Indirect HCCI combustion control

1. Method for controlling combustion in a spark-ignition direct-injection internal combustion engine, comprising:

within a dedicated engine control module of a motor vehicle, controlling engine operating parameters to achieve desired operation of the internal combustion engine, the controlling comprising programming configured to:

prior to an upcoming combustion event, monitor a plurality of combustion input parameters for the upcoming combustion event selected from

a single value selected from a manifold pressure value, an intake mass air flow, and an in-cylinder pressure,

an intake O 2 concentration,

an injected fuel mass, and

a combustion initiation timing; and

when at least one of the monitored combustion input parameters deviates from a respective desired combustion input parameter,

determine a coupling relationship comprising effects that changing at least one of the monitored combustion input parameters has on the other combustion input parameters, and

adjust a plurality of input mechanisms associated with controlling the at least one monitored combustion input parameter to converge toward the respective desired combustion input parameter based upon the determined coupling relationship.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting a throttle valve position associated with controlling a manifold pressure metric to converge manifold pressure toward a desired manifold pressure.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said manifold pressure metric comprises at least one of:

a manifold pressure ratio comprising a ratio of an intake manifold pressure to an exhaust manifold pressure; and

a manifold pressure difference comprising a difference between the intake manifold pressure and the exhaust manifold pressure.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting a duration of negative valve overlap between an exhaust valve closing and an intake valve opening for each cylinder associated with controlling an intake mass airflow to converge toward a desired intake mass airflow.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting an EGR valve position associated with controlling an intake O 2 concentration to converge toward a desired intake O 2 concentration.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting an injected fuel mass timing associated with controlling an in-cylinder pressure ratio to converge toward a desired in-cylinder pressure ratio selected to maintain a desired fuel mass reformation based on an engine speed, an engine load and an in-cylinder temperature.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein adjusting the injected fuel mass timing comprises adjusting a pre-injected fuel mass timing during a recompression stroke in a split fuel injection strategy utilized for fuel mass reformation at low engine speeds and loads; and the in-cylinder pressure ratio comprises a ratio of an in-cylinder pressure after top dead center during an intake stroke to an in-cylinder pressure before top dead center during the recompression stroke.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting an amount of fuel pulse width associated with controlling a monitored injected fuel mass to converge toward a desired injected fuel mass.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting at least one of a spark ignition timing and an injected fuel mass timing, each of said spark ignition timing and said injected fuel mass timing associated with controlling a combustion initiation timing to converge toward a desired combustion initiation timing.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein adjusting at least one of said spark ignition timing and said injected fuel mass timing comprises:

when the engine is operating in a controlled auto-ignition mode, dominantly utilizing said adjusted injected fuel mass timing comprising delivering a fuel mass in a single injection; and

when the engine is operating with a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio including spark-assisted ignition, dominantly utilizing said adjusted spark ignition timing.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting said combustion input mechanisms comprises adjusting the combustion input mechanism by an amount corresponding to the amount the combustion input parameter deviates from the respective desired combustion input parameter.

12. Method for controlling combustion in a spark-ignition direct-injection internal combustion engine, comprising:

within a dedicated engine control module of a motor vehicle, controlling engine operating parameters to achieve desired operation of the internal combustion engine, the controlling comprising programming configured to:

prior to an upcoming combustion event, monitor a plurality of combustion input parameters for the upcoming combustion event selected from and

a single value selected from a manifold pressure value, an intake mass air flow, and an in-cylinder pressure,

an intake O 2 concentration,

an injected fuel mass, and

a combustion initiation timing;

when at least one of the monitored combustion input parameters deviates from a respective desired combustion input parameter,

determine a coupling relationship comprising effects that changing at least one of the monitored combustion input parameters has on the other combustion input parameters, and

adjust a plurality of input mechanisms associated with controlling the at least one monitored combustion input parameter to converge toward the respective desired combustion input parameter based upon the determined coupling relationship;

wherein the desired combustion input parameters are selected to maintain a desired combustion phasing for achieving acceptable combustion stability, combustion efficiency and combustion noise levels based on an engine speed, an engine load and an in-cylinder temperature.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein when more than one of the monitored combustion input parameters deviates from respective ones of the desired combustion input parameters, and when the engine operating mode is stoichiometric:

determining a coupling between each of the deviated combustion input parameters comprising a manifold pressure ratio and an intake O 2 concentration and each of the respective combustion input mechanisms comprising a throttle valve position respective to the manifold pressure ratio and an external EGR percentage entering the engine respective to the intake O 2 concentration; and one of

when an amount of deviation between the manifold pressure ratio and a desired manifold pressure ratio is greater than an amount of deviation between the intake O 2 concentration and a desired intake O 2 concentration, dominantly adjusting the throttle valve position and secondarily adjusting the external EGR percentage entering the engine in accordance with the respective coupling and the respective amounts of deviation to converge the manifold pressure ratio toward the desired manifold pressure ratio and the intake O 2 concentration toward the desired intake O 2 concentration, and

when an amount of deviation between the intake O 2 concentration and the desired intake O 2 concentration is greater than an amount of deviation between the manifold pressure ratio and the desired manifold pressure ratio, dominantly adjusting the external EGR percentage entering the engine and secondarily adjusting throttle valve position in accordance with the respective coupling and the respective amounts of deviation to converge the deviated manifold pressure ratio toward the desired manifold pressure ratio and the deviated intake O 2 concentration toward the desired intake O 2 concentration.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein when more than one of the monitored combustion input parameters deviates from respective ones of the plurality of desired combustion input parameters, and when the engine operating mode is lean of stoichiometry:

determining a coupling between each of the deviated combustion input parameters comprising an intake mass airflow and a manifold pressure ratio and each of the respective combustion input mechanisms comprising a duration of negative valve overlap respective to the intake mass airflow and a throttle valve position respective to the manifold pressure ratio; and

dominantly adjusting the duration of negative valve overlap and secondarily adjusting throttle valve position in accordance with the respective coupling and the respective amounts of deviation to converge the deviated intake mass airflow toward a desired intake mass airflow and the deviated manifold pressure ratio toward a desired manifold pressure ratio.

15. Apparatus for controlling a multi-cylinder spark-ignition direct-injection internal combustion engine, comprising:

a control module comprising,

a module, prior to an upcoming combustion event, monitoring a plurality of combustion input parameters for the upcoming combustion event selected from

a single value selected from a manifold pressure value, an intake mass air flow, and an in-cylinder pressure,

an intake O 2 concentration,

an injected fuel mass, and

a combustion initiation timing; and

a module determining a coupling relationship comprising effects that changing at least one of the monitored combustion input parameters has on the other combustion input parameters and adjusting a plurality of combustion input mechanisms associated with controlling the at least one monitored combustion input parameter to converge toward the respective desired combustion input parameter based upon the coupling relationship when the at least one monitored combustion input parameter deviates from a respective desired combustion input parameter.