System and process for predicting and preventing pre-ignition
AssigneeFEV North America, Inc.
InventorsPatrick Haenel, Henning Kleeberg, Dean Tomazic
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process and a system for preventing pre-ignition in an internal combustion engine (ICE). The process includes providing an ICE that has a combustion chamber and an exhaust. Also provided is a total hydro-carbon (THC) sensor in communication with the combustion chamber. The THC sensor senses a THC level of the combusted gas for a given combustion cycle i (THCi) of the ICE. In the event that THCi is greater than a reference THC level (THCref), a pre-ignition countermeasure prior to an immediate subsequent combustion cycle i+1 is executed. Furthermore, the executed pre-ignition countermeasure prevents pre-ignition from occurring in the immediate subsequent combustion cycle i+1 of the ICE.
Claims15
A process for preventing pre-ignition in an internal combustion engine (ICE), the process comprising:
- providing an ICE, the ICE having a combustion chamber with an exhaust;
- providing a total hydro-carbon (THC) sensor located in the exhaust of the ICE, the THC sensor operable to detect an exhaust THC level generated in the combustion chamber;
- preventing pre-ignition of the ICE by:
- sensing a THC level from the combustion chamber for a given combustion cycle i (THCi) during operation of the ICE using the THC sensor;
- comparing the THCi level for the given combustion cycle to a reference THC level (THCref);
- and
- executing a pre-ignition countermeasure prior to an immediate subsequent combustion cycle (i+1) when THCi is determined to be greater than or equal to THCref (THCi≧THCref), wherein:
- the pre-ignition countermeasure is at least one of fuel enrichment of an air-fuel mixture injected into the combustion chamber, altering timing of injecting an air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber, altering timing of initiating a spark in the combustion chamber, altering air flow of air injected into the combustion chamber and injecting a suppressing agent/fluid into the combustion chamber;
- the executed pre-ignition countermeasure prevents pre-ignition from occurring in the immediate subsequent i+1 combustion cycle of the ICE.
A system for preventing pre-ignition in an internal combustion engine (ICE), said system comprising:
- an internal combustion having a combustion chamber, a fuel-air injection system operable to inject a fuel-air mixture into said combustion chamber and an exhaust system operable for exhaust gas from said combustion chamber to exit and flow to an outlet;
- a total hydro-carbon (THC) sensor in communication with said combustion chamber, said THC sensor operable to detect an exhaust THC level from said combustion chamber for at least one combustion cycle thereof;
- and
- an engine control unit (ECU) in communication with said fuel-air injection system and operable to control said fuel-air injection system and initiate at least one pre-ignition countermeasure;
- said ECU initiating said at least one pre-ignition countermeasure before an i+1 combustion cycle when said THC sensor detects an exhaust THC level in a previous combustion cycle i (THCi) that is greater than or equal to a pre-set THC reference value (THCref), wherein:
- said at least one pre-ignition countermeasure is at least one of fuel enrichment of an air-fuel mixture injected into said combustion chamber, altering timing of injecting an air-fuel mixture into said combustion chamber, altering air flow of air injected into the combustion chamber and injecting a suppressing agent/fluid into the combustion chamber;
- said initiation of said pre-ignition countermeasure prevents pre-ignition in said combustion chamber during said i+1 combustion cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.