# US 2018/0023530 A1 · Ignition timing control device for internal combustion engine

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- Number: US 2018/0023530 A1
- Document ID: US20180023530A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/642,429
- Filed: 2017-07-06
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-19
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yoshitsugu SHINOHARA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180023530A1

## CPC

- F02P 5/15: Digital data processing
- F02D 19/061: {by controlling fuel injectors}
- F02D 19/0692: {Arrangement of multiple injectors per combustion chamber}
- F02D 19/084: {Blends of gasoline and alcohols, e.g. E85}
- F02D 19/087: {with determination of densities, viscosities, composition, concentration or mixture ratios of fuels}
- F02D 37/02: one of the functions being ignition
- F02D 41/0025: {Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures}
- F02M 37/0064: {for engines being fed with multiple fuels or fuels having special properties, e.g. bio-fuels; varying the fuel composition (controlling engines working with pluralities of fuels F02D19/06)}
- F02P 5/1502: {using one central computing unit}
- F02P 5/1527: {with means allowing burning of two or more fuels, e.g. super or normal, premium or regular}
- F02D 2200/0611: Fuel type, fuel composition or fuel quality
- Y02T 10/30: Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
- Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems
- F02P: IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES ({anti-pollution means for internal-combustion engines F02B17/00}; specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines F02B53/12; {ignition of gas turbine plants F02C7/26; ignition of jet propulsion plants F02K9/95; starting of combustion engines F02N9/00}; ignition of combustion apparatus in general, glowing plugs F23Q; measuring of physical variables in general G01; controlling in general G05; data processing in general G06; electrical components in general see Section H; {ignition coils H01F38/12}; sparking plugs H01T13/00)
- 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
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

An ignition timing control device for an internal combustion engine including: a setting unit configured to set a target ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on a reference ignition timing and an advance correction amount; a start determination unit configured to determine, based on change in an alcohol concentration, whether or not the fuel injected from a fuel injection valve starts to switch from a first fuel to a second fuel higher in the alcohol concentration than the first fuel; a completion determination unit configured to determine whether or not switching to the second fuel is completed; a restriction unit configured to restrict the advance correction amount during a switching period to the advance correction amount corresponding to the alcohol concentration of the first fuel or lower; and a cancel unit configured to cancel restriction of the advance correction amount after the completion of the switching is determined.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An ignition timing control device for an internal combustion engine configured to use a fuel containing alcohol, the internal combustion engine including
a fuel injection valve,
a delivery pipe configured to supply the fuel to the fuel injection valve,
a fuel pipe configured to communicate with the delivery pipe,
a fuel tank, and
an alcohol concentration sensor provided to one of the fuel pipe and the fuel tank, the alcohol concentration sensor being configured to detect a concentration of alcohol in the fuel,
the ignition timing control device comprising
an electronic control unit configured to:
acquire an operating state of the internal combustion engine;
acquire the concentration of alcohol in the fuel based on the alcohol concentration detected with the alcohol concentration sensor;
calculate a reference ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the operating state;
calculate an advance correction amount of an ignition timing such that an advance amount of the ignition timing increases more as the alcohol concentration is higher;
set a target ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the reference ignition timing and the advance correction amount;
determine, based on change in the alcohol concentration, whether or not the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve starts to switch from a first fuel to a second fuel higher in the alcohol concentration than the first fuel;
determine whether or not the first fuel remaining in the fuel pipe and the delivery pipe is consumed and switching from the first fuel to the second fuel is completed;
restrict the advance correction amount, during a period from a time when the start of the switching is determined to a time when the completion of the switching is determined, to an advance correction amount corresponding to the alcohol concentration of the first fuel or lower; and
cancel restriction of the advance correction amount after the completion of the switching is determined.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ignition timing control device according to claim 1, wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether or not switching from the first fuel to the second fuel is completed based on i) a content volume of a portion of the fuel pipe positioned downstream from the alcohol concentration sensor and the delivery pipe and ii) an integrated value of a fuel injection amount of the fuel injection valve after the start of the switching is determined.

### Claim 3

An ignition timing control device for an internal combustion engine configured to use a fuel containing alcohol, the internal combustion engine including
a fuel injection valve,
a delivery pipe configured to supply the fuel to the fuel injection valve,
a fuel pipe configured to communicate with the delivery pipe,
a fuel tank, and
an alcohol concentration sensor provided to one of the fuel pipe and the fuel tank, the alcohol concentration sensor being configured to detect a concentration of alcohol in the fuel,
the ignition timing control device comprising
an electronic control unit configured to:
acquire an operating state of the internal combustion engine;
acquire the concentration of alcohol in the fuel based on the alcohol concentration detected with the alcohol concentration sensor;
calculate a reference ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the operating state;
calculate an advance correction amount of an ignition timing such that an advance amount of the ignition timing increases more as the alcohol concentration is higher;
set a target ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the reference ignition timing and the advance correction amount;
determine, based on change in the alcohol concentration, whether or not the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve starts to switch from a first fuel to a third fuel that is lower in the alcohol concentration than the first fuel;
determine whether or not the first fuel remaining in the fuel pipe and the delivery pipe is consumed and switching from the first fuel to the third fuel is completed;
restrict the advance correction amount, during a period from a time when the start of the switching is determined to a time when the completion of the switching is determined, to an advance correction amount in a case of the alcohol concentration being zero; and
cancel restriction of the advance correction amount after the completion of the switching is determined.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The ignition timing control device according to claim 3, wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether or not switching from the first fuel to the third fuel is completed based on i) a content volume of a portion of the fuel pipe positioned downstream from the alcohol concentration sensor and the delivery pipe and ii) an integrated value of a fuel injection amount of the fuel injection valve after the start of the switching is determined.