Engine Control Unit Injection Mode Switching for Deposit Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques fail to effectively maintain engine output and direct injector injectability due to deposit accumulation, requiring reduction in fuel injection volume and struggling with parallel operations of deposit removal and output maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A control unit for internal combustion engines with a direct injector and port injector, featuring a load detector, injection volume calculator, and switching controller to adjust injection frequencies and volumes, promoting deposit removal and maintaining output by switching between direct and port injection modes based on engine load and turbocharger state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct injection is performed to remove deposits accumulated on the direct injector, then injectability of the direct injector is improved, but engine output is reduced due to forced direct injection in high-load regions
Solution Approach 1:
The control device dynamically switches between different fuel injection modes (direct injection, port injection, and dual injection) based on real-time engine operating conditions such as load and rotational speed. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize both deposit removal and engine output performance by selecting the most appropriate injection mode for each operating region.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the injection parameters (injection mode, injection timing, injection duration) based on engine load and rotational speed conditions. By adjusting these parameters, the control device can promote deposit removal during low-load conditions while maintaining high engine output during high-load conditions, thus resolving the contradiction between injectability and power.
2Power
If port injection is used to maintain engine output during high load, then engine output is maintained, but deposits accumulate on the direct injector reducing injectability
Solution Approach 1:
The control device implements periodic direct injection cycles even during port injection operation. By intermittently switching to direct injection mode, the system periodically cleans deposits from the direct injector while primarily using port injection to maintain engine output, thus balancing both requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device performs preliminary deposit removal by forcing direct injection before the deposits significantly degrade injector performance. By proactively managing deposit accumulation through periodic direct injection, the system prevents severe injectability loss while maintaining port injection for output stability.
3Loss of energy
If direct injection volume is reduced due to deposit accumulation, then fuel economy deteriorates, but forced direct injection to remove deposits increases energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The control device applies partial direct injection (combining direct and port injection) rather than full direct injection for deposit removal. This partial action approach reduces the energy penalty compared to forced complete direct injection while still achieving sufficient deposit removal, thus improving fuel economy during the cleaning process.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3
AI summary
A control unit (1) for an internal combustion engine (10) includes a load detector (2a) to detect a load on the engine (10), an injection volume calculator (5) to calculate a cylinder injection volume indicating a volume of fuel injected from a direct injector (11), a first controller (2e) to perform a first control for increasing the frequency of the injection by the direct injector (11) upon a reduction in the cylinder injection volume, a second controller (6) to perform a second control for increasing a port injection volume indicating a volume of fuel injected from a port injector (12) upon a reduction in the cylinder injection volume, and a switching controller (7) to switch between the first control with the first controller (2e) and the second control with the second controller (6) depending on the load.