IGNITION SYSTEM WITH DELAY REDUCTION CONTROL

Abstract

An ignition system with delay reduction control comprises a power unit system containing a turbocharger and an exhaust manifold fluidly coupled to the turbocharger. An electronic control unit (ECU) is communicatively coupled to the power unit system and configured to receive power unit data from it. A virtual optimization system is communicatively coupled to the ECU and configured to generate calibration tables in response to the power unit data from the ECU. The ECU is configured to receive the generated calibration tables and is configured to reduce the turbocharger delay via enthalpy calibrations for the exhaust manifold using one or more of the calibration tables.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The information provided in this section is intended to provide a general context for the disclosure. Neither the work of the presently named inventors, to the extent described in this section, nor those aspects of the description that do not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing are expressly or implicitly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to an ignition system with retard reduction control.

[0003] Lag reduction systems are typically used with turbocharged engines to minimize turbocharger lag. Typically, lag reduction systems use scavenging to recover energy from the exhaust gases to maximize responsiveness at low engine speeds. In a typical lag reduction system, scavenging and subsequent combustion occur in the engine cylinder, raising the temperatures of other sections of the engine, such as the exhaust manifold. Often, the lag reduction system will scavenge the exhaust gases from the cylinder to provide more enthalpy per cycle. SUMMARY

[0004] In some aspects, a retard reduction control ignition system for a vehicle includes exhaust gas having a flow rate, cylinders fluidly coupled to the exhaust gas, and an exhaust manifold operatively coupled to the cylinders and fluidly coupled to the exhaust gas. A turbocharger is fluidly coupled to the exhaust gas and the exhaust manifold. The retard reduction control ignition system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) including data processing hardware and communicatively coupled to an engine system including the cylinders and the exhaust manifold. The engine system is configured to provide engine data to the ECU.A virtual optimization system is communicatively coupled to the ECU and includes an exhaust system model configured to generate calibration tables in response to and based on the engine system data. The ECU is configured to receive the generated calibration tables and is configured to reduce turbocharger delay via exhaust manifold enthalpy calibrations using one or more of the calibration tables.

[0005] In some examples, the engine data that the exhaust system model receives may include an exhaust gas equivalence ratio, temperature data, exhaust gas oxidation data, and / or exhaust gas flow rate. The temperature data may include an exhaust manifold wall temperature and an exhaust gas temperature. The exhaust system model may optionally be configured to model the oxidation data and may be configured to reduce turbocharger retard using the modeled oxidation data. In some configurations, the exhaust system model may be configured to increase combustion efficiency of the ignition system with retard reduction control using the modeled oxidation data. In further examples, the ECU may be configured to execute one or more of the calibration tables, and the one or more calibration tables may include a fuel injection ignition strategy.In some cases, the ECU may be configured to use the exhaust manifold as the ignition source.

[0006] In further aspects, an ignition system with retard reduction control comprises an engine system including cylinders, a turbocharger, and an exhaust manifold operatively coupled to and disposed between the cylinders and the turbocharger. An electronic control unit (ECU) is communicatively coupled to the engine system and includes data processing hardware. The ECU is configured to receive oxidation data and temperature data from the engine system, and a virtual optimization system is communicatively coupled to the ECU. The virtual optimization system includes an exhaust system model configured to generate calibration tables in response to the oxidation data and the temperature data from the ECU.The ECU is configured to receive the generated calibration tables and is configured to change a turbocharger speed at the exhaust manifold via enthalpy calibrations using one or more of the calibration tables.

[0007] In some examples, the ECU may be configured to utilize an exhaust manifold wall temperature to change the turbocharger speed using the enthalpy calibrations. In some cases, the exhaust system model may be configured to receive engine data from the ECU, which may include the oxidation data, the temperature data, an equivalence ratio, and a flow rate. The temperature data may include an exhaust manifold wall temperature and a gas temperature of the engine system exhaust. The exhaust system model may optionally be configured to model the oxidation data, and the ECU may be configured to reduce the turbocharger lag using the modeled oxidation data. The exhaust system model may be configured to increase the combustion efficiency of the engine system using the modeled oxidation data.In some configurations, the ECU can be configured to execute one or more of the calibration tables, and the one or more calibration tables can include an ignition strategy for fuel injection.

[0008] In still further aspects, an ignition system with retard reduction control includes an engine system including a turbocharger and an exhaust manifold fluidly coupled to the turbocharger. An electronic control unit (ECU) is communicatively coupled to the engine system and is configured to receive engine data from the engine system. A virtual optimization system is communicatively coupled to the ECU, and the virtual optimization system is configured to generate calibration tables in response to the engine data from the ECU. The ECU is configured to receive the generated calibration tables and is configured to reduce turbocharger retard via enthalpy calibrations for the exhaust manifold using one or more of the calibration tables.

[0009] In some examples, the engine data may include temperature data and oxidation data, and the virtual optimization system may be configured to generate the calibration tables to identify a limited target exhaust manifold temperature. The virtual optimization system may optionally include an exhaust system model configured to model the oxidation data and may include the modeled oxidation data in the generated calibration tables. The ECU may be configured to reduce turbocharger lag using the modeled oxidation data and may be configured to increase combustion efficiency of the engine system using the modeled oxidation data. In some cases, the ECU may be configured to execute one or more of the calibration tables, wherein the one or more calibration tables include an ignition strategy for fuel injection.The ECU may optionally be configured to use an exhaust manifold wall temperature to change a turbocharger speed using the enthalpy calibrations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure; they show: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an example vehicle including an ignition system with retard reduction control according to the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an engine system according to the present disclosure; Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an ignition system with retard reduction control according to the present disclosure; Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an ignition system with retard reduction control according to the present disclosure with an exhaust system receiving inputs; and Fig. 5 is an exemplary flowchart of an ignition system with retard reduction control according to the present disclosure.

[0011] In all drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding sections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0013] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing certain example configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "including," "containing," and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0014] When an element or layer is described as being "on," "engaging with," "connected to," "attached to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaging with, connected to, attached to, or coupled to the another element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is described as being "directly on," "directly engaging with," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there need not be any intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar way (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.).As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any combination of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0015] The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections are not intended to be limited by these terms. These terms may be used solely to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.

[0016] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" may be replaced with the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field-programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by a processor; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0017] The term "code" as used above may include software, firmware, and / or microcode and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term "shared processor" includes a single processor that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor" includes a processor that, in combination with additional processors, executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "shared memory" includes a single memory that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory" includes memory that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "memory" may be a subset of the term "computer-readable medium."The term "computer-readable medium" encompasses non-transitory electrical and electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium and can therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory storage. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory storage include tangible computer-readable medium, including non-volatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.

[0018] The devices and methods described in this application may be implemented, in part or in whole, by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs include processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer programs may also include and / or access stored data.

[0019] A software application (i.e., a software resource) may refer to computer software that causes a computing device to perform a task. In certain examples, a software application may be referred to as an "application," an "app," or a "program." Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0020] Non-transitory memory may be physical devices used to store programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) on a temporary or permanent basis for use by a computing device. Non-transitory memory may be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (which, for example, is typically used for firmware such as boot programs).Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and disk or tape.

[0021] These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) contain machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming language and / or assembly / machine language. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to a computer program product, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, an apparatus, and / or a device (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memories, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, which includes a machine-readable medium that embodies machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term “machine-readable signal” refers to a signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0022] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein may be realized in digital electronics and / or optical circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementation in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable in a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special-purpose or general-purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from and send data and instructions to a memory system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0023] The processes and logical flows described in this application text can be performed by one or more programmable processors, also referred to as data processing hardware, and execute one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating outputs. The processes and logical flows can also be performed by a logic circuit arrangement for a particular purpose, e.g., an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Processors suitable for executing a computer program include, by way of example, both general microprocessors and microprocessors for special purposes and one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Generally, a processor receives instructions and data from a fixed-value memory and / or a read / write memory.The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also includes, or is operatively coupled to, receive data from and / or send data to one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not include such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and storage devices, including, by way of example, semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.The processor and memory may be supplemented by or incorporated into special-purpose logic circuitry.

[0024] To provide interaction with a user, one or more aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), an LCD (liquid crystal display monitor), or a touch screen for displaying information to the user, and optionally a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or trackball, with which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with a user; e.g., feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or haptic feedback; and input may be received from the user in any form including auditory, verbal, or tactile input. Additionally, a computer may interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device used by the user; e.g., by sending web pages to an internet browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the internet browser.

[0025] As in the Fig. 1-4, a vehicle 100 includes an engine system 102 controlled by a retard reduction control ignition system 10 configured to model oxidation within the engine system 102 to utilize heat within the engine system 102 and, as described in more detail below, improve the speed of the vehicle 100. The engine system 102 includes a turbocharger 104 fluidly coupled to cylinders 106 and an exhaust manifold 108. The engine system 102 cycles a fuel mixture 110a to be combusted primarily within the cylinders 106 to produce exhaust gas 110. The fuel mixture 110a includes a combination of fuel and air. The exhaust gas 110 may include the residual fuel mixture 110a, which includes residual fuel and air that is routed from the cylinders 106 to the exhaust manifold 108.Finally, the exhaust gas 110 is directed to a turbine 112 of the turbocharger 104, which is configured to extract energy or enthalpy to power a compressor 114 of the turbocharger 104.

[0026] The residual fuel mixture 110a, which contains the residual fuel and the exhaust gas 110 of air, can be utilized by the engine system 102 to generate additional free energy for the turbine 112 by burning, as described herein, the oxidizable component of the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust gas bend 108. This process results in increased energy that is available for the turbine 112 of the turbocharger 104 and thus provides a maximum energy intake for the turbine 112 to power the compressor 114. The combustion of the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust gas bend 108, which is described in more detail below, is determined by the ignition system 10 with retard reduction control modeling the oxidation within the exhaust gas bend 108.Utilizing the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust manifold 108 may provide an additional benefit for improving the overall combustion efficiency of the engine system 102 by maximizing the combustion potential of the exhaust gas within the engine system 102.

[0027] As continued in the Fig. 1-3, the engine system 102 may be calibrated with an electronic control unit (ECU) 12 of the vehicle 100, which is used as part of the retard reduction control ignition system 10. The ECU 12 includes data processing hardware 14 and storage hardware 16 that cooperate with sensors 116 of the engine system 102 to collect engine data 18. For example, the ECU 12 monitors a mass of fuel used within the engine system 102 and determines a volume of exhaust gas 110 within the engine system 102 after combustion in the cylinder. The volume of exhaust gas 110 may include an exhaust equivalence ratio 120, as described below, which may be indicative of the residual fuel mixture 110a (i.e., residual fuel and air) of the exhaust gas 110.

[0028] The ECU 12 also monitors a flow rate 122 and a gas temperature 124 of the exhaust gas 110 via the engine data 18. The sensors 116 also detect a wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108. The heat output 118, the equivalence ratio 120, the flow rate 122, the gas temperature 124, and the wall temperature 126 may each be categorized as the engine data 18, which is sensed by the sensors 116 and stored in the memory hardware 16 of the ECU 12. The gas temperature 124 and the wall temperature 126 may be stored together as temperature data 128 in the memory hardware 16. The memory hardware 16 may be regularly updated with the engine data 18 by the data processing hardware 14 during operation of the engine system 102.

[0029] As in the Fig. 1-3, the fuel mixture 110a is initially combusted within the cylinders 106, resulting in the heat release 118 from the in-cylinder combustion. The heat release 118 may depend on the chemical composition of the exhaust gas 110 within the cylinders 106 and subsequently within the exhaust manifold 108. Although a majority of the fuel mixture 110a is combusted within the cylinders 106, as mentioned above, the exhaust gas 110 exhausted from the cylinders 106 may contain a residual fuel mixture 110a. The residual fuel mixture 110a is calculated after combustion in the cylinders 106 via the ECU 12 to determine the equivalence ratio 120. The equivalence ratio 120 indicates the stoichiometric conditions of the exhaust gas 110 and is used by the retard reduction control ignition system 10 to model the oxidation within the exhaust manifold 108, as described in more detail below.In addition to the equivalence ratio 120, the retard reduction control ignition system 10 may also receive oxidation data 130 from the ECU 12. The oxidation data 130 relates to the residual air contained in the exhaust gas 110 and may be used by the retard reduction control ignition system 10 when modeling oxidation within the exhaust manifold 108.

[0030] The exhaust manifold 108 has a high temperature related to the metallic composition of the walls of the exhaust manifold 108. The high temperature of the exhaust manifold 108 is detected as the wall temperature 126 mentioned above and can be monitored for a peak temperature. Due to the high temperature, the exhaust gas 110 may undergo additional combustion reactions within the exhaust manifold 108, which are determined by the retard reduction control ignition system 10 and executed by the ECU 12. The retard reduction control ignition system 10 uses the exhaust manifold 108 to achieve complete combustion of the residual fuel mixture 110a of the exhaust gas 110 by reacting with the residual air (i.e., oxygen) and using the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108 as activation energy.

[0031] An engine system model 42 uses a kinetic reaction mechanism 20 to evaluate performance of the engine system 102 while solving for the oxidation of the exhaust gas 110 based on the wall temperature 126, the gas temperature 124, the residual fuel and oxygen 110a, and the equivalence ratio 120 of the exhaust gas 110 with an appropriate degree of accuracy with the engine data 18. The calibration tables 22 can be generated by various physics-based predictive models that can correlate the gas temperature 124 and the wall temperature 126, as well as unseen data. Additionally, the ignition system 10 with retard reduction control uses the flow rate 122 of the exhaust gas 110 to determine an airflow 24 within the exhaust manifold 108 for optimized, complete combustion. The exhaust gas 110, which includes the residual fuel mixture 110a (i.e.residual fuel and air) is combusted within the exhaust manifold 108 based on calibration tables 22 generated as part of the retard reduction control ignition system 10 to achieve complete combustion.

[0032] As in the Fig. 2-4, the retard reduction control ignition system 10 further includes a virtual optimization system 40 configured to generate the calibration tables 22 for the ECU 12 and for the engine system 102. The virtual optimization system 40 includes the exhaust system model 42, which may be used to generate the calibration tables 22 based on the engine data 18 received from the ECU 12. In other examples, the exhaust system model 42 may receive the engine data 18 from an engine performance model that is physics-based and predictive. In one example shown in Fig. 4, the exhaust system model 42 receives the equivalence ratio 120, the gas temperature 124, and the flow rate 122 of the exhaust gas 110. The exhaust system model 42 is configured to determine optimized combustion of the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust manifold 108 based on the engine data 18. Additionally, the exhaust system model 42 uses the oxidation data 130, the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108, and a desired speed output of the turbocharger 104.

[0033] The exhaust system model 42 may be developed by the virtual optimization system 40 as a three-dimensional model that can be blocked to one dimension to capture the interface between the exhaust gas 110 and the exhaust manifold 108. For example, the virtual optimization system 40 may use a three-dimensional or one-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code with a conjugate heat transfer model to determine a desired exhaust flow rate, thermodynamic performance, and structural temperatures. Finally, the virtual optimization system 40 is configured to provide a one-dimensional exhaust system model 42 configured to replicate a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism of the engine system 102 to provide time-feasible control designs and feedback via the calibration tables 22.Therefore, the one-dimensional exhaust system model 42, by using a smaller, even single-stage mechanism, more accurately replicates the detailed results to an acceptable approximation. In developing the calibration tables 22, the exhaust system model 42 determines a combustion duration of the exhaust gas 110 relative to a defined temperature.

[0034] The defined temperature may, in some examples, correspond to the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108. The burn duration of the exhaust gas 110 may be modeled relative to the wall temperature 126 on a logarithmic scale versus the inverse of the wall temperature 126 to define a linear progression. Therefore, the exhaust system model 42 may include a correlation of the auto-ignition time based on the modeled burn duration. The correlation and the modeled burn duration may be included as part of one or more of the calibration tables 22 for use with the engine system 102 via the ECU 12, as described below. The modeled burn duration included in the calibration tables 22 may assist in reducing the real-time reaction mechanism of the engine system 102, which may assist in maximizing the overall speed of the engine system 102.

[0035] The exhaust system model 42 may further use the temperature data 128 to control the heat release conditions 118, for example, by comparing the equivalence ratio 120 to the temperature data 128 and the flow rate 122 of the exhaust gas 110. For example, the exhaust system model 42 may identify a possible post-cylinder oxidation temperature from the exhaust manifold 108 temperature data 128, which may be used to generate a calibration table 22 containing combustion control parameters 44. The calibration table 22 may also include exhaust manifold temperature estimates based at least in part on the exhaust manifold 108 wall temperature received from the ECU 12. The calibration tables 22 are provided to the ECU 12 from the virtual optimization system 40 for execution by the engine system 102 within the exhaust manifold 108, the pre-turbine 112.

[0036] Therefore, the engine system 102 may perform additional heat release 118 within the exhaust manifold 108 before the exhaust gas 110 reaches the turbine 112 of the turbocharger 104. The additional heat release 118 advantageously increases the energy available to the turbocharger 104. Therefore, the turbine 112 has increased available energy, resulting in a lag reduction effect and increased efficiency of the engine system 102. The engine system 102 uses the additional energy resulting from the combustion of the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust manifold 108 to maintain the reactions within the engine system 102 and to control immediate manifold energy of the exhaust manifold 108 to a limiting target temperature 126a.For example, the temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108 decreases over time such that the engine system 102 is calibrated via the calibration tables 22 to operate at a minimum limited target temperature 126a of the exhaust manifold 108. The limited target temperature 126a generally corresponds to the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108 as the exhaust manifold 108 cools after combustion in the cylinder 106.

[0037] As continued in the Fig. 2-4, the engine system 102 is repeatedly calibrated by the ECU 12 based on the calibration tables 22 generated by the exhaust system model 42 in the virtual optimization system 40 of the retard reduction controlled ignition system 10. The calibration tables 22 may include calibrations for various aspects of the engine system 102, including, but not limited to, injector calibrations, cam calibrations, and spark calibrations. The calibration tables 22 are used to control combustion within the exhaust manifold 108 by predicting an exotherm from the excess or stoichiometric fueling conditions of the engine system 102.For example, injector and cam calibration may be used to control kinetically limited open flow reactions within the exhaust manifold 108 and cylinders 106 by achieving a range of exhaust gas 110 gas temperatures 124 and exhaust manifold 108 wall temperatures 126. Spark calibrations may be used to control the exhaust gas 110 gas temperature 124 after combustion in the cylinder and entry into the exhaust manifold 108. By calibrating the spark, pumping and mixing of the engine system 102 may be maintained while achieving the retard reduction function by burning the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust manifold 108.

[0038] Integrating the calibration tables 22 into the ECU 12 and the engine system improves the performance of the turbocharger 104 by increasing the overall speed of the turbocharger 104. For example, the turbocharger 104 may more quickly resume a boost effect based on the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108. The exhaust system model 42 may be used to estimate various conditions of the engine system 102 to identify an optimized burn time of the exhaust gas 110 and the heat release 118 from the engine and / or the exhaust manifold 108. In some examples, when the exhaust gas 110 is in a single environment for a period of time, the exhaust gas 110 releases a cumulative amount of enthalpy.

[0039] During execution, the one-dimensional application of the exhaust system model 42 would use a rough spark and, conversely, a rough commanded airflow ratio for one or more cylinders 106 relative to another cylinder 106. In some three-dimensional examples, a stratified charge relative to multi-phase injection may shift the combustion reaction by controlling the equivalence ratio 120 in the cylinder 106. Therefore, the stratified charge through an exhaust stroke may promote mixing of the unburned charge for oxidation in the exhaust manifold 108 based on the wall temperature 126 and flow rates 122. This one-dimensional exhaust system model 42 would assist in maintaining a global stoichiometry for the engine system 102.The deviations between the cylinders 106, using the commanded airflow ratio and global stoichiometry, together help define a desired mixture composition 46 of the exhaust gas 110 and additional airflow within the engine system 102. The desired mixture composition 46 is designed by the exhaust system model 42 to promote additional heat release 118 within the exhaust manifold 108 to maximize the energy available to the turbine 112 of the turbocharger 104. For example, the additional heat release 118 helps maintain the energy available to the turbine 112.

[0040] As in the Fig. 2-4, the engine system 102 is designed and calibrated by the ECU 12 based on the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108. The wall temperature 126 should be sufficiently high to perform auto-ignition and exhibit chemistry-based oxidation of the residual fuel mixture 110a within the exhaust manifold 108. The exhaust system model 42 is configured to model the oxidation data 130 related to the oxidation of the residual fuel mixture 110a. The calibration table 22, which contains the modeled oxidation data 130, is configured to reduce the retardation of the turbocharger 104 by using the modeled oxidation data 130 to maximize the amount of exhaust gas 110 combusted in the exhaust manifold 108.The generated calibration tables 22 from the exhaust system model 42 provide the engine system 102 with the ability to continuously and nominally increase the turbo speed generated by the turbocharger 104. Therefore, the increased turbo speed is achieved by oxidation within the exhaust manifold 108 while combusting the residual oxygen within the fuel mixture 110a.

[0041] The calibration tables 22 are loaded from the virtual optimization system 40 to the ECU 12 as part of the ignition system 10 with retard reduction control. The calibration tables 22 provide instructions and strategies to the ECU 12 to be executed using the engine system 102. The calibration tables 22 may be stored in the memory hardware 16 of the ECU 12 and may be utilized by the computing hardware 14 for implementation in the engine system 102. For example, the calibration tables 22 may provide a fuel injection ignition strategy 48 that may be executed by the engine system 102.The calibration tables 22 are configured to provide a method for increased fuel combustion for the engine system 102 by utilizing the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108 to combust the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust manifold 108 using one or more strategies 48, such as the ignition strategy 48 for fuel injection.

[0042] Therefore, by executing one or more of the calibration tables 22, the ECU 12 is configured to utilize the exhaust manifold 108 as an ignition source. The cylinders 106 are used as the primary ignition source of the engine system 102, as generally described above, and the exhaust manifold 108 may supplement the cylinders 106 by combusting the residual fuel mixture 110a (i.e., residual fuel and air). For example, the ECU 12 may perform enthalpy calibrations using one or more of the calibration tables 22 to determine the combustion of the exhaust gas 110 within the exhaust manifold 108 until the defined limited target temperature 126a is reached. During operation of the engine system 102, the wall temperature 126 of the exhaust manifold 108 reaches temperatures high enough that the engine system 102 is able to achieve near complete combustion of the residual fuel mixture 110a of the exhaust gas 110.

[0043] Furthermore, in the Fig. 1-5 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of the ignition system 10 with retard reduction control. At 400, the exhaust system model 42 collects the engine data 18 from the engine system 102 via the ECU 12. The virtual optimizer system 40 receives the engine data 18 and executes the exhaust system model 42 for the ignition system 10 with retard reduction control at 402. The exhaust system model 42 generates calibration tables 22 for the engine system 102 at 404, and the ECU 12 enables use of the calibration tables 22 with the engine system 102 at 406. The ECU 12 may select the calibration table 22 that maximizes turbo speed based on the engine data 18 at 408. Consequently, the ignition system 10 with retard reduction control in 410 provides excess enthalpy to the turbocharger 104, resulting in the maximized turbo speed.

[0044] The retard reduction control ignition system 10 is advantageously designed to minimize the retard associated with the turbocharger 104 and may thereby also increase the overall efficiency of the engine system 102. The minimized retard of the turbocharger 104 is achieved by the virtual optimization system 40 executing the exhaust system model 42. Specifically, modeling the oxidation data 130 from the exhaust manifold 108 relative to the exhaust gas 110 is used to generate the calibration tables 22. The generated calibration tables 22 are incorporated into the ECU 12 and may be stored in the memory hardware 16. Therefore, the calibration tables 22 are static tables incorporated into the ECU 12.Although the calibration tables 22 are pre-executed by the exhaust system model 42, once a physical temperature measurement has been taken as feedback, a control routine may be used to learn potential shifts that may be unique to the engine system 102 (i.e., unique injection performance or component aging such as spark plug fouling or electrode gap growth).

[0045] Several implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it should be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

[0046] The foregoing description has been provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but are, where applicable, interchangeable and may be used in a chosen configuration even if not specifically shown or described. They may also be varied in many respects. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

[1] Ignition system with delay reduction control, comprising: an engine system including cylinders, a turbocharger, and an exhaust manifold operatively coupled to and disposed between the cylinders and the turbocharger; an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the engine system and including data processing hardware, the ECU configured to receive oxidation data and temperature data from the engine system; and a virtual optimization system communicatively coupled to the ECU, the virtual optimization system including an exhaust system model configured to generate calibration tables in response to the oxidation data and the temperature data of the ECU, the ECU configured to receive the generated calibration tables and configured to change a turbocharger speed at the exhaust manifold via enthalpy calibrations using one or more of the calibration tables. [2] The retard reduction control ignition system of claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to utilize a wall temperature of the exhaust manifold to vary the turbocharger speed using the enthalpy calibrations. [3] The retard reduction control ignition system of claim 1, wherein the exhaust system model is configured to receive engine data from the ECU including the oxidation data, the temperature data, an equivalence ratio, and a flow rate. [4] The retard reduction control ignition system according to claim 3, wherein the temperature data includes a wall temperature of the exhaust manifold and a gas temperature of the exhaust gas of the engine system. [5] The retard reduction control ignition system of claim 3, wherein the exhaust system model is configured to model the oxidation data and the ECU is configured to reduce the turbocharger retard using the modeled oxidation data. [6] The retard reduction control ignition system of claim 5, wherein the exhaust system model is configured to increase the combustion efficiency of the engine system using the modeled oxidation data. [7] The retard reduction control ignition system of claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to execute one or more of the calibration tables, the one or more calibration tables including an ignition strategy for fuel injection. [8] The retard reduction control ignition system of claim 1, wherein the engine data received from the exhaust system model includes at least one of exhaust gas equivalence ratios, temperature data, exhaust gas oxidation data, and a flow rate of the exhaust gas. [9] The retard reduction control ignition system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU is configured to use the exhaust manifold as an ignition source.

Images