Direct Injection Engine Control for Stable Idle Stop Restart

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Solution Overview

Problem

Direct injection engines with idle stop functionality face challenges in achieving stable combustion and preventing soot emission due to varying piston positions and low engine rotation, leading to poor exhaust performance and fuel efficiency when restart requests are made before engine stop.

Innovation Solution

A control device for direct injection engines that adjusts the number of fuel injections and air/fuel ratio based on piston position during restart requests, determining an optimal restart combustion mode through computational performance to ensure stable combustion and improved exhaust performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If fuel injection is performed with fixed injection timing and quantity regardless of piston position, then the control system is simple, but combustion becomes unstable and soot emission increases at extremely low rotation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol system complexityVSAvoidcombustion stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic fuel injection control that adapts injection timing, quantity, and strategy based on real-time piston position detection and engine rotation speed. The ECU modifies injection parameters dynamically across different compression strokes, transitioning from fixed to variable control to maintain stable combustion at extremely low rotation speeds

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes multiple fuel injection parameters including injection timing, injection quantity, and injection strategy based on detected piston position. At different compression stroke positions, the ECU adjusts these parameters to optimize combustion, thereby preventing soot emission while maintaining combustion stability at low rotation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Use of energy by moving object

If the number of idle stop conditions is increased to improve fuel efficiency, then fuel consumption decreases, but combustion stability deteriorates due to varying piston positions and low rotation speeds

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel efficiencyVSAvoidcombustion stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of piston position before fuel injection occurs during restart. By detecting the compression stroke piston position in advance and preparing appropriate injection parameters, the system ensures stable combustion when restart is requested, enabling more frequent idle stop conditions while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The ECU continuously monitors piston position, engine rotation speed, and combustion status, then adjusts fuel injection parameters in real-time based on this feedback. This closed-loop control ensures that even with increased idle stop frequency causing varying restart conditions, the system maintains stable combustion by adapting to each specific situation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enables stable combustion and enhanced fuel efficiency by optimizing fuel injection strategies based on piston position, reducing soot emission and improving exhaust performance during engine restarts.

Implementation Method 1

an injector directly injecting fuel into a combustion chamber

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFuel injection:

Implementation Method 2

a stop position of a piston of a certain cylinder is a stop position in which compression injection combustion can be performed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression ignition: Compression

Data Source

PatentEP2541042B1Control device of direct injection engine
Publication Date: 2019.08.07 HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYST LTD
  • EP2541042B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2541042B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2541042B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a control device of a direct injection engine (1), the control device that can prevent the amount of emission of soot from increasing and the exhaust performance from worsening when a restart request is made before an engine (1) is stopped after an idle stop condition is satisfied. When a restart request is made before an engine (1) is stopped after an idle stop condition is satisfied, at least one of the number of fuel injections in one combustion cycle and the air/fuel ratio of an air fuel mixture used for combustion is changed for each cylinder according to a piston (207a) position at that time.