# US 2014/0196699 A1 · Method and system for vacuum control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196699 A1 - Document ID: US20140196699A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/743,262 - Filed: 2013-01-16 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-16 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Joseph Norman Ulrey; Thomas G. Leone; William Charles Ruona; Gopichandra Surnilla; Ross Dykstra Pursifull; John D. Russell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196699A1 ## CPC - F01N 3/2006: {Periodically heating or cooling catalytic reactors, e.g. at cold starting or overheating (by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235)} - B60T 17/02: Arrangements of pumps or compressors, or control devices therefor - F01N 5/02: the devices using heat - F02D 9/04: concerning exhaust conduits (throttle valves, or arrangements thereof in conduits F02D9/08) - F02D 41/0077: {Control of the EGR valve or actuator, e.g. duty cycle, closed loop control of position (EGR valve position sensor F02M26/48)} - F02D 41/064: {at cold start (F02D41/067 takes precedence)} - F02M 26/05: High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor - F02M 26/06: Low pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust downstream of the turbocharger turbine and reintroduced into the intake system upstream of the compressor - F02M 26/15: in relation to engine exhaust purifying apparatus - F01N 3/10: by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust - F01N 2240/36: an exhaust flap - F01N 2260/14: for modifying or adapting flow area or back-pressure - F01N 2470/30: Tubes with restrictions, i.e. venturi or the like, e.g. for sucking air or measuring mass flow - F02B 37/00: Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust - F02G 5/02: Profiting from waste heat of exhaust gases - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F02G: HOT GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT ENGINE PLANTS (steam engine plants, special vapour plants, plants operating on either hot gas or combustion-product gases together with other fluid F01K; gas-turbine plants F02C; jet-propulsion plants F02K); USE OF WASTE HEAT OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Methods and systems are provided for controlling and coordinating control of a post-catalyst exhaust throttle and an EGR valve to expedite catalyst heating. By closing both valves during an engine cold start, an elevated exhaust backpressure and increased heat rejection at an EGR cooler can be synergistically used to warm each of an engine and an exhaust catalyst. The valves may also be controlled to vary an amount of exhaust flowing through an exhaust venturi so as to meet engine vacuum needs while providing a desired amount of engine EGR. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for an engine, comprising: while recirculating an amount of exhaust gas to an engine intake, closing a post-catalyst exhaust throttle to increase vacuum generation at an exhaust ejector; and closing an EGR valve to maintain the amount of exhaust gas recirculation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the closing a post-catalyst exhaust throttle is based on an engine vacuum need and wherein the closing an EGR valve is based on the closing of the exhaust throttle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the EGR valve is included in an EGR passage coupling an engine exhaust, upstream of the exhaust throttle, to the engine intake, and wherein the EGR passage includes an EGR cooler coupled downstream of a juncture of the EGR passage and the engine exhaust and upstream of the EGR valve. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the exhaust ejector is located in a bypass passage coupling the EGR passage, downstream of the EGR cooler, to the engine exhaust, downstream of the exhaust throttle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein closing the post-catalyst throttle to increase vacuum generation at the exhaust ejector includes flowing a portion of the amount of exhaust gas through the EGR cooler and then through the exhaust ejector, and drawing vacuum generated by the flowing exhaust at the ejector. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the ejector is coupled to a vacuum actuator, and wherein the closing of the exhaust throttle is performed in response to actuation of the vacuum actuator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein recirculating an amount of exhaust gas to an engine intake includes shifting the EGR valve to a more open position, the more open position based on engine operating conditions, and wherein closing the EGR valve includes shifting the EGR valve from the more open position to a more closed position, the more closed position based on the throttle closing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein closing the EGR valve includes fully closing the EGR valve and wherein closing the throttle includes fully closing the throttle. ### Claim 9 A method for an engine, comprising: operating the engine with exhaust gas recirculation; and in response to a vacuum requirement, reducing an opening of each of a post-catalyst exhaust throttle and an EGR valve to increase exhaust flow through an EGR cooler and then through an exhaust ejector; and drawing vacuum at the ejector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the reduction in opening of the exhaust throttle is based on the vacuum requirement and wherein the reduction in opening of the EGR valve is based on the reduction in opening of the exhaust throttle to maintain an amount of exhaust gas recirculation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein operating the engine with exhaust gas recirculation includes recirculating the amount of catalyst-treated exhaust gas from upstream of the exhaust throttle to an engine intake via an EGR passage, the EGR passage including the EGR cooler upstream of the EGR valve. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising, monitoring an exhaust temperature during the reducing, and in response to the exhaust temperature rising above a threshold temperature, increasing the opening of each of the exhaust throttle and the EGR valve. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising, monitoring an exhaust backpressure upstream of the exhaust throttle during the reducing, and in response to the exhaust backpressure rising above a threshold pressure, increasing the opening of each of the exhaust throttle and the EGR valve. ### Claim 14 An engine system, comprising: an engine including an intake and an exhaust; a throttle downstream of a catalyst in the engine exhaust; an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system including an EGR take-off for recirculating catalyst-treated exhaust gas from upstream of the exhaust throttle to the engine intake, the EGR take-off including an EGR cooler upstream of an EGR valve, and a bypass passage coupling an outlet of the EGR cooler with the engine exhaust, downstream of the exhaust throttle, the bypass passage including an ejector; and a controller with computer readable instructions for: operating the engine system in a first EGR mode with the exhaust throttle more open to recirculate a portion of exhaust gas to the engine intake while directing a first, smaller amount of exhaust gas through the EGR cooler and then through the ejector; and operating the engine system in a second EGR mode with the exhaust throttle more closed to recirculate the portion of exhaust gas to the engine intake while directing a second, larger amount of exhaust gas through the EGR cooler and then through the ejector. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein when operating in the first EGR mode, the EGR valve is more open, the opening of the EGR valve based on the portion of exhaust gas recirculated to the engine intake, and wherein when operating in the second EGR mode, the EGR valve is more closed, the closing of the EGR valve based on the closing of the exhaust throttle to maintain recirculation of the portion of exhaust gas to the engine intake. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the controller includes further instructions for drawing vacuum at the ejector when operating in each of the first and second EGR modes, a larger amount of vacuum drawn at the ejector when operating in the second EGR mode as compared to the first EGR mode, the vacuum used by one or more engine vacuum actuators coupled to the ejector. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the controller includes further instructions for transitioning the engine system from operating in the first mode to operating in the second mode in response to an increase in vacuum requirement by the one or more engine vacuum actuators. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the controller includes further instructions for: operating the engine system in a third non-EGR mode with each of the throttle and the EGR valve fully closed to direct a third amount of exhaust gas through the EGR cooler and then through the ejector, the third amount higher than each of the first and second amount, wherein the engine system is operated in the third mode in response to an engine temperature being lower than a threshold temperature. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the controller includes further instructions for transitioning from the third mode to the first mode in response to the engine temperature being higher than the threshold temperature. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein when transitioning from the third mode to the first mode, an opening of the exhaust throttle is increased as an EGR cooler outlet temperature increases, and an opening of the EGR valve is increased as an engine EGR requirement increases.