Cylinder condensate water treatment method, vehicle controller, storage medium, and vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cylinder condensate water treatment method, a vehicle controller, a storage medium and a vehicle, applied to the field of intelligent driving. The cylinder condensate water treatment method comprises determining that the cylinder of the engine meets a condensate water fault condition, suspending fuel supply of the engine, maintaining mechanical connection between the engine and the driving wheel, and passively operating the engine to discharge the condensate water in the cylinder. After meeting the recovery condition, the fuel supply of the engine is resumed. When the condensate water fault condition is met, the engine fuel supply is actively suspended, the vehicle inertia is used to counter-drag the engine, the piston is passively reciprocated, the condensate water that has entered the cylinder is actively discharged, and the problems such as power interruption and engine stall caused by condensate water misfire can be avoided. After meeting the recovery condition, the fuel supply of the engine is resumed, the engine can quickly recover to the normal operating state, the adverse effects of misfire on driving smoothness and driving safety are reduced, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vehicle technology, specifically to a cylinder condensate treatment method, a vehicle controller, a storage medium, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] In engine exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, water vapor in the exhaust gas easily condenses at low points in the pipes or on the inner walls of the cooler, forming condensate. When high-speed airflow carries this condensate into the cylinders, it can easily cause misfires and other combustion problems. Related technologies often employ significant modifications to the exhaust pipe layout and the addition of independent heating and dehumidification systems to reduce the impact of condensate. However, these methods involve complex structural modifications and additional component costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a cylinder condensate treatment method, a vehicle controller, a storage medium, and a vehicle to at least partially solve the technical problems existing in the related art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure provides a method for treating cylinder condensate, the method comprising: Determine if the engine cylinders meet the condensate fault conditions; Suspend the fuel supply to the engine while maintaining the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels, so that the engine is driven passively to drain the condensate from the cylinder. Once the recovery conditions are met, the fuel supply to the engine is restored.

[0005] Optionally, the recovery condition includes the engine passively operating for a preset duration.

[0006] Optionally, the condensate failure condition includes at least one of the following: The product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than the second preset value; The ratio of the negative roughness to the positive roughness of the cylinder is less than a first preset value; For a predetermined number of consecutive ignitions, the number of misfires in the cylinder exceeds a third predetermined value.

[0007] Optionally, determining that the engine cylinder meets the condensate fault condition includes: Determine whether the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a first preset value; If the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than the first preset value, determine whether the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value. If the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value, then the number of times the cylinder misfires under a preset number of consecutive ignitions exceeds a third preset value.

[0008] Optionally, the cylinder is a cylinder pre-determined to preferentially impact condensate based on the physical structure analysis of the engine's intake manifold and EGR pipeline, as well as bench water injection tests.

[0009] Optionally, before determining that the engine cylinder meets the condensate failure condition, the method includes: determining that the vehicle's operating condition meets at least one of the following conditions: The positive acceleration value of the pedal exceeds the preset acceleration threshold; The pedal opening is greater than the preset opening threshold; The brake signal status is "brake not applied"; The vehicle speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine load exceeds the preset load threshold; No faults were detected in the pedal sensor, brake sensor, vehicle speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, and intake pressure sensor.

[0010] Optionally, the method further includes: The system detects EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system disable events, including when the ambient humidity of the vehicle is greater than a preset humidity value and / or when the vehicle's windshield wipers are in motion and the rainfall load value is greater than a preset load value. In response to the EGR disable event, the EGR function is deactivated in the current driving cycle via the engine control unit. This disclosure also provides a cylinder coolant treatment device, comprising: The determination module is used to determine whether the engine cylinders meet the condensate fault conditions. The pause module is used to pause the fuel supply to the engine and maintain the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels, so that the engine is passively operated to discharge the condensate in the cylinder. The recovery module is used to restore the fuel supply to the engine after the recovery conditions are met.

[0011] This disclosure also provides a vehicle controller, which includes a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor. The memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the above-described cylinder condensate treatment method.

[0012] This disclosure also provides a storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the above-described cylinder condensate treatment method.

[0013] This disclosure also provides a vehicle that includes the vehicle controller or the storage medium described above.

[0014] The above technical solution, when the engine cylinders meet the conditions for a condensate leak, actively suspends the engine's fuel supply. Utilizing the vehicle's inertia to reverse-drag the engine, the pistons passively reciprocate, actively expelling the condensate that has entered the cylinders. This avoids power interruption or even engine stalling caused by condensate-induced misfires. Once the recovery conditions are met, fuel supply to the engine is restored, allowing the engine to quickly return to normal operation. This reduces the adverse effects of misfires on driving stability and safety, improving the user experience. Furthermore, since no physical modifications to the intake and exhaust pipes or EGR system are required, it helps reduce overall vehicle manufacturing costs.

[0015] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a cylinder condensate treatment method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of one embodiment of the present disclosure for determining whether a cylinder meets the condensate fault conditions.

[0018] Figure 3 This is one possible example of performing condensate water fault detection according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 This is one possible example of an implementation of the present disclosure that provides for performing an EGR disable judgment.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a cylinder condensate treatment device provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 500 - Cylinder condensate treatment device; 501 - Confirmation module; 502 - Pause module; 503 - Resume module. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0023] It should be understood that the steps described in the method embodiments of this disclosure may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel. Furthermore, the method embodiments may include additional steps and / or omit the steps shown. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0024] The term "comprising" and its variations as used herein are open-ended inclusions, meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment"; the term "some embodiments" means "at least some embodiments". Definitions of other terms will be given in the following description.

[0025] It should be noted that the terms "a" and "a plurality of" used in this disclosure are illustrative rather than restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the context, they should be understood as "one or more".

[0026] As mentioned earlier, EGR exhaust gas contains a large amount of combustion products (such as water vapor). When the high-temperature exhaust gas (usually several hundred degrees Celsius) flows through the EGR cooler, it is rapidly cooled to a low temperature (usually below 100°C) by the engine coolant. The water vapor condenses upon contact with the condenser, forming condensate on the inner wall of the EGR cooler and at the lowest point of the pipes. When the engine throttle is opened, the high-speed intake airflow flows through the lowest point of the EGR pipes, flushing, atomizing, and carrying the accumulated condensate into the cylinder. When there is too much water in the cylinder, it can cover the spark plug electrodes or lower the combustion temperature in the cylinder, causing the cylinder to fail to perform its function properly, i.e., misfire.

[0027] In view of this, such as Figure 1 As shown, this disclosure provides a method for treating cylinder condensate, the method comprising: Step S100: Determine if the engine cylinders meet the condensate fault conditions; Step S200: Suspend the fuel supply to the engine and maintain the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels, so that the engine is driven passively to discharge the condensate in the cylinder. Step S300: After the recovery conditions are met, restore the fuel supply to the engine.

[0028] When it is determined that the engine cylinder meets the condensate failure condition, it indicates that there is condensate accumulation in at least one cylinder of the engine, and the amount of condensate accumulation is high enough to affect the normal combustion of fuel in the cylinder and may lead to engine misfire.

[0029] At this point, firstly, control the engine to stop fuel supply (e.g., stop fuel injection to all cylinders), while maintaining the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels (e.g., keeping the clutch engaged or the gear engaged). In this state, the vehicle's inertia causes the engine to run passively (e.g., the drive wheels reverse-drive the engine), causing the crankshaft to rotate continuously and the pistons to move up and down. When the piston moves upward, condensate and unburned mixture in the cylinder are pushed into the exhaust pipe; when the piston moves downward, fresh air is drawn into the cylinder. Through the reciprocating motion of the piston, condensate in the cylinder is gradually expelled, thus ensuring that normal combustion conditions are maintained in the cylinder and guaranteeing that the engine resumes stable operation.

[0030] Compared to related technologies that pre-remove condensate by adding dehumidification systems or modifying exhaust pipes to passively prevent condensate from entering the cylinder and thus avoiding engine misfire, this disclosure, in the event of condensate entering the cylinder and causing misfire, actively suspends the engine's fuel supply. Utilizing the vehicle's inertia to reverse-drag the engine, the pistons passively reciprocate, actively expelling the condensate that has entered the cylinder. This avoids power interruption or even engine stalling caused by condensate-induced misfire. Once recovery conditions are met (such as the engine passively running for a preset time), fuel supply to the engine is restored, allowing the engine to quickly return to normal operation. This reduces the adverse effects of misfire on driving stability and safety, improving the user experience. Furthermore, since no physical modifications to the intake and exhaust pipes or EGR system are required, it helps reduce overall vehicle manufacturing costs.

[0031] In addition, when the engine is running passively, the piston reciprocates passively, and the fresh air entering from the outside flows through the exhaust pipe, which sweeps out the unburned mixture that has entered the catalytic converter (such as a three-way catalytic converter). This can suppress the violent oxidation-reduction reaction of the unburned mixture in the catalytic converter, which would generate high heat and protect the catalytic converter from damage.

[0032] The aforementioned recovery condition can be that the engine passively runs for a preset duration. This preset duration can be set according to actual conditions, as long as it ensures that when the engine's fuel supply is interrupted for the duration of the preset duration, it will not adversely affect the normal operation of the vehicle (such as safety risks or driving discomfort caused by prolonged power interruption), and within this preset duration, the condensate in the cylinder can be fully discharged through the passive reciprocating motion of the piston, so that the engine can operate normally after fuel supply is restored.

[0033] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the recovery condition may be the detection that the cylinder does not meet the condensate fault condition. Specifically, the condensate fault detection is maintained until the operating time reaches a preset duration. If the cylinder is detected to not meet the condensate fault condition, the engine fuel supply is restored. If the engine passively operates for the preset duration, the engine fuel supply is directly restored. In this way, while ensuring that condensate can be drained, the engine fuel cut-off time can be shortened as much as possible, further reducing the impact on driving stability and improving the user experience.

[0034] During vehicle operation, the vehicle's misfire counter counts the number of misfires in each cylinder in real time. When the number of misfires in at least one cylinder reaches a certain threshold (e.g., 10 times in 100 ignition cycles), but has not yet reached a serious misfire level (e.g., has not yet reached the misfire rate threshold that triggers the OBD system's forced cylinder deactivation protection), a misfire event is determined to have occurred.

[0035] At this point, by assessing the condensate malfunction conditions, it can be determined whether the misfire was caused by condensate entering the cylinder, and appropriate condensate malfunction handling measures can be taken accordingly (such as suspending fuel supply, backdrafting to drain water, restoring fuel supply, etc.). In this way, proactive intervention can be implemented before the misfire problem worsens, preventing the cumulative number of misfires due to persistent condensate presence from triggering the OBD forced cylinder cut-off protection, thereby minimizing the frequency of the malfunction indicator light illuminating and improving the user experience.

[0036] It should be noted that, in this disclosure, an ignition cycle refers to the event in which a single cylinder of an engine completes one intake, compression, power, and exhaust stroke, producing one ignition and power stroke. For example, for a four-cylinder engine, each cylinder completes one ignition cycle every two crankshaft revolutions (720°). The meaning of 10 misfires in 100 ignition cycles is: during engine operation, 100 consecutive cylinder ignition events occur (e.g., for a four-cylinder engine, corresponding to 50 crankshaft revolutions), and 10 misfire events are detected.

[0037] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the condensate failure condition may include the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value being less than a first preset value. The first preset value can be set according to actual application requirements (such as engine model and fuel quality).

[0038] When the condensate formed in the EGR is carried into the cylinder by the intake airflow, the condensate remains suspended in the air-fuel mixture in liquid form and does not participate in the combustion reaction. Therefore, it has little impact on the stoichiometric ratio of fuel to air in the cylinder. The oxygen content in the exhaust gas discharged from the cylinder is basically the same as that in the exhaust gas discharged from the cylinder during normal combustion. The oxygen content value detected by the vehicle's front oxygen sensor and the engine's fuel trim value show no significant changes, and their product remains within the normal range (usually close to 1.0).

[0039] In normal misfire situations (such as fuel injector blockage, ignition coil failure, etc.), a large amount of unconsumed oxygen enters the exhaust pipe directly. The front oxygen sensor detects that the air-fuel mixture is too lean, and the engine control unit (EMS) will significantly increase the fuel trim to compensate. This results in the product of the fuel trim value and the oxygen signal being significantly greater than the normal value (for example, this value usually exceeds 1.1 when a single cylinder misfires, and usually exceeds 1.2 when multiple cylinders misfire).

[0040] When the product of the current oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than the first preset value, it indicates that the misfire is an unconventional misfire, and the possibility of it being caused by condensate entering the cylinder is relatively high. At this time, it can be further judged by combining other judgment conditions (such as the ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness mentioned below), or it can be judged according to actual needs (such as the need for rapid response under extreme conditions) to meet the condensate fault conditions, and corresponding condensate fault handling measures can be taken. For example, the fuel supply to the engine can be suspended, while maintaining the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels, so that the engine is passively running to discharge the condensate in the cylinder. After the recovery conditions are met (such as the passive running time of the engine reaching the preset time), the fuel supply to the engine can be restored. Alternatively, when it is determined that the condensate fault conditions are met, the malfunction indicator light (MIL) on the instrument panel can be illuminated to remind the user that there is a condensate fault and to recommend vehicle inspection.

[0041] In some embodiments of this disclosure, condensate failure conditions may include a ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness that is less than a second preset value.

[0042] The engine's crankshaft position sensor monitors the instantaneous angular velocity changes of the crankshaft in real time. Based on these instantaneous angular velocity changes, the positive and negative roughness of each cylinder's power stroke can be calculated. The negative roughness reflects the crankshaft's deceleration during that cylinder's power stroke, while the positive roughness reflects the crankshaft's acceleration during that cylinder's power stroke. The ratio of negative roughness (e.g., a high-pass filtered value of negative roughness) to positive roughness (e.g., a high-pass filtered value of positive roughness) can effectively characterize the combustion state of that cylinder.

[0043] For example, when an engine is burning normally, each cylinder performs work evenly, the crankshaft speed is stable, and the ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness is usually at a low level (e.g., in the range of 0.2-0.3). When a cylinder misfires due to incomplete combustion caused by condensate entering, the cylinder's work capacity decreases, and the corresponding negative roughness is smaller than the positive roughness, resulting in a smaller ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness (e.g., less than 0.3). The signal curves for negative roughness and positive roughness exhibit a "one-way deep drop" pattern. The effect of motor interference on engine crankshaft speed is symmetrical. When engine interference causes a misfire, both the positive and negative roughness of all cylinders are abnormally increased, exhibiting a positive-negative symmetrical pattern (the ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness is close to 1).

[0044] When the ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness is less than the second preset value (e.g., less than 0.3), it indicates that the probability of a misfire event being caused by abnormal combustion in the cylinder is relatively high, and false misfires caused by motor interference can be ruled out. In this case, it can be determined that the cylinder meets the condensate fault conditions, and corresponding condensate fault handling measures can be taken.

[0045] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the condensate failure condition may include a number of consecutive preset ignitions where the number of cylinder misfires exceeds a third preset value.

[0046] When condensate enters the cylinder, it persists and repeatedly affects combustion, causing repeated misfires in multiple ignition cycles. If the number of misfires in a preset number of consecutive ignition cycles exceeds a third preset value, it indicates that the misfire problem is persistent and not a single, isolated event, making condensate ingress a relatively likely cause. In this case, appropriate condensate troubleshooting measures can be taken. This avoids misjudging condensate fault conditions caused by isolated, occasional combustion anomalies or misfires (such as momentary fluctuations in fuel quality or brief intake turbulence), thus preventing problems like power interruption and reduced driving smoothness caused by frequent condensate troubleshooting measures.

[0047] The preset number of consecutive ignitions can be set according to actual conditions (such as different engine models or different operating environments), for example, 100 ignitions. The third preset value can be set according to actual needs, for example, 30 ignitions.

[0048] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the condensate leak malfunction conditions may include any two of the following conditions: the ratio of the negative roughness to the positive roughness of the cylinder is less than a first preset value; the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a second preset value; and the number of misfires in the cylinder exceeds a third preset value for a set number of consecutive ignitions. Alternatively, all three conditions may be included. This can further improve the reliability of condensate leak malfunction detection, and those skilled in the art can flexibly combine these conditions according to actual needs.

[0049] When the above three conditions are used together as the criteria for determining condensate water failure, the order in which these three conditions are judged can be arbitrary, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0050] In some embodiments of this disclosure, such as Figure 2 As shown, determining that the engine cylinders meet the condensate leak fault conditions includes: Step S101: Determine whether the product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a first preset value; Step S102: If the product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than the first preset value, determine whether the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value. Step S103: If the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value, determine that the number of times the cylinder misfires under a preset number of consecutive ignitions exceeds the third preset value.

[0051] When a misfire occurs (such as when at least one cylinder has reached a certain threshold of misfires but has not yet reached the level of a serious misfire), the condensate fault condition judgment process is initiated. First, it is determined whether the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel trim value is less than a first preset value. If the product of the pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel trim value is greater than the first preset value, it can be determined that the misfire event is caused by a conventional misfire (such as a clogged fuel injector or a failed ignition coil). At this point, further judgment of the condensate fault condition can be terminated without executing subsequent judgment steps. Terminating the judgment process in advance can save system computing resources and improve system operating efficiency.

[0052] If the product of the pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel trim value is less than the first preset value, it indicates that the misfire event is not a regular misfire, and common causes such as injector blockage and ignition coil failure can be ruled out. At this point, it can be further determined whether the ratio of the negative roughness to the positive roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value. If the ratio is greater than the second preset value (e.g., close to 1 and showing a positive-negative symmetrical pattern), it indicates that the misfire event may be a false misfire signal caused by motor interference. At this point, further judgment on the condensate fault condition can be terminated, and no further processing measures are required.

[0053] If the ratio is less than the second preset value, it indicates that the misfire is caused by abnormal combustion in the cylinder, and false misfires caused by motor interference can be ruled out. If it is further determined that the number of misfires in the cylinder under a preset number of consecutive ignition cycles exceeds the third preset value, it can be determined that a misfire event caused by condensate ingress has occurred in the cylinder, thus meeting the condensate fault condition. Accordingly, appropriate condensate fault handling measures can be taken.

[0054] By using a progressive judgment process for the above three conditions, misjudgments and omissions can be effectively avoided, improving the accuracy and reliability of condensate fault judgment. Furthermore, if the fire incident is not caused by condensate entering the cylinder, the judgment of subsequent conditions can be quickly terminated to avoid invalid calculations, thereby saving system computing resources and improving the overall operating efficiency of the system.

[0055] It is understood that the cylinder corresponding to the above-mentioned negative roughness to positive roughness ratio judgment and the cylinder corresponding to the judgment of the number of misfires under a preset number of ignitions can be the same cylinder. The cylinder can be the cylinder corresponding to the highest misfire statistics when a misfire event occurs (i.e., the misfire event is diagnosed by the vehicle automatic diagnostic system OBD), or it can be a fixed cylinder that is preferentially impacted by condensate and determined in advance based on the engine air circuit layout structure analysis and bench water injection test verification. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0056] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the cylinder is a cylinder that is pre-determined to be preferentially impacted by condensate based on the analysis and actual measurement of the engine's air passage layout structure.

[0057] Specifically, during the engine development phase, the engine's airflow layout is first analyzed (e.g., through CAE fluid simulation analysis) to predict which cylinder's intake manifold inlet will preferentially draw condensate into the engine, i.e., the cylinder that will be most likely to experience condensate impact. This prediction is then verified through experimental testing, such as bench water injection tests (injecting a measured amount of water at the low point of the EGR line followed by rapid acceleration to determine the cylinder where misfire occurs). Finally, the cylinder identifiers (e.g., cylinder numbers) determined through experimental verification are stored (e.g., in the engine control unit, EMS).

[0058] During actual vehicle operation, when the condensate fault detection is initiated, if the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and fuel correction value is less than a first preset value, the ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness is determined for the cylinders corresponding to the pre-stored cylinder numbers. If this ratio is less than a second threshold, the number of misfires under a preset number of consecutive ignitions is determined for the cylinders corresponding to the same pre-stored cylinder numbers. If the number of misfires exceeds a third preset value, the cylinder is determined to meet the condensate fault conditions, and corresponding condensate fault handling measures are implemented.

[0059] By setting the cylinder corresponding to the judgment of the ratio of negative roughness to positive roughness and the judgment of the number of misfires under a preset number of consecutive ignitions to the cylinder corresponding to the pre-stored cylinder number, the pertinence, accuracy and reliability of condensate fault judgment can be improved.

[0060] In some embodiments of this disclosure, before determining that the engine cylinders meet the condensate failure condition, it includes determining that the vehicle's operating conditions meet at least one of the following conditions: The positive acceleration value of the pedal exceeds the preset acceleration threshold; The pedal opening is greater than the preset opening threshold; The brake signal status is "brake not applied"; The vehicle speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine load exceeds the preset load threshold; No faults were detected in the pedal sensor, brake sensor, vehicle speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, and intake pressure sensor.

[0061] When a fire occurs, the condensate fault condition judgment process will only be initiated if at least one of the above conditions is met. This avoids initiating condensate fault judgment under unnecessary operating conditions (such as idling, light load, or coasting), thereby saving system computing resources and reducing the risk of false triggering.

[0062] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the condensate fault condition judgment process is initiated only when the vehicle's operating conditions meet all of the above conditions. This ensures that the condensate fault judgment is only executed when the vehicle is under clear rapid acceleration and high load conditions and all relevant sensors are normal, thereby avoiding false triggering to a greater extent and improving the reliability of the judgment.

[0063] Figure 3This is a possible example of performing condensate fault judgment according to the embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in the figure, at time t1, the enable switch of the diagnostic function is turned on (the execution conditions are met but the execution of condensate fault judgment has not started). At time t2, the positive acceleration value of the pedal exceeds the preset acceleration threshold, and the condensate fault judgment process begins. Specifically, it may include detecting the front oxygen signal (the signal fed back by the vehicle's front oxygen sensor). If the amplitude of the front oxygen signal (the signal curve shown in L1 in the figure) is generally lower than the amplitude of the front oxygen signal corresponding to a normal misfire (the signal curve shown in L2 in the figure), the product of the front oxygen air-fuel ratio (the filtered value of the front oxygen signal) and the fuel correction value is smaller. When this product is less than a first preset value, misfire caused by common faults such as fuel injector blockage or ignition coil failure can be ruled out.

[0064] The negative and positive roughness of the cylinder are detected. Since the effect of motor interference on the engine crankshaft speed is symmetrical, when engine interference causes misfire, the positive and negative roughness of the cylinder roughly exhibit a symmetrical pattern (as shown by curves L4 and L5 in the figure). If the detected amplitude of negative roughness (as shown by curve L3 in the figure) is much lower than the amplitude of positive roughness (as shown by curve L4 in the figure), and the ratio of negative roughness (high-pass filter value of curve L3 in the figure) to positive roughness (high-pass filter value of curve L4 in the figure) is less than the second preset value, it indicates that a real combustion abnormality has occurred in the cylinder, and the false misfire caused by motor interference can be ruled out.

[0065] The number of misfires in the cylinder is detected within a preset number of consecutive ignitions. If the number of misfires exceeds the third preset value (as shown by curve L6 in the figure, the number of misfires detected at time t3 is greater than the third preset value), it indicates that the misfire problem of the cylinder is persistent and not a single, occasional event. At this point, it can be determined that the condensate malfunction condition is met, and the malfunction is reported at time t3 so that the relevant operations for condensate drainage can be performed subsequently.

[0066] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the cylinder condensate treatment method further includes: Detect events that disable the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system. EGR disable events include when the ambient humidity of the vehicle is greater than the preset humidity value and / or when the vehicle's windshield wipers are in motion and the rainfall load value is greater than the preset load value. In response to an EGR disable event, the EGR function is turned off in the current driving cycle via the engine control unit.

[0067] After starting the vehicle or during driving, the vehicle's intelligent network platform can obtain the ambient air humidity value. The vehicle (such as the vehicle controller or engine control system (EMS)) pre-stores preset humidity values ​​(e.g., 85% relative humidity). By comparing the current air humidity value with the preset value, if the current air humidity value is greater than the preset value, an EGR disabling event is detected. The vehicle controller then sends a command to the engine control system (EMS) to shut down the EGR system. Upon receiving the command, the EMS keeps the EGR valve closed during the current driving cycle, blocking exhaust gas flow to the EGR system. This prevents the formation of large amounts of condensate in the EGR lines when the EGR system is running in high humidity environments, thus reducing the amount of condensate entering the engine cylinders and lowering the risk of engine misfire.

[0068] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the moving state of the windshield wipers and the rainfall load value borne by the wipers are monitored. When it is detected that the windshield wipers are in a moving state (i.e., the wiper motor is in a working state, rather than a closed state), and the rainfall load value borne by the wipers (such as the rainfall level output by the rain sensor ≥ level 2) is greater than a preset load value, it is determined that an EGR disabling event has been detected. In response to the EGR disabling event, the vehicle controller controls the EGR system to remain in a closed state in the current driving cycle.

[0069] By combining the wiper movement status with the rainfall load value, the EGR function can be erroneously turned off in non-rainy environments due to accidental wiper operation (such as the driver accidentally touching the wiper switch), thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of the judgment.

[0070] Figure 4 This is a possible example of performing EGR disable judgment according to the embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in the figure, when the vehicle is powered on and started, the enable switch of the diagnostic function is turned on, initiating the process of performing EGR disable judgment. Specifically, it may include: detecting the current ambient air humidity value (e.g., the air humidity value obtained through the vehicle intelligent network platform) and determining whether it exceeds a preset humidity value; detecting the wiper speed signal to determine whether the wipers are in a continuous movement state, as shown by curve L2 in the figure. When the wiper speed signal exceeds a preset value and is significantly higher than the wiper-off state (as shown by curve L1 in the figure, the wiper speed signal is close to 0), it indicates that the wipers are in a continuous movement state; detecting the wiper rainfall load signal to determine whether it exceeds a preset load value. When the air humidity exceeds the preset value, the wipers are in a continuous movement state, and the rainfall load exceeds the preset value, an EGR disable command is issued at time t1 so that subsequent EGR disable related operations can be performed (e.g., closing the EGR valve in the current driving cycle).

[0071] In some embodiments of this disclosure, EGR disabling events include the air humidity value of the vehicle's environment being greater than a preset humidity value and the vehicle's windshield wipers being in motion and the rainfall load value being greater than a preset load value. This can further exclude the triggering of EGR disabling by rainless and humid weather (such as foggy days, humid weather, high humidity but no rain) or light rain weather (rainfall load value less than the preset load value), and can avoid unnecessary shutdown of the EGR system, which would affect the vehicle's emissions and fuel economy.

[0072] In any of the above embodiments, after the EMS disables the EGR function in response to an EGR disable event, this disabled state only lasts until the end of the current driving cycle. The current driving cycle includes the operation process from the vehicle's power-on start to the next power-off shutdown.

[0073] When the vehicle is turned off, the EGR disable status is automatically lifted at the end of the current driving cycle. When the vehicle is powered on and started again, the vehicle controller automatically enables the EGR function and restarts the detection of EGR disable events, and determines whether the EGR function needs to be disabled again based on the detection results.

[0074] This disclosure also provides a cylinder condensate treatment device, which may, for example, constitute part or all of a vehicle controller. Figure 5 As shown, the cylinder condensate treatment device 500 includes: The determination module 501 is used to determine whether the engine cylinder meets the condensate fault conditions. The pause module 502 is used to pause the fuel supply to the engine and maintain the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels, so that the engine is passively operated to discharge the condensate in the cylinder. The recovery module 503 is used to restore the fuel supply to the engine after the recovery conditions are met.

[0075] In some implementations, the recovery condition includes: the engine passively operating for a preset duration.

[0076] In some implementations, the condensate failure condition includes at least one of the following: The product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a first preset value; The ratio of the negative roughness to the positive roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value; For a given number of consecutive preset ignition attempts, the number of misfires in this cylinder exceeds a third preset value.

[0077] In some implementations, the determining module 501 is used to: Determine whether the product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a first preset value; If the product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than the first preset value, determine whether the ratio of the cylinder's positive roughness to its negative roughness is less than the second preset value. If the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value, it is determined that the number of times the cylinder misfires under a preset number of consecutive ignitions exceeds the third preset value.

[0078] In some implementations, the cylinder is a cylinder pre-determined to preferentially impact condensate based on engine air passage layout analysis and actual measurement verification.

[0079] In some embodiments, the determining module 501 is further configured to determine, before determining that the engine cylinder meets the condensate fault condition, that the vehicle's operating condition meets at least one of the following conditions: The positive acceleration value of the pedal exceeds the preset acceleration threshold; The pedal opening is greater than the preset opening threshold; The brake signal status is "brake not applied"; The vehicle speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine load exceeds the preset load threshold; No faults were detected in the pedal sensor, brake sensor, vehicle speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, and intake pressure sensor.

[0080] In some embodiments, the cylinder condensate treatment device 500 further includes: The detection module is used to detect EGR disable events, which include the air humidity value of the vehicle's environment being greater than a preset humidity value and / or the vehicle's windshield wipers being in motion and the rainfall load value being greater than a preset load value. A disable module is used to disable the EGR function in the current driving cycle in response to the EGR disable event via the engine control unit.

[0081] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments of the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0082] This disclosure also provides a vehicle controller, which includes a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor. When the processor executes a computer program, it implements the steps of the cylinder condensate treatment method described above.

[0083] It should be noted that the cylinder condensate treatment method shown in any embodiment of this disclosure can be executed by the vehicle controller provided in this disclosure. The vehicle controller can be set independently or integrated into the vehicle's engine control unit (EMS) or vehicle control unit (VCU). When integrated into the EMS or VCU, it can be implemented through functional expansion (e.g., changes in control logic) without the need for additional hardware facilities or hardware modifications, which helps to reduce implementation costs.

[0084] This disclosure also provides a storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the cylinder condensate treatment method as shown in any embodiment of this disclosure.

[0085] This disclosure also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program executable by a programmable device, the computer program having a code portion for performing the above-described cylinder condensate treatment method when executed by the programmable device.

[0086] This disclosure also provides a vehicle that includes the vehicle controller or the storage medium described above.

[0087] Specifically, for example, in intelligent driving, when the vehicle starts, the vehicle controller executes the aforementioned cylinder condensate treatment method. When the vehicle controller detects that the EGR disabling conditions are met—that is, when the ambient air humidity value obtained through the onboard intelligent network platform exceeds a preset humidity value and the rain sensor detects that the wipers are in continuous movement and the rainfall load value exceeds a preset load value—the vehicle controller sends a command to the engine control unit (EMS) to disable EGR. The EMS responds to this command by keeping the EGR function off in the current driving cycle (controlling the EGR valve to remain closed) to block the exhaust gas from flowing into the intake manifold, thereby preventing the formation of condensate in the EGR line during the current driving cycle.

[0088] If the vehicle controller detects that the EGR disabling conditions are not met, the EGR function will operate normally. The vehicle controller is in condensate fault monitoring mode. When a misfire event is detected by the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) system, the vehicle controller, after determining that the vehicle's operating conditions meet the enabling conditions (such as the pedal positive acceleration value exceeding a preset acceleration threshold, pedal opening greater than a preset opening threshold, brake signal status indicating no brake application, vehicle speed greater than a preset vehicle speed threshold, engine speed exceeding a preset speed threshold, engine load exceeding a preset load threshold, and no faults detected in the pedal sensor, brake sensor, vehicle speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, and intake pressure sensor), enters the condensate fault condition judgment process to determine whether the misfire event was caused by condensate entering the cylinder.

[0089] The vehicle controller first determines whether the product of the pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel trim value is less than a first preset value. If the product is less than the first preset value, it indicates that the misfire event is not a normal misfire, ruling out common fault causes such as injector blockage and ignition coil failure. Next, it determines whether the ratio of the negative roughness to the positive roughness of the cylinder corresponding to the pre-stored cylinder number is less than a second preset value. If this ratio is less than the second preset value, it indicates that the cylinder has experienced a real combustion anomaly, and it can rule out false misfires caused by motor interference. Finally, it determines whether the number of misfires in the cylinder during a preset number of consecutive ignitions exceeds a third preset value. If the number of misfires exceeds the third preset value, it indicates that the misfire in the cylinder is not a single, isolated event. At this point, the vehicle controller determines that the condensate fault condition is met, and then suspends the engine fuel supply through the engine control unit (EMS), while maintaining the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels. Utilizing the vehicle's inertia, the engine is pulled back, causing the pistons to reciprocate and expel the condensate from the cylinder. After a preset time, the EMS is controlled to restore the engine fuel supply, and the engine resumes normal operation. The vehicle controller re-enters the detection process for cylinder condensate faults.

[0090] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of this disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0091] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, this disclosure will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0092] Furthermore, various different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this disclosure, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for treating cylinder condensate, characterized in that, Determine if the engine cylinders meet the condensate fault conditions; Suspend the fuel supply to the engine while maintaining the mechanical connection between the engine and the drive wheels, so that the engine is driven passively to drain the condensate from the cylinder. Once the recovery conditions are met, the fuel supply to the engine is restored.

2. The cylinder condensate treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The recovery conditions include: The engine operates passively for a preset duration.

3. The cylinder condensate treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condensate water failure condition includes at least one of the following: The product of the engine's pre-oxygen air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a first preset value; The ratio of the negative roughness to the positive roughness of the cylinder is less than a second preset value; For a given number of consecutive ignitions, the number of misfires in the cylinder exceeds a third preset value.

4. The cylinder condensate treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination that the engine cylinder meets the condensate fault condition includes: Determine whether the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than a first preset value; If the product of the engine's pre-oxygen-air-fuel ratio and the fuel correction value is less than the first preset value, determine whether the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value. If the ratio of the positive roughness to the negative roughness of the cylinder is less than the second preset value, then the number of times the cylinder misfires under a preset number of consecutive ignitions exceeds a third preset value.

5. The cylinder condensate treatment method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The cylinder is a pre-determined cylinder that prioritizes the impact of condensate, based on the analysis and actual measurement of the engine's air passage layout.

6. The cylinder condensate treatment method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Before determining that the engine cylinders meet the condensate failure condition, the procedure includes: determining that the vehicle's operating conditions meet at least one of the following conditions: The positive acceleration value of the pedal exceeds the preset acceleration threshold; The pedal opening is greater than the preset opening threshold; The brake signal status is "brake not applied"; The vehicle speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine speed exceeds the preset speed threshold; The engine load exceeds the preset load threshold; No faults were detected in the pedal sensor, brake sensor, vehicle speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, and intake pressure sensor.

7. The cylinder condensate treatment method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system detects EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system disable events, which include the ambient air humidity value being greater than a preset humidity value and / or the vehicle's windshield wipers being in motion and the rainfall load value being greater than a preset load value. In response to the EGR disable event, the EGR function is turned off in the current driving cycle via the engine control unit.

8. A vehicle controller, characterized in that, include: processor; The memory is communicatively connected to the processor; The memory contains computer programs; When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the cylinder condensate treatment method according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. A storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the cylinder condensate treatment method according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the vehicle controller of claim 8 or the storage medium of claim 9.

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