EP2415996A1 - Steuervorrichtung für einen verbrennungsmotor - Google Patents

Steuervorrichtung für einen verbrennungsmotor Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2415996A1
EP2415996A1 EP09849825A EP09849825A EP2415996A1 EP 2415996 A1 EP2415996 A1 EP 2415996A1 EP 09849825 A EP09849825 A EP 09849825A EP 09849825 A EP09849825 A EP 09849825A EP 2415996 A1 EP2415996 A1 EP 2415996A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
combustion
amount
temperature
fuel
fuel injection
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Granted
Application number
EP09849825A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP2415996A4 (de
EP2415996B1 (de
Inventor
Akio Matsunaga
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Toyota Motor Corp
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Toyota Motor Corp
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Publication of EP2415996A4 publication Critical patent/EP2415996A4/de
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D35/00—Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for
    • F02D35/02—Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for on interior conditions
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D35/00—Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for
    • F02D35/02—Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for on interior conditions
    • F02D35/025—Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for on interior conditions by determining temperatures inside the cylinder, e.g. combustion temperatures
    • F02D35/026—Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for on interior conditions by determining temperatures inside the cylinder, e.g. combustion temperatures using an estimation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D41/00—Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents
    • F02D41/02—Circuit arrangements for generating control signals
    • F02D41/14—Introducing closed-loop corrections
    • F02D41/1401—Introducing closed-loop corrections characterised by the control or regulation method
    • F02D2041/1433—Introducing closed-loop corrections characterised by the control or regulation method using a model or simulation of the system

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a control apparatus of a compression self-ignition internal combustion engine represented by a diesel engine.
  • the present invention relates to a technique for concurrently achieving a target amount of heat input to an internal combustion engine and reducing the amount of NOx produced as combustion occurs in a combustion chamber.
  • an operation range in which an air-fuel mixture having a high air-fuel ratio (lean atmosphere) is caused to combust accounts for most of the entire operation range, thus causing concern regarding the emission of a relatively large amount of nitrogen oxides (hereinafter referred to as NOx).
  • NOx nitrogen oxides
  • the amount of NOx produced is correlated with the in-cylinder combustion temperature (hereinafter, also referred to as the "flame temperature"). Accordingly, in order to reduce the amount of NOx produced, it is effective to appropriately control the in-cylinder flame temperature.
  • EGR exhaust Gas Recirculation
  • the in-cylinder oxygen concentration and oxygen density are lowered by recirculating exhaust gas into the cylinders. This lowers the combustion temperature (flame temperature) in the combustion stroke, thereby suppressing the production of NOx and improving exhaust emissions.
  • the fuel injection amount is controlled in order to obtain output in accordance with the driver's requirement. Specifically, the fuel injection amount that is necessary in order to obtain the required output, which is determined according to environmental conditions and operating conditions such as engine speed, accelerator operation amount, coolant temperature, and intake air temperature, is obtained from a fuel injection amount setting map or the like. That amount of fuel is then injected from an injector at a predetermined fuel injection timing (e.g., near the piston compression top dead center), thus achieving the required output.
  • a predetermined fuel injection timing e.g., near the piston compression top dead center
  • the fuel injection amount is also set relatively high.
  • the energy generated by the combustion of fuel injected into the combustion chamber can be roughly divided into kinetic energy for pressing the piston down toward bottom dead center (energy that is to serve as engine output), thermal energy for raising the temperature in the combustion chamber, and thermal energy that is dissipated to the outside (e.g., coolant) via the cylinder block and the cylinder head.
  • the present invention has been achieved in light of such points, and an object thereof is to concurrently achieve a target amount of heat input to an internal combustion engine and reduce the amount of NOx produced as combustion occurs in a combustion chamber.
  • a principle of solution of the present invention which has been realized in order to achieve the above object, enables providing the flame temperature of a combustion field as a target value and providing a target value for the amount of heat input to such combustion field as well, and enables concurrently reducing the amount of NOx produced by making the flame temperature appropriate through adjustment of a physical quantity that influences the flame temperature, and achieving the target amount of heat input to an internal combustion engine.
  • the present invention is premised on a control apparatus of a compression self-ignition internal combustion engine in which fuel injected from a fuel injection valve is caused to combust by self-ignition in a combustion chamber.
  • a combustion field target temperature is given for limiting the amount of NOx produced during combustion in the combustion field in which the fuel combusts to a predetermined target NOx production amount, and a target amount of heat input to the combustion chamber is given for causing output of the internal combustion engine to reach a required output
  • the control apparatus includes a physical quantity adjustment unit that, by adjusting at least one physical quantity from among the volume of the combustion field in which the fuel combusts, the temperature before the start of combustion in the combustion field, the density of gas existing in the combustion field, and the specific heat of gas existing in the combustion field, causes the temperature of the combustion field to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature and causes the target input heat amount to be obtained as the amount of heat input to the combustion chamber.
  • the temperature in the combustion field is caused to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature, and the target input heat amount is obtained as the amount of heat input to the combustion chamber. For this reason, the output required of the internal combustion engine is obtained, and the amount of NOx produced during combustion in the combustion field can be limited to the predetermined target NOx production amount, thus enabling improving exhaust emissions.
  • the physical quantity adjustment unit may be configured so as to partition a period of combustion in the combustion chamber into a plurality of micro-periods, and adjust the at least one physical quantity such that the combustion temperature of the combustion field is less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature in each of the micro-periods.
  • a physical quantity for limiting the amount of NOx produced during combustion in the combustion field to the predetermined target NOx production amount can be specified with high precision in each of the micro-periods.
  • the amount of NOx produced in the combustion field can be limited so as to be less than or equal to the predetermined target NOx production amount over substantially the entirety of the combustion period.
  • the physical quantity adjustment unit may be configured so as to adjust the at least one physical quantity such that the temperature during combustion in the combustion field is less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature only in, within the period of combustion in the combustion chamber, a period up to when a heat generation rate substantially reaches a peak value.
  • the combustion field temperature tends to gradually decrease thereafter, and accordingly there is a low possibility of a rise in the NOx production amount.
  • the period in which the physical quantity is controlled to so as to cause the temperature during combustion in the combustion field to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature is only the period up to when the heat generation rate substantially reaches the peak value. This enables limiting the amount of NOx produced so as to be less than or equal to the predetermined target NOx production amount over the entirety of the combustion period, while keeping the physical quantity control period to a minimum.
  • the physical quantity adjustment unit may expand the volume of the combustion field in which the fuel combusts, and may be configured so as to execute at least one of correction for raising an injection amount of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve into the combustion chamber and correction for raising an injection pressure of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve into the combustion chamber.
  • control apparatus may be designed such that in a case where the physical quantity adjustment unit adjusts the at least one physical quantity so as to adjust the volume of the combustion field in which the fuel combusts, the diameter of a hole in the fuel injection valve has a reduced size and the operation speed of a needle provided in the fuel injection valve is increased, in order to prevent the volume of the combustion field from falling below a predetermined value.
  • “prevent the volume of the combustion field from falling below a predetermined value” refers to preventing the situation in which the volume of the combustion field falls below the predetermined value due to the fuel injection pressure being set low, and thus soot being produced in an amount greater than or equal to a predetermined amount in the exhaust gas.
  • the physical quantity adjustment unit may reduce the temperature before the start of combustion in the combustion field, and may be configured to as to execute at least one of, in a case where a supercharging apparatus is provided, control for raising the cooling efficiency of an intercooler provided in an intake system, and control for reducing a supercharging pressure, and in a case where an exhaust gas recirculation apparatus is provided for recirculating a part of exhaust gas discharged in an exhaust system into the intake system, control for raising the cooling efficiency of an EGR cooler, and correction for raising an injection pressure of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve into the combustion chamber.
  • the physical quantity adjustment unit may raise the density of gas existing in the combustion field, and may be configured so as to execute at least one of control for reducing a supercharging pressure in a case where a supercharging apparatus is provided, and control for reducing an intake air amount by lowering the opening degree of a valve provided in an intake system.
  • the physical quantity adjustment unit may raise the specific heat of gas existing in the combustion field, and may be configured so as to execute control for raising the EGR rate in a case where an exhaust gas recirculation apparatus is provided for recirculating a part of exhaust gas discharged in an exhaust system into an intake system.
  • the flame temperature is made appropriate by providing the flame temperature of a combustion field as a target value and providing a target value for the amount of heat input to such combustion field as well, and adjusting a physical quantity that influences the flame temperature. This enables concurrently reducing the amount of NOx produced and achieving the target amount of heat input to an internal combustion engine.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine 1 and a control system of the engine 1 according to the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a combustion chamber 3 of the diesel engine and its surroundings.
  • the engine 1 is configured as a diesel engine system having a fuel supply system 2, combustion chambers 3, an intake system 6, an exhaust system 7, and the like as its main portions.
  • the fuel supply system 2 is configured including a supply pump 21, a common rail 22, injectors (fuel injection valves) 23, a cutoff valve 24, a fuel addition valve 26, an engine fuel path 27, an added fuel path 28, and the like.
  • the supply pump 21 draws fuel from a fuel tank, and after putting the drawn fuel under high pressure, supplies the fuel to the common rail 22 via the engine fuel path 27.
  • the common rail 22 has the functionality of an accumulation chamber in which the high pressure fuel supplied from the supply pump 21 is held (accumulated) at a predetermined pressure, and this accumulated fuel is distributed to the injectors 23.
  • the injectors 23 are configured from piezo injectors within which a piezoelectric element (piezo element) is provided, and supply fuel by injection into the combustion chambers 3 by appropriately opening a valve. Details of the control of fuel injection from the injectors 23 will be described later.
  • the supply pump 21 supplies part of the fuel drawn from the fuel tank to the fuel addition valve 26 via the added fuel path 28.
  • the cutoff valve 24 is provided in order to stop fuel addition by cutting off the added fuel path 28 during an emergency.
  • the fuel addition valve 26 is configured from an electronically controlled opening/closing valve whose valve opening period is controlled by an addition control operation performed by an ECU 100 that will be described later, such that the amount of fuel added to the exhaust system 7 becomes a target addition amount (an addition amount such that exhaust A/F becomes a target A/F), and such that a fuel addition timing becomes a specific timing.
  • a desired amount of fuel is supplied from the fuel addition valve 26 by injection to the exhaust system 7 (to an exhaust manifold 72 from exhaust ports 71) in accordance with appropriate timing.
  • the intake system 6 is provided with an intake manifold 63 connected to an intake port 15a formed in a cylinder head 15 (see FIG. 2 ), and an intake pipe 64 that constitutes an intake path is connected to the intake manifold 63. Also, in this intake path, an air cleaner 65, an air flow meter 43, and a throttle valve (intake throttle valve) 62 are disposed in the stated order from the upstream side.
  • the air flow meter 43 outputs an electrical signal according to the amount of air that flows into the intake path via the air cleaner 65.
  • a swirl control valve 66 is provided in order to vary swirl flow (horizontal swirl flow) in the combustion chambers 3 (see FIG. 2 ).
  • each cylinder is provided with two ports, namely a normal port and a swirl port, as the intake port 15a, and the swirl control valve 66, which is constituted by a butterfly valve whose opening degree is adjustable, is disposed in the normal port 15a shown in FIG. 2 .
  • the swirl control valve 66 is linked to an actuator (not shown), and the flow rate of air passing through the normal port 15a can be changed according to the opening degree of the swirl control valve 66, which is adjusted by driving the actuator.
  • the exhaust system 7 is provided with the exhaust manifold 72 connected to the exhaust ports 71 formed in the cylinder head 15, and exhaust pipes 73 and 74 that constitute an exhaust path are connected to the exhaust manifold 72. Also, in this exhaust path, a maniverter (exhaust purification apparatus) 77 is disposed that is provided with a NOx storage catalyst (NSR catalyst: NOx Storage Reduction catalyst) 75 and a DPNR catalyst (Diesel Particulate-NOx Reduction catalyst) 76. The following describes the NSR catalyst 75 and the DPNR catalyst 76.
  • NSR catalyst NOx Storage Reduction catalyst
  • DPNR catalyst Diesel Particulate-NOx Reduction catalyst
  • the NSR catalyst 75 is a storage reduction NOx catalyst and is composed using, for example, alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) as a support, with, for example, an alkali metal such as potassium (K), sodium (Na), lithium (Li), or cesium (Cs), an alkaline earth element such as barium (Ba) or calcium (Ca), a rare earth element such as lanthanum (La) or yttrium (Y), and a precious metal such as platinum (Pt) supported on this support.
  • alumina Al 2 O 3
  • an alkali metal such as potassium (K), sodium (Na), lithium (Li), or cesium (Cs)
  • an alkaline earth element such as barium (Ba) or calcium (Ca)
  • a rare earth element such as lanthanum (La) or yttrium (Y)
  • Pt precious metal
  • the NSR catalyst 75 In a state in which a large amount of oxygen is present in exhaust gas, the NSR catalyst 75 stores NOx, and in a state in which the oxygen concentration in exhaust gas is low, and furthermore a large amount of reduction component (e.g., an unburned component of fuel (HC)) is present, the NSR catalyst 75 reduces NOx to N0 2 or NO and releases the resulting NO 2 or NO. NOx that has been released as NO 2 or NO is further reduced due to quickly reacting with HC or CO in exhaust gas and becomes N 2 . Also, by reducing NO 2 or NO, HC and CO themselves are oxidized and thus become H 2 O and CO 2 .
  • HC unburned component of fuel
  • a NOx storage reduction catalyst is supported on a porous ceramic structure, for example, and PM in exhaust gas is captured while passing through a porous wall.
  • PM in exhaust gas is captured while passing through a porous wall.
  • NOx in the exhaust gas is stored in the NOx storage reduction catalyst, and when the air-fuel ratio is rich, the stored NOx is reduced and released.
  • a catalyst that oxidizes/burns the captured PM e.g., an oxidization catalyst whose main component is a precious metal such as platinum
  • a catalyst that oxidizes/burns the captured PM is supported on the DPNR catalyst 76.
  • FIG. 2 in a cylinder block 11 that constitutes part of the engine, a cylindrical cylinder bore 12 is formed in each cylinder (each of four cylinders), and a piston 13 is housed within each cylinder bore 12 such that the piston 13 can slide vertically.
  • the combustion chamber 3 is formed on the top side of a top face 13a of the piston 13.
  • the combustion chamber 3 is defined by a lower face of the cylinder head 15 installed on top of the cylinder block 11 via a gasket 14, an inner wall face of the cylinder bore 12, and the top face 13a of the piston 13.
  • a cavity (recess) 13b is provided in substantially the center of the top face 13a of the piston 13, and this cavity 13b also constitutes part of the combustion chamber 3.
  • the cavity 13b is shaped such that the dimensions of the recess are small in the center portion (on a cylinder centerline P) and increase toward the outer peripheral side.
  • the space in the combustion chamber 3 formed by the cavity 13b is small with a relatively low volume in the center portion, and gradually increases toward to the outer peripheral side (becomes large).
  • a small end 18a of a connecting rod 18 is linked to the piston 13 by a piston pin 13c, and a large end of the connecting rod 18 is linked to a crankshaft that is an engine output shaft.
  • a glow plug 19 is disposed facing the combustion chamber 3. The glow plug 19 glows due to the flow of electrical current immediately before the engine 1 is started, and functions as a starting assistance apparatus whereby ignition and combustion are promoted due to part of a fuel spray being blown onto the glow plug.
  • the intake port 15a that introduces air into the combustion chamber 3 and the exhaust port 71 that discharges exhaust gas from the combustion chamber 3, as well as an intake valve 16 that opens/closes the intake port 15a and an exhaust valve 17 that opens/closes the exhaust port 71.
  • the intake valve 16 and the exhaust valve 17 are disposed facing each other on either side of the cylinder centerline P. That is, this engine 1 is configured as a cross flow-type engine.
  • the injector 23 that injects fuel directly into the combustion chamber 3 is installed in the cylinder head 15. The injector 23 is disposed substantially in the center above the combustion chamber 3, in an erect orientation along the cylinder centerline P, and injects fuel introduced from the common rail 22 toward the combustion chamber 3 in accordance with a predetermined timing.
  • the engine 1 is provided with a turbocharger 5.
  • This turbocharger 5 is provided with a turbine wheel 52 and a compressor wheel 53 that are linked via a turbine shaft 51.
  • the compressor wheel 53 is disposed facing the inside of the intake pipe 64, and the turbine wheel 52 is disposed facing the inside of the exhaust pipe 73.
  • the turbocharger 5 uses exhaust flow (exhaust pressure) received by the turbine wheel 52 to rotate the compressor wheel 53, thereby performing a so-called supercharging operation that increases the intake pressure.
  • the turbocharger 5 is a variable nozzle-type turbocharger, in which a variable nozzle vane mechanism (not shown) is provided on the turbine wheel 52 side, and by adjusting the opening degree of this variable nozzle vane mechanism it is possible to adjust the supercharging pressure of the engine 1.
  • An intercooler 61 for forcibly cooling intake air heated due to supercharging with the turbocharger 5 is provided in the intake pipe 64 of the intake system 6.
  • the throttle valve 62 provided on the downstream side from the intercooler 61 is an electronically controlled opening/closing valve whose opening degree can be steplessly adjusted, and has a function of constricting the area of the channel of intake air under a predetermined condition, and thus adjust (reduce) the amount of intake air supplied.
  • the engine 1 is provided with an exhaust gas recirculation path (EGR path) 8 that connects the intake system 6 and the exhaust system 7.
  • the EGR path 8 reduces the combustion temperature by appropriately directing part of the exhaust gas back to the intake system 6 and resupplying that exhaust gas to the combustion chamber 3, thus reducing the amount of NOx produced.
  • an EGR valve 81 that by being opened/closed steplessly under electronic control is capable of freely adjusting the flow rate of exhaust gas that flows through the EGR path 8, and an EGR cooler 82 for cooling exhaust that passes through (recirculates through) the EGR path 8.
  • the EGR apparatus exhaust gas recirculation apparatus
  • Various sensors are installed at respective sites of the engine 1, and these sensors output signals related to environmental conditions at the respective sites and the operating state of the engine 1.
  • the air flow meter 43 outputs a detection signal according to the flow rate of intake air (the amount of intake air) on the upstream side of the throttle valve 62 within the intake system 6.
  • An intake temperature sensor 49 is disposed in the intake manifold 63 and outputs a detection signal according to the temperature of intake air.
  • An intake pressure sensor 48 is disposed in the intake manifold 63 and outputs a detection signal according to the intake air pressure.
  • An A/F (air-fuel ratio) sensor 44 outputs a detection signal that changes in a continuous manner according to the oxygen concentration in exhaust gas on the downstream side of the maniverter 77 of the exhaust system 7.
  • An exhaust temperature sensor 45 likewise outputs a detection signal according to the temperature of exhaust gas (exhaust temperature) on the downstream side of the maniverter 77 of the exhaust system 7.
  • a rail pressure sensor 41 outputs a detection signal according to the pressure of fuel accumulated in the common rail 22.
  • a throttle opening degree sensor 42 detects the opening degree of the throttle valve 62.
  • the ECU 100 is provided with a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a backup RAM 104, and the like.
  • Stored in the ROM 102 are various control programs, maps that are referenced when executing those various control programs, and the like.
  • the CPU 101 executes various types of arithmetic processing based on the various control programs and maps stored in the ROM 102.
  • the RAM 103 is a memory that temporarily stores data resulting from computation with the CPU 101 or data that has been input from the respective sensors.
  • the backup RAM 104 is a nonvolatile memory that stores that data or the like to be saved when the engine 1 is stopped, for example.
  • the CPU 101, the ROM 102, the RAM 103, and the backup RAM 104 are connected to each other via a bus 107, and are connected to an input interface 105 and an output interface 106 via the bus 107.
  • the input interface 105 is connected to the rail pressure sensor 41, the throttle opening degree sensor 42, the air flow meter 43, the A/F sensor 44, the exhaust temperature sensor 45, the intake pressure sensor 48, and the intake temperature sensor 49. Furthermore, the input interface 105 is connected to a water temperature sensor 46 that outputs a detection signal according to the coolant temperature of the engine 1, an accelerator opening degree sensor 47 that outputs a detection signal according to the amount of accelerator pedal depression, a crank position sensor 40 that outputs a detection signal (pulse) each time the output shaft (crankshaft) of the engine 1 rotates a specific angle, and the like.
  • the output interface 106 is connected to the supply pump 21, the injectors 23, the fuel addition valve 26, the throttle valve 62, the swirl control valve 66, the EGR valve 81, and the like.
  • the output interface 106 is connected to a solenoid valve provided in a coolant channel that connects to the intercooler 61, a solenoid valve provided in a coolant path that connects to the EGR cooler 82, and a nozzle vane provided in the variable nozzle vane mechanism of the turbocharger 5 (none of which are shown).
  • the ECU 100 executes various types of control of the engine 1 based on output from the various types of sensors described above, calculation values obtained by an arithmetic expression using such output values, and the various types of maps stored in the ROM 102.
  • the ECU 100 executes fuel injection control on the injector 23.
  • this fuel injection control on the injector 23 is described taking the example of executing main injection only one time in order to simplify the description.
  • auxiliary injection such as pilot injection, pre-injection, after-injection, and post-injection
  • there is no execution of divided main injection either, in which main injection is performed intermittently over a plurality of times.
  • the present invention is also applicable to a diesel engine in which such auxiliary injection and divided main injection are executed.
  • the fuel injection amount in the above-described main injection is basically set as the fuel injection amount necessary for obtained the required torque, which is determined according to environmental conditions and operating conditions such as engine speed, accelerator operation amount, coolant temperature, and intake air temperature. For example, the greater the engine speed (engine speed calculated based on the detection value from the crank position sensor 40) or the greater the accelerator operation amount (the accelerator pedal depression amount detected by the accelerator opening degree sensor 47) (i.e., the greater the accelerator opening degree), the greater the resulting torque requirement value of the engine 1, and the greater the fuel injection amount is accordingly set. Due to the fuel injection amount being set in this way, the amount of heat accordingly input to the interior of the combustion chamber 3 is also determined uniquely.
  • combustion temperature adjustment control is executed for causing the combustion temperature inside the combustion chamber 3 to be less than or equal to a target temperature, and the amount of fuel that is actually injected from the injector 23 is corrected along with the execution of the combustion temperature adjustment control. Details of the operation for adjusting the fuel injection amount in this combustion temperature adjustment control will be described later (will be described later in the first embodiment).
  • the ECU 100 also adjusts the amount (EGR amount) of exhaust gas that is recirculated toward to the intake manifold 63 by controlling the opening degree of the EGR valve 81 in accordance with the operating state of the engine 1.
  • the EGR amount is set in accordance with an EGR map that is stored in the ROM 102 in advance.
  • the EGR map is a map for determining the EGR amount (EGR rate) using the engine speed and the engine load as parameters. Note that the EGR map is created in advance through experimentation, simulation, or the like.
  • the EGR amount (opening degree of the EGR valve 81) is obtained by applying, to the EGR map, the engine speed calculated based on the detection value from the crank position sensor 40 and the opening degree of the throttle valve 62 (corresponding to the engine load) calculated by the throttle opening degree sensor 42.
  • the ECU 100 also adjusts the EGR amount by controlling the opening degree of the EGR valve 81 through the later-described combustion temperature adjustment control as well. Details of the operation for adjusting the EGR amount in this combustion temperature adjustment control will be described later (will be described later in the fifth embodiment).
  • the ECU 100 furthermore executes opening degree control on the swirl control valve 66.
  • the opening degree control executed on the swirl control valve 66 is performed so as to change the amount of circumferential movement in a cylinder per unit time (or per unit of crank rotation angle) of a spray of fuel injected into the combustion chamber 3. Also, as will be described later, the opening degree of the swirl control valve 66 is changed along with the execution of the combustion temperature adjustment control as well. Details of the control of the opening degree of the swirl control valve 66 in this combustion temperature adjustment control will be described later (will be described later in the fourth embodiment).
  • the fuel injection pressure when executing the main injection is determined based on the internal pressure of the common rail 22.
  • the internal pressure of the common rail normally, the higher the engine load and the greater the engine speed, the greater the target value for the pressure of fuel supplied from the common rail 22 to the injectors 23 (i.e., the target rail pressure).
  • the target rail pressure normally, when the engine load is high, a large amount of air is drawn into the combustion chamber 3, making it necessary to inject a large amount of fuel into the combustion chamber 3 from the injectors 23, and therefore the pressure of injection from the injectors 23 needs to be high.
  • the target rail pressure is normally set based on the engine load and the engine speed.
  • the target rail pressure is set in accordance with, for example, a fuel pressure setting map stored in the ROM 102. Specifically, the valve opening period (injection rate waveform) of the injectors 23 is controlled through determining the fuel pressure according to this fuel pressure setting map, thus enabling the amount of fuel injected during the valve opening period to be specified.
  • the optimum values of fuel injection parameters in the main injection differ according to the temperature conditions of the engine 1, intake air, and the like.
  • the ECU 100 adjusts the amount of fuel discharged by the supply pump 21 such that the common rail pressure becomes the same as the target rail pressure set based on the engine operating state, that is to say, such that the fuel injection pressure matches the target injection pressure.
  • the fuel injection pressure is also changed to an optimum value (e.g., the fuel injection pressure is corrected to a higher pressure) along with the execution of the combustion temperature adjustment control. Details of the operation for adjusting the fuel injection pressure in this combustion temperature adjustment control will be described later (will be described later in the first embodiment and third embodiment).
  • FIG. 4 schematically shows how gas is drawn into one of the cylinders of the engine 1 through the intake manifold 63 and the intake port 15a, combustion is performed using fuel injected from the injector 23 into the combustion chamber 3, and the combusted gas is discharged to the exhaust manifold 72 via the exhaust port 71.
  • the gas drawn into the cylinder includes fresh air drawn in from the intake pipe 64 through the throttle valve 62, and EGR gas drawn in from the EGR path 8 in the case where the EGR valve 81 has been opened.
  • the proportion (i.e., the EGR rate) of the amount (mass) of EGR gas drawn in to the sum of the amount (mass) of fresh air drawn in and the EGR gas amount changes according to the opening degree of the EGR valve 81, which is appropriately controlled by the ECU 100 in accordance with the operating state.
  • the fresh air and the EGR gas drawn into the cylinder is in-cylinder gas that is drawn into the cylinder via the intake valve 16 that is open in the intake stroke, along with the descent of the piston 13 (not shown in FIG. 4 ).
  • the intake valve 16 closing at the valve closing time which is determined according to the operating state of the engine 1
  • the in-cylinder gas is sealed inside the cylinder, and is compressed along with the ascent of the piston 13 in the subsequent compression stroke.
  • fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber 3 by the injector 23 being opened for only a predetermined time according to the injection amount control executed by the ECU 100 described above.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram showing the combustion chamber 3 and its surroundings during this fuel injection
  • FIG. 6 is a plan view (diagram showing the upper face of the piston 13) of the combustion chamber 3 during this fuel injection.
  • the injector 23 of the engine 1 of the present embodiment is provided with eight holes at equal intervals along the circumferential direction, and fuel is injected from the holes in a uniform manner. Note that the number of holes is not limited to being eight.
  • Sprays A of fuel injected from each of the holes disperses in a substantially conical manner. Also, since the injection of fuel from the holes is performed at the point in time when the piston 13 reaches the vicinity of top dead center, the fuel sprays A disperse inside the cavity 13b as shown in FIG. 5 .
  • the sprays A of fuel injected from the holes formed in the injector 23 form an air-fuel mixture as they mix with intake gas over time, and then respectively disperse in a conical manner inside the cylinder and combust due to self-ignition.
  • the fuel sprays A each form a substantially conical combustion field along with in-cylinder gas, and combustion respectively starts in each combustion field (combustion fields at eight places in the present embodiment).
  • the energy generated by this combustion then becomes kinetic energy for pressing the piston 13 down toward bottom dead center (energy that is to serve as engine output), thermal energy for raising the temperature in the combustion chamber 3, and thermal energy that is dissipated to the outside (e.g., coolant) via the cylinder block 11 and the cylinder head 15.
  • the combusted in-cylinder gas then becomes exhaust gas that is discharged to the exhaust port 71 and the exhaust manifold 72 via the exhaust valve 17 that opens in the exhaust stroke, along with the ascent of the piston 13.
  • combustion temperature flame temperature
  • the volume V c ( ⁇ ) of the combustion field in which fuel is combusting inside the combustion chamber 3 (the space in which the air-fuel mixture exists and is combusting, which is the conical space described above)
  • the temperature before the start of the combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion field e.g., the temperature Th ⁇ of the air-fuel mixture at a timing immediately after the start of the fuel injection, but before combustion has started
  • the density ⁇ of the gas in the combustion field the air-fuel mixture before the start of combustion
  • the specific heat ⁇ of the gas in the combustion field (the air-fuel mixture before the start of combustion).
  • the amount of heat Q( ⁇ ) to be input to the combustion chamber 3 is set according to, for example, the output required of the engine 1.
  • This input heat amount Q( ⁇ ) is a value correlated with the amount of fuel injected from the injector 23, and basically the input heat amount Q( ⁇ ) increases as the fuel injection amount increases.
  • a target value T N for the flame temperature in the combustion field is specified, and the combustion period from when the combustion of the fuel injected in the main injection starts until it ends is partitioned into many micro-periods (e.g., periods of several ⁇ sec).
  • At least one of the above-described factors is specified in each of the micro-periods such that the temperature of the combustion field in each of the micro-periods is less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N .
  • the flame temperature is made appropriate by controlling the factors that influence the combustion temperature (flame temperature).
  • the combustion period is partitioned many times in the time-axis direction as the micro-periods for specifying the amount of heat input to the combustion chamber 3, and setting is performed such that the temperature in the combustion field in each of the micro-periods is less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N .
  • the horizontal axis indicates the crank angle
  • the vertical axis indicates the heat generation rate
  • the ideal heat generation rate waveform for the combustion of fuel injected in main injection is shown.
  • TDC indicates a crank angle position corresponding to the compression top dead center of the piston 13.
  • this heat generation rate waveform for example, the combustion of fuel injected in main injection is started when the piston 13 is before the compression top dead center (BTDC), the heat generation rate reaches its maximum value (peak value) at a predetermined piston position after the compression top dead center (e.g., a point 10° after the compression top dead center (10° ATDC)), and furthermore the combustion of fuel injected in main injection ends at another predetermined piston position after the compression top dead center (e.g., a point 25° after the compression top dead center (25° ATDC)).
  • BTDC compression top dead center
  • the heat generation rate waveform is not limited to this.
  • the representative value for the crank angle in this period is assumed to " ⁇ ".
  • V c ( ⁇ ) the median value is represented in the micro-period.
  • the length of the micro-period (or the number of partitions of the combustion period) is arbitrary, and the shorter the length of the periods is set (the greater the number of partitions that are set in the combustion period), the higher the precision can be in the calculation of the physical quantity adjusted by the later-described relational expression of physical quantities.
  • the micro-period can be set as the interval at which the crankshaft rotates a very small crank angle (e.g., 0.5° CA).
  • the volume of the combustion field in which fuel is combusting inside the combustion chamber 3 (the space in which the air-fuel mixture exists and is combusting, which is the eight conical spaces described above) (hereinafter, referred to as simply the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ )) can be considered to be the volume occupied by the spray of fuel injected in that time period (the total volume of the eight conical spaces).
  • the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) can be obtained from the spray spread angle and penetration that are obtained, which are influenced by, for example, the number and diameter of the holes of the injector 23, and the fuel injection pressure and fuel properties.
  • the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is obtained by storing, in the ROM 102 in advance, a map or arithmetic expression for obtaining the combustion field V c ( ⁇ ) using the number and diameter of the holes of the injector 23, the fuel injection pressure, and the fuel properties as parameters.
  • the fuel injection pressure is set based on the engine load, engine speed, and the like as described above.
  • the fuel injection pressure for obtaining the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is, for example, the detection value detected by the rail pressure sensor 41, or is read out from the fuel pressure setting map stored in the ROM 102 in advance.
  • the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) can be obtained with even higher precision if that fact is taken into consideration. For example, multiplying the combustion field volume obtained from the above-described map or arithmetic expression by a predetermined correction coefficient (e.g., 0.8) enables obtaining a combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) that takes ignition delay into consideration. It is possible to, for example, change the correction coefficient according to the in-cylinder temperature (e.g., the later-described temperature before the start of combustion), or to change the correction coefficient so as to have a higher value as the in-cylinder temperature increases, within the range of 0.5 to 1.0.
  • a predetermined correction coefficient e.g. 0.8
  • the temperature before the start of combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion field (hereinafter, referred to as simply the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ ) is the temperature of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion field at the time when fuel injection was performed.
  • the intake valve 16 is generally closed when the piston 13 reaches the vicinity of bottom dead center, and there is no flow of new gas into or out of the cylinder until the subsequent injection of fuel from the injector 23.
  • the temperature of the gas in the combustion chamber 3 in the vicinity of compression top dead center is determined according to the condition of the in-cylinder gas when the intake valve 16 is closed.
  • the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ can be obtained by storing in the ROM 102 a map or arithmetic expression (generally an adiabatic compression expression) for obtaining the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ using, for example, the compression ratio of the engine 1 or the in-cylinder gas temperature when the intake valve 16 is closed as a parameter.
  • the in-cylinder gas temperature when the intake valve 16 is closed can be the detection value detected by the intake temperature sensor 49, or can be read out from an intake temperature estimation map (map for estimating the intake temperature from the outside air temperature, engine operation condition, or the like) stored in the ROM 102 in advance.
  • the density of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion field before the start of combustion (hereinafter, referred to as simply the air-fuel mixture density p), can be calculated from the amount of gas in the cylinder when the intake valve 16 is closed, and the mass of the fuel in the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ). Also, a map for obtaining the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ from the amount of gas in the cylinder when the intake valve 16 is closed and the mass of the fuel in the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) may be stored in the ROM 102, and the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ may be obtained using such map.
  • the specific heat of the gas in the combustion field before the start of combustion (hereinafter, referred to as simply the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ ) is the specific heat of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion field volume V r ( ⁇ ) obtained by the specific heats of the gas component and liquid-phase substance constituting the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ .
  • the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ is obtained by storing in the ROM 102 a map or arithmetic expression for obtaining the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ using the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ or the like as a parameter.
  • the combustion field target temperature T N is the temperature of the combustion gas set for causing the amount of NOx produced along with the combustion of fuel to be the target production amount set in advance.
  • the target combustion temperature setting map shown in FIG. 8 for example is stored in the ROM 102, and the combustion field target temperature T N is obtained from the target NOx production amount (upper limit value of the allowable NOx production amount).
  • a constant value can also be determined for the combustion field target temperature T N in accordance with the constant value used as the target NOx production amount.
  • 2500 K is set as the combustion field target temperature T N .
  • the combustion field target temperature T N is not limited to this value.
  • p(t) is the density of the combustion space at time t (the time in one of the micro-periods)
  • V L (i,t) is the volume of the combustion space in the i-th combustion period (the i-th one of the partitioned micro-periods) corresponding to the time t
  • ⁇ (t) is the definite integral specific heat in the volume V L (i,t) of the combustion space in the i-th combustion period corresponding to the time t.
  • Expression (1) is a relational expression in the micro-period
  • the second term on the right-hand side (the sum of the pressure and volume change in the micro-period) of Expression (1) can be included in the first term on the right-hand side or ignored. Consideration is not given to the second term on the right-hand side in the following description.
  • V c (t) Letting V c (t) be the total volume of the combustion space in which combustion is taking place at the time t gives Expression (2) below.
  • N is the total number of partitions obtaining the micro-periods.
  • T(i, ⁇ ) is the temperature of the spray after combustion in the i-th micro-period (median value ⁇ )
  • Th ⁇ is the gas temperature before the combustion of the air-fuel mixture containing the spray combusting in the i-th combustion period.
  • M is the number of holes in the injector 23 ("8" in the present embodiment).
  • the amount of NOx produced is determined by the combustion temperature, and therefore suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to a desired value (less than or equal to the target NOx production amount) is conditional upon setting the target combustion temperature T N and satisfying Th ⁇ + ⁇ T(i, ⁇ ,j) ⁇ T N . Applying this to Expression (10) gives Expression (11) below.
  • the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 is adjusted so as to be less than or equal to the target combustion temperature T N by controlling, among the various physical quantities in Expression (12), the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ).
  • the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is controlled in order to cause the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 to match the target combustion temperature T N or be less than the target combustion temperature T N .
  • the other physical quantities are fixed values obtained by detection or estimation. Examples of a specific control operation (combustion temperature adjustment control) include an operation for adjusting the fuel injection amount of the injector 23 and an operation for adjusting the fuel injection pressure of the injector 23. The following describes the above types of combustion temperature adjustment control.
  • correction is performed for raising the basic fuel injection amount, which is set based on the engine speed, accelerator operation amount, and the like as described above. This increases the volume occupied by the fuel spray in the combustion chamber 3 when fuel injection is executed. In other words, the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) increases.
  • FIG. 9 shows an example of a fuel injection correction amount map.
  • combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is a value greater than the minimum value (the minimum value of the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) within the range in which the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds), the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds, and therefore the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) obtained here is not limited to being the minimum value within the range in which the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds.
  • a predetermined maximum value is set for the amount by which the fuel injection is corrected.
  • Adjusting the fuel injection amount in this way enables keeping the combustion temperature less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, and thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • Timing for determining the corrected fuel injection amount such as that described above is near the timing when the intake valve 16 closes. This is specifically described below.
  • the parameters in Expression (12) are determined according to the condition in the cylinder when the intake valve 16 closes or immediately before it closes.
  • the fuel injection amount (the fuel injection amount for expanding the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ )) can be specified for the second micro-period as well based on Expression (12).
  • Obtaining the fuel injection amounts for each of the micro-periods before the fuel injection start timing in this way enables setting a fuel injection form (fuel injection rate waveform) such that at the fuel injection start timing, the combustion temperature in all of the micro-periods is less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N .
  • a fuel injection form (fuel injection rate waveform) can be set such that the combustion temperature in all of the micro-periods is less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N , and the amount of NOx produced in the combustion chamber 3 can be made less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the fuel injection amount determination timing is near the point in time when the intake valve 16 closes.
  • the fuel injection amount for the immediately subsequently performed combustion stroke is obtained, and the fuel injection rate waveform is set in accordance therewith.
  • the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible for the fuel injection amount for obtaining the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) obtained in Expression (12) to be used in the setting of the fuel injection amount for the cylinder that is to undergo the combustion stroke in the next cycle, or to be used in the setting of the fuel injection amount for the cylinder that is to undergo the combustion stroke in the cycle after that of the current cylinder (the cylinder that is to undergo the combustion stroke immediately after the calculation of the fuel injection amount), that is to say, the cylinder that is to undergo the combustion stroke after the crank angle of approximately 720° CA.
  • the fuel injection amount determination timing that is to say, the timing at which the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is specified based on Expression (12), and the amount of fuel to be injected into the combustion chamber 3 is determined based thereon, is not limited to being near the timing when the intake valve 16 closes, and may be during the combustion stroke.
  • the determined fuel injection amount is used in the setting of the fuel injection rate waveform in the cylinder that is to undergo the combustion stroke in the next cycle, or the cycle after that of the current cylinder.
  • an example of an operation for adjusting the fuel injection pressure is performing correction so as to raise the basic fuel injection pressure set based on the fuel pressure setting map or the like as described above. In this case as well, this increases the volume occupied by the fuel spray in the combustion chamber 3 when fuel injection is executed. In other words, the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) increases.
  • FIG. 10 shows an example of a fuel injection pressure correction map.
  • the fuel discharge rate of the supply pump 21 is adjusted so as to perform correction for raising the common rail pressure.
  • combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is a value greater than the minimum value (the minimum value of the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) within the range in which the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds), the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds, and therefore the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) obtained here is not limited to being the minimum value within the range in which the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds.
  • a predetermined maximum value is set for the amount by which the fuel injection pressure is corrected.
  • Adjusting the fuel injection pressure in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • timing for determining the corrected fuel injection pressure in this case is near the timing when the intake valve 16 closes, similarly to the above-described fuel injection amount determination timing. Also, this timing is not limited to being near the timing when the intake valve 16 closes, and may be during the combustion stroke.
  • the present embodiment is a technique used in the case where, when controlling, among the various physical quantities in Expression (12), the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ), the required combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) that is obtained is relatively small.
  • the fuel injection pressure is set low, for example.
  • the fuel injection pressure is set low in this way, there is the possibility of a large amount of soot being produced in the exhaust gas.
  • the NOx production amount can be suppressed so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount by controlling the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) in accordance with Expression (12), there is the trade-off of an increase in the amount of soot produced, which may lead to worsening of exhaust emissions.
  • the ignition delay is short, and diffusion combustion often progresses. Since there is delay in the mixing of air and fuel in this case, there is delay in the incorporation of air (oxygen) in the fuel spray, and there may be a rise in the amount of soot produced.
  • the second embodiment takes such a situation into consideration.
  • the amount of soot produced is suppressed by changing the design of the injector 23.
  • Specific examples of designs include reducing the diameter of the holes in the injector 23, and increasing the needle speed of the injector 23.
  • the soot production amount is cut back by, based on the assumption of the first embodiment (fuel injection pressure correction control), achieving a design in which the hole diameter is reduced, and the needle speed of the injector 23 is increased. Note that specific techniques for reducing the hole diameter and increasing the needle speed of the injector 23 are known, and therefore will not be described here.
  • the present embodiment enables suppressing both the NOx production amount and the soot production amount, and enables improving exhaust emissions.
  • the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 is adjusted so as to be less than or equal to the target combustion temperature T N by controlling, among the various physical quantities in Expression (12), the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ .
  • the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ is controlled in order to cause the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 to match the target combustion temperature T N or be less than the target combustion temperature T N .
  • the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ is determined according to the in-cylinder gas temperature, the fuel temperature, and the degree of fuel atomization at the time of cylinder compression.
  • the intercooler 61 is for forcibly cooling intake air heated due to supercharging with the turbocharger 5, and includes a heat exchanger for cooling the intake air with a coolant.
  • the efficiency of the intercooler 61 can be controlled by changing the flow rate of coolant pumped into the heat exchanger.
  • a solenoid valve with an adjustable opening degree is provided midway in the coolant path connecting to the intercooler 61, and the flow rate of coolant pumped into the heat exchanger can be changed by adjusting the opening degree of the solenoid valve.
  • the opening degree of the solenoid valve is increased, thus increasing the flow rate of coolant flowing into the heat exchanger.
  • FIG. 11 shows an example of a solenoid valve opening degree map. In this way, the lower the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the greater the opening degree of the solenoid valve.
  • Controlling the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ by adjusting the efficiency of the intercooler 61 in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the EGR cooler 82 has substantially the same configuration as the intercooler 61 described above, and is provided with a heat exchanger for cooling EGR gas with a coolant. With the present embodiment, the efficiency of the EGR cooler 82 can be controlled by changing the flow rate of coolant pumped into the heat exchanger.
  • a solenoid valve with an adjustable opening degree is provided midway in the coolant path connecting to the EGR cooler 82, and the flow rate of coolant pumped into the heat exchanger can be changed by adjusting the opening degree of the solenoid valve.
  • the opening degree of the solenoid valve is increased, thus increasing the flow rate of coolant flowing into the heat exchanger.
  • a map or an arithmetic expression for obtaining an opening degree for the solenoid valve such that the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ is maximized within the range in which the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds is stored in the ROM 102, and thus the efficiency of the EGR cooler 82 is adjusted.
  • a solenoid valve opening degree in this case would be similar to that shown in FIG. 11 described above. In other words, the lower the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the greater the opening degree of the solenoid valve.
  • Controlling the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ by adjusting the efficiency of the EGR cooler 82 in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the EGR path 8 it is possible to apply a configuration in which a cooler bypass path (not shown) for bypassing the EGR cooler 82 is provided, and a solenoid valve with an adjustable opening degree is provided in the cooler bypass.
  • the amount of EGR gas that bypasses the EGR cooler 82 is made adjustable by adjusting the opening degree of the solenoid valve.
  • the opening degree of the solenoid valve is decreased, thus increasing the amount of EGR gas that flows into the EGR cooler 82. This enables reducing the EGR gas temperature. As a result, it is possible to lower the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ .
  • the turbocharger 5 is a variable nozzle-type turbocharger, in which a variable nozzle vane mechanism (not shown) is provided on the turbine wheel 52 side, and by adjusting the opening degree of the nozzle vane provided in this variable nozzle vane mechanism, it is possible to adjust the supercharging pressure of the engine 1.
  • a variable nozzle vane mechanism (not shown) is provided on the turbine wheel 52 side, and by adjusting the opening degree of the nozzle vane provided in this variable nozzle vane mechanism, it is possible to adjust the supercharging pressure of the engine 1.
  • the variable nozzle vane mechanism is known, and therefore a description of the configuration thereof will not be given here.
  • the opening degree of the nozzle vane is increased, thus lowering the rotation speed of the turbocharger 5 (lowering the rotation speed of the compressor wheel 53, i.e., lowering the supercharging efficiency (supercharging pressure)).
  • FIG. 12 shows an example of a nozzle vane opening degree map. In this way, the lower the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the greater the opening degree of the nozzle vane.
  • Controlling the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ by adjusting the supercharging pressure of the turbocharger 5 in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the in-cylinder gas temperature can be reduced also by control of the fuel injection pressure. Specifically, if the fuel injection pressure is set high, the atomization of fuel injected into the combustion chamber 3 is promoted, and the temperature of the combustion field (the space in which fuel exists) can be reduced through latent heat when the fuel vaporizes. In other words, the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ can be reduced by setting a high fuel injection pressure.
  • FIG. 13 shows an example of an injection pressure control map. In this way, the lower the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the greater the fuel injection pressure is set.
  • Controlling the temperature before start of combustion Th ⁇ by adjusting the fuel injection pressure in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • a predetermined maximum value is set for the fuel injection pressure such that the fuel injection pressure is not raised more than necessary (so as to not cause a problem such as the adhesion of fuel to wall faces).
  • the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 is adjusted so as to be less than or equal to the target combustion temperature T N by controlling, among the various physical quantities in Expression (12), the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ .
  • the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ is controlled in order to cause the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 to match the target combustion temperature T N or be less than the target combustion temperature T N .
  • the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ is determined according to the amount of gas (amount of air and EGR gas amount) and amount of fuel in the combustion field (the space in which the fuel spray exists), and the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ). For this reason, assuming that the combustion field volume V c ( ⁇ ) is known (has been detected or estimated) in advance, it is preferable that the amount of gas in that space is small, and therefore the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ is increased by decreasing the amount of gas through, for example, controlling the supercharging pressure achieved by the turbocharger 5, controlling the opening degree of the throttle valve 62, or controlling the opening degree of the swirl control valve 66.
  • the amount of gas is decreased by, for example, increasing the opening degree of the nozzle vane of the variable nozzle vane mechanism so as to reduce the rotation speed of the turbocharger 5 (reducing the turbocharging efficiency), reducing the opening degree of the throttle valve 62, or reducing the opening degree of the swirl control valve 66.
  • a map or an arithmetic expression for obtaining an opening degree such that the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ is minimized within the range in which the inequality expression of Expression (12) holds is stored in the ROM 102, and thus the opening degree is adjusted in this opening degree control.
  • the broken line shows an example of an opening degree map for controlling the opening degree of the nozzle vane. In this way, the higher the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the greater the opening degree of the nozzle vane.
  • the solid line shows an example of an opening degree control map for controlling the opening degree of the throttle valve 62 or the swirl control valve 66. In this way, the higher the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the smaller the opening degree of the throttle valve 62 or the swirl control valve 66.
  • Adjusting the air-fuel mixture density ⁇ in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 is adjusted so as to be less than or equal to the target combustion temperature T N by controlling, among the various physical quantities in Expression (12), the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ .
  • the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ is controlled in order to cause the combustion temperature in the combustion chamber 3 to match the target combustion temperature T N or be less than the target combustion temperature T N .
  • control for increasing the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ is raising the EGR gas amount.
  • the opening degree of the EGR valve 81 is set high, thus raising the amount of exhaust gas (EGR amount) that is recirculated toward the intake manifold 63.
  • EGR amount amount of exhaust gas
  • the oxygen concentration inside the combustion chamber 3 is reduced by raising the EGR rate.
  • FIG. 15 shows an example of an opening degree control map for controlling the opening degree of the EGR valve 81. In this way, the greater the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ obtained by Expression (12), the greater the opening degree of the EGR valve 81.
  • Controlling the combustion gas specific heat ⁇ in this way enables setting the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the timing according to which the combustion temperature adjustment control (physical quantity control) is executed in the second to fifth embodiments described above may be near the timing when the intake valve 16 closes, or during the combustion stroke, similarly to the case of the first embodiment described above.
  • the first to fifth embodiments described above may be individually applied to the engine 1 (i.e., it is possible for only one embodiment to be applied), or a combination thereof may be applied to the control of the engine 1. In other words, it is possible to adjust multiple physical quantities at the same time in order to set the combustion temperature so as to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N over the entirety of the combustion period, thus suppressing the NOx production amount so as to be less than or equal to the target production amount.
  • the maniverter 77 is provided with the NSR catalyst 75 and the DPNR catalyst 76, but a maniverter provided with the NSR catalyst 75 and a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) may be used as well.
  • DPF Diesel Particulate Filter
  • the EGR apparatus has a configuration in which exhaust gas in the exhaust manifold 72 is recirculated to the intake system 6.
  • the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to employ an LPL (Low Pressure Loop) EGR apparatus that recirculates exhaust gas on the downstream side of the turbine wheel 52 in the turbocharger 5 to the intake system 6.
  • LPL Low Pressure Loop
  • the embodiments it is possible for the embodiments to be applied to also a diesel engine that executes auxiliary injection or divided main injection.
  • the present invention is applied to each auxiliary injection (pilot injection, pre-injection, after-injection, and post-injection), and that the combustion temperature is caused to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N not only in the main injection, but also in all of the auxiliary injections.
  • the present invention is applied to each individual divided main injection, and that the combustion temperature is caused to be less than or equal to the combustion field target temperature T N in each of the divided main injections.
  • the present invention is applicable to control for reducing the NOx discharge amount in a common rail in-cylinder direct injection multi-cylinder diesel engine mounted in an automobile.
EP09849825.6A 2009-09-28 2009-09-28 Steuervorrichtung für einen verbrennungsmotor Not-in-force EP2415996B1 (de)

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US10196974B2 (en) 2014-04-22 2019-02-05 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Heat generation rate waveform calculation device of internal combustion engine and method for calculating heat generation rate waveform
CN113692485A (zh) * 2019-04-16 2021-11-23 瓦锡兰芬兰有限公司 热值估计

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US10196974B2 (en) 2014-04-22 2019-02-05 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Heat generation rate waveform calculation device of internal combustion engine and method for calculating heat generation rate waveform
US9957877B2 (en) 2015-11-26 2018-05-01 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Control apparatus for internal combustion engine
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WO2011036794A1 (ja) 2011-03-31
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EP2415996B1 (de) 2016-07-27
JPWO2011036794A1 (ja) 2013-02-14

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