Adaptable modification of cylinder deactivation threshold
View Patent ↗An engine control system in a vehicle including a variable displacement internal combustion engine, a controller for controlling the displacement of the variable displacement internal combustion engine, where the controller adaptively determines a torque threshold used to switch the variable displacement internal combustion engine between a partially displaced operating mode and a fully displaced operating mode.
1. An engine control system in a vehicle comprising:
a variable displacement internal combustion engine;
a controller for controlling the displacement of said variable displacement internal combustion engine;
wherein said controller adaptively determines a torque threshold used to switch the variable displacement internal combustion engine between a partially displaced operating mode and a fully displaced operating mode based on a time the variable displacement internal combustion engine operates in said partially displaced operating mode.
2. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein said variable displacement internal combustion engine is a gasoline engine.
3. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein said variable displacement internal combustion engine includes at least six cylinders.
4. The engine control system of claim 1 wherein said variable displacement internal combustion engine is an eight-cylinder engine.
5. The engine control system of claim 1 further comprising a brake pedal sensor electronically coupled to said controller.
6. A method of controlling the displacement of a variable displacement internal combustion engine comprising the steps of:
measuring a variable indicative of torque for the variable displacement internal combustion engine;
determining a time the variable displacement engine operates in a partially displaced operating mode; and
adaptively modifying a torque threshold to vary the displacement of the variable displacement internal combustion engine based on said time.
7. A method of controlling the displacement of a variable displacement internal combustion engine comprising the steps of:
measuring a engine intake manifold vacuum for the variable displacement internal combustion engine; and
adaptively modifying a vacuum threshold to vary the displacement of the variable displacement internal combustion engine based on a time the variable displacement engine operated in a partially displaced operating mode.