Systems and methods for controlling acceleration of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine
A method for controlling acceleration of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine includes determining a first demand limit based on a smoke limit of the engine; determining a second demand limit based on a user-selected acceleration profile; retrieving a previous demand limit from a memory; and determining a third demand limit by adding a predetermined step quantity to the previous demand limit. The method further includes outputting the lesser of the first demand limit, the second demand limit, and the third demand limit as a subsequent demand limit. The method further includes controlling the engine with a control circuit to achieve the subsequent demand limit such that the vehicle accelerates from a speed associated with the previous demand limit to a speed associated with the subsequent demand limit.
1. A method for controlling acceleration of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
determining, with an engine control circuit, a first demand limit based on a smoke limit of the engine;
determining, with the engine control circuit, a second demand limit based on a user-selected acceleration profile;
retrieving a previous demand limit from a memory;
determining, with the engine control circuit, a third demand limit by adding a predetermined step quantity to the previous demand limit;
outputting the lesser of the first demand limit, the second demand limit, and the third demand limit as a subsequent demand limit; and
controlling the engine with the engine control circuit to achieve the subsequent demand limit such that the vehicle accelerates from a speed associated with the previous demand limit to a speed associated with the subsequent demand limit.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the subsequent demand limit as the previous demand limit in the memory.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the engine is a diesel engine.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining the smoke limit based on at least one operating condition of the engine.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one operating condition is mass air flow in an intake manifold of the engine.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first demand limit is the smoke limit plus a predetermined offset quantity.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined offset quantity is a percentage of the smoke limit.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined offset quantity is between about 1% to about 5% of the smoke limit.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first demand limit, the second demand limit, and the third demand limit are torque limits.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first demand limit, the second demand limit, and the third demand limit are fuel quantity limits.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user-selected acceleration profile corresponds to a user-desired aggressiveness of acceleration of the vehicle.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a marine vessel.
13. A system for controlling acceleration of a vehicle, the system comprising:
a propulsion device that provides a force to accelerate the vehicle;
an internal combustion engine connected in torque-transmitting relationship with the propulsion device;
one or more fuel injectors that provide fuel to the engine;
a control circuit connected to the one or more fuel injectors; and
a memory that stores a previous demand limit of the engine;
wherein the control circuit determines a first demand limit based on a smoke limit of the engine, determines a second demand limit based on a user-selected acceleration profile, and determines a third demand limit by adding a predetermined step quantity to the previous demand limit;
wherein the control circuit sets the lesser of the first demand limit, the second demand limit, and the third demand limit as a subsequent demand limit; and
wherein the control circuit sends control signals to the one or more fuel injectors so as to provide a quantity of fuel that will achieve the subsequent demand limit.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the control circuit stores the subsequent demand limit as the previous demand limit in the memory.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the engine is a diesel engine.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first demand limit is the smoke limit plus a predetermined offset quantity.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined offset quantity is a percentage of the smoke limit.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the predetermined offset quantity is between about 1% to about 5% of the smoke limit.
19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the control circuit determines the first demand limit, the second demand limit, and the third demand limit at preselected time intervals.
20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined step quantity varies depending on the user-selected acceleration profile.