Patent Application
20050193981
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-057943, filed on Mar. 2, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a controller for adjusting the pressure of high-pressure fuel supplied to an in-cylinder injector of an internal combustion engine.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-103048 discloses a conventional controller for an internal combustion engine. The conventional controller controls an internal combustion engine that includes an in-cylinder injector and an air-intake passage injector for each of its cylinders. More specifically, when injecting fuel into a combustion chamber in each cylinder, the controller uses an appropriate one of the above two types of injectors according to the engine driving state of the internal combustion engine, such as the engine load and the engine speed.
When fuel is injected from the in-cylinder injector (in-cylinder injection mode), fuel having a high pressure (required fuel pressure) must be supplied to a high-pressure distribution pipe connected to the in-cylinder injector. In a port injection mode in which fuel is to be injected from an air-intake passage injector to an intake port, fuel having a pressure lower than the required fuel pressure is supplied to the air-intake passage injector. This is because the pressure of the intake port is relatively low and thus the air-intake passage injector does not need to inject fuel at high pressure.
In the in-cylinder injection mode, a high-pressure pump pressurizes fuel to raise the pressure of fuel in the high-pressure distribution pipe to the required fuel pressure. In the port injection mode, the high-pressure pump is stopped. Since the high-pressure pump is driven only when necessary, the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine is prevented from being lowered.
However, when the high-pressure pump is stopped in the port injection mode, the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe is lowered. Thus, when shifting from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode, the required fuel pressure may not be immediately obtained. This is because even if the de-actuated high-pressure pump is actuated when the driving mode is shifted, the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe cannot be instantaneously raised. In this case, in-cylinder injection is performed in a state in which the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe is not high enough. As a result, large pulsations of the fuel pressure occur in the high-pressure distribution pipe. The pulsation causes the fuel injection amount to be unstable and degrades the combustion characteristics of the internal combustion engine.
To solve this problem, the high-pressure pump may be actuated even in the port injection mode whenever the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe becomes less than or equal to a set pressure. This constantly keeps the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe greater than or equal to a predetermined value.
The controller described above raises the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe to the required fuel pressure at all times, including when shifting from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode. Thus, in-cylinder injection is performed in a stable manner. However, the controller actuates the high-pressure pump whenever the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe becomes less than or equal to the set pressure in the port injection mode. This means that the high-pressure pump is actuated to maintain the fuel in the high-pressure distribution pipe at the required fuel pressure regardless of whether the driving state is shifted from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode. Accordingly, the high-pressure pump may be actuated even when there are no changes in the driving state. This lowers fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a controller for an internal combustion engine that adjusts the pressure of fuel supplied to an in-cylinder injector and an air-intake passage injector in order to prevent the fuel efficiency of the engine from being lowered.
One aspect of the present invention is a controller for an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber, an in-cylinder injector for directly injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, an air-intake passage injector for injecting fuel to a position upstream from the combustion chamber, a low-pressure pump for pumping fuel from a fuel tank and discharging low-pressure fuel, a low-pressure pipe for supplying the low-pressure fuel to the air-intake passage injector, a high-pressure pump for pressurizing the low-pressure fuel and discharging high-pressure fuel, and a high-pressure pipe for supplying the high-pressure fuel to the in-cylinder injector. The internal combustion engine has a first driving mode, in which fuel is injected only from the air-intake passage injector, and a second driving mode, in which fuel is injected from the in-cylinder injector. The controller includes a prediction means for predicting whether the internal combustion engine will shift from the first driving mode to the second driving mode based on a driving state of the internal combustion engine. A pump control means controls fuel pressure in the high-pressure pipe. The pump control means operates the high-pressure pump at a first output when the prediction means predicts that the internal combustion engine is likely to shift from the first driving mode to the second driving mode. The pump control means de-actuates the high-pressure pump or operates the high-pressure pump at a second output lower than the first output when the prediction means predicts that the internal combustion engine is not likely to shift from the first driving mode to the second driving mode.
Another aspect of the present invention is a controller for an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber, an in-cylinder injector for directly injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, an air-intake passage injector for injecting fuel to a position upstream from the combustion chamber, a low-pressure pump for pumping fuel from a fuel tank and discharging low-pressure fuel, a low-pressure pipe for supplying the low-pressure fuel to the air-intake passage injector, a high-pressure pump for pressurizing the low-pressure fuel and discharging high-pressure fuel, and a high-pressure pipe for supplying the high-pressure fuel to the in-cylinder injector. The internal combustion engine has a first driving mode, in which fuel is injected only from the air-intake passage injector, and a second driving mode, in which fuel is injected from the in-cylinder injector. The controller includes a pressure sensor for detecting pressure of the fuel in the high-pressure pipe and generating a detection signal according to the detected pressure. A computer controls the high-pressure pump according to the detection signal of the pressure sensor. The computer predicts whether the internal combustion engine will shift from the first driving mode to the second driving mode based on a driving state of the internal combustion engine, operates the high-pressure pump at a first output when predicting that the internal combustion engine is likely to shift from the first driving mode to the second driving mode, and de-actuates the high-pressure pump or operates the high-pressure pump at a second output lower than the first output when predicting that the internal combustion engine is not likely to shift from the first driving mode to the second driving mode.
Another aspect of the present invention is a controller for an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber, an in-cylinder injector for directly injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, an air-intake passage injector for injecting fuel to a position upstream from the combustion chamber, a low-pressure pump for pumping fuel from a fuel tank and supplying low-pressure fuel to the air-intake passage injector, and a high-pressure pump for pressurizing the low-pressure fuel and supplying high-pressure fuel to the in-cylinder injector. The internal combustion engine has a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode, in which fuel is injected only from the air-intake passage injector, and a second driving mode, in which fuel is injected from the in-cylinder injector. The controller includes a pressure sensor for detecting pressure of the high-pressure fuel and generating a detection signal according to the detected pressure. A computer adjusts output of the high-pressure pump according to the detection signal of the pressure sensor. The computer is programmed to predict whether the internal combustion engine will exit from the first driving mode based on a driving state of the internal combustion engine, operate the high-pressure pump at a first output when predicting that the internal combustion engine is likely to exit from the first driving mode, and de-actuate the high-pressure pump or operate the high-pressure pump at a second output lower than the first output when predicting that the internal combustion engine will remain in the first driving mode.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:
A controller for an internal combustion engine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described. In the preferred embodiment, the internal combustion engine is a four-cylinder gasoline engine.
As shown in
The low-pressure fuel system 12 includes a fuel tank 15 containing fuel, and a feed pump 16 (low-pressure pump) for pumping fuel. Fuel is pumped up by the feed pump 16 and fed to a low-pressure distribution pipe 18 (low-pressure pipe) via a filter 17a and a pressure regulator 17b, which are arranged in a low-pressure fuel passage 17. The filter 17a filters the fuel. The pressure regulator 17b adjusts the pressure of fuel in the low-pressure fuel passage 17. In the preferred embodiment, the pressure regulator 17b returns the fuel in the low-pressure fuel passage 17 to the fuel tank 15 when the fuel pressure in the low-pressure fuel passage 17 is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure (e.g., 0.4 Mpa) so that the fuel pressure in the low-pressure fuel passage 17 is maintained below the predetermined pressure. The low-pressure distribution pipe 18 distributes low-pressure fuel to an air-intake passage injector 19 arranged for each cylinder of the internal combustion engine. Each air-intake passage injector 19 injects fuel into its corresponding intake port 11.
The high-pressure fuel system 14 includes a high-pressure pump 20, which is connected to the low-pressure fuel passage 17. The high-pressure pump 20 pressurizes low-pressure fuel and discharges fuel having a relatively high pressure to a high-pressure fuel passage 21. The pressure of the fuel in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is raised in this way. The high-pressure distribution pipe 22 distributes high-pressure fuel to an in-cylinder injector 23 arranged in each cylinder of the internal combustion engine. When each in-cylinder injector 23 is open, fuel is directly injected into its corresponding combustion chamber 13.
A relief valve 24 is arranged in a drain passage 25 connecting the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 and the fuel tank 15. In the preferred embodiment, the relief valve 24 is an electromagnetic valve that opens in response to voltage applied to an electromagnetic solenoid 24a. When the relief valve 24 is open, high-pressure fuel in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is returned to the fuel tank 15 via the drain passage 25.
Basically, the internal combustion engine uses the air-intake passage injectors 19 or the in-cylinder injectors 23 in accordance with the engine load. For example, when the engine load of the internal combustion engine is high, the amount of intake air in the combustion chambers 13 is large. Thus, enhanced atomization of fuel in the combustion chambers 13 can be expected. Accordingly, the in-cylinder injectors 23 directly inject fuel into the combustion chambers 13 using the cooling effect of the direct injection of fuel into the combustion chambers 13.
When the engine load of the internal combustion engine is low, the amount of intake air in the combustion chambers 13 is small. Thus, enhanced atomization of fuel in the combustion chambers 13 cannot be expected. In this case, the injection of fuel from the in-cylinder injectors 23 lowers the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine. Thus, fuel is injected only from the air-intake passage injectors 19 when the load is low.
The amount of intake air changes in accordance with the engine speed. Thus, the internal combustion engine uses the injectors 19 or 23 according to the engine load and the engine speed. When the in-cylinder injectors 23 inject fuel, the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is required to be high.
As shown in
The ECU 100 is connected to a pressure sensor 26, which monitors the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22. The ECU 100 is provided with a detection signal from the pressure sensor 26. An accelerator sensor 27 is attached to an accelerator pedal and provides the ECU 100 with a detection signal having a voltage proportional to the depressed amount of the accelerator pedal. A rotation speed sensor 28 is arranged, for example, in the vicinity of a crankshaft and provides the ECU 100 with a detection signal that is in accordance with the rotation speed of the crankshaft.
The ECU 100 calculates the engine load and the engine speed based on the detection signals provided from these sensors and determines the present driving state of the internal combustion engine (point α in the chart of
When the present driving state is in the port injection mode range (e.g., point α1), the ECU 100 basically does not actuate the high-pressure pump 20. Since the high-pressure pump 20 is not actuated as it is unnecessary during port injection, the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine is prevented from being decreased by such actuation of the high-pressure pump 20.
When the present driving state is in the in-cylinder injection mode range (specific drive range) (e.g., point α2), the ECU 100 actively actuates the high-pressure pump 20 to raise the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 to a target pressure, which is the pressure required to perform in-cylinder fuel injection.
When shifting from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode as indicated by the arrow drawn with a broken line in
To solve this problem, the ECU 100 predicts whether the driving state is likely to be shifted from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode. When predicting that the shifting to the in-cylinder injection mode is likely, the ECU 100 actuates the high-pressure pump 20 in advance. In this way, the high-pressure pump 20 is actuated before the driving state is actually shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode. In this case, the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is rising toward the target pressure at the time when the driving state reaches the point X. In-cylinder injection started in the process of shifting the driving state from the point α1 to the point α2 is performed in a state where the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 has been already raised. Thus, unstable fuel injection is prevented.
When predicting that shifting to the in-cylinder injection mode will not occur, the ECU 100 de-actuates the high-pressure pump 20. Thus, the high-pressure pump 20 is not driven when unnecessary, and the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine is prevented from being decreased by the high-pressure pump 20. In the preferred embodiment, the ECU 100 functions as a prediction means, a pump control means, a determination means, a suppression means, and a pressure lowering means.
In step S10, the ECU 100 detects the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 based on the detection signal of the pressure sensor 26. The ECU 100 calculates the engine load and the engine speed based on the detection signals of the accelerator sensor 27 and the rotation speed sensor 28. The ECU 100 stores these parameters (the fuel pressure, the engine load, and the engine speed) in, for example, a storage unit (such as a RAM) included in the ECU 100. The storage unit also stores parameters that were obtained in step S10 of cycles that have been executed in the past.
In step S20, the ECU 100 determines the present driving state (point α in
When shifting to the in-cylinder injection mode is likely to occur (YES in step S30), the ECU 100 actuates the high-pressure pump 20 in step S40 to raise the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 to the target pressure, which is the pressure required to perform in-cylinder injection. In step S40, the ECU 100 estimates the time (pressure raising time) t1 required for the high-pressure pump 20 to raise the fuel pressure (present fuel pressure) in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 to the target pressure. In the preferred embedment, the ECU 100 calculates the change amount ΔP of the fuel pressure per a predetermined time of t seconds based on the present fuel pressure obtained in step S10 and the previous (past) fuel pressures stored in the storage unit. The ECU 100 calculates the pressure raising time t1 from the next equation:
pressure raising time t1=(target pressure−present fuel pressure)*(t/ΔP)
In step 41, the ECU 100 estimates the time (driving mode shift time) t2 required for the driving state to be shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode. Step S41 will be described in detail later.
In step S50, the ECU 100 compares the driving mode shift time t2 and the pressure raising time t1. When determining that the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 will be raised to the target pressure before the driving state is shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode (NO in step S50), the ECU 100 starts fuel injection from the in-cylinder injectors 23 in step S60 when the driving mode shift time t2 has elapsed.
When determining that the driving state will be shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode before the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is raised to the target pressure (YES in step S50), the ECU 100 proceeds to step S70. For example, the driving state may be shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode before the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is raised to the target pressure in the following case. During acceleration, the throttle valve may rapidly open to a large open degree to rapidly increase the engine load of the internal combustion engine. The rapidly increased engine load causes the driving state to be rapidly changed from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode. In step S70, the ECU 100 suppresses the change in the driving state so that the driving state is shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode simultaneously with or subsequent to when the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 reaches the target pressure. More specifically, the ECU 100 slows the speed at which the throttle valve opens. This slows the speed at which the engine load of the internal combustion engine increases and suppresses the shifting of the driving state from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode. In the preferred embodiment, the ECU 100 slows the opening speed of the throttle valve as the driving mode shift time t2 becomes shorter than the pressure raising time t1 so that the driving mode shift time t2 becomes equal to the target pressure raising time t1.
In step S80, the ECU 100 starts fuel injection from the in-cylinder injectors 23 when the pressure raising time t1 has elapsed.
When determining (predicting) that fuel injection from the in-cylinder injectors 23 is unlikely to be performed (NO in step S30), the ECU 100 de-actuates the high-pressure pump 20 in step S85. In step S90, the ECU 100 compares the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 obtained in step S10 with an upper limit pressure. The upper limit pressure is set so that fuel does not leak from the in-cylinder injectors 23. When the fuel pressure is higher than the upper limit pressure (YES in step S90), the ECU 100 opens the relief valve 24 in step S100. This lowers the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 until it becomes less than or equal to the upper limit pressure. When the result in step S90 is YES, the ECU 100 closes the relief valve 24 in step S110.
Step S30 will now be described in detail with reference to
In step S31, the ECU 100 determines whether the driving state (point α) of the internal combustion engine determined in step S20 corresponds to a position close to the in-cylinder injection mode range in the port injection mode range.
The ECU 100 stores an injection mode map M, which associates the engine load and the engine speed. The map M includes a port injection mode range P and an in-cylinder injection mode range S (
When, for example, the driving state is at a point α4 (refer to
To improve the prediction reliability, in steps S33 and S34, the ECU 100 determines whether point α in the prediction area F is moving toward the in-cylinder injection mode range S. Steps S33 and S34 will now be described with reference to
When the present driving state is at point α4 in the prediction area F, in step S33, the ECU 100 reads engine load IA2b1 and engine speed NE2b1, which were used to determine a past (e.g. previous) driving state (point α4b1), from the storage unit. The difference between the present engine load IA2 and the previous engine load IA2b1 is an engine load change amount ΔIA per a predetermined time of t seconds. The difference between the present engine speed NE2 and the previous engine speed NE2b1 is an engine speed change amount ΔNE per a predetermined time of t seconds.
In step S34, the ECU 100 checks whether the engine load change amount ΔIA and the engine speed change amount ΔNE are both positive values to determine whether both the engine load and the engine speed have increased. The positive change amount αIA indicates that the point α4 has moved up in the map M of
When the result in step S34 is YES, the ECU 100 determines that there is a high possibility of the driving state shifting to the in-cylinder injection mode (step S35). When the result in step S34 is NO, the driving state is in the prediction area F but is not moving toward the in-cylinder injection mode range S. Thus, the ECU 100 determines that there is a low possibility of the driving state shifting to the in-cylinder injection mode (step S32).
Step S40 will now be described in detail with reference to
The ECU 100 calculates the time t2 required for the driving state to be shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode from the present engine load and speed and from the engine load change amount ΔIA and the engine speed change amount ΔNE per predetermined time of t seconds, which were calculated in step S30 (more accurately, in step S33).
Assuming that the present driving state is at point α4 in
Referring to
The internal combustion engine controller of the preferred embodiment has the advantages described below.
(1) When predicting that the driving state will shift from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode is predicted (YES in step S30), the high-pressure pump 20 is actuated (S40). However, when predicting that the driving state will not shift to the in-cylinder injection (NO in step S30), the high-pressure pump 20 is not actuated (S85). This prevents the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine from being lowered. Also, since the pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is raised, fuel is injected in a stable manner even immediately after shifting to the in-cylinder injection mode.
(2) When it is determined that the shifting of the driving state to the in-cylinder injection mode will be completed before the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 reaches the target pressure (YES in step S50), the changing of the driving state is suppressed (S70). More specifically, the opening degree of the throttle valve is adjusted so that the driving mode shift time t2 is equal to the pressure raising time t1. Thus, the shifting from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode is performed in a state in which the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 has been already raised to the target pressure.
(3) When predicting that the driving state will not shift from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode and that the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is higher than the upper limit pressure (YES in S90), the relief valve 24 is opened to lower the fuel pressure to the higher limit pressure or less (S100). Thus, fuel leakage of the in-cylinder injectors 23, which may be caused by an extremely high fuel pressure, does not occur during the port injection mode.
(4) The ECU 100 performs switching between the port injection mode and the in-cylinder injection mode based on the engine load and the engine speed, which are parameters relating to the intake air amount of the internal combustion engine. Further, the ECU 100 monitors change of the driving state (point α) in correspondence with the engine load and the engine speed of the map M, which defines the port injection mode range and the in-cylinder injection mode range. Thus, the ECU 100 easily and accurately predicts whether point α will move into the in-cylinder injection mode range.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Particularly, it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in the following forms.
The map M does not have to be used to predict the movement of the point α to the in-cylinder injection mode range in which in-cylinder injection is performed and to estimate the shift time t2 required for the shifting of the driving state to the in-cylinder injection mode. For example, the change of the point α or the locus of the point α may be expressed by functions, which are used to perform predictions and estimations. However, it is preferable that the map M be used to reduce the calculation load on the ECU 100.
The determination process in step S34 may be executed based only on the engine load change amount ΔIA.
The driving state (point α) may also be determined from the intake air amount of the internal combustion engine. The intake air amount relates to the switching between the port injection and the in-cylinder injection.
The shifting of the driving state to the in-cylinder injection mode does not have to be suppressed when the driving state is determined to be shifted to the in-cylinder injection mode before the fuel pressure in the high-pressure distribution pipe 22 is raised to the target pressure.
When the driving state will not shift from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode, instead of de-actuating the high-pressure pump 20, the high-pressure pump 20 may be operated so that its output is relatively low. For example, the high-pressure pump 20 may be actuated at a first pump output, when the driving state will shift from the port injection mode to the in-cylinder injection mode, and at a second pump output, which is lower than the first pump output when the driving state will not shift. This also prevents unnecessary driving of the high-pressure pump 20 from lowering the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
The internal combustion engine may have, instead of the air-intake passage injectors 19, an injector (e.g., a cold-start injector arranged in a surge tank) located in the intake passage upstream from where the intake passage branches to the intake port of each cylinder. The controller of the present invention is applicable to any internal combustion engine having an in-cylinder injector and an air-intake passage injector. The controller of the present invention is applicable to an internal combustion engine having a single cylinder.
The present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalence of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-057943 | Mar 2004 | JP | national |
