Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Daniel Lawrence Meyer

Philip W Husak

Michael John Cullen

Douglas R Hamburg

Chris Paul Glugla

Michael Damian Czekala

Ben Allen Strayer

Michael Smokovitz

Steven Ray Whittier

Garlan J Huberts

Garth Michael Meyer

Donald James Lewis

John David Russell

Allan Joseph Kotwicki

Jacobus Hendrik Visser

Allan J Lippa

David Karl Trumpy

Michael Howard Parsons

Frank Gonzales, Jr

Carina Eva Irene Bjornsson

Carol S Smith

Mrdjan J Jankovic

Davorin David Hrovat

Eleftherios M Logothetis

Christopher Paul Glugla

Jing Sun

William Francis Stockhausen

Eric Warren Curtis

Leighton Ira Davis, Jr

Joseph Richard Asik

Alan Robert Dona

Xiaoguo Tang

Rogelio G Samson

Larry Allen Hardy

Kelvin Lee Dobbins

William Earl Leisenring

Michelle M Hutchison

Venkateswaran Nallaperumal

Paul Roth

Patrick A Kaluzny

Peter Stephen Szpak

Anupam Narula

Julia Marie Giuliano

William Joseph Maier

Erich Paul Brandt

Soduk Lee

Phil William Husak

Timo Aimo Waltteri Wiemero

A system and method for operating an engine having ionization signal sensing include detecting plug fouling and controlling the engine using progressively more aggressive control strategies if the fouling condition persists. A first control strategy may be used when the number of engine starts or running time are below corresponding thresholds and a second strategy otherwise. The first strategy may employ progressively more aggressive control procedures to eliminate spark plug deposits that may include repetitive sparking, exhaust cycle sparking, increasing engine loading, advancing spark timing, increasing air/fuel ratio, and increasing idle speed, for example. The second strategy may include similar corrective actions employed in a different order and/or to a lesser degree in an attempt to eliminate plug fouling without any noticeable change in engine operation or performance as perceived by the vehicle operator. The control strategies may be applied to individual cylinders, cylinder banks, or all cylinders.

Ignition energy management with ion current feedback to correct spark plug fouling

A system and method for operating an engine having at least two spark plugs per cylinder include controlling at least one actuator to alter combustion within a selected cylinder such that the combustion burn rate determined by ion sense current signals associated with the at least two spark plugs of the selected cylinder approaches a desired combustion burn rate. A desired combustion burn rate is determined based on current engine/vehicle operating and ambient conditions with ion sense signals from each spark plug analyzed to determine combustion timing relative to corresponding ignition timing. Ignition timing and/or other actuators are controlled in response to provide a desired combustion burn rate.

Engine combustion control using ion sense feedback

Systems and methods for controlling an internal combustion engine include adjusting fuel delivered to a cylinder during a transient event by an amount indexed by number of combustion events after detecting the transient event. A base fueling parameter may be adjusted by an adaptive correction value indexed by combustion events after the transient event is detected, with the adaptive value determined using air/fuel ratio difference of previous combustion events during similar transient operating conditions associated with the same combustion event index number. Ionization sensor signal characteristics may be used to determine actual air/fuel ratios used to determine the air/fuel ratio difference and corresponding adaptive correction values. The adaptive values may be modified in response to a vehicle refueling event based on an amount of added fuel relative to existing fuel in the vehicle fuel tank.

System and method for controlling an engine during transient events

A system and method for operating a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having at least one actuator for controlling charge dilution of at least one cylinder and at least one spark plug per cylinder include attempting to improve combustion quality by modifying ignition energy of the at least one spark plug before modifying charge dilution of the cylinder, and modifying both ignition energy and charge dilution substantially simultaneously to establish combustion if an ionization sense signal associated with the cylinder indicates a misfire.

Combustion control using ion sense feedback and multi-strike spark to manage high dilution and lean AFR

A system and method for operating a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having at least two spark plugs per cylinder include selectively isolating all but one spark plug associated with the cylinder at least during an ionization current sensing period to reduce or eliminate interference among ionization current signals flowing through more than one spark plug.

Internal combustion engine with multiple spark plugs per cylinder and ion current sensing

A method for controlling fueling of an engine, the method comprising during an engine cold start and before the engine is warmed to a predetermined level, transitioning from open-loop fueling to closed-loop fueling, where during closed-loop fueling feedback from an exhaust gas oxygen sensor is utilized and where said closed-loop fueling generates a cycling of delivered fuel in maintaining exhaust air-fuel ratio at a desired level; and providing a fueling adjustment to a subsequent engine start in response to fueling information, said fueling information obtained over at least a complete cycle of closed-loop fueling following said transition from open-loop fueling.

Cold idle adaptive air-fuel ratio control utilizing lost fuel approximation

A system is described using a fuel quality sensor for controlling various aspects of engine operation. In particular, an acoustic wave sensor is utilized to measure viscosity and density of gasoline fuels. This measurement is utilized to predict engine combustion quality during an engine start. Based on the prediction, the method adjusts engine operating parameters (such as fuel injection amount and ignition timing) to achieve improved vehicle driveability and engine combustion.

Engine control with fuel quality sensor

A method to deliver fuel during a start for an internal combustion engine is described. The method provides individual cylinder fuel control based on the number of fueled cylinder events. The method offers improved engine emissions while maintaining engine run-up performance.

Cylinder event based fuel control

A system ( ) and method for controlling the injection of fuel into a cylinder ( ) of an internal combustion engine ( ) are provided. The system ( ) includes a fuel injector ( ), a temperature sensor ( ), and an electronic control unit (ECU) ( ). The fuel is parsed into a plurality of components based on the boiling points of elements of the fuel. ECU ( ) stores mass fraction values for each component relative to the total mass of a sample of the fuel along with vaporization rates for each component. These values are used by the ECU ( ) to account for different vaporization rates among fuel elements. In accordance with the invention, ECU ( ) is further configured to adjust the mass fraction values responsive to the combustion air-fuel ratio and the engine temperature to account for the different volatility characteristics of various fuels.

Method to adapt engine fuel control, by multi-component vaporization method, to actual volatility quality of fuel

A method and system for reducing cold-start emissions of an automotive vehicle having an internal combustion engine . System includes a main controller or control system , a variable valve timing system , an ignition system , a fuel metering system , and vehicle operating condition sensors . Controller detects cold-start conditions based on signals received from sensors , and in response to such a detection, controller generates command signals to said variable valve timing system , to said ignition system , and to said fuel metering system , effective to respectively alter valve timing, spark timing, and said air/fuel delivery of engine in a manner which synergistically increases air/fuel enleanment limits, improves combustion characteristics, and increases exhaust gas temperature, thereby reducing cold-start emissions.

System and method for reducing vehicle emissions

Air/fuel and ignition control of engine are used to more rapidly heat-up a catalytic converter. A control system generates a fuel command for fuel delivery to the engine based upon at least an amount of air inducted into the engine. The fuel command is corrected by a correction value so that the exhaust gas mixture is shifted more closely to the preselected air/fuel ratio. Correction values are adaptively learned during warm engine operation from a feedback signal derived from an exhaust gas oxygen sensor. Initial warm correction values are stored in a reference table. At engine shut-off the difference between the warm correction values and the reference table are stored in an offset correction table. This offset correction table is then used during the next engine cold start to schedule the open-loop air/fuel ratio by using the cold adaptive table values which have been modified by the values stored in the corresponding cells of the offset correction value table. In this way, any changes which occur in engine operating characteristics from the time the engine initially warms up to the time it is shut off are represented by the offset correction table.

Engine control system with adaptive cold-start air/fuel ratio control

A catalyst system employed in the exhaust stream of an internal combustion engine (10) wherein the catalyst deterioration is monitored by an engine controller (26) connected to a first oxygen sensor (22) mounted upstream of a catalyst (18) and a second oxygen sensor (24) mounted downstream. After a cold start of the engine (10) a calibration of the first and second sensors is conducted, to assure accuracy between the two sensors and determine if one of the sensors has failed, and also a light-off time for the catalyst (18) is determined as one way to measure the deterioration of the catalyst. After the engine (10) has warmed up to operating temperature, a test is run to determine the ability of the catalyst (18) to store oxygen therein, being another indication of catalyst deterioration.

Catalyst deterioration detection with sensor calibration

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Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Daniel Lawrence Meyer