IP Library Granted Patent US 8,571,785
Granted Patent B2
US 8,571,785 · App. 12/262,276 · Granted Oct 29, 2013

Universal tracking air-fuel regulator for internal combustion engines

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,571,785
App. No.
12/262,276
Granted
Oct 29, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fuel control system of an engine system comprises a pre-catalyst exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensor, a setpoint generator module, a sensor offset module, and a control module. The pre-catalyst EGO sensor generates a pre-catalyst EGO signal based on an air-fuel ratio of an exhaust gas. The setpoint generator module generates a desired pre-catalyst equivalence ratio (EQR) signal based on a desired EQR of the exhaust gas. The sensor offset module determines an offset value of the pre-catalyst EGO sensor. The control module generates an expected pre-catalyst EGO signal based on the desired pre-catalyst EQR signal and the offset value.

Claims (50)

1. A fuel control system of an engine, comprising:

a setpoint generator module that generates a desired equivalence ratio (EQR) signal based on a dither signal and a desired EQR of an exhaust gas;

an offset module that generates an offset indicating a change in the desired EQR signal; and

a control module that generates an expected EQR signal based on a model that relates the expected EQR signal to a sum of the desired EQR signal and the offset and that adjusts a fuel command to meet the expected EQR signal,

wherein the control module generates the expected EQR signal independently of a feedback from an exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensor.

2. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising a delay module that determines a number of engine events to delay the desired EQR signal based on one of a rotational velocity of a crankshaft, an air pressure in an intake manifold, and a temperature of engine coolant, wherein the delay module delays the desired EQR signal for the determined number of engine events.

3. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising a discrete integrator module that determines a first correction factor based on an EGO signal received from the EGO sensor, an expected EGO signal generated based on the desired EQR, an engine revolutions per minute (RPM), and an engine manifold air pressure (MAP), wherein the control module determines a new fuel command based on the first correction factor.

4. The fuel control system of claim 3 wherein the discrete integrator module determines a gain of the first correction factor based on the engine RPM, the engine MAP, predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine RPM, and predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine MAP.

5. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising a lead-lag compensator module that determines a second correction factor based on an EGO signal received from the EGO sensor, an expected EGO signal generated based on the desired EQR, an engine RPM, and an engine MAP, wherein the control module determines a new fuel command based on the second correction factor.

6. The fuel control system of claim 5 wherein the lead-lag compensator module determines gains of the second correction factor based on the engine RPM, the engine MAP, predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine RPM, and predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine MAP.

7. A method for controlling fuel supply to an engine, comprising:

generating a desired equivalence ratio (EQR) signal based on a dither signal and a desired EQR of an exhaust gas;

determining an offset indicating a change in the desired EQR signal;

generating an expected EQR signal based on a model that relates the expected EQR signal to a sum of the desired EQR signal and the offset and that adjusts a fuel command based on the expected EQR signal; and

generating the expected EQR signal independently of a feedback from an exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensor.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a number of engine events to delay the desired EQR signal based on one of a rotational velocity of a crankshaft, an air pressure in an intake manifold, and a temperature of engine coolant; and

delaying the desired EQR signal for the determined number of engine events.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a first correction factor based on an EGO signal received from the EGO sensor, an expected EGO signal generated based on the desired EQR, an engine revolutions per minute (RPM), and an engine manifold air pressure (MAP); and

determining a new fuel command based on the first correction factor.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining a gain of the first correction factor based on the engine RPM, the engine MAP, predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine RPM, and predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine MAP.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a second correction factor based on an EGO signal received from the EGO sensor, an expected EGO signal generated based on the desired EQR, an engine RPM, and an engine MAP; and

determining a new fuel command based on the second correction factor.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining gains of the second correction factor based on the engine RPM, the engine MAP, predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine RPM, and predetermined knot values of a spline of the engine MAP.

13. The fuel control system of claim 1 wherein the control module applies the dither signal to the desired EQR signal, wherein the dither signal causes the desired EQR signal to oscillate about the desired EQR of the exhaust gas through open-loop control of the model.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising applying the dither signal to the desired EQR signal, wherein the dither signal causes the desired EQR signal to oscillate about the desired EQR of the exhaust gas through open-loop control of the model.

15. The fuel control system of claim 1 wherein the model is of a pre-catalyst exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensor.

16. A fuel control system of an engine, comprising:

a setpoint generator module that generates a desired equivalence ratio (EQR) signal based on a dither signal and a desired EQR of an exhaust gas;

an offset module that generates an offset indicating a change in the desired EQR signal; and

a control module that generates an expected EQR signal based on a model that relates the expected EQR signal to a sum of the desired EQR signal and the offset and that adjusts a fuel command to meet the expected EQR signal,

wherein the control module generates the expected EQR signal using an open-loop control based on the model instead of using a closed-loop control based on calibration.

17. The fuel control system of claim 1 further comprising:

a fuel determination module that generates a desired fuel command based on the desired EQR signal and a mass airflow signal;

a fuel EGO determination module that generates an expected EGO signal based on the desired EQR signal; and

a closed-loop fuel control module that receives a feedback signal from an EGO sensor, that generates a correction factor to correct an error between the expected EGO signal and the feedback signal, and that generates a new fuel command based on the correction factor and the desired fuel command.

18. The method of claim 7 wherein the model is of a pre-catalyst EGO sensor.

19. A method for controlling fuel supply to an engine, comprising:

generating a desired equivalence ratio (EQR) signal based on a dither signal and a desired EQR of an exhaust gas;

determining an offset indicating a change in the desired EQR signal;

generating an expected EQR signal based on a model that relates the expected EQR signal to a sum of the desired EQR signal and the offset and that adjusts a fuel command based on the expected EQR signal; and

generating the expected EQR signal using an open-loop control based on the model instead of using a closed-loop control based on calibration.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

generating a desired fuel command based on the desired EQR signal and a mass airflow signal;

generating an expected EGO signal based on the desired EQR signal;

receiving a feedback signal from an EGO sensor;

generating a correction factor to correct an error between the expected EGO signal and the feedback signal; and

generating a new fuel command based on the correction factor and the desired fuel command.

Assignments (12)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 7, 2014
From: WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 034384/0758 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 10, 2011
From: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 025781/0245 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 8, 2010
From: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY
Reel/Frame 025324/0515 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2010
From: UAW RETIREE MEDICAL BENEFITS TRUST
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 025315/0046 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 4, 2010
From: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 025245/0909 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 28, 2009
From: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
To: UAW RETIREE MEDICAL BENEFITS TRUST
Reel/Frame 023162/0237 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 27, 2009
From: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Reel/Frame 023156/0313 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2009
From: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 023126/0914 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2009
From: CITICORP USA, INC. AS AGENT FOR BANK PRIORITY SECURED PARTIES; CITICORP USA, INC. AS AGENT FOR HEDGE PRIORITY SECURED PARTIES
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 023155/0769 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 16, 2009
From: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
To: CITICORP USA, INC. AS AGENT FOR BANK PRIORITY SECURED PARTIES; CITICORP USA, INC. AS AGENT FOR HEDGE PRIORITY SECURED PARTIES
Reel/Frame 022554/0538 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 4, 2009
From: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Reel/Frame 022201/0405 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 31, 2008
From: RAJAGOPALAN, SAI S.V.; DUDEK, KENNETH P.; LIU, SHARON; YURKOVICH, STEPHEN; MIDLAM-MOHLER, SHAWN W.; GUEZENNEC, YANN G.; HU, YIRAN
To: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 021767/0654 →