Variable engine braking for thermal management
AssigneeCummins Inc.
InventorsTimothy Shipp, David Langenderfer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An internal combustion engine system includes an engine with a plurality of pistons housed in respective ones of a plurality of cylinders, an air intake system to provide air to the plurality of cylinders through respective ones of a plurality of intake valves, an exhaust system to release exhaust gas from the plurality of cylinders through respective one of a plurality of exhaust valves, an aftertreatment system to treat exhaust emission from the engine, and a controller coupled to at least one sensor and configured to control a variable valve actuation mechanism to provide variable engine braking for thermal management.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- operating an internal combustion engine system including an internal combustion engine with a plurality of cylinders that receive a charge flow from an intake system, the internal combustion engine system further including an exhaust system for receiving exhaust gas produced by combustion of a fuel provided to at least a portion of the plurality of cylinders from a fuelling system, and at least one of a turbine and an aftertreatment device in the exhaust system;
- and
- in response to an engine braking condition associated with the internal combustion engine, varying a braking power at a given speed of the internal combustion engine by modulating a timing of at least one of an exhaust valve opening and an exhaust valve closing of one or more of the plurality of cylinders relative to top dead center of a compression stroke of a piston in the one or more cylinders to increase a thermal output of the engine.
A system, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders that receive a charge flow from an intake system, an exhaust system for receiving exhaust gas produced by combustion of a fuel provided to at least a portion of the plurality of cylinders from a fuelling system, and at least one of a turbine and an aftertreatment device in the exhaust system;
- a plurality of sensors operable to provide signals indicating operating conditions of the system;
- a variable valve actuation mechanism configured to control an opening and closing timing of exhaust valves associated with the plurality of cylinders;
- and
- a controller connected to the plurality of sensors operable to interpret one or more signals from the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller, in response to an engine braking request based on the one or more signals, is configured to control the variable valve actuation mechanism to vary a braking power of the internal combustion engine at a given engine speed by modulating a timing of at least one of an exhaust valve opening and an exhaust valve closing of one or more of the plurality of cylinders relative to top dead center of a compression stroke of a piston in the one or more cylinders.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a controller for connection to a plurality of sensors configured to interpret signals from the plurality of sensors associated with operation of an internal combustion engine, wherein the controller is further configured to provide an engine braking command to vary a braking power of the internal combustion engine at a given engine speed by modulating a timing of at least one of an exhaust valve opening and an exhaust valve closing during a compression stroke of the internal combustion engine in response to an engine braking request that is based on one or more signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.