Control system for multi-cylinder internal combustion engine

Internal-combustion engines – Engine speed regulator – Idle speed control

Patent

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

F02M 300

Patent

active

055423892

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine ("internal combustion engine" may hereinafter be called "engine") adapted to be mounted on an automotive vehicle or the like, and more specifically to a control system developed by paying attention especially to idling of an engine which can stop the supply of air-fuel mixture to some of its cylinders to perform part cylinder operation in a particular state of operation.


BACKGROUND ART

With a view to ensuring stabilization of the engine speed of an automotive engine during idling or the like, there have been proposed techniques in which pieces of engine speed information, which are repeatedly detected, are subjected to smoothing (averaging) processing, the smoothed engine speed so obtained is compared with the latest rotary speed information and the ignition timing is then corrected by data based on the difference therebetween. The ignition timing is advanced when the latest engine speed is lower than the smoothed value but is retarded conversely when the latest engine speed is higher than the smoothed value.
On the other hand, other proposals have also been made on the technique that in an automotive engine, intake and exhaust valves of some of its cylinders are kept closed or injectors for supplying fuel to some of its cylinders are selectively inactivated at the time of specific operation featuring a small required output torque such as under a low load to substantially stop a part of combustion strokes in the engine and hence to achieve an improvement in gas mileage, in other words, on variable displacement engines.
The present inventors are not aware of any case in which the above-described idle stabilization technique based on correction of the ignition timing is applied to the variable displacement engine described above. Even if the conventionally-known idle stabilization technique is applied simply to a variable displacement engine, the following problems arise.
First, upon switching part cylinder operation to full cylinder operation or vice versa at the time of idling, the engine speed generally varies (or the engine speed is deliberately changed to obtain an idle speed suited for part cylinder operation or full cylinder operation). At this switching, especially at the time of such switching that the engine speed varies upwards (or at the time of such switching that the engine speed is changed upwards), the ignition timing is corrected toward la retard side to suppress the increase in the engine speed. As a consequence, it takes time until the engine speed becomes close to a desired value subsequent to the switching, so that engine revolutions become unstable.
Where it is designed to deliberately make the idle speed higher at the time of part cylinder operation than at the time of full cylinder operation from the viewpoint of a countermeasure for vibrations (for example, where the idle speed is set at 850 rpm at the time of the part cylinder operation and at 750 rpm at the time of the full cylinder operation), there is the problem that the countermeasure for the vibrations is unable to show its effect, that is, to attain the primary object sufficiently immediately after the switching.
Further, as is shown in FIG. 11, the degree of a variation in the engine speed relative to a variation in the ignition timing at the time of idling differs between part cylinder operation and full cylinder operation. Described specifically, a variation in the engine speed relative to a variation in the ignition timing is smaller during the part cylinder operation than during the full cylinder operation and especially during the part cylinder operation, variations in the engine speed are leveled off in an advance-side range e1.
If a correction is attempted to stabilize idling during part cylinder operation by using an ignition timing correction gain Kinj set for full cylinder operation (Kinj is .DELTA..theta./.DELTA.Ne, where .DELTA..theta. is an ignition timing correction amount and .DELTA.Ne is a difference in engine speed), d

REFERENCES:
patent: 4550704 (1985-11-01), Barho et al.
patent: 5035220 (1991-07-01), Uchinami et al.
patent: 5213081 (1993-05-01), Fujimoto
patent: 5320077 (1994-06-01), Kamiya et al.
patent: 5352971 (1994-10-01), Nishimura
patent: 5365445 (1994-11-01), Takizawa
patent: 5375574 (1994-12-01), Tomisawa et al.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Control system for multi-cylinder internal combustion engine does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Control system for multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Control system for multi-cylinder internal combustion engine will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2184746

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.