Systems and methods for selectively activating engine cylinders to maintain minimum cylinder pressure

A system for controlling operations of an engine, comprising:

• a plurality of cylinders;
• a controller operatively coupled to each of the plurality of cylinders, the controller configured to:
• determine an operating condition of the engine,
• in response to determining that the operating condition is suitable for activating less then all cylinders of the plurality of cylinders during a cycle of the engine, determine a first firing pattern and a second firing pattern different from the first firing pattern for activating the plurality of cylinders of the engine,
• activate a first set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders based on the first firing pattern, and
• subsequent to activating the first set of cylinders, activate a second set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders different from the first set of cylinders based on the second firing pattern;
• wherein the plurality of cylinders include six cylinders arranged inline, and wherein the first set of cylinders activated based on the first firing pattern comprises a first cylinder, a third cylinder, and a fifth cylinder, and the second set of cylinders activated based on the second firing pattern comprises a second cylinder located between the first cylinder and the third cylinder, a fourth cylinder located between the third cylinder and the fifth cylinder, and a sixth cylinder located adjacent to the fifth cylinder.

A system for controlling operations of an engine, comprising:

• a plurality of cylinders;
• a controller operatively coupled to each of the plurality of cylinders, the controller configured to:
• determine an operating condition of the engine,
• in response to determining that the operating condition is suitable for activating less then all cylinders of the plurality of cylinders during a cycle of the engine, determine a first firing pattern and a second firing pattern different from the first firing pattern for activating the plurality of cylinders of the engine,
• activate a first set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders based on the first firing pattern, and
• subsequent to activating the first set of cylinders, activate a second set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders different from the first set of cylinders based on the second firing pattern;
• wherein the plurality of cylinders include six cylinders arranged inline, and wherein the first set of cylinders activated based on the first firing pattern comprises a first cylinder, a second cylinder, and a third cylinder that are located adjacent to each other, and the second set of cylinders activated based on the second firing pattern comprises a fourth cylinder, a fifth cylinder, and a sixth cylinder that are located adjacent to each other.

A method for controlling operation of an engine comprising a plurality of cylinders, the method comprising:

• determining, by a controller, an operating condition of the engine;
• in response to determining that the operating condition is suitable for activating less then all cylinders of the plurality of cylinders during a cycle of the engine, determining, by the controller, a first firing pattern and a second firing pattern different from the first firing pattern for activating the plurality of cylinders of the engine;
• activating, by the controller, a first set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders based on the first firing pattern for a first number of cycles;
• and
• subsequent to activating the first set of cylinders, activating, by the controller, a second set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders different from the first set of cylinders based on the second firing pattern for a second number of cycles, different from the first number of cycles.

A method for controlling operation of an engine comprising a plurality of cylinders, the method comprising:

• determining, by a controller, an operating condition of the engine;
• in response to determining that the operating condition is suitable for activating less then all cylinders of the plurality of cylinders during a cycle of the engine, determining, by the controller, a first firing pattern and a second firing pattern different from the first firing pattern for activating the plurality of cylinders of the engine;
• activating, by the controller, a first set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders based on the first firing pattern;
• and
• subsequent to activating the first set of cylinders, activating, by the controller, a second set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders different from the first set of cylinders based on the second firing pattern;
• wherein the plurality of cylinders include six cylinders arranged inline, and wherein the first set of cylinders activated based on the first firing pattern comprises a first cylinder, a third cylinder, and a fifth cylinder, and the second set of cylinders activated based on the second firing pattern comprises a second cylinder located between the first cylinder and the third cylinder, a fourth cylinder located between the third cylinder and the fifth cylinder, and a sixth cylinder located adjacent to the fifth cylinder.

A method for controlling operation of an engine comprising a plurality of cylinders, the method comprising:

• determining, by a controller, an operating condition of the engine;
• in response to determining that the operating condition is suitable for activating less then all cylinders of the plurality of cylinders during a cycle of the engine, determining, by the controller, a first firing pattern and a second firing pattern different from the first firing pattern for activating the plurality of cylinders of the engine;
• activating, by the controller, a first set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders based on the first firing pattern;
• and
• subsequent to activating the first set of cylinders, activating, by the controller, a second set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders different from the first set of cylinders based on the second firing pattern;
• wherein the plurality of cylinders include six cylinders arranged inline, and wherein the first set of cylinders activated based on the first firing pattern comprises a first cylinder, a second cylinder, and a third cylinder that are located adjacent to each other, and the second set of cylinders activated based on the second firing pattern comprises a fourth cylinder, a fifth cylinder, and a sixth cylinder that are located adjacent to each other.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling operation of an engine comprising a plurality of cylinders, having processor-readable instructions stored thereon, such that when executed by a processor of a controller, causes the controller to perform operations, the operations comprising:

• determining an operating condition of the engine;
• in response to determining that the operating condition is suitable for activating less then all cylinders of the plurality of cylinders during a cycle of the engine, determining a first firing pattern and a second firing pattern different from the first firing pattern for activating the plurality of cylinders of the engine;
• activating a first set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders based on the first firing pattern for a first number of cycles;
• and
• subsequent to activating the first set of cylinders, activating a second set of cylinders of the plurality of cylinders different from the first set of cylinders based on the second firing pattern for a second number of cycles, different from the first number of cycles.