# US 2019/0170080 A1 · Control device for internal combustion engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0170080 A1 - Document ID: US20190170080A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/270,776 - Filed: 2019-02-08 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-24 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Masahiro YOKOI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190170080A1 ## CPC - F02D 41/38: of the high pressure type - F01N 3/0253: {adding fuel to exhaust gases} - F01N 3/20: specially adapted for catalytic conversion (F01N3/22 takes precedence) - F01N 11/00: Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus - F02D 41/0062: {Estimating, calculating or determining the internal EGR rate, amount or flow} - F02D 41/0245: {by increasing temperature of the exhaust gas leaving the engine} - F02D 41/04: Introducing corrections for particular operating conditions (F02D41/14 takes precedence) - F02D 41/1444: {characterised by the characteristics of the combustion gases} - F02D 41/145: {with determination means using an estimation} - F02D 41/402: {Multiple injections} - F01N 2430/06: by varying fuel-air ratio, e.g. by enriching fuel-air mixture - F01N 2560/06: the means being a temperature sensor - F01N 2560/08: the means being a pressure sensor - F01N 2900/1404: Exhaust gas temperature - F01N 2900/1406: Exhaust gas pressure - F01N 2900/1602: Temperature of exhaust gas apparatus - F02D 41/3818: {for petrol engines} - F02D 2041/001: {for engines with variable valve actuation} - F02D 2041/389: {for injecting directly into the cylinder} - F02D 2200/0602: Fuel pressure - F02D 2200/0614: Actual fuel mass or fuel injection amount - F02D 2250/34: Control of exhaust back pressure, e.g. for turbocharged engines - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems - 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) - 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) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A fuel injection valve is for injecting fuel to cause combustion in an internal combustion engine. An injection rate adjuster is for adjusting an injection rate of the fuel injected by the fuel injection valve. A control device for the internal combustion engine includes a signal generator, and an outputter. The signal generator generates a command signal to cause the injection rate adjuster to adjust the injection rate based on a parameter, which is to estimate an internal EGR amount in which a part of exhaust gas remains in a cylinder. The outputter outputs the command signal to the injection rate adjuster. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control device for an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including a fuel injection valve, which is for injecting fuel to be burned in an internal combustion engine, and an injection rate adjuster, which is to adjust an injection rate of the fuel injected by the fuel injection valve, the control device comprising: a signal generator configured to generate a command signal, which is to cause the injection rate adjuster to adjust the injection rate, based on a parameter, which is for estimating an internal EGR amount of a part of exhaust gas remaining in a cylinder; and an outputter configured to output the command signal, which is generated by the signal generator, to the injection rate adjuster. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is a downstream portion exhaust gas pressure, which is a pressure of the exhaust gas flowing in a downstream portion of an exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The control device according to claim 2, wherein the signal generator is configured to generate the command signal to cause the injection rate adjuster to adjust the injection rate to be lower as the downstream portion exhaust gas pressure is lower when the internal combustion engine is in a low load operation state. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The control device according to claim 2, further comprising: a fuel injection controller configured to cause the fuel injection valve to perform divided injection in which a required injection amount of the fuel, which is to be injected into one cylinder during one combustion cycle period, is divided into a plurality of amounts for a plurality of fuel injections, respectively and in which the fuel injections are made; wherein the signal generator is configured to generate the command signal to cause the injection rate adjuster to adjust the injection rate to be lower as the downstream portion exhaust gas pressure is lower when the fuel injection controller performs the divided injection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The control device according to claim 4, wherein the internal combustion engine is provided with a catalyst device to purify the exhaust gas, the control device further comprising: a catalyst warming-up controller configured to perform a catalyst warming-up control to increase a temperature of the exhaust gas on condition that a temperature of the catalyst device does not reach a catalyst activation temperature, wherein the fuel injection controller is configured to perform the divided injection when the catalyst warming-up controller performs the catalyst warming-up control. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The control device according to claim 2, wherein the internal combustion engine includes a supercharger to supercharge an intake air. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The control device according to claim 6, wherein the internal combustion engine includes a catalyst device to purify the exhaust gas downstream of the supercharger, and the control device further comprising: a pressure loss calculator configured to calculate a pressure loss of the exhaust gas caused when passing through the catalyst device; a downstream exhaust gas pressure calculator configured to calculate a supercharger downstream exhaust gas pressure, which is a pressure of the exhaust gas flowing downstream of the supercharger and upstream of the catalyst device, based on a sum of an absolute value of the pressure loss, which is calculated by the pressure loss calculator, and an atmospheric pressure; a pressure ratio setter configured to set a pressure ratio of a pressure of the exhaust gas, which flows downstream of the exhaust valve in the internal combustion engine and upstream of the supercharger, to the supercharger downstream exhaust gas pressure based on a flow rate of the exhaust gas flowing in the supercharger; and a downstream portion exhaust gas pressure calculator configured to calculate, as the downstream portion exhaust gas pressure, a pressure of the exhaust gas, which flows in the downstream of the exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine and in the upstream of the supercharger, based on the pressure ratio set by the pressure ratio setter and the supercharger downstream exhaust gas pressure calculated by the downstream exhaust gas pressure calculator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the injection rate adjuster is a fuel pressure adjuster configured to adjust the pressure of the fuel to be supplied to the fuel injection valve. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The control device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined low load operation state corresponds to an operation state of the internal combustion engine in which a required injection amount, which is a fuel injection amount required for the fuel injection valve, is equal to or less than a lower limit value of the required injection amount at which the fuel injection valve is enabled to control a fuel injection amount with a higher accuracy than a predetermined accuracy at a current pressure of the fuel supplied to the fuel injection valve. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the internal combustion engine is of a direct injection type in which the fuel is directly injected from the fuel injection valve into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. ### Claim 11 A control device for an internal combustion engine, the control device comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to perform: acquiring a parameter, which is for estimating an internal EGR amount of a part of exhaust gas, which remains in a cylinder; and generating a command signal based on the parameter to cause adjustment of an injection rate of fuel injected by a fuel injection valve. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The control device according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to further perform: acquiring, as the parameter, a downstream portion exhaust gas pressure, which is a pressure of exhaust gas flowing in a downstream portion of an exhaust valve of the internal combustion engine; and reducing a fuel pressure of the fuel supplied to the fuel injection valve to reduce the injection rate, as the downstream portion exhaust gas pressure is lower. ### Claim 13 A method for controlling an internal combustion engine, the method comprising: acquiring a parameter, which is for estimating an internal EGR amount of a part of exhaust gas, which remains in a cylinder; and generating a command signal based on the parameter to cause adjustment of an injection rate of fuel injected by a fuel injection valve.