Measuring and testing – Simulating operating condition – Marine
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2003-05-13
McCall, Eric S. (Department: 2855)
Measuring and testing
Simulating operating condition
Marine
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561016
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a control system for an internal combustion engine and, more specifically, to a control system that is capable of determining the air charge mass for the internal combustion engine based on input from sensors that provide barometric pressure, manifold temperature, throttle position, and engine speed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of internal combustion engines are well known to those skilled in the art. In those internal combustion engines which provide an engine control unit (ECU) which monitors various parameters and controls the operation of the engine, it is often necessary to determine the air charge mass in the combustion chambers of the engine during each ignition event. This information is often used by the engine control unit (ECU) to determine an appropriate throttle position and/or fuel injection amount to achieve a desired engine output.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,449, which issued to Takahashi et al on Feb. 1, 1994, describes a method and system for engine control. To ensure a high precision simultaneous control of the engine generated torque, air fuel ratio of the automobile engine and related factor, the present invention calculates the target air mass flow rate as the air mass flow rate at the inlet port which achieves the target torque, estimates the air flow condition inside the intake manifold, supplies the result to the fuel injection control system and the throttle control system and determines the fuel injection pulse width which achieves the target air fuel ratio according to the estimated air mass flow rate at the inlet port for the fuel injection control system, while determining the throttle angle which achieves the target torque according to the estimated condition and the target air mass flow rate for the throttle control system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,936, which issued to Messih et al on Jul. 26, 1994, describes a method and apparatus for inferring the actual air charge in an internal combustion engine during transient conditions. A mass air flow based control system for an internal combustion engine is provided which is capable of inferring cylinder air charge during non-steady state periods of operation of the engine. The control system infers cylinder air charge from values of rotational engine speed, air mass flow inducted into the engine, inlet air temperature, engine coolant temperature, and barometric pressure. The control system employs the inferred cylinder air charge value for air/fuel ratio control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,329, which issued to Tang on Mar. 5, 1996, describes a prediction method for engine mass air flow per cylinder. A delta model is used to calculate a predicted manifold absolute pressure (MAP) for a future period and the air mass induced in each cylinder is calculated from such a predicted value and used to determine the correct amount of fuel to inject at that period. Several reference pulses generated for each crankshaft revolution establish one or more sets of equally-spaced points at which measurements are made of the parameters MAP, throttle position, exhaust gas recirculation value, and idle air control. A base value of MAP is calculated, trends of changes in the parameters are calculated for each set of points, and weighted values of the trends are summed with the base value to predict a value of MAP. Alternatively, mass air flow (MAF) is measured as well as the other parameters and mass air per cylinder (MAC) is calculated. Then a base value of MAC is calculated, trends of changes in the parameters are calculated for each set of points, and weighted values of the trends are summed with the base value to predict a value of mass air induced into a cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,204, which issued to Scherer et al on Mar. 30, 1999, describes a device for determining the engine load for an internal combustion engine. The invention provides a device for determining the engine load for an internal combustion engine, such device having an input channel for receiving an item of engine speed information, as well as an intake manifold pressure sensor, and an air mass flow rate sensor arranged upstream of a throttle valve, and/or a throttle valve angle sensor. The engine speed is fed to a Kalman filter as an input value and at least one of the three variables, including intake manifold pressure, throttle valve air mass flow rate, and throttle valve angle, is fed as a variable measured by the respective sensor. The Kalman filter derives estimated values for the variables intake manifold pressure and throttle valve air mass flow rate, with which the air mass flowing into a respective cylinder of the engine per working cycle is determined.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,602, which issued to Martin et al on Aug. 8, 2000, describes an exhaust gas recirculation system. The EGR system for an internal combustion engine comprises a stepper motor driven EGR valve to control the rate of exhaust gas recirculation in the engine and an electronic controller for determining a desired EGR percent mass flow rate as a function comprising a rotational speed value and an air charge value of the engine, converting the EGR percent mass flow rate to an EGR mass flow rate value, adjusting the EGR mass flow rate value as a function of an exhaust gas temperature value and an absolute exhaust gas back pressure value using MAP values, determining a pressure ratio value across an EGR orifice cooperating with the EGR valve, and determining a required number of motor steps as a function of the adjusted EGR mass flow rate value and the pressure ratio value to achieve the desired EGR percent mass flow rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,664, which issued to Cullen et al on Sep. 5, 2000, describes a method of estimating engine charge. The method of estimating the total charge to cylinders of an internal combustion engine where the total charge comprises the sum of the air charge and the EGR charge is provided. The total charge is estimated by determining a linear total charge versus MAP reference function at selected engine speeds and at a preselected reference barometric pressure, reference engine coolant temperature, and reference manifold air charge temperature and determining a current barometric pressure value, a current engine coolant temperature value, and a current intake manifold air charge temperature. An intercept of the total charge versus MAP reference function with a total charge axis is adjusted for current barometric pressure different from the reference barometric pressure, and the slope of the total air charge versus MAP reference function is adjusted for current engine coolant temperature and current manifold air charge temperature different from the reference engine coolant temperature value and the reference manifold air charge temperature value. An adjusted total charge is determined by engine control logic based on the adjusted intercept and the adjusted slope of the engine. An estimated EGR charge can be subtracted from the adjusted total charge to estimate air mass flow rate entering the engine cylinders.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,830, which issued to Kotwicki et al on Oct. 3, 2000, describes a flow measurement and control system with estimated manifold pressure. An exhaust gas recirculation system directs exhaust gasses from an exhaust manifold to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gasses travel from the exhaust manifold, first passing through a flow control valve and then through a measuring orifice before entering the intake manifold. Pressure difference across the orifice is used, along with estimated manifold pressure from a mass air flow sensor, to measure and control exhaust gas flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,781, which issued to Holl et al on Mar. 12, 1991, describes a closed loop mass airflow determination via throttle position. Mass air flow into an internal combustion engine is measured as a function of throttle opening. The mass air flow rate is expressed as an idle offset constant and the product of gain and effect
Ehlers Jeffery C.
Suhre Blake R.
Brunswick Corporation
Lanyi William D.
McCall Eric S.
Miller Takisha S
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