Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Ibrahim Haskara

Lawrence Andrew Mianzo

Brett Denton Collins

Guoming Zhu

Vladimir V Kokotovic

Chao Fu Daniels

Stephen De La Salle

Harold Sean Hilbert

Zeljko Popovic

This feature of the present invention comprises a system and method of controlling exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) based on a measure combustion stability measure. The combustion stability measure is obtained by determining the integration duration of the engine ionization signal, i.e., the crank angle at which the integral of the ionization signal reaches a specified percentage of its total. The present invention uses the integration duration to control the maximum EGR rate of the engine in a closed loop while maintaining the combustion stability of an internal combustion engine.

System and method of controlling engine dilution rate using combustion stability measurer derived from the ionization signal

The present invention provides a system and method for controlling the retard limit of an engine having one or more cylinders in which combustion occurs. A sensor is employed to detect the ionization of the combustion process in the cylinders. The ionization is related to a retard limit feedback, and the sensor further transmits a signal associated with the retard limit feedback. A controller relates the retard limit feedback signal to a metric, monitors the stochastic behavior of the metric, and adjusts the ignition timing of the engine in response to the stochastic behavior to operate the engine below a retard limit target.

System for engine retard limit control

The present invention provides a system for controlling knock in an engine having one or more cylinders in which combustion occurs. The system includes a sensor that detects the ionization of the combustion process in the cylinders. The ionization is related to the knock intensity occurring in the cylinders, and the sensor further transmits a signal associated with the knock intensity. The system further includes a controller that monitors the stochastic behavior of the ionization signal and adjusts the ignition timing of the engine to operate the engine with an actual knock intensity that is below a knock borderline limit that defines a desired knock intensity.

System for engine knock control

The electromagnetic valve actuator of the preferred embodiments include a valve head that moves between an open position, a middle position, and a closed position; a plunger coupled to the valve head; and a housing defining a cavity that surrounds the plunger and contains a fluid. The cavity cooperates with the plunger and the fluid to provide increasing resistance as the valve head moves from the middle position to the closed position. Because of the increased resistance, the valve head softly seats against a valve seat, which minimizes noise, vibration, and harshness within the vehicle.

Electromagnetic valve actuator with soft-seating

A method for real time estimation of air charge, residual gas, and backflow in an engine cylinder, i.e., in-cylinder variables, by estimating total mass flow into and out of the cylinders. These estimations are then integrated based on starting and ending times for induction strokes of each cylinder to calculate air charge and residual gas for each cylinder. The method uses intake and exhaust manifold pressure measurements to estimate the in-cylinder variables. The intake and exhaust manifold pressure measurements are processed through the ideal gas law to dynamically determine the net change in the amount of gas inside the manifolds in order to estimate the in-cylinder variables on-line.

Method for estimating engine cylinder variables using second order sliding modes

The variable valve mechanism of a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a valve slidably mounted to move between a closed position and an open position, a cam rotatably mounted to push the valve from the closed position toward the open position, and an electromagnet adapted to selectively hold the valve in the open position. The variable valve mechanism acquires most of the benefits of a bi-directional electromagnetic arrangement (such as increased fuel economy, decreased start-up emissions, etc.), while avoiding most of the disadvantages (costs, NVH, etc.).

Variable valve mechanism for an engine

Four preferred methods are disclosed for controlling an electromagnetic valve actuator having a valve head that moves between an open position and a closed position against a valve seat, an armature coupled to the valve head, and a solenoid coil near the armature. The preferred methods include: measuring the position of the armature, estimating the speed of the armature based on the measured position of the armature, computing a desired signal based on the measured position, the estimated speed, and a reference trajectory, and controlling the solenoid coil to softly seat the armature against the solenoid coil and the valve head against the valve seat based on the computed desired signal.

Method of controlling an electromagnetic valve actuator

A method to calculate valve timing commands for an engine with variable valve timing is hereby disclosed. The method includes determining a valve feedforward term based on an engine performance command and an environmental conditions signal, calculating a valve feedback term based on the engine performance command and an engine performance feedback, and calculating a valve timing command based on the valve feedforward term and the valve feedback term.

Method of calculating a valve timing command for an engine

An engine output control method for a vehicle having a drive by wire engine system responsive to a desired engine torque signal. The method comprises the steps of generating a driver demanded acceleration value corresponding to an accelerator pedal position input, and generating a gear value as a function of a vehicle speed value and the driver demanded acceleration value. The method also derives a driveline torque demand comprising an inertial model torque value of the vehicle driveline corresponding to the driver demanded acceleration and the gear value, and a dynamic transmission model torque value for the gear value. The resulting torque demand is then passed through an inverse torque converter model to generate a demanded engine torque. The resulting demanded engine torque value is then used to control the engine output. In this way, the present method accounts for the transmission and driveline dynamics in an acceleration-based engine control scheme.

Growing community of inventors

Brownstown, MI, United States of America

Ibrahim Haskara