System for controlling an internal combustion engine

Abstract

System for controlling an internal combustion engine, the system comprising stop means to stop automatically an internal combustion engine according to a predefined operating condition of the internal combustion engine, verification and/or restoration means to verify or to restore a first component of the internal combustion engine, learning means to learn a control variable of a second component of the internal combustion engine, inhibition means of the stop means to prevent/ignore an engine stop, wherein only the verification and/or restoration means, when activated, are suitable to cause an activation of the inhibition means, and wherein the learning means are enabled to activate only when the verification and/or restoration means are active.

Claims

1. A control method of an internal combustion engine (Eng), the method comprising: detecting whether a first condition is true, the first condition being that a process is being performed from among one or more verification and/or restoration processes, whose being performed inhibits an automatic stop of the internal combustion engine independently of an outcome of the same verification and/or restoration process; and providing a computer programmed to learn a control variable of a component of said internal combustion engine only while the first condition is true such that the learning of the control variable is only performed while the first condition is true and the automatic stop of the internal combustion engine is thus inhibited; wherein the one or more verification and/or restoration processes are selected from the group consisting of: verification of the activation of a vehicle air conditioner (AC), restoration of a particulate filter (FR), verification of the activation of a compressor for compressed air (CA), restoration of a drying cartridge of a compressor for compressed air (DR), verification of the activation of recharging means for vehicle batteries (BR), verification of the efficiency of a recharging system for vehicle batteries (BRE), verification of the activation of a warm up process of an exhaust line (ATSW), verification of the activation of a warm up process of the internal combustion engine (EW), verification of the opening of an engine bonnet (LO), and verification of the efficiency of electric propulsion systems (EE).

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process has a running time greater than a running time of the learning of the control variable.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a sufficient condition that the second condition is true.

4. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a further necessary condition that it is necessary to learn said control variable.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes absorbing a torque from the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes introducing a variation fixed to a control parameter of the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the learning of the control variable includes limiting a torque absorbed by the internal combustion engine and/or a variation of a control parameter of the internal combustion engine introduced by the process.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the learning of the control variable includes compensating for a noise introduced by a variation introduced by the process.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded program code executable by a computer to perform operations for controlling an internal combustion engine (Eng), the operations comprising: detecting whether a first condition is true, the first condition being that a process is being performed from among one or more verification and/or restoration processes, whose being performed inhibits an automatic stop of the internal combustion engine independently of an outcome of the same verification and/or restoration process; and learning a control variable of a component of said internal combustion engine only while the first condition is true such that the learning of the control variable is only performed while the first condition is true and the automatic stop of the internal combustion engine is thus inhibited; wherein the one or more verification and/or restoration processes are selected from the group consisting of: verification of the activation of a vehicle air conditioner (AC), restoration of a particulate filter (FR), verification of the activation of a compressor for compressed air (CA), restoration of a drying cartridge of a compressor for compressed air (DR), verification of the activation of recharging means for vehicle batteries (BR), verification of the efficiency of a recharging system for vehicle batteries (BRE), verification of the activation of a warm up process of an exhaust line (ATSW), verification of the activation of a warm up process of the internal combustion engine (EW), verification of the opening of an engine bonnet (LO), and verification of the efficiency of electric propulsion systems (EE).

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process has a running time greater than a running time of the learning of the control variable.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a sufficient condition that the second condition is true.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a further necessary condition that it is necessary to learn said control variable.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes absorbing a torque from the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the learning of the control variable is on a necessary condition that a second condition is true, the second condition being that the process includes introducing a variation fixed to a control parameter of the internal combustion engine within a predefined limit.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the learning of the control variable includes limiting a torque absorbed by the internal combustion engine and/or a variation of a control parameter of the internal combustion engine introduced by the process.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9, wherein the learning of the control variable includes compensating for a noise introduced by a variation introduced by the process.

17. An apparatus comprising: the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9; and a computer for executing the program code.

18. An internal combustion engine integrating the apparatus according to claim 17.

19. A vehicle comprising the internal combustion engine according to claim 18.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Further purposes and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment (and of its alternative embodiments) and the drawings that are attached hereto, which are merely illustrative and non-limitative, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a time diagram illustrating the management, according to the present invention, of the active processes/devices during the operation of an internal combustion engine;

(3) FIG. 2 shows in outline the relations between the active processes of FIG. 1;

(4) FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate examples on interactions between processes in reciprocal relation among the ones indicated in FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 5 shows a functional diagram of the components defining and/or interacting with the system according to the present invention.

(6) In the figures the same reference numbers and letters identify the same elements or components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(7) In the following, a description of the system that is object of the invention is provided, such system allowing the actuation of a learning process in parallel with a non-learning process which inhibits the heat engine stop without altering the speed of rotation of the engine, namely keeping it in idle.

(8) With reference to FIG. 1, which shows a time diagram, at instant t1 a first non learning process NLP1 starts. This enables the processing of at least a learning process, but in such instant t1 no learning process is necessary.

(9) At the instant t2, subsequent to t1, a second non-learning process NLP2 starts. At the instant tL1, for example coinciding with t2, a first learning process LP1 of a value of a control variable of an engine component has to start. Such learning process LP1 can start, since the engine stop is inhibited by at least a non-learning process.

(10) At the instant tL2, subsequent to HA, a second learning process LP2 of a value of another control variable of an engine component has to start. Such learning process LP2 can start, since the engine stop is inhibited by at least a non-learning process.

(11) At the instant tend2, the second non-learning process and the first learning process LP1 have completed their respective operations and end.

(12) The second learning process LP2 continues, since it has not completed yet its operations, and it can continue since there is at least a non learning process that inhibits the engine stop.

(13) At the instant tend1, the first non-learning process has finished its operations and ends, determining the end of the inhibition of the stop means. At the instant tstop, the stop means determine the engine stop, thus the second learning process ends.

(14) According to the present invention, when only one of the non-learning process is associated to the enabling of at least a learning process, then said at least one non-learning process NLPx may inhibit the activation of another non-learning process NLP1-NLPx1, NLPx+1-NLPn that may interfere with such learning process. This happens because, as it will be clear in the following, such enabled learning process may be incompatible with other non-learning processes.

(15) If two sets are considered, as shown in FIG. 2, a first set is representative of the non-learning processes NLP and the second set is representative of the learning processes LP. Among the elements of the two sets it is possible to identify some relations.

(16) For example, the absorption of any torque from the engine may determine an engine operating condition that is incompatible with a specific learning process. Such specific learning process, on the contrary, may be unaffected by a process that is performed in idle (speed M) and at the same time enriches the mixture air/fuel and/or performs simultaneous fuel post-injections for restoring the particulate filter. Thus, such learning process may be run in parallel with a process that comprises a variation of the exhaust gas mixture, the latter being a function of the air/fuel supply mixture. In the latter case, a compatibility relation is established between a non-learning process and a learning process.

(17) According to the present invention, the compatibility relations between the learning processes and the non-learning processes are stored in the control system that is object of the present invention, which enables the learning processes that are compatible with the non-learning processes that are being performed. Subsequently, in relation to the need of performing a learning process, the enabled learning process may be or may not be activated.

(18) There may be learning processes, within certain limits, that are not affected by both a torque absorption and a variation of the engine air/fuel supply. Thus relations may be defined between the two sets in order to enable, consequently, the learning processes that are compatible with such conditions. The latter may be forced to be run or they may be run only if necessary.

(19) FIG. 2 considers all the possible relations, known from the set theory and clear to the person skilled in the art.

(20) The running of a learning process may also be subject to the verification of determined conditions.

(21) For example, for an adjustment operation of the sensor measuring the air mass, the respective learning process may be subject to the following conditions: no errors from the air mass sensor; ambient temperature within a specific interval; engine temperature within a specific interval; regenerative process not active; no water infiltrations in the sensor atmospheric pressure exceeding a predefined value.

(22) From the analysis of such conditions, it can be understood that such learning process is affected by the fuel supply to the engine, but is not affected by the absorption of a modest torque.

(23) It can be performed without any particular precaution when, for example, the compressor of the air conditioner inhibits the stop of the heat engine. In fact, especially for the heat engines having a remarkable power, the power/torque absorbed by the compressor of the air-conditioner is substantially irrelevant.

(24) According to another example, such learning process may be performed when the process of battery recharging is being performed, such process being a non-learning, variable-torque and controllable process.

(25) In general, the electric generator absorbs a torque that is inversely proportional to the charge status of the batteries. According to a preferred alternative embodiment of the present invention, when a learning process is being performed, such torque absorption may also be limited to a predetermined value, until the learning process is being performed.

(26) At the end of the learning process, such torque/power limitation ends. After that, at the end of the battery recharging, the recharging process ends the inhibition of the internal combustion engine stop. Such example may be understood also with the help of the diagram of FIG. 3, which shows that a verification and/or restoration block/process NLP1 comprises, among the possible normal inputs, an input connected to an output of a learning block/process LP1, by means of which it can control said of limitation torque absorption from the heat engine. Such solution may be applied also to those non-learning processes that modify an engine supply parameter in a controllable way.

(27) As an alternative, a learning process may monitor the torque absorption by the generator and be activated when such torque value drops below a predetermined value.

(28) According to another preferred alternative embodiment of the invention, when the vehicle is started, the efficiency of the battery recharging is verified on the battery recharging system. The generator, or its voltage regulator, may not work properly. Thus such verification process monitors the voltage level of the batteries for a predefined interval of time.

(29) Within such interval of time, a learning process may be allocated and run without altering the usual operations of the vehicle.

(30) According to a further preferred alternative embodiment of the invention, when the vehicle is hybrid, at the vehicle start, the efficiency of the electric propulsion is verified: at least the motor or the motor-generator and/or the inverter controlling the motor are verified. Such verification implies an inhibition of the heat engine stop.

(31) Within such interval of time that is necessary for such verification, a learning process may be allocated and run without altering the usual operations of the vehicle.

(32) In other words, according to the present invention, the learning processes are transparent to the usual policies managing the heat engine stop and the inhibition of such stop due to non-learning processes.

(33) The various verification and/or restoration processes described above may be managed by respective devices or by processes or threads running on one or more control units, such as for example the ECU.

(34) According to a preferred alternative embodiment of the invention, a verification and/or restoration process positively enables the performance of a learning process.

(35) According to another preferred alternative embodiment of the invention, the learning process itself monitors the status of the verification and/or restoration processes and activates when at least one of them is active.

(36) According to a further aspect of the invention, the activation of a verification and/or restoration process may represent, as said above, a noise with respect to an ideal learning condition. In relation to the type of the verification and/or restoration process at least its respective altered control parameter and the entity of the alteration are known. For example the amount of post-injected fuel in order to obtain the particulate filter regeneration is known. Such altered parameter may receive a feedback in a learning process/device LP in order to compensate such noise in the learning process. In other words, by making the latter immune to such noise.

(37) An illustrative diagram is shown in FIG. 4. The verification and/or restoration process NLP1 alters an engine control parameter. Such parameter is proportional to a value of the output of the block NLP1. The learning process LP1 comprises at least an input that is proportional to such output of the block NLP1.

(38) According to a further aspect of the invention, the interval of time of the inhibition of the heat engine stop can be estimated according to the verification and/or restoration process. Thus, if such interval is sufficient for (higher or equal to) the performance of a learning process, such learning process is enabled and/or activated, otherwise it is disabled and this deactivated.

(39) From the description set forth above it will be possible for the person skilled in the art to embody the invention with no need of describing further construction details. The elements and the characteristics described in the different preferred embodiments may be combined without departing from the scope of the present application.

(40) The present invention may advantageously be realized by means of a computer program, which comprises program code means performing one or more steps of said method, when said program is run on a computer. For this reason the scope of the present patent is meant to cover also said computer program and the computer-readable means that comprise a recorded message, such computer-readable means comprising the program code means for performing one or more steps of such method, when such program is run on a computer.