Patent Grant
9976502
The present description relates generally to methods and systems for injecting water at an engine and adjusting engine operation based on the water injection.
Internal combustion engines may include water injection systems that inject water into a plurality of locations, including an intake manifold, upstream of engine cylinders, or directly into engine cylinders. Injecting water into the engine intake air may increase fuel economy and engine performance, as well as decrease engine emissions. When water is injected into the engine intake or cylinders, heat is transferred from the intake air and/or engine components to the water. This heat transfer leads to evaporation, which results in cooling. Injecting water into the intake air (e.g., in the intake manifold) lowers both the intake air temperature and a temperature of combustion at the engine cylinders. By cooling the intake air charge, a knock tendency may be decreased without enriching the combustion air-fuel ratio. This may also allow for a higher compression ratio, advanced ignition timing, and decreased exhaust temperature. As a result, fuel efficiency is increased. Additionally, greater volumetric efficiency may lead to increased torque. Furthermore, lowered combustion temperature with water injection may reduce NOx, while a more efficient fuel mixture may reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions.
As explained above, water may be injected into different locations, including the intake manifold, intake ports of engine cylinders, or directly into engine cylinders. While direct and port injection may provide increased cooling to the engine cylinders and ports, intake manifold injection may increase cooling of the charge air without needing high pressure injectors and pumps. However, due to the lower temperature of the intake manifold, not all the ter injected at the intake manifold atomizes properly. Condensed water from water injection may accumulate within the intake manifold and result in unstable combustion if ingested by the engine. Additionally, the inventors herein have recognized that manifold water injection may result in uneven water distribution amongst cylinders coupled to the manifold. For example, water injected upstream of a group of cylinders may not distribute evenly to each of the cylinders due to evaporation, mixing, and entrainment issues, in addition to the airflow maldistribution among cylinders. As a result, uneven cooling may be provided to the engine cylinders.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a method for injecting a first amount of water upstream of a first group of cylinders and a different, second amount of water upstream of a second group of cylinders, the first amount determined based on operating conditions of the first group and the second amount determined based on operating conditions of the second group. Additionally, in one example, injecting the first amount of water may include pulsing a first water injector disposed upstream of the first group of cylinders to deliver the first amount of water. The pulsing may be synchronized to an intake valve opening timing of each cylinder of the first group of cylinders. Further, the first amount of water and/or the pulsing timing may be adjusted based on outputs of knock sensors coupled to each cylinder of the first cylinder group following injection of water. In this way, maldistribution of water between cylinders of a group of cylinders may be identified and the water injection pulses may be adjusted to reduce the variation in water injection amounts between the cylinders. As a result, desired charge air cooling may be provided to each engine cylinder and engine efficiency may be increased.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
The following description relates to systems and methods for injecting water at a selected location in an engine based on engine operating conditions of the engine and adjusting water injection parameters, as well as engine operating parameters, based on one or more of an estimated portion of water that condensed following injection, an estimated portion of water that evaporated following injection, and detected imbalances in water distribution from injection among a group of cylinders. A schematic depiction of an example vehicle system, including a water injection system, is shown in
As shown in
Intake manifold 22 is coupled to a series of combustion chambers or cylinders 180 through a series of intake valves (not shown) and intake runners (e.g., intake ports) 185. As shown in
The combustion chambers are further coupled to exhaust manifold 136 via a series of exhaust valves (not shown). The combustion chambers 180 are capped by cylinder head 182 and coupled to fuel injectors 179 (while only one fuel injector is shown in
Though only one representative injector 47 and injector 48 are shown in
In the depicted embodiment, a single exhaust manifold 136 is shown. However, in other embodiments, the exhaust manifold may include a plurality of exhaust manifold sections. Configurations having a plurality of exhaust manifold sections may enable effluent from different combustion chambers to be directed to different locations in the engine system. Universal Exhaust Gas Oxygen (UEGO) sensor 126 is shown coupled to exhaust manifold 136 upstream of turbine 16. Alternatively, a two-state exhaust gas oxygen sensor may be substituted for UEGO sensor 126.
As shown in
All or part of the treated exhaust from emission control device 70 may be released into the atmosphere via exhaust conduit 35. Depending on operating conditions, however, some exhaust may be diverted instead to an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) passage 151, through EGR cooler 50 and EGR valve 152, to the inlet of compressor 14. In this manner, the compressor is configured to admit exhaust tapped from downstream of turbine 16. The EGR valve 152 may be opened to admit a controlled amount of cooled exhaust gas to the compressor inlet for desirable combustion and emissions-control performance. In this way, engine system 100 is adapted to provide external, low-pressure (LP) EGR. The rotation of the compressor, in addition to the relatively long LP EGR flow path in engine system 100, provides excellent homogenization of the exhaust gas into the intake air charge. Further, the disposition of EGR take-off and mixing points provides effective cooling of the exhaust gas for increased available EGR mass and increased performance. In other embodiments, the EGR system may be a high pressure EGR system with EGR passage 151 connecting from upstream of the turbine 16 to downstream of the compressor 14. In some embodiments, the MCT sensor 23 may be positioned to determine the manifold charge temperature, and may include air and exhaust recirculated through the EGR passage 151.
The water injection system 60 includes a water storage tank 63, a water pump 62, a collection system 72, and a water filling passage 69. In embodiments that include multiple injectors, water passage 61 may contain one or more valves to select between different water injectors. For example, as shown in
Water storage tank 63 may include a water level sensor 65 and a water temperature sensor 67, which may relay information to controller 12. For example, in freezing conditions, water temperature sensor 67 detects whether the water in tank 63 is frozen or available for injection. In some embodiments, an engine coolant passage (not shown) may be thermally coupled with storage tank 63 to thaw frozen water. The level of water stored in water tank 63, as identified by water level sensor 65, may be communicated to the vehicle operator and/or used to adjust engine operation. For example, a water gauge or indication on a vehicle instrument panel (not shown) may be used to communicate the level of water. In another example, the level of water in water tank 63 may be used to determine whether sufficient water for injection is available, as described below with reference to
The controller 12 receives signals from the various sensors of
A first embodiment of a water injector arrangement for an engine 200 is depicted in
Each of cylinders 281 and cylinders 280 include a fuel injector 279 (as shown in
Water may be delivered to water injectors 233 and 234 by a water injection system (not shown), like water injection system 60 described above with reference to
In
Each of the cylinders includes a fuel injector 379 (one representative fuel injector shown in
In this way,
A third embodiment of a water injector arrangement for an engine 400 is depicted in
In this way, the systems of
In some cases, after injecting water, a first portion of the injected water may vaporize and a remaining, second portion may condense (or stay liquid within the intake manifold or injector location). Condensed water from water injection may accumulate within the intake manifold and result in unstable combustion if ingested by the engine. Additionally, the ratio of vaporized to condensed water may change the amount of charge air cooling provided. Thus, as explained further below with reference to
Additionally, as introduced above, an engine may include multiple water injectors, where each water injector injects water upstream of a different group of cylinders. In this case, water injection parameters for each injector may be individually determined based on conditions of the group of cylinders that the injector is coupled to (e.g., airflow to the group of cylinders, pressure upstream of the group of cylinders, etc.). Further, manifold water injection upstream of a group of cylinders (e.g., two or more cylinders) may result in uneven water distribution amongst the cylinders of the group due to differences in architecture or conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, airflow, etc.) of the individual cylinders in the group. As a result, uneven cooling may be provided to the engine cylinders. In some examples, as explained further below with reference to
Turning to
The method 500 begins at 502 by estimating and/or measuring engine operating conditions. Engine operating conditions may include manifold pressure (MAP), air-fuel ratio (A/F), spark timing, fuel injection amount or timing, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rate, mass air flow (MAF), manifold charge temperature (MCT), engine speed and/or load, etc. Next, at 504, the method includes determining whether water injection has been requested. In one example, water injection may be requested in response to a manifold temperature being greater than a threshold level. Additionally, water injection may be requested when a threshold engine speed or load is reached. In yet another example, water injection may be requested based on an engine knock level being above a threshold. Further, water injection may be requested in response to an exhaust gas temperature above a threshold temperature, where the threshold temperature is a temperature above which degradation of engine components downstream of cylinders may occur. In addition, water may be injected when the inferred octane number of used fuel is below a threshold.
If water injection has not been requested, engine operation continues at 506 without injecting water. Alternatively, if water injection has been requested the method continues at 508 to estimate and/or measure water availability for injection. Water availability for injection may be determined based on the output of a plurality of sensors, such as water level sensor and/or water temperature sensor disposed in a water storage tank of a water injection system of the engine (such as water level sensor 65 and water temperature sensor 67 shown in
The method 600 starts at 602 by determining whether engine speed and/or load is greater than a threshold. In one example, the threshold may be indicative of a relatively high load and/or engine speed at which engine knock may be more likely to occur. If engine speed and/or load are greater than the respective thresholds, the method continues at 604 where the intake manifold injector(s) are selected for water injection. In one example, the engine may include a single intake manifold and thus a single intake manifold water injector (such as injector 45 or 46 shown in
The method 700 starts at 702 by determining the amount of water to inject at the selected water injectors following a water injection request. The amount of water for injection may be based on feedback from a plurality of sensors, which provide information about various engine operating parameters. These parameters may include engine speed and load, spark timing, ambient conditions (e.g. ambient temperature and humidity), a fuel injection amount and/or knock history (based on the output of knock sensors coupled to or near the engine cylinders). In one example, the water injection amount may increase as engine load increases. Additionally, at 702 the method includes measuring a manifold charge temperature of an intake manifold (e.g., monitoring an output of a MCT sensor, such as MCT 23 shown in
At 704, water is injected at selected injectors as described above with reference to method 600 shown in
Next, at 710, the method includes estimating the amount (e.g., portion) of the injected water that condensed (e.g., remained liquid) based on the amount of water injected via the selected injector and the estimated amount of water that vaporized, as determined at 708. For example, the amount of water of the injected water that condensed may be a remaining portion of water from the vaporized portion. Then, at 712, the method includes determining whether the vaporized portion of water is greater than a threshold. The threshold vaporized portion may be a non-zero value and may also be less than 100% of the water injected. In one example, the threshold may be 90% of the amount of water injected. However, in other examples the threshold value may be 100% or some value between 60 and 100%. If the vaporized portion following water injection is above the threshold, at 716 the method includes continuing engine operation at the current operating parameters. For example, the method at 716 may include continuing to inject the previously injected amount of water at the selected injector(s), without adjusting the amount of water for injection.
However, if the vaporized portion is not greater than the threshold, at 714 the method may include adjusting engine operating parameters based on the determined vaporized and/or condensed portions. In one example, when the engine includes multiple groups of cylinders with one injector coupled to and upstream of each group, engine operation may also be adjusted based on the vaporized and condensed portions of other groups, as well as a determined distribution of injected water to cylinders within a group, as described further below in reference to
In
The method 800 starts at 801 by determining injection parameters for each injector of each cylinder group. Injection parameters may include an amount of water and timing of each injection event. For example, the method at 801 may include determining a first injection amount to inject at a first injector upstream of a first group of cylinders and determining a second injection amount to inject at a second injector upstream of a second group of cylinders. The first and second amounts may be individually determined based on operating conditions of the first and second groups of cylinders (e.g., airflow level or mass air flow to the corresponding group of cylinders, pressure at the corresponding group of cylinders, temperature of the corresponding group of cylinders, a knock level at the corresponding group of cylinders, a fuel injection amount at the corresponding group of cylinders, etc.). In one example, the injector may deliver the amount of water as a single pulse per engine cycle (for all intake valve opening events for all cylinders of the group). In another example, the injector may deliver the amount of water as a series of pulses timed to the intake valve opening of each cylinder within the cylinder group. In this example, the method at 801 may include determining the amount of water to deliver during each pulse for each cylinder within the group (or determining a total water injection amount for all cylinders and dividing by the number of cylinders within the group) and determining the timing of each pulse based on the intake valve opening timing of each cylinder within the group. In some embodiments, the initial amount and timing of the water injection pulses may be determined based on engine mapping of the cylinders. For example, each engine may have a different cylinder and intake runner architecture (e.g., geometry) that results in a difference in water distribution to each cylinder of a group from a same water injector. For example, each cylinder of the group of cylinders may be a different distance away from the water injector coupled to the group of cylinders and/or each intake runner may have a different shape or curvature that affects how the injected water is delivered to the corresponding cylinder. Further, the angle of the injector relative to each cylinder may be different within the group of cylinders. Thus, an initial pulsed injection timing and amount of water delivered for each pulse (which may be different for different cylinders within the group) may be determined based on a known architecture of the engine. This pulse timing may then be adjusted during engine operation based on operating conditions of the cylinders, as discussed further below.
The method continues at 802 by determining the vaporized and condensed portions of water injected by each injector for each cylinder or cylinder group. This may include measuring manifold charge temperature before and after an injection event, as previously described for method 700 in
Next, at 806, the method includes obtaining knock sensor outputs from each cylinder in a cylinder group (such as from knock sensors 283, 383, or 483 shown in
Based on the assessed water maldistribution at 806, at 808 the method includes determining whether a water imbalance is detected for a group of cylinders. As one example, water maldistribution (e.g., water imbalance) among a group of cylinders coupled to a water injector may be determined based on a comparison of knock outputs of knock sensors coupled to each cylinder in the group. For example, the knock output may be used to determine differences in knock intensity in individual cylinders relative to other cylinders in the group. If the change in knock intensity following water injection is different for one or more cylinders in a group compared to the others, this may indicate differences in water distribution. For example, a standard deviation in knock outputs corresponding to different cylinders may be determined and if the standard deviation is greater than a threshold standard deviation value, water imbalance may be indicated. In yet another example, if a knock output corresponding to an individual cylinder differs from an average value of all knock outputs corresponding to all cylinders of the group, by a threshold amount, the individual cylinder may be indicated as receiving more or less water than the other cylinders in the group. In another example, water maldistribution among a group of cylinders coupled to a water injector may be determined based on differences in spark retard in individual cylinders from an expected amount, the expected amount based on engine mapping. If water imbalance is not detected, then the method proceeds to 810 where a subsequent water injection amount for the cylinder groups is adjusted based on the adjusted vaporized and condensed portions (and not the knock sensor outputs) determined at 804 of the method. However, if a water imbalance is detected, the method continues at 812 to adjust the injection amount, pulse rate, and/or timing of water injected by the water injector of the group of cylinders based on the determined maldistribution (e.g., knock sensor outputs) and/or the adjusted vaporized and condensed portions. In one example of the method at 812, the controller may increase the amount of water injected for a pulse that corresponds to the intake valve opening of a cylinder to compensate for less water detected at that cylinder than others. The lower amount of water detected at the one cylinder relative to the others in the group may be based on the knock sensor output from that cylinder being higher than the other cylinders. In another example of the method at 812, the controller may decrease water injection to a group of cylinders based on determining that the vaporized portion of water injected is less than a threshold. Next, the method continues at 814 to adjust engine operation for each group of cylinders in response to the detected water imbalance at 808 and/or the adjusted vaporized and condensed portions determined at 804. The method at 814 may be similar to the method at 714, as described above. Additionally, in one example, the method at 814 may include, if spark timing is retarded, advancing spark timing differently amongst a group of cylinders based on the detected water imbalance.
In
Prior to time t1, manifold temperature increases (plot 904) and water injection may be requested based on engine operation. For example, water injection may be requested due to engine load being greater than a threshold. In another example, water injection may be requested in response to an indication of knock. At time t1, in response to an indication of knock the controller may initially retard spark timing from MBT (plot 910).
In response to the injection request, the manifold charge temperature may be measured and the controller commands an amount of water to be injected (plot 902) from the water injection system at time t1. As a result, manifold charge temperature decreases from time t1 to t2 (plot 904). After a duration following injection at t2, manifold charge temperature is measured again. The duration between a water injection and measuring manifold charge temperature may be adjusted in response to the amount of water injected or other engine operating conditions. From the measured change in manifold charge temperature and the amount of water injected, a vaporized, first portion of the injected water (plot 906) and a condensed, second portion that remains in the manifold (plot 908) are estimated at time t2. For example, spark timing from MBT (plot 910) may advance in response to the vaporized portion of the injected water, and then, in response determining that the vaporized portion of water is greater than the threshold, the controller may maintain spark timing from MBT at time t2.
At a later time t3, water injection is requested and the controller commands an adjusted amount of water to be injected based on a previous injection. For example, in response to a vaporized portion above a threshold from a previous injection at time t2, the amount of water injected at time t3 may be increased from the amount injected at time t1. Following the water injection at time t3, at time t4, the vaporized portion is less than the threshold (plot 906). At time t4, in response to determining that the vaporized portion of water is less than a non-zero threshold, the controller may adjust engine operating parameters, such as spark timing from MBT (plot 910) based on the condensed portion (plot 908). For example, spark may be advanced in response to a vaporized portion; however, the amount of spark advance at time t4 may be less than at time t2 to compensate for an increased amount of liquid water from the water injection and an increased knock tendency. In this way, the amount of spark advance following a water injection event decreases with a decreased vaporized portion and increased condensed portion.
At time t5, water injection is again requested. The amount of water injected (plot 902) at time t5 may be determined based on the vaporized and condensed portions from the previous water injection. Between time t5 and t6, the vaporized portion of injected water is above the threshold. In response to the vaporized portion above the threshold at time t6, the controller may maintain current operating conditions and advance spark timing.
In
Prior to time t1, water is injected upstream of each cylinder (e.g., in the intake manifold) in response to a water injection request and knock signal intensity is monitored. As explained above. The water may be injected by pulsing the injector at times synced to the intake valve opening of each cylinder. In this way, multiple pulses of water may be delivered by a single injector positioned upstream of cylinders 1-4. Knock signal intensity increases prior to time t1 due to engine operating conditions. In response to feedback about engine operation from a plurality of sensors, including knock sensors, the controller may increase the amount of water injected for each pulse at time t1. Between time t1 and t2, knock intensity signal may decrease due to increased water injection. Thus, the controller may continue current engine operation and water injection amount and pulsing. At a later time t2, knock intensity signal increases for cylinder 3. This may occur as a result of uneven water distribution from the water injector to cylinder 3 relative to the other cylinders in the group (e.g., cylinders 1, 2, and 4). In response to detecting that cylinder 3 has an increased knock signal and may have received less water (relative to the other cylinders in the group), the controller may increase the water injected to cylinder 3 at time t3. By increasing the amount of water injected for a pulse that corresponds to valve lift for cylinder three, more water can be delivered to a particular cylinder even though an injector may be upstream of a group of cylinders. After time t3, the controller may continue water injection pulses responsive to engine operating conditions and previous injections.
In this way, water injection at an intake manifold may be adjusted in response to uneven water distribution amongst cylinders coupled to an intake manifold. As one example, a first water injection amount upstream of a first group of cylinders may be based on operating conditions of the first group and a second amount of water upstream of a second group of cylinders may be based on operating conditions of the second group. In another example, an amount and/or timing of water injected at a first group of cylinder may be adjusted based on determining uneven distribution of water. For example, output from knock sensors may be used to determine if water distribution among cylinders in the group was uneven by comparing a change in knock intensity between cylinders in the group. If uneven water distribution is detected, the amount of water delivered to a cylinder in the group may be adjusted to compensate. During manifold water injection, this may include synchronizing water injection pulsing of the adjusted amount of water based on the detected maldistribution to an intake valve opening timing of each cylinder of the group of cylinders. The technical effect of comparing a change in knock signal intensity before and after a water injection event amongst cylinders in a cylinder group is to identify uneven water distribution. The technical effect of then adjusting water injection in response to uneven water distribution is to compensate for variation in water injection amounts between cylinders. As a result, the desired benefits of water injection may be provided, such as decreased knock tendency and increased engine efficiency.
As one embodiment, a method includes injecting a first amount of water upstream of a first group of cylinders and a different, second amount of water upstream of a second group of cylinders, the first amount determined based on operating conditions of the first group and the second amount determined based on operating conditions of the second group. In a first example of the method, the method further comprises determining a first portion of the first amount of water that vaporized based on a change in temperature upstream of the first group of cylinders following the injecting the first amount of water and determining a second portion of the first amount of water that remained liquid based on the injected first amount of water and the determined first portion of the first amount of water. A second example of the method optionally includes the first example and further comprises determining a first portion of the second amount of water that vaporized based on a change in temperature upstream of the second group of cylinders following the injecting the second amount of water and determining a second portion of the second amount of water that remained liquid based on the injected second amount of water and the determined first portion of the second amount of water. A third example of the method optionally includes one or more of the first and second examples, and further comprises adjusting the determined first portion and second portion of the first amount of water based on the determined first portion and second portion of the second amount of water and adjusting the determined first portion and second portion of the second amount of water based on the determined first portion and second portion of the first amount of water. A fourth example of the method optionally includes one or more of the first through third examples, and further comprises adjusting the first amount of water based on the adjusted first portion and second portion of the first amount of water and adjusting the second amount of water based on the adjusted first portion and second portion of the second amount and during a subsequent water injection event, injecting the adjusted first amount of water upstream of the first group of cylinders and injecting the adjusted second amount of water upstream of the second group of cylinders. A fifth example of the method optionally includes the first through fourth examples, and further includes wherein injecting the first amount of water upstream of the first group of cylinders includes pulsing a first water injector disposed upstream of the first group of cylinders to deliver the first amount of water, where the pulsing is synchronized to an intake valve opening timing of each cylinder of the first group of cylinders. A sixth example of the method optionally includes the first through fifth examples, and further includes wherein an initial amount of water delivered by and a timing of each pulse is based on an engine mapping of cylinders within the first cylinder group and further comprising adjusting the initial amount of water delivered by and timing of each pulse based on outputs of knock sensors coupled to each cylinder of the first cylinder group following the injecting. A seventh example of the method optionally includes the first through sixth examples, and further includes wherein the operating conditions of the first group includes one or more of mass air flow to the first group of cylinders, a pressure at the first group of cylinders, a fuel injection amount injected into the first group of cylinders, a temperature of the first group of cylinders, and a knock level indicated by a knock sensor coupled to each cylinder of the first group of cylinders. An eighth example of the method optionally includes the first through seventh examples, and further includes wherein the operating conditions of the second group includes one or more of mass air flow to the second group of cylinders, a pressure at the second group of cylinders, a fuel injection amount injected into the second group of cylinders, a temperature of the second group of cylinders, and a knock level indicated by a knock sensor coupled to each cylinder of the second group of cylinders.
As another embodiment, a method comprises injecting a first amount of water upstream of a first group of cylinders and injecting a second amount of water upstream of a second group of cylinders, where the first amount is based on a first operating condition of the first group of cylinders and the second amount is based on a first operating condition of the second group of cylinders; adjusting the first amount based on a different, second operating condition of the second group of cylinders; and adjusting the second amount based on a different, second operating condition of the first group of cylinders. In a first example of the method, the method further includes wherein the first operating condition of the first group of cylinders includes one or more of mass air flow to the first group of cylinders, a pressure at the first group of cylinders, a fuel injection amount injected into the first group of cylinders, a temperature of the first group of cylinders, and a knock level indicated by a knock sensor coupled to each cylinder of the first group of cylinders and wherein the first operating condition of the second group of cylinders includes one or more of mass air flow to the second group of cylinders, a pressure at the second group of cylinders, a fuel injection amount injected into the second group of cylinders, a temperature of the second group of cylinders, and a knock level indicated by a knock sensor coupled to each cylinder of the second group of cylinders. A second example of the method optionally includes the first example and further includes wherein the second operating condition of the first group of cylinders includes a determined first portion of the first amount of water that vaporized and a determined second portion of the first amount of water that remained liquid and wherein the second operating condition of the second group of cylinders includes a determined first portion of the second amount of water that vaporized and a determined second portion of the second amount of water that remained liquid. A third example of the method optionally includes one or more of the first and second examples, and further comprises adjusting the first amount based on both the second operating condition of the first group and the second group of cylinders and adjusting the second amount based on both the second operating condition of the first group and the second group of cylinders. A fourth example of the method optionally includes the first through third examples, and further comprises adjusting an operating parameter of the first group of cylinders based on the determined first portion and second portion of the first amount of water and the determined first portion and second portion of the second amount of water, where the operating parameter is one or more of spark timing, a fuel injection amount, and an airflow level to the engine. A fifth example of the method optionally includes the first through fourth examples, and further includes wherein adjusting the operating parameter further includes individually adjusting the operating parameter for each cylinder of the first group of cylinders based on a difference in output of knock sensors coupled to each cylinder of the first group of cylinders. A sixth example of the method optionally includes the first through fifth examples, and further comprises adjusting a pulse width and timing of injection of the first amount based on outputs of knock sensors coupled to each cylinder of the first group of cylinders and adjusting a pulse width and timing of injection of the second amount based on outputs of knock sensors coupled to each cylinder of the second group of cylinders. A seventh example of the method optionally includes the first through sixth examples, and further includes wherein the first amount of water is different than the second amount of water.
As yet another embodiment, a system includes a first water injector coupled to a common intake manifold of a first group of cylinders; a second water injector coupled to a common intake manifold of a second group of cylinders; and a controller including non-transitory memory with computer readable instructions for: determining a first amount of water to inject via the first water injector based on a first operating condition of the first group of cylinders and a second amount of water to inject via the second water injector based on a second operating condition of the second group of cylinders. In a first example of the system, the system further comprises a first plurality of knock sensors coupled to the first group of cylinders, where each cylinder of the first group has one knock sensor of the first plurality of knock sensors coupled thereto and wherein the computer readable instructions further include instructions for adjusting one or more of an injection amount and pulse timing of the first water injector in response to a difference between outputs of the first plurality of knock sensors. A second example of the system optionally includes the first example and further includes wherein the computer readable instructions further include instructions for determining the first amount of water based on engine mapping of the first group of cylinders and the second amount of water based on engine mapping of the second group of cylinders, where the engine mapping of the first group and second group includes a known geometry of intake runners of the first group and second group relative to the first water injector and second water injector, respectively.
Note that the example control and estimation routines included herein can be used with various engine and/or vehicle system configurations. The control methods and routines disclosed herein may be stored as executable instructions in non-transitory memory and may be carried out by the control system including the controller in combination with the various sensors, actuators, and other engine hardware. The specific routines described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies such as event-driven, interrupt-driven, multi-tasking, multi-threading, and the like. As such, various actions, operations, and/or functions illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of processing is not necessarily required to achieve the features and advantages of the example embodiments described herein, but is provided for ease of illustration and description. One or more of the illustrated actions, operations and/or functions may be repeatedly performed depending on the particular strategy being used. Further, the described actions, operations and/or functions may graphically represent code to be programmed into non-transitory memory of the computer readable storage medium in the engine control system, where the described actions are carried out by executing the instructions in a system including the various engine hardware components in combination with the electronic controller.
It will be appreciated that the configurations and routines disclosed herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. For example, the above technology can be applied to V-6, I-4, I-6, V-12, opposed 4, and other engine types. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various systems and configurations, and other features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein.
The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and sub-combinations regarded as novel and non-obvious. These claims may refer to “an” element or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosed features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or through presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.
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