, or alternatively, when particulate filter regeneration is required, according to instructions provided by processor 142, and this includes both active and passive regeneration.

[0086] The alternative used in this paper does not employ such a request, but instead performs continuous monitoring and action on the soot in PF 116. In this case, active regeneration is performed when the soot level is high, and when the soot level is low, it is assumed that at least some soot is present in PF 116. Subsequently, passive regeneration using air injection, as disclosed, is performed based on the pressure and temperature at the emission system and the vehicle's movement (or the presence of sufficient airflow). This process can be performed in continuous cycles as long as the vehicle is moving.

[0087] Process 800 includes the inquiry “Does the soot load exceed the active regeneration threshold?” 806. This threshold refers to the amount of soot that is too much for passive regeneration to burn sufficiently and efficiently, and this threshold can be determined experimentally and can be provided in grams.

[0088] If the soot load is too high, process 800 includes "performing lean active regeneration" 808. Specifically, in various implementations, processor 142 provides instructions for heating particulate filter 116. In various implementations, particulate filter 116 is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., stored in memory 144 as its stored value 156) to provide regeneration for particulate filter 116 (e.g., including burning off soot in particulate filter 116). In various implementations, the engine operates under slightly lean conditions utilizing delayed after-fuel injection to burn off PF soot from the PF. Furthermore, this active regeneration can be performed as long as the exhaust temperatures at the inlet and outlet of PF 116 are below the maximum threshold temperature for active regeneration.

[0089] Process 800 includes a query 810 asking "Is the soot load below the threshold for stopping soot regeneration?". The soot load is periodically measured during operation 808 and is stopped once the soot load falls below the threshold of operation 806, although this threshold can be different if needed. If the soot load remains above the soot load threshold, process 800 cycles back to operation 808 to continue active regeneration. If the soot load falls below the soot load threshold, process 800 cycles back to operation 802 to restart process 800.

[0090] When the soot load is found to be below the soot load threshold at operation 806, process 800 includes an inquiry 812 asking "Is the exhaust temperature upstream of the PF higher than the activation threshold?" Therefore, during vehicle operation, the exhaust gas (and / or previous active regeneration) will heat PF 116. The exhaust temperature upstream of the PF should be above a certain minimum temperature to efficiently ignite the soot at PF 116, thus burning it off. This minimum temperature threshold (or passive regeneration activation threshold) is, in one form, 350 degrees Celsius for the catalyst GPF or 600 degrees Celsius for the bare GPF. The threshold temperature is, in one form, a single temperature at the inlet or outlet of PF 116, but can be both, or some combination thereof. If it is determined that the temperature of the exhaust gas at PF 116 is below the minimum threshold, process 800 cycles back to operation 804 to continue monitoring for better conditions for passive regeneration.

[0091] Otherwise, if the PF 116 temperature is above a minimum threshold, process 800 includes "initiating passive air injection when exhaust pressure is low" 814. Therefore, passive air generation can be performed during deceleration events (such as during DCCO events, DFCO events, and other deceleration events or modes as described above). This can simply involve monitoring when the accelerator is not depressed by the user or when injected fuel is not injected into the engine cylinders, etc. Furthermore, as mentioned above, this can be performed as long as the inlet and / or outlet exhaust temperature at PF 116 is above or remains above the activation threshold. The temperature can be continuously monitored.

[0092] It should be noted that when using under-shroud air instead of air directly from the intake manifold, passive regeneration may or may not require opening the intake manifold. Similarly, passive regeneration can occur when both the intake and exhaust phasers are closed.

[0093] In addition, as mentioned above, the vehicle should move at a relatively high speed (compared to not moving), or in other words, at a high air mass flow rate to collect air under the hood, which in some forms may be at least 5 MPH, but otherwise may be 20-100 or 20 to 80 MPH.

[0094] Furthermore, the duration of deceleration can be very short, such as as little as two seconds. Alternatively, as little as 1 gram of air (or an air pulse) is sufficient to perform passive regeneration using air injection. Therefore, when the vehicle is moved in a manner that allows only a brief duration of deceleration to be used for passive regeneration using air injection, it is sufficient to repeat passive regeneration using air injection multiple times for very short durations.

[0095] Process 800 includes a query 816 asking, "Is the particulate filter inlet or outlet temperature, or both, above the deactivation (GPF) temperature limit threshold or below the GPF air injection (or activation) temperature threshold?" Therefore, when the exhaust gas (or air) temperature exceeds the maximum GPF limit temperature at or near PF 116, soot regeneration should be stopped for safety reasons to avoid damage to PF 116, fire, or other causes. In one form, the maximum (or deactivation) temperature threshold is set at 900 degrees Celsius for catalytic PFs and at 950 degrees Celsius for bare PFs. Similarly, air injection can also be stopped at this time when the exhaust temperature is below the activation temperature threshold from operation 812. For either threshold comparison, the temperature of the exhaust gas (or air) at a single PF inlet, a single PF outlet, or some combination of both can be used for comparison with the corresponding threshold. In various implementations, this determination is based on the exhaust air temperature value measured from temperature sensors, such as thermocouples 368 and 370 shown on PFs 360 and 362.

[0096] If the temperature still meets the threshold, process 800 cycles back to operation 814 to continue air injection and passive regeneration. If any of the thresholds is not met, process 800 includes "stop air injection" 818, and process 800 cycles back to operation 802 to operate the vehicle and restart the regeneration process again.

[0097] As another alternative to the implementation described herein, a diagnostic routine for checking the condition of the particulate filter can be performed, referred to herein as a health check. For the health check, process 800 includes an example query 820: “Is the change in particulate filter inlet temperature less than a health threshold before and after air injection at different engine speeds?” This refers to vehicle operation under deceleration conditions such as DCCO or DFCO conditions sufficient to result in low exhaust pressure and high air mass flow rate. Alternatively, both the inlet and outlet temperatures at the PF can be used to generate a temperature difference, not just the inlet temperature, and for both of the aforementioned alternatives, air injection can be present or absent. The temperature can be obtained from a thermocouple sensor described herein, and this temperature can be compared to a threshold determined during testing. The temperature can be used to determine the pressure, which in turn can be used to determine the soot load at the PF. Subsequently, process 800 may include “reporting air injection status” 822, which refers to reporting a system failure at least if the health threshold is not met, but may also include reporting acceptable or passable if the threshold is met.

[0098] Therefore, methods, systems, and vehicles for controlling the regeneration of particulate filters are provided. Among various implementations, as described above... Figure 8 The process discussed in 800 involves passive regeneration using air jets during particulate filter regeneration.

[0099] Among the various implementation methods, the techniques disclosed in this paper (including) Figure 8 The operation and functions of process 800 (as described above) provide extended conditions for performing particulate filter regeneration using air injection pipes. In various implementations, this can result in cleaner exhaust air and / or other improved performance of drive system 102 and / or vehicle 100.

[0100] It will be understood that the systems, vehicles, and methods may differ from those depicted in the accompanying drawings and described herein. For example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 Vehicle 100 and Figures 1-7 Any of the components can be with Figure 1 The descriptions differ. Similarly, it will be understood that the operation of process 800 can differ from... Figure 8 The operations described, and / or the various operations of process 800, can occur simultaneously and / or interact with... Figure 8The order in which they are described occurs in different sequences.

[0101] While at least one example implementation has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be understood that numerous variations exist. It should also be understood that the example implementations are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of this disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient roadmap for implementing the example implementations. It should be understood that various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the scope of this disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: main body; Engine, the engine being located within the body; At least one exhaust pipe, the at least one exhaust pipe extending from the engine, and having a particulate filter fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe to receive exhaust material from the exhaust pipe; as well as At least one air injection duct has a first end with an inlet arranged to receive airflow entering the body as the vehicle moves, wherein the air injection duct includes a second end fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe and has an outlet positioned to supply airflow from the injection duct to the exhaust pipe upstream of the particulate filter.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, comprising a valve located on the air injection duct and arranged to open and close according to the temperature at the particulate filter.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the inlet comprises a collector having a free end facing the front of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, comprising an intake manifold with a manifold duct for guiding airflow, wherein the inlet is coupled to the manifold duct.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, comprising at least one catalytic converter fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe between the engine and the outlet.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine comprises two cylinder blocks, each cylinder block having one of the exhaust pipes, and wherein the injection conduit comprises a single inlet and a split to two outlet sections, each outlet section having one of the second ends and an outlet fluidly coupled to a different exhaust pipe in the exhaust pipe.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine comprises a plurality of cylinder blocks, wherein the at least one exhaust pipe comprises two fluidly parallel exhaust pipe sections, each exhaust pipe section having a first end coupled to a different cylinder block in the cylinder block and a second end merging together at a merged exhaust pipe section fluidly coupled to the particulate filter, and wherein the injection pipe is coupled to only one of the parallel exhaust pipe sections.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the air injection conduit has a sidewall with a tapered edge defining the outlet.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, comprising a temperature sensor for the particulate filter, a valve for the injection duct, and a controller, the controller having at least one processor communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the valve, wherein the processor is arranged to operate by controlling the valve to allow air to flow through the air injection duct and to the particulate filter when the temperature before and after the particulate filter is above a threshold and the exhaust pressure in the exhaust pipe is less than the air pressure at the inlet.

10. A method comprising: Sensor data indicating the temperature of at least one particulate filter in the vehicle's emission system is obtained by a processor circuit forming at least one processor, wherein the particulate filter is fluidly coupled to an exhaust pipe extending from the vehicle's engine. as well as Depending on the temperature sensed at the particulate filter, an air injection duct is opened by the at least one processor. The air injection duct has an inlet facing forward on the vehicle and configured to capture under-hood airflow entering the vehicle as the vehicle decelerates. The air injection duct includes an outlet fluidly coupled to the exhaust pipe between the particulate filter and the engine.

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