Cummins Inc.

Cummins Ip, Inc.

Jeffrey A Matthews

Morgan MacKenzie Andreae

Vivek Anand Sujan

Adrian P Dale

Jennifer Kay Light-Holets

Kristopher Ray Young

William A Rankin

Daniel E Kershner

David J Stroh

Ryo Fuchinoue

Kent Krajewski

Kirtan Bhandary

Marcus Hoevener

Platooning vehicles can result in operational cost savings. Disclosed is a method of apportioning costs that are incurred/saved as a result of platooning vehicles, as well as assigning penalties for unfair platoon participation. For example, platooning history of a vehicle can be tracked, and if that vehicle acts too often as a trailing vehicle in a series of platoons then a penalty might be assigned to that vehicle. Also disclosed is a technique for operating a platoon in the presence of external factors such as municipal regulations, merging traffic, emergency vehicles, etc.

Method and apparatus for platooning of vehicles

A system and method for controlling air flow in an engine system. In one embodiment, the system includes an engine, a turbocharger coupled to the engine, and a compressor bypass valve coupled to the turbocharger and to the engine. The compressor bypass valve includes a mechanism that allows the compressor bypass valve to be closed by default and allows the compressor bypass valve to be actuated passively when acted upon by a boost pressure when the boost pressure increases above a predefined pressure threshold. According to the system and method disclosed herein, the compressor bypass valve is passive, and thus controls air flow to the engine without requiring active control circuitry or logic.

System and method for operating a high pressure compressor bypass valve in a two stage turbocharger system

According to one exemplary embodiment, a virtual turbine speed sensor for a multi-stage turbocharger system of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The multi-stage turbocharger system includes at least two sequential turbochargers each having a compressor and a turbine. The virtual turbine speed sensor includes a compressor efficiency module, an inter-stage air temperature module, and a turbine speed module. The compressor efficiency module is configured to estimate an efficiency of a compressor of a first of the at least two turbochargers. The inter-stage air temperature module is configured to estimate an inter-stage temperature of air between the at least two compressors. The inter-stage temperature estimate is based at least partially on the efficiency of the compressor of the first turbocharger. The turbine speed module is configured to estimate a speed of a turbine of a second of the at least two turbochargers. The speed estimate of the turbine of the second turbocharger is based at least partially on the temperature estimate of air between the at least two compressors.

Virtual turbine speed sensor

A system and method are provided for controlling a flow of intake air entering an internal combustion engine. At least some of the intake air is diverted away from the engine in response to detection of a first operating condition that is indicative of a minimum engine fueling rate. A second operating condition that is indicative of a flow rate of the intake air entering the engine is monitored, and diverting at least some of the intake air away from the engine is discontinued if the second operating condition indicates that the flow rate of the intake air entering the engine is within a threshold value of a target flow rate.

System and method for controlling a flow of intake air entering an internal combustion engine

A system and method are provided for controlling recirculation of exhaust gas to an internal combustion engine having an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system comprising an EGR conduit coupled between an exhaust manifold and an intake manifold of the engine. Exhaust gas produced by the engine is trapped within the EGR system in response to detection of a first operating condition that is indicative of a minimum engine fueling rate. The trapped exhaust gas is released from the EGR system into the intake manifold of the engine in response to detection of a second operating condition that is indicative of a subsequent increase in engine fueling rate above the minimum engine fueling rate.

System and method for controlling an exhaust gas recirculation system

A method is disclosed for preventing an underspeed event of a turbocharger. The method includes interpreting a turbocharger speed, a compressor differential pressure (CDP) and a turbocharger differential pressure (TDP). The method further includes calculating a thrust load capacity (TLC) based on the turbocharger speed, and calculating a current thrust load (CTL) based on the CDP and the TDP. The method further includes calculating a thrust margin based on the TLC and the CTL, and controlling an actuator in response to the thrust margin. Controlling the actuator includes maintaining the thrust margin to a thrust margin target, which may be a function of the turbocharger speed. The actuator is a turbine bypass valve, a compressor bypass valve, a variable geometry turbocharger position, an exhaust throttle and/or an exhaust gas recirculation valve that controls the turbocharger speed.

Apparatus and method for preventing an underspeed event of a turbocharger

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for predictive control of a turbocharger. The method includes interpreting a compressor performance model for a turbocharger, and interpreting at least one current operating parameter. The method further includes calculating a performance margin, calculating a performance margin derivative, and calculating a response value. The performance margin comprises a choke margin or a surge margin according to the position of an operating point in the compressor performance model. The performance margin is implemented in a first sigmoid function, and the performance margin derivative is implemented in a second sigmoid function. The response value is determined by applying a MIN function to the output of the product of the sigmoid functions in the choke margin case, and by applying a MAX function to the product of the sigmoid functions in the surge margin case.

Apparatus, system, and method for predictive control of a turbocharger

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for preventing turbocharger overspeed in a combustion engine. The method includes determining a turbocharger error term as a difference between a nominal turbocharger maximum speed and a current turbocharger speed. The method further includes determining a turbocharger speed derivative with respect to time. The method includes calculating a turbocharger control response based on the turbocharger error term and the turbocharger speed derivative with respect to time. The turbocharger control response may be a modified turbocharger maximum speed calculated by determining a reference speed multiplier based on the turbocharger error term and the turbocharger speed derivative with respect to time, and multiplying the reference speed multiplier by the nominal turbocharger maximum speed. The method thereby smoothly anticipates turbocharger transient events, and prevents an overspeed condition of the turbocharger.

Apparatus, system, and method for preventing turbocharger overspeed in a combustion engine

An apparatus and system are disclosed for efficiently recirculating an exhaust gas in a combustion engine. The apparatus includes an intake air conduit that accepts and promotes mixing of an intake air stream and an EGR stream. The intake air stream moves in the direction of the axis of the intake air conduit. The EGR stream enters the intake air conduit within a volute of decreasing area curled about the outside circumference of the intake air stream. The rate at which the volute encourages mixing of an EGR stream with an intake air stream is affected by the rate at which the volute's area decreases as the volute curls about the inside circumference of the intake air conduit, and by the angle of entry for the EGR stream as directed by the volute.

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Plymouth, MN, United States of America

Jeffrey A Matthews