FR2870890A1 - Control operations activation method for control apparatus of e.g. diesel engine, involves allowing control mode when operation indicator exceeds comparison value, and passing to control operation if other control conditions are performed - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves forming an operation indicator depending on an operation of an internal combustion engine, allowing a control mode when the indicator exceeds a comparison value, and passing to a control operation if the other control conditions are performed. The operation indicator is deduced from an operation time and/or output provided by the engine. The output provided by the internal combustion engine is determined from a certain number of rotations of the engine or mileage of a vehicle equipped with the engine. One of the control conditions is the operation of the engine in a thrust mode. An independent claim is also included for a control apparatus to control an internal combustion engine.

Description

Field of the invention

  The present invention relates to a method of activating learning operations of a control apparatus of an internal combustion engine.

  The invention also relates to a control apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine comprising means for activating the learning operations.

  STATE OF THE ART According to DE 19945618 A1, control devices are already known for performing learning operations. These learning operations are performed with measurement values collected on the internal combustion engine to obtain learning values used for subsequent control or regulation of the internal combustion engine. Such learning operations are frequently done according to certain operating states of the internal combustion engine. Only in certain operating states of the internal combustion engine, hereinafter referred to as learning conditions, can one have a learning operation. An example of such a learning condition is for example the operation of the internal combustion engine in thrust mode. During this mode of thrust, by the injection of small quantities of fuel and the observation of the corresponding variation of the speed of the internal combustion engine, it is possible to determine from which minimum command signal a fuel injection will be produced. This learning operation called calibration of the zero dose is done in the usual processes or usual control devices whenever, as a condition of learning, the cutting of the propulsion is performed. DESCRIPTION AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of the type defined above, characterized in that an operating indicator is formed which depends on an operation of the internal combustion engine, and in the event of the indicator being exceeded. With respect to a first comparison value, a learning mode is enabled, and in the case of the authorized learning mode, a learning operation is switched on if other learning conditions are fulfilled.

  The invention also relates to a control apparatus of the type defined above, characterized in that the means for forming an operating indicator are formed according to the operation of the internal combustion engine, in case of exceeding the operating indicator of a first value of comparison, the means allow a learning mode, and in case of authorized learning mode, the means trigger a learning operation if other learning conditions are met.

  The method and the control apparatus according to the invention offer the advantage vis-à-vis the state of the art of optimizing the number of learning operations. On the one hand, a sufficient number of learning operations are guaranteed while at the same time guaranteeing that no more learning operations are required than is necessary for the correct operation of the internal combustion engine.

  The operation indicator can be deduced from a running time and / or work provided by the internal combustion engine. In particular, we can have complex indicators deduced at the same time from the operating time of the work provided.

  A simple value of the work of the internal combustion engine can be the number of rotations of the internal combustion engine or the mileage of the vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine.

  The comparison value is obtained in a particularly simple manner using information stored in the control device. It may be for example a simple counter. Furthermore, by means of a plausibility check of this stored information, it is possible to determine very simply whether the control device has been exchanged or whether the information has been distorted.

  Preferably, if the comparison value is determined by information stored in the control device, and when the operating indicator is exceeded with respect to a second comparison value, the information in memory is replaced by new information, the new information represents, according to the operating indicator, the following operation of the internal combustion engine. In addition, a third comparison value is advantageously determined from information stored in the control unit, the operating indicator is compared with the third comparison value and when the operating indicator is exceeded. below the third comparison value, the data in memory is reduced to an initial value.

  According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, a learning cycle counter records a value indicating how many times a learning operation has taken place, comparing the number of allowed learning cycles with the state of the training counter. learning cycles, the learning mode is allowed if the number of allowed learning cycles is greater than the state of the learning cycle counter, and if the operating indicator is exceeded. beyond a first comparison value, the number of authorized work cycles is formed by adding other learning cycles to the state of the learning cycle counter. Preferably for a first commissioning of the control apparatus a first learning value is provided and the learning mode will be allowed if the state of the learning cycle counter is lower than the first learning value.

  By using a counter of learning cycles it is possible to control in a particularly simple way the progress of the release of the learning mode. If, moreover, the number of authorized learning cycles is formed from the number of learning cycles already executed, this ensures that there will be no catch-up of unrealized learning operations and which would be very old.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, a counter counts the learning cycles released so as to allow the learning mode if the counter of the released learning cycles contains a value greater than zero, and in case of exceeding the indicator of operation beyond the first comparison value, the counter is set to a predetermined value for the released learning cycles.

  In this case, the counter is preferably set at a start value for the learning cycles released when the control unit is first put into operation.

  Thanks to a first learning value for the first start-up of the control unit, it is ensured that during this initial commissioning there will be a sufficient number of first learning operations.

  As a variant or in addition to the method according to the invention the means for forming an operating indicator are produced according to the operation of the internal combustion engine, the means compare the value of the operating indicator to a value in memory of an indicator. for which there was previously a learning, the means allow a learning mode if the difference between the operation indicator and the indicator in memory exceeds a comparison value, and in case of learning mode authorized, we proceed to a new learning operation if other learning conditions are fulfilled. Drawings The present invention will be described hereinafter in more detail with the aid of exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 schematically shows an internal combustion engine equipped with a control apparatus, - Figures 2 to 8 show learning operations performed in the control device.

  Description of embodiments

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder 1. The cylinder 1 is equipped with a pis-ton 2. The combustion chamber 3 of the cylinder 1 is supplied by means not shown with air and by the injection means 7 is injected into this air a fuel such as gasoline or gas oil. The flammable mixture of air and fuel thus formed in the combustion chamber 3 is ignited by an ignition spark supplied by the spark plug 4 or, in the case of a diesel engine, by a strong compression ensuring the combustion of the fuel mixture. -air. In the diesel engine there is no spark plug 4. This is why the pressure in the combustion chamber 3 is increased by the movement of the piston 2 in a rotational movement of the crankshaft not shown. In the case of the internal combustion engine of Figure 1 it is a gasoline engine with direct injection of gasoline or a diesel engine. The invention relates to all internal combustion engines such as gasoline engines, diesel engines, natural gas engines, gasoline engines whose preparation of air-fuel mixture is in the intake pipe, the engines two-stroke, etc.

  The control of the combustion operations in the internal combustion engine is carried out by a control device 6 supplying control lines 5 with the appropriate control signals to the spark plug 4 or to the injector 7. Such control devices 6 contain control values adapted directly to each internal combustion engine. These control values are not the same for all internal combustion engines of a certain type, and during operation of the internal combustion engine these values may change; finally they may differ from the start because of the differences in manufacturing from one internal combustion engine to another.

  An example of such a control value is the control duration of the injector 7 to produce its opening and fuel injection. Such control values specific to each internal combustion engine are learned in certain determined operating states of the internal combustion engine by the control device 6. For example, the minimum control time of the injector 7 can be learned during a so-called zero dose calibration, while the internal combustion engine is operating in push mode. For this, injection pulses of different durations applied to the injector 7 are sent as a control and it is checked whether this results in an increase in the speed of the internal combustion engine. It is thus possible to determine a minimum control duration of the injector 7 concerned, the time required to produce the opening of the injector 7. The value thus learned is then used during normal operation later, to determine the respective control times injectors of the different cylinders. However, this learning operation in the event of a thrust mode does not have to be done continuously, since this would result in additional means for the control, an increase in fuel and an increase in the wear of the injectors. The method and the device according to the invention make it possible to optimally adapt the number of learning operations so that learning takes place often enough, but not too frequently.

  Figure 2 schematically shows a short program for activating a learning operation. In step 201, the program module is started to trigger the actual learning operation. This operation is processed in step 204. Step 201 is followed by step 202. In step 202 the value of a count of learning cycles is queried. The training cycle counter is a memory of the control apparatus in which the counting state is for example increased by the value 1 at each learning operation. When the control unit is first switched on, this learning cycle counter is in state 0; this state is increased when the control unit continues to operate at each new learning operation. In step 202 the state of the training cycle counter is compared to a first learning value. The first learning value is the number indicating the frequency at which the control device 6 must perform a learning operation after a first start. If the value of the learning cycle counter is less than the first learning value, then in step 202 step 203. In this step it is checked whether the learning conditions are met. required (for the calibration of the zero dose it is for example the pushing mode). If the learning conditions are fulfilled, step 203 is followed by step 204 in which the learning operation itself is executed. For this purpose, the learning cycle counter of the value 1 is increased. The step 204 is continued by the step 206 which ends the program module of FIG. 2. If in step 203, it is found that the conditions of FIG. learning are no longer fulfilled, we also go to step 206, that is to say that we execute the end of the program module. In principle, the interrogation in step 202 authorizes a learning mode which results in the learning operations 204 proper only if the learning conditions 203 are fulfilled.

  If in step 202 it is found that the training cycle counter is not a state lower than the first learning value, step 202 is followed by step 205. In step 205, it is checked whether the state of the learning cycle counter is less than a permitted number of training cycles.

  The number of learning cycles allowed is a number indicating how many learning cycles are allowed for a certain control device. The method for determining the number of allowed learning cycles will be described below using Figure 3.

  If the state of the learning cycle counter is less than the number of allowed learning cycles, then a learning mode will be allowed, that is, at step 205 succeeds step 203 in which the learning conditions are checked and then either passes to the learning operation 204 or to the end of the program module. If the learning cycle counter is not less than the number of allowed learning cycles, step 205 is followed by step 206 and the end of the program module. The program module, as shown here in FIG. 2, thus activates the learning operation 204 if the state of the learning cycle counter is either less than a first learning value or a current number of authorized learning cycles. The first learning value is provided by the programmer of the control device 6 as the appropriate number of first learning operations at the first start-up. The number of allowed learning cycles is determined, for example, in the program modules according to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, step 302 for starting the program module sets the number of allowed learning cycles. This program module as well as the module of Figure 2 are called from time to time. Step 301 is followed by step 302 in which a certain operation indicator is used. The operating indicator thus indicates a measurement of the operation already performed by the internal combustion engine. As a particularly simple measure of the operation already performed by the internal combustion engine there is for example the mileage of the vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine. Another operating indicator may be a simple operating state counter. In addition, any combination of embodiments is possible in which, for example, the operating time at high engine speed is increased more than the times (hours of operation) at low engine speed. In general, any combination of the operating times and the work done by the internal combustion engine can be envisaged, the work supplied corresponding, for example, to the mileage or the number of revolutions per minute executed by the internal combustion engine. . To simplify the presentation, it will be assumed in the following that the operating indicator is simply synonymous with mileage. As an example in the following it will be assumed that for each mileage that is a multiple of 4000 km, a learning mode is released by influencing the corresponding learning cycles. For this, in the control device 6 there is provided a simple integer counter which is at the value 0 at the first start. In step 302 we check whether the counter 1 multiplied by 4000 km +/- a dispersion corresponds to the current mileage. It is necessary to provide for dispersion because the

  The program dule in Figure 3 is not necessarily exactly rounded to 4000 km or a corresponding multiple, but there is some dispersion upstream or downstream of the exact value. If it is found that the counter (or counting state) multiplied by 4000 +/- a dispersion corresponds to the mileage, then after step 302 we go to step 303. In the opposite case, step 302 is followed by step 304 in which the program module is terminated. In step 303 the number of allowed learning cycles is set. This is done by adding to the value of the counter of learning cycles an additional number, for example here the number 5. By adding a number to the counter or counting state of the learning cycle, it is ensured that in step 205 of FIG. 2, the learning mode will be allowed at least 5 times and if the learning condition is fulfilled, a learning operation 204 will be allowed. If the learning condition is not fulfilled, it is left open. the learning mode in step 205 until the training cycle counter has risen appropriately. If step 303 is again requested without the previously released learning operations actually being executed (because the learning condition was only very rarely fulfilled), the new value of cycles of authorized learning but is fixed according to learning cycles actually performed, that is to say the value of the counter of learning cycles. This procedure also has the advantage when setting the number of authorized learning operations, that in case of several calls from step 303, for example because within the kilometer dispersion of the module in Figure 3, this module will be frequently called, we will not have any increase in the number of authorized learning cycles, but this value will be oriented on the value of the counter of learning cycles. Step 303 is followed by step 304 or the end of the program module.

  With the aid of FIG. 4, a program module is described in which the counter 1 used in step 302 is influenced. After starting in step 401, step 402 in which the product of the state of meter 1 and 4000 kilometers per kilometer. We do not apply a dispersion range but we simply check whether the state of the counter 1 multiplied by 4000 kilometers is less than

  mileage. If this is the case, step 402 is followed by step 403 in which counter 1 is incremented by 1. If the module according to FIG. 4 is called again without a new slice of 4 kilometers have been traveled, then step 402 is followed by step 404 and the end of program module 4. In the two program modules of FIGS. 3 and 4, the state of the counter will be increased. 1 separates from step 303 during which the number of allowed learning cycles is increased. This solution has the advantage that in case of accidental erasure of the counter 1, for example during a diagnosis or during the exchange of the control device during a repair work, the counter 1 will be increased. automatically until it exceeds the current mileage of 4000 kilometers. This is done at each call of the program module described in FIG. 2. However, the interrogation in step 302 of a counter 1 thus counted does not lead to any positive result and for such a counted counter it will not be processed. an excessive number of learning cycles. Thus, even if accidentally switching from counter 1 to state 0 either by a programming error or by exchange of the control device, this will not trigger an absurd number of learning operations.

  With the aid of FIGS. 5 and 6, two program module variants replacing the program modules of FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described.

  In FIG. 5, in step 501, the program module is started. Step 501 is followed by step 502 in which it is checked whether a number of released learning cycles is greater than the number O. If this is the case, step 502 is followed by step 503; in the latter we check if we are in the presence of learning conditions. If this is the case, step 503 is followed by step 505; in the latter, the actual learning operation is executed and the number of released learning cycles is reduced by one unit. In case of a negative decision, steps 502 and 503 are followed by step 505 during which the program module is completed. The steps 502, 503, 504 correspond by their effect to the steps 202, 203, 204 of FIG. 2. However, it is checked whether the number of learning cycles released is greater than the number O. Correspondingly according to FIG. sets the number of learning cycles released. In step 601 the program module is started and this start is followed by step 602. Step 602 corresponds to step 302 of FIG. 3, that is to say that during from this step it is checked whether the state of the counter 1 multiplied by 4000 with +/- a dispersion range corresponds to the current mileage. If this is the case, step 602 is followed by step 603 during which the number of freed learning cycles is set to a fixed predetermined value, for example value 5. Five cycles of freeing are thus released. learning. Step 603 is followed by step 604, i.e. the end of the program module. If in step 602 it is found that the mileage is not equal to the state of the counter 1 x 4000 km +/- the dispersion value, then we also go to step 604, that is, say at the end of the program module.

  The method according to FIGS. 5 and 6 thus corresponds to a variant of the method of FIGS. 2 and 3 which is sufficient without a learning cycle counter for controlling the learning operations during the current operating mode. Such a learning cycle counter may however also be used for other control operations, for example for learning operations after a first start of the control device (first learning value according to FIG. 2). In addition to the modules of FIGS. 5 and 6, the module of FIG. 4 is also necessary to set the counter 1 to a corresponding value.

  With the help of Figure 7 will be described a complementary program module for detecting a wrong mileage. After the start of this module in step 701 we go to step 702. In step 702 we subtract from the state of the counter 1 a number for example equal to 2 (but we can also take the number 1) and multiply the result by 4000 kilometers. We then check if this number is greater than the current mileage. If this is the case, the current mileage is set too low for any reason, for example due to accidental erasure of mileage or exchange of the control unit. In this case, step 702 is followed by step 703 in which the state of counter 1 is set to state 0. The state of counter 1 is thus adapted to the lowest mileage for ensure that by resetting the mileage to the initial state, for example to 0, no learning operation will be allowed. If, for example, the counter 1 already has a status that it will only reach after 50,000 kilometers of operation, then by setting the mileage back to 0, the first learning operation would only be done after 50 000 kilometers. But the program module according to Figure 7 avoids such a situation.

  Another variant embodiment of the method of the invention will be described with the aid of FIG. 8. After starting the program module in step 801, step 802 is carried out. memory in which, during the last learning operation, the current mileage as performed during this learning operation was recorded. If this mileage is sufficiently different from the current mileage, for example 1000 kilometers, then step 802 is followed by step 803 during which the number of authorized training operations is increased. For this purpose, a number of learning operations are added to the learning cycle counter. In step 802 there may be either only one mileage at which the last learning operation was done, or several milestones, for example five, for which the last five learning operations have been performed. These states are then compared to the current mileage and if all the states are sufficiently different from the current mileage we go to step 803. If a single mileage corresponding to the last learning operation is taken into account, it is sufficient in step 803 of releasing a single learning operation by forming the counter of the allowed learning operation from the learning cycle counter state increased by one. If in step 802 several learning operations, for example five, are taken into account, then in step 803 a corresponding additional number of learning operations will also be released. The program module of Fig. 8 ends with step 804.

  The method of FIG. 8 gives a control variant of the learning operations according to the operation indicator. Compared to the methods described with the aid of Figures 2, 3, 5, 6, however, a larger memory capacity is required, because it does not control the simple counting of a counter but must be stored in memory milestones of old learning operations.

Claims (1)

  11 A method of activating learning operations of a control apparatus (6) of an internal combustion engine, characterized in that an operating indicator dependent on a functioning of the combustion engine is formed internally, if the operating indicator is exceeded with respect to a first comparison value, a learning mode is authorized, and in the case of the authorized learning mode, a learning operation (204, 504) if other learning conditions (203, 503) are fulfilled.   2) Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating indicator is derived from an operating time and / or work provided by the internal combustion engine.   3) Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the work provided by the internal combustion engine is determined from a number of rotations of the internal combustion engine or a mileage of the vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine .   4) Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the comparison value is determined by information stored in the control device (6), and when the operating indicator is exceeded with respect to a second value of comparison we replace the information in memory with new information.   5) Process according to claim 4, characterized in that the new information represents, according to the operating indicator, the following operation of the combustion engine in-dull.   6) Method according to claim 4, characterized in that a third comparison value is determined from information stored in the control device (6), the operating indicator is compared with the third value of parison and if the operating indicator below the third comparison value is exceeded, the data in the memory is reduced to an initial value.   7) Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a learning cycle counter records a value indicating how many times a learning operation has taken place, comparing the number of allowed learning cycles to the state of the learning cycle counter, the learning mode is allowed if the number of allowed learning cycles is greater than the state of the learning cycle counter, and if the training level counter is exceeded. operating beyond a first comparison value, the number of authorized work cycles is formed by adding other learning cycles to the state of the learning cycle counter.   8) Method according to claim 7, characterized in that for a first commissioning of the control device (6) a first learning value is provided and the learning mode will be authorized if the state of the counter of learning cycle is less than the value of first learning.   9) Method according to one of claims 1 to 6,   characterized in that a counter counts the released learning cycles to allow the learning mode if the counter of the released learning cycles contains a value greater than zero, and if the operating indicator is exceeded beyond the first comparison value, the counter is set to a predetermined value for the released learning cycles.   10) Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the counter is set to a starting value for the learning cycles released during a first commissioning of the control device (6).   11) A method for activating learning operations of a control apparatus (6) of an internal combustion engine, characterized in that according to the operation of the internal combustion engine a function indicator is formed, and the state of the operation indicator to a registered value of the operation indicator for which there was previously a learning, a learning mode is authorized if the difference between the operation indicator and the indicator in memory exceeds a comparison value, and if the learning mode is allowed, a learning operation (204, 504) is performed if other learning conditions (203, 503) are fulfilled.   12) Control apparatus (6) for controlling an internal combustion engine comprising means for activating the training operations, characterized in that the means for forming an operating indicator are made according to the operation of the internal combustion engine, in when the operating indicator of a first comparison value is exceeded, the means authorize a learning mode, and in the case of an authorized learning mode, the means trigger a learning operation (204, 504) if other learning conditions (203, 503) are fulfilled.   13) Control apparatus (6) for an internal combustion engine with means for activating the training operations, characterized in that the means for forming an operating indicator are made in accordance with the operation of the internal combustion engine, the means compare the value of the operation indicator to a value in memory of an operation indicator for which there has previously been a learning, the means allow a learning mode if the difference between the operating indicator and the indicator in memory exceeds a comparison value, and in the case of an authorized learning mode, a new learning operation (204, 504) is started if other learning conditions (203, 503) are met.