Controlling electrical exhaust heater to assist with transient response

Abstract

A system for controlling at least one heater to manage engine transient responses includes an exhaust aftertreatment system in communication with an engine, at least one electric heater structured to be coupled to the exhaust aftertreatment system, the at least one heater configured to selectively provide heat to the exhaust, and a controller configured to: detect, using data regarding operation of the system, an upcoming load for the system that causes a transient response; identify, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of the at least one heater as in a first state; switch the operational state of the at least one heater from the first state to a second state for a period of time based on the transient response; and reset, subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of the at least one heater to the first state.

Description

CONTROLLING ELECTRICAL EXHAUST HEATER TO ASSIST WITHTRANSIENT RESPONSECROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 656,053, titled “Controlling Electrical Exhaust Heater to Assist with Transient Response,” filed June 4, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatuses for controlling heating of an exhaust aftertreatment system. In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for controlling a heater to assist with an engine transient response when a load is to be applied to the engine.BACKGROUND

[0003] A transient response of an engine may be slow if an engine cannot handle an applied load. Handling the transient response may help the engine more quickly apply the load.SUMMARY

[0004] At least one aspect is directed to a system for controlling at least one electric heater to manage engine transient responses. The system may include an exhaust aftertreatment system structured to be in communication with an engine; at least one electric heater structured to be coupled to the exhaust aftertreatment system, the at least one electric heater configured to selectively provide heat to the exhaust aftertreatment system; and a controller having one or more processors coupled with at least one memory, the controller configured to: detect, using data regarding operation of the system, an upcoming load for the system that causes a transient response; identify, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of the at least one electric heater as in a first state; based on the engine response, switch the operational state of the at least one electric heater from the first state to asecond state for a period of time; and reset, subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of at least one electric heater to the first state.

[0005] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to detect the upcoming load based on the data regarding operation of the system comprising at least one of: (i) an operator input, (ii) a predicted duty cycle of the engine, or (iii) a route prediction for the system. In some embodiments, the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and the controller is further configured to: switch, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as in the inactive state, the operational state to the active state to power the at least one electric heater responsive to the detection of the upcoming load, and reset, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as an inactive state, the operational state from the active state to the inactive state, responsive to application of the upcoming load subsequent to the period of time.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the controller is further configured to: switch, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as in the active state, the operational state to the inactive state to shut off the at least one electric heater responsive to application of the upcoming load, and reset, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as the active state, the operational state from the inactive state to the active state, responsive to expiration of the period of time. In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the controller is further configured to: detect, using the data regarding operation of the system, a shedding of a load for the system that causes a transient response, and cause, until the shedding of the load, the at least one electric heater to remain in the second state.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and the controller is further configured to reset the operational state of the at least one electric heater responsive to an expiration of a second period of time after shedding of a load. In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to determine the period of time based on at least one of: (i) a duration of time until an expected application of the upcoming load, (ii) an air flow parameter of the engine associated with an ability of the engineto receive the upcoming load, (iii) a calibrated delay period associated with a type of the system, (iv) historical data comprising previous periods of time in which the operational state is switched, (v) ambient data associated with an engine power output capability, or (vi) a predicted duty cycle of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load.

[0008] In some embodiments, controller is further configured to detect the upcoming load responsive to a transition of an environment in which the system is operating. In some embodiments, the transition of the environment causes the system to change from a initial load to the upcoming load, the initial load different from the upcoming load.

[0009] At least one aspect is directed to a controller. The controller includes: at least one processing circuit comprising one or more processors coupled with at least one memory, the at least one processing circuit structured to: detect, using data regarding operation of a system, an upcoming load for the system that causes an engine transient response, identify, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of at least one electric heater of the system as in a first state, based on the engine transient response, switch the operational state of the at least one electric heater from the first state to a second state for a period of time, and reset, subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of the at least one electric heater to the first state.

[0010] In some embodiments, the at least one processing circuit is further configured to detect the upcoming load based on the data regarding operation of the system comprising at least one of: (i) an operator input in a vehicle of the system, (ii) a predicted duty cycle of the engine, or (iii) a route prediction for the vehicle. In some embodiments, the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and the at least one processing circuit is further configured to: switch, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as in the inactive state, the operational state to the active state to power the at least one electric heater responsive to the detection of the upcoming load, and reset, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as an inactive state, the operational state from the active state to the inactive state, responsive to application of the upcoming load subsequent to the period of time.-J -

[0011] In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the at least one processing circuit is further configured to: switch, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as in the active state, the operational state to the inactive state to shut off the at least one electric heater responsive to application of the upcoming load. In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the at least one processing circuit is further configured to: reset, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as the active state, the operational state from the inactive state to the active state, responsive to expiration of the period of time.

[0012] In some embodiments, the at least one processing circuit is further structured to determine the period of time based on at least one of: (i) a duration of time until an expected application of the upcoming load, (ii) an air flow parameter of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load, (iii) a calibrated delay period associated with a type of the system, (iv) historical data comprising previous periods of time in which the operational state is switched, (v) ambient data associated with an engine power output capability, or (vi) a predicted duty cycle of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load. In some embodiments, the operational state for the at least one electric heater includes one of an active state to power the at least one electric heater to provide additional heat to an exhaust aftertreatment system or an inactive state to shut off power from the at least one electric heater. In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the controller is further configured to: detect, using the data regarding operation of the system, a shedding of a load for the system that causes a transient response, and cause, until completion of the shedding of the load, the at least one electric heater to remain in the second state.

[0013] At least one aspect is directed to a method for controlling at least one electric heater to manage engine transient responses, including: detecting, by a controller, using data regarding operation of a system comprising the at least one electric heater and the engine, an upcoming load for the system that causes a transient response, identifying, by the controller, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of the at least one electric heater as in a first state, based on the engine transient response, switching, by the controller, theoperational state of the at least one electric heater from the first state to a second state for a period of time, resetting, by the controller and subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of the at least one electric heater to the first state.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and the method further includes: switching, by the controller, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as in the inactive state, the operational state to the active state to power the at least one electric heater responsive to the detection of the upcoming load; and resetting, by the controller, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as an inactive state, the operational state from the active state to the inactive state, responsive to application of the upcoming load subsequent to the period of time.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the method further includes: switching, by the controller, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as in the active state, the operational state to the inactive state to shut off the at least one electric heater responsive to application of the upcoming load, and resetting, by the controller, when the first state of the at least one electric heater is identified as the active state, the operational state from the inactive state to the active state, responsive to expiration of the period of time.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the method further comprises detecting, by the controller, using the data regarding operation of the system, a shedding of a load for the system that causes a transient response; and causing, by the controller, until completion of the shedding of the load, the at least one electric heater to remain in the second state.

[0017] These and other features, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Numerous specific details are provided to impart a thorough understanding of embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure. The described features of the subject matter of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments and / or implementations. In thisregard, one or more features of an aspect of the invention may be combined with one or more features of a different aspect of the invention. Moreover, additional features may be recognized in certain embodiments and / or implementations that may not be present in all embodiments or implementations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0018] The disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements unless otherwise indicated, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a system for varying the load of a heater to assist with a transient response of an engine, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a controller of the system of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 3 depicts an environment in which a vehicle transitions from a highway environment to an off-road environment, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 4 depicts a graph illustrating a transient response of an engine, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 5 depicts a graph illustrating a transient response of an engine, according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of a method of adjusting a heater to assist with a transient response of an engine, according to an exemplary embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to, and implementations of, methods, apparatuses, and systems for varying a load of a heater to assist with a transient response of an engine. The various concepts introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any number of ways, as the conceptsdescribed are not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.

[0026] The present application relates to systems, methods, and apparatuses for varying a load of a heater to assist with a transient response of an engine. Heaters, such as electric heaters, may be implemented in an exhaust aftertreatment system for a vehicle including a diesel fueled internal combustion engine. Engines may have a transient response corresponding to a sudden change (e.g., a dip or a spike) in speed or other operating parameter(s) (e.g., torque) of an engine upon applying a mechanical load or shedding the load from the engine. Implementing a system in which the engine can quickly respond to the transient response (e g., a change in speed) may be beneficial for the engine in handling the applied load.

[0027] Improving the transient response of an engine may be performed by diverting power from another component of the vehicle to the engine so that it may be able to handle the mechanical load. For example, a cooling fan may be disengaged if it is electrically clutched. In some embodiments, the transient response of an engine may be adjusted or suppressed by adjusting an air handling of the engine. However, directly adjusting or manipulating air handling may have a slow response due to factors such as transport delays and / or a compressibility of the fluid in the air handling system.

[0028] With additional ancillary loads, such as an alternator or an electric coolant pump, the additional ancillary may have limited power adsorbing capabilities. Ancillary loads, such as a cooling fan power, may be determined by an engine speed. It may be possible to suppress a transient response of an engine by varying ancillary loads. However, various ancillary loads may not have a large enough power requirement to successfully suppress the transient response of the engine.

[0029] To address these and other technical challenges, a controller may be structured to detect an upcoming load to be applied to an engine and, in response, vary an ancillary load of an accessory of the system, namely an electric heater coupled to an exhaust aftertreatment system of the vehicle. Increasing the electrical power of the heater may provide additionalaccessory power onto the crankshaft requiring an increase in net torque and fueling in the cylinders. An electrical load, such as a load from an electrical heater, may be instantaneous and may be instantaneously reduced, diverting to the engine crankshaft upon application of a mechanical load to the engine. Diverting the power may increase the brake torque of the engine momentarily before the mechanical load is applied allowing the application load to increase faster than the engine could deliver if starting from a lower net power.

[0030] Additionally, the controller described herein may be utilized in equipment where engine power is absorbed through a hydraulic pump. For example, the engine may generate power that is received or absorbed by a hydraulic pump (e.g., to convert the mechanical energy into fluid power to perform an action, etc.). As such, the vehicle may include, in addition to an engine and one or more additional components, a hydraulic pump. A hydraulic pump may apply a load abruptly (e.g., a load may be applied to the engine by the hydraulic pump abruptly). For example, a load may be applied within a predetermined amount of time, a change in a load experienced by the hydraulic pump may be greater than a predetermined amount and / or experienced in a predetermined amount of time, etc. In addition, the controller described herein may improve engine performance, as well as air handling and combustion systems associated with the engine. For example, varying an ancillary load may allow the load delivered to the engine by the hydraulic pump to be delivered less abruptly, thereby allowing the engine to better handle the load. This manner of applying the load may lead to less potential damage or harm to the engine that may be associated with abrupt application of a load to the engine.

[0031] If an engine is hydraulically loaded (e.g., via the hydraulic pump), the load may be applied faster and result in the engine possessing a greater capability of handling the load. The vehicle may receive an advanced warning that a load is about to be applied to an engine by, for example, receiving an indication of a duty cycle event or an operator switch. The heater power may be able to be reduced or turned off so excess power being adsorbed by the heater can be sent to the crankshaft of the engine and aid in the acceleration of the engine, thus providing a relatively faster transient response. The use of an electric heater may provide arelatively faster transient response than if using the load of another component (e.g., air handling levers). These and other features and benefits are described more fully herein below.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, among others, depicted is a block diagram of a vehicle 100 having components for varying the electrical load of an electrical exhaust heater to assist with a transient response of an engine is shown, according to an example embodiment. The vehicle 100 may be powered by a diesel internal combustion engine. The vehicle 100 may be an at least partial electric vehicle (EV) powered by an internal electrical energy source or a hybrid vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and the internal electrical energy source, among others. The vehicle 100 may be any type of vehicle, such as an automobile (e.g., a sedan as depicted, a truck, a bus, or a van), a motorcycle, among others. The vehicle 100 may be any type of on-road or off-road vehicle including, but not limited to, wheel-loaders, fork-lift trucks, line-haul trucks, mid-range trucks (e.g., pick-up truck, etc.), sedans, coupes, tanks, excavators, cranes, and any other type of vehicle. In various embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be utilized in off-highway applications, such as construction, mining, agriculture, etc. As such, the vehicle may operate on terrain other than a paved road or highway. For example, the vehicle 100 may operate in a mine or field.

[0033] Although reference is made throughout to a vehicle 100, it should be understood that the systems and method described herein may be applied to any device or equipment that includes an engine. For example, the systems and methods described herein may be applied to generator engines and / or generator sets (also referred to as “gensets”) that include both an engine and a generator. For example, gensets, similar to vehicles 100, may maintain a precise engine speed to operate efficiently. In some embodiments, gensets may therefore include an additional component, such as electronic controls or a lever, to precisely adjust or control the speed of the genset (e.g., a speed of the engine). In various embodiments, the genset may include an electronic control to adjust operation of the genset (e.g., adjust an operation of the engine). For example, as will be described in greater detail herein, an electrical load may be applied to and / or shed from a genset, and an electronic control may handle the application or shedding of the load.

[0034] The vehicle 100 includes at least one engine 110. The engine 110 can administer, handle, or otherwise manage propulsion of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the engine 110 may be an internal combustion engine (ICE). The ICE may consume fuel (e.g., diesel, gasoline, propane, natural gas, hydrogen, etc.) to generate power. The engine 110 can include one or more cylinders and associated pistons. In this regard, air from the atmosphere is combined with fuel, and combusted, to power or spin the engine 110. Combustion of the fuel and air in combustion chambers of the engine 110 produces exhaust gas that is operatively vented to an exhaust pipe and to the exhaust aftertreatment system 130. When a load is applied to the engine 110, the engine speed may decrease if the brake torque load cannot be accommodated at a current engine speed, with the current engine fuel rate. In some embodiments, the engine 110 may maintain a given speed and increase torque by increasing the fueling rate to accommodate the increased load.

[0035] The vehicle 100 may house, contain, or otherwise include at least one controller 120. The controller 120 may be communicatively coupled with various components in the vehicle 100, such as the engine 110, an electric machine (e.g., motor or motor generator), the exhaust aftertreatment system 130, the heater 140, a power train, and / or a transmission control unit, among others. Communication between and among the components may be via any number of wired or wireless connections. For example, a wired connection may include a serial cable, a fiber optic cable, a CAT5 cable, or any other form of wired connection. In comparison, a wireless connection may include the Internet, Wi-Fi, cellular, radio, etc. In one embodiment, a CAN bus provides the exchange of signals, information, and / or data. The CAN bus includes any number of wired and wireless connections.

[0036] The controller 120 is communicably coupled to the systems and components in the vehicle 100. The controller 120 may be structured to receive data (e.g., instructions, commands, signals, values, etc.) from one or more of the components of the vehicle 100. This may generally be referred to as internal vehicle information (e.g., data, values, etc.). The internal vehicle information represents determined, acquired, predicted, estimated, and / or gathered data regarding one or more components in vehicle 100. The controller 120 may be part of one or more electronic control units (may be included with or separate from an enginecontrol module / unit, a transmission control unit, a battery management system, etc.) to control and regulate various operations of one or more systems or devices of the vehicle 100. The controller 120 may include one or more processing circuits having one or more processors coupled to one or more memory unit. The at least one processor and memory units of the controller 120 may be structured or configured to execute or implement the instructions, commands, and / or control processes described herein.

[0037] The vehicle 100 may include at least one exhaust aftertreatment system 130. The exhaust aftertreatment system 130 may be in an exhaust of the vehicle 100 to release or expel gas from the engine 110. The exhaust and the exhaust aftertreatment system 130 may be structured to be coupled with the engine 110. The exhaust aftertreatment system 130 may be in communication with the engine 110. The exhaust aftertreatment system 130 includes components used to reduce exhaust emissions, such as a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, an oxidation catalyst (DOC), a particulate filter (DPF), an exhaust fluid doser with a supply of exhaust fluid, a plurality of sensors for monitoring the aftertreatment system (e g., a nitrogen oxide (NOx) sensor, temperature sensors, etc.), and / or other components.

[0038] The vehicle 100 may include at least one heater 140 to selectively apply or provide heat to the exhaust. In some embodiments, the heater 140 may be coupled to the exhaust aftertreatment system 130. In some embodiments, the heater 140 may be disposed in the exhaust aftertreatment system 130. The heater 140 may be configured to increase the temperature of at least one component of the exhaust aftertreatment system 130 and / or of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust aftertreatment system 130. The heater 140 may be any sort of external heat source that can be structured or configured to increase the temperature of passing exhaust gas and / or a component of the exhaust aftertreatment system 130. The heater 140 may derive power from power of the crankshaft via, for example, an alternator. The heater 140 may be, for example, an electric heater, an induction heater, or a microwave,). The heater may be powered from a battery of the vehicle 100. The heater 140 may be of a convection type, where heat is transferred to flowing exhaust gas, or of a conduction type where the heater 140 heats a component which transfers heat to the flowing exhaust gas. The heater 140 may beactivated, deactivated, and / or otherwise controlled by the controller 120 in response to a detection of an upcoming load to be experienced by the engine 110 and / or vehicle 100.

[0039] In some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include at least one hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pump may be mechanically coupled with the engine 110. The hydraulic pump may absorb engine power provided to the pump. For example, a hydraulic pump may be used to power or operate one or more components of the vehicle 100. A component to be operated by the hydraulic pump may be utilized abruptly, thereby causing the load applied to the engine 110 by the hydraulic pump to be applied abruptly. The hydraulic pump may be thermally coupled with the heater 140. Thus, the load applied to the engine 110 may be sensed, and the heater 140 may be activated or deactivated to cause the load applied to the engine 110 by the hydraulic pump to be applied less abruptly than if the heater 140 were not activated or deactivated.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic of the controller 120 of the vehicle 100 of FIG. 1 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 120 may include at least one processing circuit 205 having at least one processor 210 and at least one memory or memory device 215. The at least one memory device 215 may include instructions stored thereon to be executed by the processor 210, including a load predictor 220 and a heater manager 230, among others. The controller 120 includes a communications interface 240. The controller 120 may be coupled to and / or otherwise in communication with one or more of the engine 110, the exhaust aftertreatment system 130, and / or the heater 140.

[0041] In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 and / or heater manager 230 is embodied as instructions of the at least one memory device 215 that are executable by a processor, such as processor 210. As described herein and amongst other uses, the machine- readable media facilitates performance of certain operations to enable reception and transmission of data. For example, the machine-readable media may provide an instruction (e.g., command, etc.) to, e.g., acquire data. In this regard, the machine-readable media may include programmable logic that defines the frequency of acquisition of the data or transmission of the data. The computer readable media may include code, which may be written in any programming language including, but not limited to, Java or the like and anyconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program code may be executed on one processor or multiple remote processors. In the latter scenario, the remote processors may be connected to each other through any type of network (e.g., CAN bus, etc.).

[0042] In the example shown, the controller 120 includes the at least one processing circuit 205 having the at least one processor 210 and the at least one memory device 215. The at least one processing circuit 205 may be structured or configured to execute or implement the instructions, commands, and / or control processes described herein with respect to the load predictor 220 and / or heater manager 230. The depicted configuration represents the load predictor 220 and / or heater manager 230 as instructions stored in non-transitory machine or computer-readable media. However, this illustration is not meant to be limiting as the present disclosure contemplates other embodiments where the load predictor 220 and / or heater manager 230, or at least one of the load predictor 220 and / or heater manager 230, is configured as a hardware unit (e.g., separate processing circuits having similar definitions / structures as ascribed to the processing circuit 205 and processor 210 and memory 215 herein). All such combinations and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0043] The at least one processor 210 may be one or more of a single- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. In this way, the at least one processor 210 may be a microprocessor, a state machine, or other suitable processor. The at least one processor 210 also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may be shared by multiple circuits. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more processors may be structured to perform or otherwise execute certain operations independent of one or more co-processors. In other example embodiments, two or more processors may be coupled via a bus to enable independent, parallel, pipelined, or multi-threaded instruction execution. All such variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0044] The at least one memory device 215 (e.g., memory, memory unit, storage device) may include one or more devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, hard disk storage) for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating the various processes, layers and modules described in the present disclosure. The at least one memory device 215 may be communicably connected to the at least one processor 210 to provide computer code or instructions to the at least one processor 210 for executing at least some of the processes described herein. Moreover, the at least one memory device 215 may be or include tangible, non-transient volatile memory or non-volatile memory. Accordingly, the at least one memory device 215 may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures described herein.

[0045] The load predictor 220 executing on the processing circuit 205 may detect, determine, or otherwise identify an upcoming load for the vehicle 100 that causes a transient response. The upcoming load may correspond to an upcoming increase in an amount of energy (e.g., in the form of speed, acceleration, or torque) to be applied via the engine 110. In some embodiments, an upcoming load may correspond to a gear shift (e.g., of a transmission of the vehicle 100). The upcoming load may result from, for example, environmental conditions such as an upcoming hill or incline on the road or terrain ahead of the vehicle 100 or throttle input by the operator of the vehicle 100 that entails the engine to increase a torque output to maintain a given speed. In some examples, the upcoming load may result from a hydraulic pump of the vehicle 100 (e.g., the hydraulic pump may operate a component of the vehicle in the future). In various embodiments, the upcoming load may be an electrical load and / or a physical (e g., mechanical) load. The transient response may correspond to an abrupt change in the engine 110 for a given amount of time (e.g., less than 15 seconds) in response to the application of the load. The length of the transient response may correspond to the ability of the engine 110 to promptly and accurately (e.g., within a certain amount of time) adjust power output in response to the application of the load. The controller 120 may receive the load request from the engine110 (or another component in the vehicle 100). In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may receive the load request data. In some embodiments, load request data may be received from one or more sensors.

[0046] In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may predict the upcoming load without receiving external data. The load predictor 220 may be able to predict an application of an upcoming load by utilizing, for example, predictive duty cycles, repeatable activities the vehicle 100 performs, or route predication. For example, if the vehicle 100 completed the same route ten times in a day, the load predictor 220 may recognize the route and predict that an increased load occurs 0.5 miles into the beginning of the route. The load predictor 220 may then predict the load increase each time the vehicle 100 is on the route. In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may identify a change in hydraulic pressure indicative of an upcoming load. For example, the load predictor 220 may receive an indication or otherwise determine that a value of hydraulic pressure (e.g., of a component of the vehicle 100) has changed by greater than or equal to a threshold amount (e.g., a delta value is greater than or equal to a threshold value). Similarly, in some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may receive an indication or otherwise determine that a value of hydraulic pressure (e.g., of a component of the vehicle 100) is greater than or equal to a threshold amount, indicating an upcoming load (e.g., a hydraulic load).

[0047] The load predictor 220 may also be able to predict an application of an upcoming load via a lookahead system. A lookahead system may include information relating to road or terrain conditions or other parameters within a predefined distance ahead of a current location of the vehicle. For example, a lookahead system may include information about a road or terrain grade, a speed limit, traffic patterns, and / or other data. In various embodiments, lookahead data may include information relating to parameters other than those within a predefined distance of the vehicle. For example, a vehicle 100 may be utilized in a mine. Thus, the lookahead data may include information about the terrain of the entire mine, rather than information within a predefined distance for a specified route in the mine.

[0048] The load predictor 220 may predict, estimate, or detect an application of the upcoming load via an operator switch and / or controls. For example, the load predictor 220may determine, via a receipt of data or other method, that there is an increase in a throttle demand of the vehicle 100 or a hydraulic request for the vehicle 100. For example, a hydraulic pump of the vehicle 100 may operate a component of the vehicle 100 (e.g., a hydraulic pump may be used to move or operate a bucket of an excavator). In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may detect an upcoming load via autonomous or automated operation of the vehicle 100. An automated or autonomous operation may control various functionalities of the vehicle 100 and may, for example, be able to receive information and / or determine information about an upcoming load. In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may also detect an upcoming load via movement within a passenger compartment of the vehicle 100. For example, a shift in the position of a driver and / or passenger, or cargo contained in the passenger compartment may indicate an upcoming load. The shift may be detected by one or more components of the vehicle 100 (for example, one or more sensors), and communicate the information to the load predictor 220.

[0049] In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may predict the application of the upcoming load using telematics data. The telematics data may include, for example, a geographical positioning system (GPS) location, vehicle diagnostics, grade, curvature, speed, acceleration, braking, fuel consumption, and vehicle status, among others. For instance, the load predictor 220 may determine that the load is about to applied, when the telematics data indicates upcoming route conditions, such as hills and driving curvature. In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may detect an upcoming load via a geographic location. The load predictor 220 may be able to detect the geographic location of the vehicle 100 via, for example, a GPS system. The load predictor 220 may be able to access data relating to the geographic location of the vehicle, such as the altitude or terrain of the location, which may be used to predict an upcoming load. The upcoming load request may come from the vehicle 100 and / or an operator of the vehicle 100. For example, the controller 120 may be able to detect that a load is to be applied to the engine 110 via an input from an operator of the vehicle 100 and / or a signal from the vehicle 100. Various other methods of predicting an upcoming load may be utilized by the controller 120 and / or load predictor 220. For example, in various embodiments, the load predictor 220 may detect an upcoming electrical load. For example, an electrical load may be applied to a genset or other vehicle 100. Accordingly, the load predictor220 may detect an upcoming electrical load and, in response, the heater manager 230 may modify an operational state of a heater (e.g., of the vehicle 100, of a genset, etc.) such that power is diverted to the heater to allow the genset to better handle application of the electrical load. In some embodiments, the controller 120 may also receive an indication when the load is applied or momentarily before the load is applied.

[0050] The load predictor 220 may determine whether the load request can be met within one or more available limits of the vehicle 100. The available limits may include, for example, an air handling response and / or a smoke limit. If the load predictor 220 determines that a load (e.g., of a predetermined amount) cannot be provided, the controller may be configured to adjust operation of the heater 140 to accommodate the load. In some embodiments, combustion and / or air handling of the engine 110 may be better prepared to handle an increased load when the engine senses or receives an advanced warning of the load prior to the load occurring or being applied. For example, a hydraulic pump may abruptly apply a load to the engine 110. Thus, receiving advance warning of the load applied by the hydraulic pump may allow the engine 110 to better handle the load. As another example, an electrical load may be applied to a genset. An advanced warning of application of this electrical load may allow the genset to better handle the applied electrical load. For example, the genset may include one or more electronic controls to apply or handle the upcoming load.

[0051] The heater 140 may be controlled to suppress or slow down a transient response of the engine 110 in response to the load so that the engine 110 can properly perform and handle the load. In some embodiments, the engine 110 may be able to properly handle the load by receiving power diverted from the heater 140. In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may communicate one or more pieces of data to the heater manager 230. For example, the load predictor 220 may communicate to the heater manager 230 the load request and / or an indication that the load cannot be provided to the engine 110.

[0052] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may identify a future state of the engine 110. For example, it may be identified that in a predetermined distance traveled by the vehicle 100, an increased load will be applied to the engine 110. The future state of the engine 110 may be identified based on, for example, a map system or a predetermined route of thevehicle 100. If a future state of the engine 110 is identified, a learning algorithm or a signal can be used to increase an electrical load of the heater. The electrical load of the heater may be increased to a value greater than that of a target to increase air handling. The heater may then be turned off and / or turned down by the heater manager 230 when the torque demand arrives.

[0053] In some embodiments, the load predictor 220 may receive, identify, or detect an indication that a load will be shed from the engine 110. As the application load may be shed from the engine 110, the heater power can be instantaneously applied to decrease the engine speed and / or reduce engine overspeed. For example, responsive to a sudden drop or shedding of the mechanical load on the crankshaft, the engine speed may increase. In some examples, an electrical load may be shed. Accordingly, a load that will be shed from the engine 110 may be the same as or similar to a load that may be applied to the engine 110, as described above. Engine speed may increase due to a period of time it takes for the air handling and fuel systems to respond to the load drop. Thus, in various embodiments, the heater may be turned on or activated to replace some of the application load that has been shed. This may reduce an amount by which the engine speed increases and slowly ramps down, responsive to the load being shed. This process may allow the engine to respond to the shedding of the load without overspeeding. The shedding of the load may correspond to power being diverted from the crankshaft of the engine 110. The indication may be detected may be in a similar manner to the indication received by the controller 120 that a load is to be applied to the engine 110.

[0054] The heater manager 230 executing on the processing circuit 205 may control the heater 140. For example, the heater manager 230 (e.g., the controller) may draw power from the engine 110 to deactivate or decrease power output via the heater 140 thereby removing a load from the engine 110. Conversely, the heater manager 230 my supply power from the engine 110 to activate or increase power output via the heater 140 thereby applying a load to the engine 110 The heater 140 may be controlled to be pre-loaded by increasing a load demanded by the heater 140 by turning on the heater 140 or increasing the power level of the heater 140 (e.g., heat output from the heater 140). In some embodiments, pre-loading the heater 140 may include either turning on the heater to full power or ramping up the power. In some embodiments, the ramp rate may be a short period of time (e.g., 0.2-1.5 seconds).

[0055] In some embodiments, if the heater is pre-loaded prior to the load being applied, and then is momentarily disabled, the load applied to the heater may be made available to be used by a hydraulic load (e.g., a mechanical load applied to the engine 110) where the output has been delivered to the engine 110. For example, a hydraulic pump may be included in the vehicle 100, and the hydraulic pump may utilize the load applied to the heater 140. In some embodiments, controlling the heater may correspond to activating the heater, deactivating the heater, increasing heater power, and / or decreasing heater power. In some embodiments, controlling the heater 140 may be independent of temperature for the exhaust gas and / or exhaust aftertreatment system 130.

[0056] The heater manager 230, may determine or identify an initial operational state of the heater 140 as one of an active or an inactive state. The initial operational state may be a mode of operation of the heater 140 and may be defined by parameters indicative of how the heater 140 is operating. For example, the initial operational state may be defined by if the heater is drawing power or is not drawing power. In the active state, power is being consumed by the heater 140 to provide heat and the heater is turned on. In the inactive state, at least one of power is not being supplied to the heater 140 (e.g., via a junction upstream of the heater 140) or the heater 140 is turned off to not consume power to operate (e.g., emit heat). Short periods of time (e g., less than 30 seconds) in which the heater 140 is inactive may not have a measurable impact on a temperature of the exhaust aftertreatment system 130. Longer periods of time (e.g., greater than or equal to 30 seconds) in which the heater is inactive may impact a temperature of the exhaust aftertreatment system 130.

[0057] The heater manager 230 may switch the operational state of the heater 140 to an opposite, transient operational state. The heater 140 may be switched to the second operational state for a period of time to suppress the transient response in the vehicle 100. The period of time may depend upon whether the initial operational state of the heater 140 is an active state or an inactive state. In some embodiments, the predetermined period of time is referred to as a delay period (e.g., 2.5-7.5 ms, 2.5-7.5 seconds, or 30-45 seconds). In some embodiments, the delay period may be based on, for example, a detection or estimation of the load applied. The quantity or magnitude of the load applied to the engine 110 and / or heater 140 may affect howlong the delay period lasts. For example, if the delay period occurs after the load is applied to the engine (e.g., when initially in the activate state), and the magnitude of the load applied to the engine 110 is large, the delay period may be increased relative to if the magnitude of the load applied to the engine 110 is smaller to accommodate the amount of power the engine 110 draws to accommodate the load. In some embodiments, the load on the heater 140 may be reduced at the application of the load to the engine 110, regardless of whether the heater 140 is in an active or inactive state.

[0058] The heater manager 230 may calculate or determine the delay period based on any number of factors. In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may determine the delay period based on a duration of time or expected duration of time until application of the upcoming load at the engine 110. For example, the delay period may be calculated based on a time between the controller 120 receiving an indication of an upcoming load and the load being applied to the engine 110. For example, if the load is going to be applied in ten seconds, the delay period may be ten seconds. In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may determine the delay period based on detected or estimated air flow parameters indicating that a turbocharger has spun up. For instance, the delay period may be based on a flow rate of gas or air that the turbocharger can feed into the engine 110.

[0059] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may determine the delay period based on a calibrated delay period. In some embodiments, the calibrated delay period may be a fixed period that is standard for the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the calibrated delay period may be based on one or more statistical models, formulas or algorithms, and / or lookup tables. The delay period may also be based on historical data, such as the duration of a previous delay period for a previous load applied to the engine 110.

[0060] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may determine the delay period based on a calibrated delay period. In some embodiments, the calibrated delay period may be based on a type of implement being used. For example, if vehicle 100 is an agricultural or farming machine, the delay period associated with that type of vehicle and the components associated with it may be different than, for example, a delay period associated with mining equipment. The delay period may also be based on machine learning based on an individualequipment duty cycle. The delay period may also be based on an aggregate of worksite vehicles performing similar types of work. For example, if similar worksite vehicles have been programmed to have a certain delay period, another vehicle that is performing similar operations may be programmed to have the same delay period.

[0061] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may determine the delay period based on ambient data. Ambient conditions may include external environmental factors such as altitude, temperature, and / or humidity. Ambient conditions may affect engine performance, which may affect the determination of the delay period. For example, if the ambient temperature is high, the engine 110 may have a reduced power output capability. If the engine 110 has a reduced power output capability, the delay period may be increased. The increased delay period may allow the heater 140 additional time to reach a greater power level and therefore divert more power to the engine 110. Additional power diverted to the engine 110 may allow the engine 110 to be able to handle the load while operating with a reduced power output.

[0062] When the initial operational state is the active, the heater manager 230 may subsequently switch the operational state of the heater 140 to the inactive state. When the load predictor 220 receives an indication of an upcoming load, the heater manager may not yet switch the heater 140 from the active state so that the heater 140 may continue to consume power. The heater manager 230 may receive data from the load predictor 220 regarding the indication of the upcoming load and may not switch the operational state responsive to the indication if the heater is in the active state. A certain period of time after receiving the indication of the upcoming load, the load predictor 220 may receive an indication that the load is applied at the engine 110. In some embodiments, the delay period occurs beginning at the application of the load and ending a predetermined amount of time after the load has been applied. In some embodiments, the end of the delay period when the initial operational state of the heater is active may be a short period of time, for example a few seconds.

[0063] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may switch the heater 140 to the inactive state upon receiving the indication that the load has been applied at the engine. In some embodiments, heater 140 may be inactive and not consuming any power in the inactivetransient operational state. The amount of power consumed by the heater 140 may gradually or instantaneously decrease to a minimum or zero level as the heater 140 is switched from the active state to the inactive state. The heater 140 may be in the inactive transient operational state for a predetermined period of time. The period of time in which the heater 140 is in the inactive transient operational state may be determined by a delay period starting at the application of the load. The delay period may be determined by, for example, an air flow parameter of the engine 110, a calibrated delay period, historical data, ambient data, and / or a duty cycle of the engine 110. For example, the heater 140 may be in an inactive transient operational state beginning at the application of the load and ending at a predetermined time after the application of the load. For example, the controller 120 may be configured to end the delay period five seconds after the application of the load. In some embodiments, the configuration of the first and transient operational states of the heater 140 may operate such that the heater is consuming power prior to the load being applied at the engine and that power can be diverted to the engine 110 when the load is applied so that the engine 110 can suppress or handle a transient state and increase speed (e.g., by removing or reducing the heater load to enable power output from the engine to be diverted to other recipients).

[0064] Conversely, when the initial operational state is in the inactive state, the heater manager 230 may switch the heater 140 to the active state. When the load predictor 220 receives an indication of an upcoming load, the heater manager may switch the heater 140 from the inactive state to the active state. While in the active state, the heater 140 may draw power. The heater manager 230 may receive data from the load predictor 220 regarding the indication of the upcoming load and switch the operational state responsive to the indication. In some embodiments, when the initial operational state is an inactive state, the delay period occurs between an indication of an upcoming load and an application of the load. In some embodiments, heater 140 may be active and consuming power in the active transient operational state. The amount of power consumed by the heater 140 may gradually increase to a maximum level. The heater 140 may be in the active transient operational state for a predetermined period of time. A certain period of time after receiving an indication of an upcoming load, the load predictor 220 may receive an indication that the load is applied at the engine 110.

[0065] Subsequent to the period of time to suppress or handle the transient response, the heater manager 230 may reset the operational state of the heater 140. When the initial operational state is originally in the active state, the heater manager 230 may reset the operational state of the heater 140 from the inactive state to the active state, in response to the expiration of the period of time. After the load has been applied to the engine 110 and the engine has utilized the necessary power from the heater 140, the heater manager 230 may reset the heater 140 to the active state after the predetermined delay period.

[0066] When the initial operational state is originally in the inactive state, the heater manager 230 may reset the operational state of the heater 140 from the active state to the inactive state, in response to the application of the upcoming load at the engine subsequent to the period of time. The heater manager 230 may switch the heater 140 back to the inactive state upon receiving the indication that the load has been applied at the engine. The switch back to the initial operational state may be concurrent or simultaneous with the application of the load. The period of time in which the heater 140 is in the active transient operational state may be determined by the amount of time between the indication of the upcoming load and an application of the upcoming load at the engine 110. For example, the heater 140 may be in an active transient operational state beginning at the indication of the upcoming load and ending at the application of the load. In some embodiments, the configuration of the first and transient operational states of the heater 140 may operate such that the heater is consuming power prior to the load being applied at the engine and that power can be diverted to the engine 110 when the load is applied so that the engine 110 can suppress or handle a transient state and increase speed. After the load has been applied to the engine 110 and the engine has utilized the necessary power from the heater 140, the heater manager 230 may reset the heater 140 to the inactive state.

[0067] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may reduce the load provided and / or demanded by the heater 140 by turning off or decreasing the power level of the heater 140. In some embodiments, decreasing the load may be instantaneous or a phased reduction. For example, a phased reduction may occur if engine lug back exceeds a threshold / rate or if stall conditions are approached, thus resulting in the power level to be further decreased towardzero. In some embodiments, removing a load provided by the heater 140 on the engine may cause power to divert to a crankshaft of the engine 110, thus improving or suppressing the transient response and reducing a time it takes to accelerate the engine 110 and / or increase torque.

[0068] The power previously consumed by the heater 140 can be used by the engine 110 to achieve load acceptance (e.g., an ability to receive a defined load). In some embodiments, controlling the heater 140 in response to a prediction of an incoming load may be performed preemptively based on the predicted upcoming load. In some embodiments, responsively controlling the heater 140 may be performed as part of an anti-stalling technique to provide the additional load to a crankshaft of the engine 110. In some embodiments, the heater 140 may have an amount of thermal inertia (or thermal mass) to be turned off for a period of time without impacting a transfer of energy from the heater to the exhaust. For example, heater 140 may absorb at least a portion of the energy from the load to be applied to the engine 110. Therefore, there may be negligible impacts to emissions of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the time period for which the heater is turned off may be short (e.g., a 2-15 seconds).

[0069] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may decrease the power of the heater 140 instead of turning off or deactivating the heater 140 completely. Decreasing the amount of power delivered to the heater without turning the heater 140 off completely may have the same effect of increasing power utilized by the engine 110 and reducing the transient response of the engine 110. In some embodiments, the duration of time in which the processes described above occur may vary. The duration of time may be short (e.g., a few seconds) so that the heater 140 is not without power (e g., turned off) to impact the temperature of the heater or the exhaust aftertreatment system. For example, the duration from turning on the heater to turning off the heater may be 5 seconds). For instance, the load predictor 220 may receive an indication that the load will be applied in 5 seconds. The heater manager 230 may turn on the heater to its maximum power over 0.5 seconds, and the maximum power may be held for a duration while the hydraulic load (e.g., load applied to the engine by the hydraulicpump) ramps up. In some embodiments, the heater 140 may be able to provide up to, for example lOkW of power.

[0070] In some embodiments, limits may exist on the amount of power that the heater can deliver. For example, the heater may deliver between 5kW and lOkW of power. In some embodiments, the heater may be less powerful than the power that the engine can deliver. The heater manager 230 may then turn off the heater 140 instantaneously or ramp down the heater as the load is applied. In various other embodiments, for example the heater may be ramped up over 2 seconds, and the load may be turned off in 0.5 seconds, and the vehicle equipment would carry on the transient response. In some embodiments, if the load is being dumped from the engine 110, the heater 140 may be turned on and ramped down over several seconds. In some embodiments, the heater may only be turned on (e.g., 15-60 seconds) to aid in the transient delay (e.g., a fuel system and an air handling system).

[0071] In some embodiments, upon detection of the shedding of the load from the engine 110, the heater manager 230 may identify an initial operational state of the heater 140 as one of active or inactive. When the initial operational state is inactive, the heater manager 230 can activate the heater 140 when the load is dropped to reduce a speed overshoot of the engine 110. The heater 140 may remain in the inactive state until the load is shed. When the load is shed, the heater manager 230 may switch the operational state of the heater from the inactive state to an active state. The heater 140 may be activated concurrently with the shedding of the load. In some embodiments, the load may be dropped suddenly. In response, the heater 140 may be activated concurrently with the load being dropped. Switching the operational state of the heater from inactive to active upon shedding of the load may aid in preventing or reducing an engine overspeed because power is diverted from the engine 110 to the heater 140 as the load is being shed, meaning that the engine 110 has less power available to operate at a higher speed.

[0072] When the heater is turned on, the heater manager 230 may power may be diverted from the engine 110 to power the heater 140. In some embodiments, the heater 140 may be activated prior to and / or when the load predictor 220 receives an indication that a load will be dropped. The heater manager 230 may keep the heater 140 on at a steady level ofpower until the load is dropped, at which point the heater manager 230 may increase the power of the heater 140. The steady level of power may be a power level relatively lower than the power level of the heater 140 when the load is dropped.

[0073] In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may reset the heater 140 back to the inactive operational state a predetermined time period after the load has been shed (e.g., a delay period as described with respect to the application of a load to the engine 110). The delay period may be determined based on factors the same or similar to those used to determine the delay period of the heater 140 when a load is being applied to the engine 110. For example, the delay period between switching the operational state to a second active state and resetting the operational state to the first inactive state may be determined by a calibrated delay period (e.g., the heater 140 is reset to the initial operational state 30 seconds after the load has been shed). The power of the heater 140 may be ramped down over a period of time (e.g., the heater 140 is activated when the load is shed and power is subsequently reduced over a period of time). In some embodiments, the heater 140 may be ramped down as the load is gradually decreased.

[0074] Conversely, when the initial operational state of the heater 140 is identified as active, the heater manager 230 may switch the heater 140 to an inactive transient operational state upon receiving an indication that a load will be shed. The heater 140 may remain in the inactive state until the load is shed or the controller 120 receives an indication that the load is shed, at which point the heater manager 230 may reset the heater 140 back to the active state. The period of time in which the heater 140 remains in the inactive state may be referred to as a delay period. In some embodiments, the delay period may be similar to the delay period described with respect to a load being applied to the engine 110. For example, the delay period may be determined by a time between the controller 120 receiving an indication of that a load will be shed and the shedding of the load from the engine 110. For example, if the load is going to be shed in ten seconds, the delay period may be ten seconds. In some embodiments, the heater manager 230 may, instead of switching the heater 140 to an inactive state, reduce the power of the heater 140. For example, if the heater 140 is drawing a maximum level of powerin the active state, the heater manager 230 may reduce an intensity level of the heater 140 so it draws less power in the transient operational state relative to the initial operational state.

[0075] The heater manager 230 may reset the heater 140 back to the active state when the load is shed. This configuration may aid in preventing or reducing an engine overspeed because the heater 140 is not drawing power until the load is shed. Once the load is shed, the heater is consuming power, and therefore that power is not available to the engine 110 (e.g., the power is diverted from the engine 110 to the heater 140), so the engine 110 may not be able to operate at a higher speed.

[0076] Referring now to FIG. 3, among others, an environment 300 is shown in which a vehicle 100 is traveling from an on-highway environment (e.g., road or terrain) 310 to an off- highway environment (e.g., road or terrain) 320, according to an example embodiment. As the vehicle 100 travels from an on-highway environment 310 (e.g., an on-highway terrain) to an off-highway environment 320 (e g., an off-highway terrain), a load experienced by the vehicle 100 may increase. During and after a transition to an off-highway environment 320, the vehicle 100 may experience a large load. For example, the vehicle 100 may experience a small load while traveling on a paved or smooth highway and the off-highway environment 320 may be an unpaved road with a rough surface or a steep road grade. Additionally, the transition from an on-highway environment 310 to an off-highway environment 320 may occur in a short period of time (e.g., order of milliseconds). Due to the transition from the on-highway environment 310 to the off-highway environment 320, the engine 110 of the vehicle 100 may be applied with the load within the short period of time. As a result, the engine 110 may have to quickly accommodate the transient response in order to handle the additional load applied when the vehicle 100 transitions to an off-highway environment (e.g., terrain).

[0077] To accommodate the transient response to handle the additional applied load, the load predictor 220 of the controller 120 may receive an indication that the vehicle 100 will be transitioning from an on-highway environment 310 to an off-highway environment 320 within a predetermined distance. The indication may be based on lookahead data about the terrain of the environment 300. The load predictor 220 may receive information regarding the off- highway environment and may determine or predict that a load on the vehicle 100 will increaseresponsive to the transition to the off-highway environment 320. For example, the load predictor 220 may receive or determine an indication that the vehicle will transition from a flat, smooth driving surface in the on-highway environment 310 to a rough, steep, and / or unpaved driving surface on in the off-highway environment 320. From this indication, the load predictor 220 may estimate, predict, or otherwise determine a value of the load that may be experienced by the vehicle 100 upon transition to the off-highway environment 320.

[0078] With the receipt of the indication of an upcoming load, the heater manager 230 may determine whether the heater 140 is currently active. When the heater 140 is currently active, the heater manager 230 may switch the heater 140 to an inactive state upon application of the load to the engine 110. Conversely, when the heater 140 is currently inactive, the heater manager 230 may switch the heater 140 to an active state upon an indication that a load will be applied. For example, the vehicle 100 may receive an indication that the vehicle will transition from traveling on an on-highway environment to an off-highway environment in a predetermined amount of time. In this example, with the identification of the indication when the heater is in an inactive state, the heater manager 230 may activate the heater 140 for a period of time, until the load is actually applied to the engine 110. In contrast, with the identification of the indication when the heater is in an active state, the heater manager 230 may deactivate the heater 140 responsive to the load actually being applied to the engine 110.

[0079] Conversely, the vehicle 100 may transition from traveling from an off-highway environment 320 to an on-highway environment 310. The heater manager 230 may activate and deactivate the heater to accommodate a load being shed from the vehicle 100. For example, the vehicle 100 may travel from the off-highway environment 320 (e.g., an unpaved, bumpy terrain) to the on-highway environment 310 (e.g., a paved, flat road). Traveling on an off-highway environment 320 may apply a greater load to the vehicle relative to traveling on an on-highway environment 310. Thus, upon transition from the off-highway environment 320 to the on-highway environment 310, a load may be shed from the vehicle. The load predictor 220 may receive an indication that the vehicle 100 is traveling from the off-highway environment to the on-highway environment and that a load will be shed. The load predictor 220 may transmit this indication to the heater manager 230, and the heater manager 230 may activate ordeactivate the heater 140 accordingly. For example, when the determination is that a load will be shed in a predetermined amount of time and that the heater is currently in an inactive state, the heater manager 230 may activate the heater 140 upon application of the load. The activation may be to divert power from the engine 110 to the heater 140, thus suppressing the transient response of the engine and reducing engine overspeed. On the other hand, when the determination is that a load will be shed in a predetermined amount of time and that the heater is currently in the active state, the heater manager 230 may deactivate the heater 140 upon application of the load.

[0080] Referring now to FIG. 4, a graph 400 is shown illustrating the effect of a transient response of the engine 110 with a heater 140. As shown, the heater is initially in an inactive state (e.g., heater power 440 is at zero). A trigger or indication of a future load is received at time 410. The trigger of the future load may be received, for example by the controller 120 or the load predictor 220. At time 410, the heater 140 is switched from the first inactive state to an active state, and the power is increased, as shown by the line indicating heater power 440.

[0081] Starting at time 410, the engine power with a pre-heater load 430 increases. The heater power 440 and the engine power with a pre-heater load 430 may increase at similar rates. At time 420, an application load request is received. The application load request may be the application or delivery of the load to the engine 110. At time 420, the heater 140 may be switched from the active state back to the inactive state, and the heater power 440 may return to zero. The heater power 440 may instantaneously return to zero or gradually decrease. In some embodiments, the delay period when the initial operational state of the heater 140 is inactive may be the time period from time 410 to time 420. At time 420, a line indicating an application load with the pre-heater load 450 indicates that the application load begins increasing. Starting at time 420, the application load with pre-heater load 450 and the engine power with a preheater load 430 may increase at the same time and rate (e.g., lines indicating the application load with pre-heater load 450 and the engine power with a pre-heater load 430 follow the same path at the same time).

[0082] The line corresponding to the application load without the pre-heater load 470 indicates the application load if the heater 140 was not pre-loaded. At time 420, the application load without the pre-heater load 470 (e.g., without the heater being turned on at time 410) may begin increasing. Prior to time 420, a line indicating the application load without the pre-heater load 470 may be at zero, indicating that the load is not applied until time 420. A line corresponding to engine power without pre-heater load 460 indicates the engine power if the heater 140 was not pre-loaded. Lines indicating engine power without pre-heater load 460 and the application load without the pre-heater load 470 may follow the same path at the same time, similar to lines that indicate the engine power with a pre-heater load 430 and the application load with pre-heater load 450 following the same path at the same time. As shown, if the heater 140 is pre-loaded, the engine power with a pre-heater load 430 at application of the load at time 420 is greater than if the heater 140 is not pre-loaded (e.g., a line indicating engine power without pre-heater load 460).

[0083] Since the engine power at time 420 is greater with the heater pre-load, the engine is better able to handle the transient response. As shown by the line corresponding to engine power without pre-heater load 460, it may take a greater amount of time for the engine power to reach a maximum value and level off compared to the time it takes for the engine power with the pre-heater load 430 to reach a maximum value and level off. Additionally, the lines indicating the application load with pre-heater load 450 and the engine power with preheater load 430 take a smaller amount of time to increase to a maximum power and level off compared to the engine power without pre-heater load 460 and the application load without the pre-heater load 470. As shown, utilizing a pre-heater load (e.g., diverting power from the heater 140 at the time of a load application to the engine 110) decreases the transient response of the engine and decreases the amount of time it takes for the engine 110 to accommodate the increased load.

[0084] Referring now to FIG. 5, a graph 500 is shown illustrating the effect of a transient response of the engine 110 with a heater 140. As shown, the heater is initially in an active state. At time 510, a trigger of a future load is received. At time 510, the heater 140 is active and operating at a given level of power, as shown by a line indicating heater power 540.In some embodiments, the heater 140 may be in an active state prior to time 510. At time 520, an application load request is received. The application load request may indicate that the load is being applied beginning at time 520. At time 520, the heater 140 may be switched from the active state to an inactive state.

[0085] The trigger of the future load may be received, for example by the controller 120 or the load predictor 220. At time 510, the heater 140 may be already powered on and operating at a given level of power, as shown by the line indicating heater power 540. Starting at time 510, the engine response when temporarily switching the heater off 530 remains at a steady level of power from the time 510 to the application load request at time 520. The line indicating heater power 540 and the line indicating engine response when temporarily switching the heater off 530 may be operating at the same or similar power levels. At time 520, an application load request is received. The application load request may be the delivery of the load. At time 520, the heater 140 may be switched to the inactive state, and the heater power 540 may drop to zero. The drop of the heater power 540 may be gradual or instant. The heater 140 may be in the inactive state for a predetermined period of time (e.g., a delay period).

[0086] When the delay period has ended, the heater 140 may be switched from the inactive state back to the active state, as indicated at time 580. The increase of the heater power 540 after being switched back to the active state may be gradual or instant. At time 520, lines indicating each of the engine response when temporarily switching the heater off 530, the application load with pre-heater load 550, the engine response without temporarily switching the heater off 560, and the application load without the pre-heater load 570 all begin to increase. As shown, lines indicating the engine response when temporarily switching the heater off 530 and the application load with pre-heater load 550 (e.g., when the heater is switched to an inactive state) indicate that the engine power and load application increase faster than without switching the heater to an inactive state. As shown, lines indicating the engine response when temporarily switching the heater off 530 and the engine response without temporarily switching the heater off 560 both indicate a non-zero level of power prior to time 520. However, lines indicating the engine response when temporarily switching the heater off 530 and the application load with pre-heater load 550 (e.g., lines indicating the heater isswitched to an inactive state), increase more quickly than lines indicating the engine response without temporarily switching the heater off 560, and the application load without the preheater load 570 (e.g., lines indicating the heater is not switched to an inactive state). Since switching the heater 140 to an inactive state diverts power to the engine 110, the engine and load can increase in power more quickly than if the heater was still drawing power at the time of load application.

[0087] Also at time 520, the application load without the pre-heater load 570 (e.g., without the heater being turned off at time 520) may begin increasing. As shown by the line indicating the engine response without switching heater off 560, it takes a greater amount of time for the engine response without switching heater off 560 to reach a maximum value of power and level off compared to the time it takes for the engine response temporarily switching the heater off 530 to reach a maximum value and level off. Additionally, the application load with the pre-heater load 550 takes a smaller amount of time to increase to a maximum power and level off compared to the application load without switching the heater off 570. The line indicating the application load without the heater being switched off 570 may reach a maximum power value less than the line indicating the application load with the heater being switched off 550. As evidenced by FIG. 5, utilizing a pre-heater load (e.g., diverting power from the heater 140 by turning off the heater at the time of a load application to the engine 110) decreases the transient response of the engine and decreases the amount of time it takes for the engine 110 to accommodate the increased load.

[0088] Referring now to FIG. 6, a method 600 for controlling a heater to manage engine transient responses is shown. At step 610, a controller may detect an upcoming load causing a transient response. The load may be applied to, for example, a vehicle 100 or another device, such as a genset. The load may be detected by a component of the controller 120, such as the load predictor 220. The upcoming load may be a mechanical or electrical load (e.g., application of brakes, increased engine speed, a gear shift, increased electrical power, etc.). The load predictor 220 may receive data regarding operation of the system. Data regarding operation of the system may include, for example, a route of the vehicle 100 or road or terrain conditions of the road or terrain on which the vehicle 100 is driving. The controller 120 maydetect the upcoming load based on data including, for example, an operator input in the vehicle 100, a predicted duty cycle of the engine 110, and / or a route prediction for the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, a value of and / or change in hydraulic pressure being above a threshold value may be indicative of an upcoming load. For example, the controller 120 may receive data indicating that a hydraulic pressure value has changed. If the value identified by the received data has changed (e.g., increased) is greater than or equal to a threshold, the controller 120 may identify the upcoming of the load (e.g., the hydraulic load associated with the hydraulic pressure). Conversely, if the value has not changed is less than the threshold, the controller 120 may refrain from identifying the upcoming of the load (e.g., the hydraulic load associated with the hydraulic pressure). In some embodiments, the indication of an upcoming load may be communicated to various components of the controller 120. For example, the presence of an upcoming load may be communicated to the heater manager 230.

[0089] At step 620, an operational state of a heater 140 may be identified. The heater manager 230 may identify the operational state of the heater 140 responsive to receiving an indication of an upcoming load from another component of the controller 120, such as the load predictor 220. An operational state of the heater 140 may be an on or active state in which the heater provides additional heat to the exhaust and / or an off or inactive state in which power is shut off from the heater 140. At step 620, the heater manager 230 may identify whether the heater 140 is in an active or an inactive state.

[0090] At step 630, responsive to a determination at step 620 that the heater 140 is in an active state, the heater manager 230 may switch the operational state of the heater to an inactive state. That is, at step 630, the heater 140 may be switched from the active state to an inactive transient operational state responsive to the application of the upcoming load at the engine. For example, the heater may be switched to suppress or handle the transient response of the engine. In some embodiments, responsive to a determination at step 620 that the heater is in an active initial operational state, the heater manager 230 may control the heater 140 so that the power consumed by the heater 140 is reduced instead of switching the heater 140 to be in an inactive state. For example, if the heater 140 is initially in an active state (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4), the controller may reduce the power of the heater 140 to a lower value instead of switching theheater 140 to an inactive state. In some embodiments, reducing the power of the heater may have the same effect on the engine transient response as switching the heater 140 from an active state to an inactive state. At step 640, responsive to a determination at step 620 that the heater is in an inactive initial operational state, the heater manager 230 or another component of the controller 120 may switch the operational state of the heater 140 to an active operational state. The switch to the active state may be made responsive to the detection of the upcoming load at step 610.

[0091] Either or both of the steps 630 and / or 640 may occur at a time when a load is applied to or shed from the engine 110. The operational state of the heater 140 may be switched from an initial operational state identified at step 620 to a transient operational state. The heater 140 may be switched to the transient operational state for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time may be determined by, for example, a duration (or expected duration) of time until the application of the upcoming load, an air flow parameter of the engine 110, a calibrated delay period, historical data of the vehicle 100, ambient data, and / or a predicted duty cycle of the engine.

[0092] At step 650, the operational state of the heater 140 is reset from the transient operational state to the initial operational state. The heater 140 may be reset to the initial operational state after the predetermined period of time identified at step 630 has ended. For example, if the transient operational state of the heater 140 is an active state, the controller may reset the heater back to an inactive state after the predetermined period of time has ceased.

[0093] In some embodiments, the method 600 may follow a variation of the steps described above for a load being shed instead of applied. For example, at step 610, the controller 120 may detect an upcoming load to be shed that causes a transient response in the engine 110. At step 620, an operational state of the heater may be identified similarly to the step 620 described above. At step 630 and / or step 640, the operational state of the heater 140 may be switched to increase the transient response. If a load is being shed, the transient response may be increased to slow the engine 110 and prevent engine overspeed. If a load is being shed and an initial operational state is identified as an inactive state, the operational state may be switched to an active transient operational state responsive to a shedding of the load. Ifa load is being shed and an initial operational state is identified as an active state, the operational state may be switched to an inactive transient operational state responsive to the detection of the upcoming shedding of the load.

[0094] For the purpose of this disclosure, the term “coupled” means the joining or linking of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary or moveable in nature. For example, a propeller shaft of an engine “coupled” to a transmission represents a moveable coupling. Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members. For example, circuit A communicably “coupled” to circuit B may signify that the circuit A communicates directly with circuit B (i.e., no intermediary) or communicates indirectly with circuit B (e.g., through one or more intermediaries).

[0095] While various circuits with particular functionality are shown in the figures, it should be understood that the components may include any number of circuits for completing the functions described herein. For example, the activities and functionalities of the circuits of the heater manager 230 may be combined in multiple circuits or as a single circuit. Additional circuits with additional functionality may also be included. Further, the controller may further control other activity beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] As mentioned above and in one configuration, the “circuits” may be implemented in machine-readable medium for execution by various types of processors. An identified circuit of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified circuit need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the circuit and achieve the stated purpose for the circuit. Indeed, a circuit of computer readable program code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within circuits, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

[0097] While the term “processor” is briefly defined above, the term “processor” and “processing circuit” are meant to be broadly interpreted. In this regard and as mentioned above, the “processor” may be implemented as one or more general -purpose processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other suitable electronic data processing components structured to execute instructions provided by memory. The one or more processors may take the form of a single core processor, multi-core processor (e.g., a dual core processor, triple core processor, quad core processor, etc.), microprocessor, etc. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may be external to the apparatus, for example the one or more processors may be a remote processor (e.g., a cloud based processor). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more processors may be internal and / or local to the apparatus. In this regard, a given circuit or components thereof may be disposed locally (e.g., as part of a local server, a local computing system, etc.) or remotely (e.g., as part of a remote server such as a cloud based server). To that end, a “circuit” as described herein may include components that are distributed across one or more locations.

[0098] Although the diagrams herein may show a specific order and composition of method steps, the order of these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may be combined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated into discrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus may be varied or substituted according to alternative embodiments. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Such variations will depend on the machine-readable media and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure.

[0099] The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from this disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principals of the disclosure and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as expressed in the appended claims.

[0100] Accordingly, the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A system for controlling at least one heater to manage engine transient responses, they system comprising: an exhaust aftertreatment system structured to be in communication with an engine; at least one electric heater structured to be coupled to the exhaust aftertreatment system, the at least one electric heater configured to selectively provide heat to the exhaust aftertreatment system; and a controller having one or more processors coupled with at least one memory, the controller configured to: detect, using data regarding operation of the system, an upcoming load for the system that causes a transient response; identify, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of the at least one electric heater as in a first state; based on the transient response, switch the operational state of the at least one electric heater from the first state to a second state for a period of time; and reset, subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of the at least one electric heater to the first state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the upcoming load based on the data regarding operation of the system comprising at least one of: (i) an operator input, (ii) a predicted duty cycle of the engine, or (iii) a route prediction for the system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and wherein the controller is further configured to: switch the operational state to the active state to power the at least one electric heater responsive to the detection of the upcoming load; and reset the operational state from the active state to the inactive state, responsive to application of the upcoming load and subsequent to the period of time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and wherein the controller is further configured to: switch the operational state to the inactive state to shut off the at least one electric heater responsive to application of the upcoming load; and reset the operational state from the inactive state to the active state, responsive to expiration of the period of time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and wherein the controller is further configured to: detect, using the data regarding operation of the system, a shedding of a second load for the system that causes a second transient response; and cause, until the shedding of the second load, the at least one electric heater to remain in the second state.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and wherein the controller is further configured to reset the operational state of the at least one electric heater responsive to an expiration of a second period of time after a shedding of a second load.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the period of time based on at least one of: (i) a duration of time until an expected application of the upcoming load, (ii) an air flow parameter of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load, (iii) a calibrated delay period associated with a type of the system, (iv) historical data comprising previous periods of time in which the operational state is switched, (v) ambient data associated with an engine power output capability, or (vi) a predicted duty cycle of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the upcoming load responsive to a transition of an environment in which the system is operating, wherein the transition of the environment causes the system to change from an initial load to the upcoming load, the initial load different from the upcoming load.

9. A controller, comprising: at least one processing circuit comprising one or more processors coupled with at least one memory, the at least one processing circuit structured to: detect, using data regarding operation of a system, an upcoming load for the system that causes an engine transient response; identify, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of at least one electric heater of the system as in a first state; based on the transient response, switch the operational state of the at least one electric heater from the first state to a second state for a period of time; and reset, subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of the at least one electric heater to the first state.

10. The controller of claim 9, wherein the at least one processing circuit is further configured to detect the upcoming load based on the data regarding operation of the system comprising at least one of: (i) an operator input in a vehicle of the system, (ii) a predicted duty cycle of the engine, or (iii) a route prediction for the vehicle.

11. The controller of claim 9, wherein the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and wherein the at least one processing circuit is further configured to: switch the operational state to the active state to power the at least one electric heater responsive to the detection of the upcoming load; and reset the operational state from the active state to the inactive state, responsive to application of the upcoming load subsequent to the period of time.

12. The controller of claim 9, wherein the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and wherein the at least one processing circuit is further configured to: switch the operational state to the inactive state to shut off the at least one electric heater responsive to application of the upcoming load; and reset the operational state from the inactive state to the active state, responsive to expiration of the period of time.

13. The controller of claim 9, wherein the at least one processing circuit is further structured to determine the period of time based on at least one of: (i) a duration of time until an expected application of the upcoming load, (ii) an air flow parameter of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load, (iii) a calibrated delay period associated with a type of the system, (iv) historical data comprising previous periods of time in which the operational state is switched, (v) ambient data associated with an engine power output capability, or (vi) a predicted duty cycle of the engine associated with an ability of the engine to receive the upcoming load.

14. The controller of claim 9, wherein the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and wherein the at least one processing circuit is further configured to: detect, using the data regarding operation of the system, a shedding of a load that causes a second transient response; and cause, until the shedding of the load, the at least one electric heater to remain in the second state.

15. The controller of claim 9, wherein the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, wherein the at least one processing circuit is further configured to reset the operational state of the at least one electric heater responsive to an expiration of a second period of time after a shedding of a second load.

16. A method for controlling at least one electric heater to manage engine transient responses, comprising:detecting, by a controller, using data regarding operation of a system comprising the at least one electric heater and the engine, an upcoming load for the system that causes a transient response; identifying, by the controller, responsive to detection of the upcoming load, an operational state of the at least one electric heater as in a first state; based on the transient response, switching, by the controller, the operational state of the at least one electric heater from the first state to a second state for a period of time; and resetting, by the controller and subsequent to the period of time, the operational state of the at least one electric heater to the first state.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, and wherein the method further comprises: switching, by the controller, the operational state to the active state to power the at least one electric heater responsive to the detection of the upcoming load; and resetting, by the controller, the operational state from the active state to the inactive state, responsive to application of the upcoming load subsequent to the period of time.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and wherein the method further comprises: switching, by the controller, the operational state to the inactive state to shut off the at least one electric heater responsive to application of the upcoming load; and resetting, by the controller, the operational state from the inactive state to the active state, responsive to expiration of the period of time.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state is an active state and the second state is an inactive state, and the method further comprises: detecting, by the controller, using the data regarding operation of the system, a shedding of a load for the system that causes a transient response; and causing, by the controller, until completion of the shedding of the load, the at least one electric heater to remain in the second state.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state is an inactive state and the second state is an active state, wherein and the method further comprises resetting, by the controller, the operational state of the at least one electric heater responsive to an expiration of a second period of time after a shedding of a second load.

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