Engine Control Apparatus Combustion Mode Changeover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine control systems fail to efficiently manage combustion mode changes when fuel injection is performed multiple times per combustion cycle, particularly during catalyst warm-up, leading to unstable combustion and potential engine stoppages.
Innovation Solution
An engine control apparatus that controls fuel injection timing and ignition timing for each cylinder, allowing for seamless transitions between different combustion modes by adjusting target intake air volumes and ignition timings to ensure multiple fuel injections per combustion cycle, thereby facilitating stable combustion pattern changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If combustion mode changeover is performed from single injection to multiple injection, then catalyst warm-up efficiency is improved, but combustion stability deteriorates and engine stoppages may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of ignition timing and intake air volume during combustion mode changeover. The ECU continuously adjusts ignition timing to be retarded during the transition period, and dynamically modifies intake air volume to ensure sufficient air supply for multiple injections, thereby maintaining combustion stability while enabling efficient catalyst warm-up
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares for combustion mode changeover by preliminarily adjusting ignition timing and intake air volume before the actual injection pattern change. The system pre-retards ignition timing and pre-adjusts intake air volume to appropriate levels, ensuring that when multiple injections begin, the combustion conditions are already optimized, preventing unstable combustion and engine stoppages
2Temperature
If ignition timing is largely retarded for catalyst warm-up, then exhaust temperature increases promoting catalyst activation, but output torque decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes multiple parameters simultaneously during catalyst warm-up mode: ignition timing is retarded to increase exhaust temperature, intake air volume is adjusted to maintain torque output, and fuel injection timing is optimized for multiple injections. By coordinating these parameter changes, the system achieves high exhaust temperature for catalyst activation while maintaining acceptable output torque through increased intake air supply
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
Enables smooth combustion mode changes during catalyst warm-up, reducing the risk of engine stoppages and improving exhaust emission performance by maintaining constant torque and efficient catalyst activation.
Implementation Method 1
an injector in each cylinder to perform fuel injection from the injector a predetermined number of times for each cylinder combustion
Implementation Method 2
which controls the timing of fuel injection from the injector and the ignition timing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(G)
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide an engine control apparatus that can perform combustion pattern changeover at a time point where fuel injection can be performed plural times in an engine operating state where fuel injection is performed plural times in each combustion. Each cylinder (107b) of the engine (107) having an injector (112) performs fuel injection from the injector (112) a predetermined number of times for each cylinder combustion. The control unit (200) controls fuel injection from the injector (112) and the ignition timing from a spark plug (114). The control unit (200), upon combustion mode changeover from the first combustion mode in which fuel injection is performed at least once for each cylinder combustion to the second combustion mode in which fuel injection is performed a greater number of times with a larger intake air volume than the first combustion mode, performs the steps of changing in the first combustion mode a target intake air volume required in the second combustion mode; retarding the ignition timing; changing the second combustion mode; and further retarding the ignition timing.