Feedback control for auto-ignition two-stage combustion of gasoline in engine cylinder

A system for controlling an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a piston located in the cylinder, comprising:

• a fuel injection system performing a split injection of gasoline fuel for one cycle to create stratified charge in the cylinder;
• a sensor generating a sensor signal indicative of combustion event timing of the stratified charge;
• and
• a controller determining an actual value of a characteristic parameter representing combustion event timing in the cylinder from the sensor signal, and modifying at least one operating variables governing a split injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the characteristic parameter and a target value thereof toward zero.

A method for controlling an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a piston located in the cylinder, comprising:

• performing a split injection of gasoline fuel for one cycle to create stratified charge in the cylinder;
• generating a sensor signal indicative of combustion event timing of the stratified charge;
• establishing a target value of a characteristic parameter representing combustion event timing in the cylinder;
• determining an actual value of the characteristic parameter representing combustion event timing of the stratified charge from the sensor signal;
• and
• modifying at least one operating variables governing a split injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the characteristic parameter and the target value thereof toward zero.

A system for controlling an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a piston located in the cylinder, comprising:

• means for performing a split injection of gasoline fuel for one cycle to create stratified charge in the cylinder;
• means for generating a sensor signal indicative of combustion event timing of the stratified charge;
• means for determining an actual value of a characteristic parameter representing combustion event timing in the cylinder from the sensor signal;
• and
• means for modifying at least one operating variables governing a split injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the characteristic parameter and a target value thereof toward zero.

A computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by an engine controller to control an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine, the engine having at least one cylinder and a piston located in the cylinder, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

• instructions for establishing a target value of a characteristic parameter representing combustion event timing in the cylinder;
• determining an actual value of the characteristic parameter representing combustion event timing of stratified charge produced by a split injection for one cycle of gasoline into the cylinder;
• and
• modifying at least one operating variables governing a split injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the characteristic parameter and the target value thereof toward zero.

An auto-ignition type internal combustion engine, comprising:

• at least one cylinder;
• a reciprocating piston located in the cylinder;
• a fuel injection system performing injection of gasoline fuel for one cycle to create stratified charge in the cylinder,
• wherein the stratified charge created in the cylinder includes a rich air/gasoline mixture portion within a lean air/gasoline mixture remaining portion, the rich air/gasoline mixture being rich enough to burn by auto-ignition at an ignition point, causing temperature rise and pressure rise, which initiates auto-ignition of the lean air/gasoline mixture remaining portion;
• a sensor generating a sensor signal indicative of combustion event of said created stratified charge in the cylinder;
• and
• an engine controller determining an actual value of a start of combustion of the lean air/gasoline mixture remaining portion from the sensor signal, and modifying at least one operating variable governing injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the start of combustion and a target value thereof toward zero.

An auto-ignition type internal combustion engine comprising:

• at least one cylinder;
• a reciprocating piston disposed in said cylinder to define a combustion chamber therein to perform an intake stroke, a compression stroke, an expansion stroke, and an exhaust stroke;
• a fuel injection system including a fuel injector directly communicating with said combustion chamber for spraying gasoline fuel;
• an engine controller providing a control arrangement such that said fuel injector sprays a first injection quantity of gasoline fuel into said combustion chamber at a first fuel injection timing, which falls in a range from the intake stroke to the first half of the compression stroke, thereby to form an air/fuel mixture cloud that becomes a body of mixture as said piston moves from said first fuel injection timing toward a top dead center position of the compression stroke, and such that said fuel injector sprays a second injection quantity of gasoline fuel into said body of mixture at a second fuel injection timing, which falls in the second half of the compression stroke, forming a mixture cloud that is superimposed on a portion of said body of mixture, thereby to establish the cylinder content wherein the density of fuel particles within said superimposed portion is high enough to burn by auto-ignition at an ignition point in the neighborhood of the piston top dead center position of the compression stroke, causing temperature rise and pressure rise, which initiate auto-ignition of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture;
• and
• a sensor generating a sensor signal indicative of a combustion event taking place in the cylinder, said engine controller determining an actual value of a start of combustion of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture from the sensor signal and modifying at least one of operating variables governing injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the start of combustion and a target value thereof toward zero.

A system for controlling an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a reciprocating piston located in the cylinder, comprising:

• a fuel injection system including a fuel injector directly communicating with said combustion chamber for spraying gasoline fuel;
• an engine controller providing a control arrangement such that said fuel injector sprays a first injection quantity of gasoline fuel into said combustion chamber at first fuel injection timing, which falls in a range from the intake stroke to the first half of the compression stroke, thereby to form an air/fuel mixture cloud that becomes a body of mixture as said piston moves from said first fuel injection timing toward a top dead center position of the compression stroke, and such that said fuel injector sprays a second injection quantity of gasoline fuel into said body of mixture at second fuel injection timing, which falls in the second half of the compression stroke, forming a mixture cloud that is superimposed on a portion of said body of mixture, thereby to establish the cylinder content wherein the density of fuel particles within said superimposed portion is high enough to burn by auto-ignition at an ignition point in the neighborhood of the piston top dead center position of the compression stroke, causing temperature rise and pressure rise, which initiate auto-ignition of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture;
• and
• a sensor generating a sensor signal indicative of a combustion event taking place in the cylinder,
• wherein said engine controller determining an actual value of a start of combustion of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture from the sensor signal and modifying at least one of operating variables governing injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the start of combustion and a target value thereof toward zero.

A method for controlling an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a reciprocating piston located in the cylinder, comprising:

• performing a split injection of gasoline fuel for one cycle by:
• spraying a first injection quantity of gasoline fuel into the combustion chamber at a first fuel injection timing, which falls in a range from the intake stroke to the first half of the compression stroke, thereby to form an air/fuel mixture cloud that becomes a body of mixture as said piston moves from said first fuel injection timing toward a top dead center position of the compression stroke, and
• spraying a second injection quantity of gasoline fuel into said body of mixture at a second fuel injection timing, which falls in the second half of the compression stroke, forming a mixture cloud that is superimposed on a portion of said body of mixture, thereby to establish the cylinder content wherein the density of fuel particles within said superimposed portion is high enough to burn by auto-ignition at an ignition point in the neighborhood of the piston top dead center position of the compression stroke, causing temperature rise and pressure rise, which initiate auto-ignition of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture;
• generating a sensor signal indicative of a combustion event taking place in the cylinder;
• determining an actual value of a start of combustion of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture from the sensor signal;
• and
• modifying at least one of operating variables governing injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the start of combustion and a target value thereof toward zero.

A system for controlling an auto-ignition type internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a reciprocating piston located in the cylinder, comprising:

• means for performing a split injection of gasoline fuel for one cycle by:
• spraying a first injection quantity of gasoline fuel into the combustion chamber at a first fuel injection timing, which falls in a range from the intake stroke to the first half of the compression stroke, thereby to form air/fuel mixture cloud that becomes a body of mixture as said piston moves from said first fuel injection timing toward a top dead center position of the compression stroke, and
• spraying a second injection quantity of gasoline fuel into said body of mixture at a second fuel injection timing, which falls in the second half of the compression stroke, forming a mixture cloud that is superimposed on a portion of said body of mixture, thereby to establish the cylinder content wherein the density of fuel particles within said superimposed portion is high enough to burn by auto-ignition at an ignition point in the neighborhood of the piston top dead center position of the compression stroke, causing temperature rise and pressure rise, which initiate auto-ignition of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture;
• means for generating a sensor signal indicative of a combustion event taking place in the cylinder;
• means for determining an actual value of a start of combustion of the fuel particles within the remaining portion of said body of mixture from the sensor signal;
• and
• means for modifying at least one of operating variables governing injection for the subsequent cycle in such a direction as to decrease a deviation between the actual value of the start of combustion and a target value thereof toward zero.