IP Library Granted Patent US 11,391,223
Granted Patent B2
US 11,391,223 · App. 16/947,826 · Granted Jul 19, 2022

Increasing braking power and exhaust gas temperature

Inventors: Wade James Robel (Dunlap, IL); Spencer Landon Huhn (Chillicothe, IL); Kevin Weiss (Peoria, IL); John Robert McDonald (Peoria, IL); Jason Kenneth Bloms (Edwards, IL)
Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
F02D9/02F02B37/24F02D41/0005F02D41/0007F02D41/1446F02D2009/0222F02D2009/0242
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,391,223
App. No.
16/947,826
Granted
Jul 19, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A controller may identify an indication to initiate an engine braking procedure associated with an engine of a machine. The controller may obtain, based on identifying the indication to initiate the engine braking procedure, information relating to a requested amount of engine braking power of the engine. The controller may cause one or more components of a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) of the engine to adjust, and a throttle valve of the engine to adjust, based on the information relating to the requested amount of engine braking power of the engine.

Claims (55)

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a controller, an indication to initiate an engine braking procedure associated with an engine of a machine;

obtaining, by the controller and based on identifying the indication to initiate the engine braking procedure, information relating to a requested amount of engine braking power of the engine; and

causing, by the controller, one or more components of a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) of the engine to adjust, and a throttle valve of the engine to adjust, based on the information relating to the requested amount of engine braking power of the engine and based on an exhaust gas temperature threshold that is associated with a minimum operating temperature of an exhaust aftertreatment device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust causes the engine braking power of the engine to increase.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, after causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust, that a speed of the VGT satisfies a threshold; and

causing the throttle valve to adjust based on determining that the speed of the VGT satisfies the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust comprises:

causing at least one adjustable vane of the VGT to adjust from a first vane position to a second vane position.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the throttle valve to adjust comprises: causing the throttle valve to adjust from a first valve position to a second valve position.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust comprises:

determining, based on the information related to the requested amount of engine braking power, the requested amount of engine braking power;

determining an available amount of engine braking power of the engine;

determining that the requested amount of engine braking power is greater than the available amount of engine braking power; and

causing, based on determining that the requested amount of engine braking power is greater than the available amount of engine braking power, the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust to increase the available amount of engine braking power.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust causes an exhaust gas temperature of the engine to increase.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust causes a temperature of an exhaust aftertreatment device associated with the engine to increase above a target temperature.

9. A controller, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:

identify an indication to initiate an engine braking procedure associated with a machine;

determine, after identifying the engine braking procedure, an exhaust gas temperature associated with the machine;

determine, after identifying the engine braking procedure, a requested amount of engine braking power; and

cause one or more components of a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) to adjust and a throttle valve to adjust based on the exhaust gas temperature.

10. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors, when causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust, are configured to:

determine that the exhaust gas temperature fails to satisfy an exhaust gas temperature threshold;

cause, based on determining that the exhaust gas temperature fails to satisfy the exhaust gas temperature threshold, at least one adjustable vane of the VGT to adjust from a first vane position to a second vane position; and

cause, based on determining that the exhaust gas temperature fails to satisfy the exhaust gas temperature threshold, the throttle valve to adjust from a first valve position to a second valve position.

11. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors, when causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust, are configured to:

determine that an available amount of engine braking power of the machine is less than the requested amount of engine braking power;

cause, based on determining that the available amount of engine braking power is less than the requested amount of engine braking power, at least one adjustable vane of the VGT to adjust from a first vane position to a second vane position; and

cause, based on determining that the available amount of engine braking power is less than the requested amount of engine braking power, the throttle valve to adjust from a first valve position to a second valve position.

12. The controller of claim 9 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust causes an engine braking power of the machine to increase and an exhaust gas temperature of the machine to increase.

13. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors, when causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust, are configured to:

cause the one or more components of the VGT to adjust;

determine, after causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust, a speed of the VGT; and

cause the throttle valve to adjust based on the speed of the VGT.

14. The controller of claim 9 , wherein causing the one or more components of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust increases a temperature of an exhaust aftertreatment device associated with the machine above a target temperature.

15. A system comprising: an engine;

a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) that includes adjustable vanes; a throttle valve;

a sensor system; and

a controller configured to:

receive, from the sensor system, an indication to initiate an engine braking procedure associated with the engine;

receive, from the sensor system and after receiving the indication to initiate the engine braking procedure, information concerning an exhaust gas temperature of the engine and information concerning a requested amount of engine braking power of the engine; and

cause the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust based on at least the information concerning the exhaust gas temperature in comparison to a predetermined exhaust gas temperature threshold.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the engine braking procedure is an exhaust braking procedure or a compression braking procedure.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller, when causing the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust or the throttle valve to adjust, is configured to:

cause the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust from a first vane position to a second vane position based on the information concerning the requested amount of engine braking power; and

cause the throttle valve to adjust from a first valve position to a second valve position based on the information concerning the exhaust gas temperature.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller, when causing the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust or the throttle valve to adjust, is configured to:

cause the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust from a first vane position to a second vane position based on the information concerning the exhaust gas temperature; and

cause the throttle valve to adjust from a first valve position to a second valve position based on the information concerning the requested amount of engine braking power.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein causing the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust causes the exhaust gas temperature to change or an amount of engine braking power associated with the engine to change.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein causing the adjustable vanes of the VGT to adjust and the throttle valve to adjust causes a temperature of an exhaust aftertreatment device associated with the engine to be above a target temperature.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Jul 13, 2023
From: CATERPILLAR, INC.
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 064398/0408 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 19, 2020
From: ROBEL, WADE JAMES; HUHN, SPENCER LANDON; WEISS, KEVIN; MCDONALD, JOHN ROBERT; BLOMS, JASON KENNETH
To: CATERPILLAR INC.
Reel/Frame 053542/0491 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220056854A1 · Feb 24, 2022
Cited By (1)
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