JP2006052687A - Cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To promote the early activation of an exhaust gas purification catalyst, minimizing the exhaust of an HC into environmental air, until the exhaust gas purification catalyst is activated from the start, in a cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine. <P>SOLUTION: An exhaust gas purification device of the internal combustion engine comprises a fuel injection valve 6 installed at the almost middle part of a combustion chamber 4 upper part to directly inject fuel into a cylinder, and the exhaust gas purification catalyst 11 installed in an exhaust passage 9 of the engine. In the exhaust gas purification device stratified combustion operation is carried out to perform stratified combustion by injecting fuel from the fuel injection valve 6 with spark ignition. In specified running conditions (for example, when the temperature of the exhaust gas purification catalyst is lower than a predetermined temperature, or the cycle number from the first explosion is less than a predetermined cycle number), while the fuel is injected in the expansion stroke, the injected fuel spray is directly ignited before it reaches the wall surface of the combustion chamber, so as to perform stratified combustion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine, and in particular, activates an exhaust purification catalyst at an early stage while suppressing the amount of HC discharged into the atmosphere from the start to the activation of the exhaust purification catalyst. It is related to the technology.

In-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engines that perform significant lean combustion by directly injecting fuel into the cylinder from the fuel injection valve and forming a stratified mixture in the cylinder during spark ignition combustion are particularly It is known that fuel consumption can be greatly reduced in the load region.
With respect to such an in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine, several techniques have been proposed in order to promote the activation of the exhaust purification catalyst in the warm-up process from the cold start.

  For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the exhaust gas temperature rise is required, the injection timing is retarded to reduce the mixing time of fuel and air, and the local air-fuel ratio around the spark plug is exceeded. By making it rich, CO, which is an incompletely combusted product, is generated, and this generated CO and excess oxygen in the cylinder that did not contribute to combustion are reacted after the main combustion, so that the exhaust temperature is raised. ing.

In the technique described in Patent Document 2, main injection for stratified combustion is performed in the compression stroke and additional fuel is injected in the expansion stroke, and the main combustion (stratified combustion) is slowed down to immediately before the additional fuel injection. By increasing the pre-flame reaction product concentration, the additional fuel is self-ignited and combusted by the main combustion flame propagation to raise the exhaust gas temperature.
JP-A-10-169488 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-212995

By the way, in the direct injection type internal combustion engine described in Patent Document 1, the fuel injection valve is installed at the end (side) of the combustion chamber, and the fuel is injected obliquely into the combustion chamber and is ignited by the piston cavity. It is structured to be carried around. In such a structure, when the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst is required (for example, from the cold start to the warm-up process), the injected fuel does not vaporize much as compared with the warm-up, and thus collides with the wall surface. The deposited fuel easily adheres to the wall surface and forms a liquid film. For this reason, it is considered that the ratio of incompletely combusted matter (CO, H ₂ ) having high reactivity with surplus oxygen at the time of afterburning decreases and the ratio of unreacted unburned HC increases. There is a risk of discharging a large amount of HC.

In addition, by setting the local air-fuel ratio around the spark plug to be overrich, partial rich misfire is assumed and combustion stability deteriorates, so the ignition timing setting range, which is an important factor of exhaust temperature rise, is set. Is considered to be narrow (it is difficult to set).
The ignition timing is very sensitive to the HC reduction effect due to the exhaust gas temperature rise or afterburning, and it is effective to set the ignition timing with the maximum delay within the engine stability limit range. In other words, from the viewpoint of increasing the exhaust gas temperature, it is desirable that the ignition timing be set from the initial stage of the expansion stroke to the middle stage after the compression top dead center.

  Here, in the in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine described in Patent Document 1, if it is attempted to set the ignition timing from the initial stage to the middle stage of the expansion stroke, the injection timing and the ignition are required to make the air-fuel ratio around the spark plug overrich. It is necessary to reduce the mixing time with the air by approaching the timing, and the injection timing inevitably becomes an expansion stroke. However, since the piston descends in such an expansion stroke, the fuel injected toward the piston cavity is not sufficiently transported around the spark plug and may cause misfire (see FIG. 3A). It is difficult to set the timing from the initial stage of the expansion stroke to the middle stage.

On the other hand, in the in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine described in Patent Document 2, since the combustion of the additional fuel injected in the expansion stroke is self-ignition combustion, it is necessary to strictly control the injection timing or the ignition timing at the main combustion. There is. Furthermore, under conditions where the combustion chamber temperature is low, such as immediately after startup, there is a possibility that additional fuel will remain unburned, and the amount of HC discharged into the ambient atmosphere may increase.
As described above, the direct injection internal combustion engines described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are both improved in terms of suppression of HC emission (particularly immediately after startup) and early activation of the exhaust purification catalyst (exhaust temperature rise). There was room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and in an in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine, the discharge of HC into the ambient atmosphere from the start to the activation of the exhaust purification catalyst. The activation temperature is immediately activated even when the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst falls below the activation temperature, for example, by promoting early activation of the exhaust purification catalyst while maximizing The purpose is to return.

  For this reason, the present invention includes a fuel injection valve that is provided in a substantially central portion of the upper portion of the combustion chamber and directly injects fuel into the cylinder, and an exhaust purification catalyst interposed in an exhaust passage of the engine, In a direct injection internal combustion engine that performs stratified combustion operation in which fuel is injected from a fuel injection valve and stratified combustion is performed by spark ignition, fuel is injected and injected in an expansion stroke under specific operating conditions. Before the fuel spray reaches the wall surface of the combustion chamber, the fuel spray is directly ignited to cause stratified combustion.

  According to the direct injection internal combustion engine according to the present invention, even when the ignition timing is set from the compression top dead center to the middle of the expansion stroke from the viewpoint of exhaust gas temperature rise, the air-fuel mixture is generated around the spark plug at the ignition timing. As a result, the fuel is surely formed and almost all of the fuel injected during the expansion stroke can be burned. Here, since the maximum combustion temperature in the expansion stroke injection is lower than that in the normal homogeneous or stratified combustion, NOx emission is reduced, and since the heat generation position is retarded, afterburning of unburned HC As a result, the exhaust temperature rises and HC emissions can be suppressed. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the fuel spray from reaching the wall surface without being burned to form a liquid film, and to reduce the discharge of HC for the wall flow.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a direct injection type internal combustion engine (hereinafter simply referred to as “engine”) according to a first embodiment. The engine 1 introduces fresh air into the combustion chamber 4 via the intake port 2 and the intake valve 3. A piston 5 that reciprocates is provided at the lower part of the combustion chamber 4. A fuel injection valve 6 that directly injects fuel into the cylinder is sparked at the upper part of the combustion chamber 4, and an air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber 4 is sparked. A spark plug 7 for igniting is provided. Here, the spark plug 7 is disposed at a position where a part of the fuel spray formed by the injection from the fuel injection valve 6 reaches directly, and the fuel injection valve 6 is at the time of in-cylinder pressure increase in the latter half of the compression stroke. In addition, the change in spray shape is small, and a highly directional hole nozzle injection valve is adopted.

The exhaust gas after the completion of combustion is discharged from the combustion chamber 4 to the exhaust passage 9 via the exhaust valve 8. The exhaust passage 9 is provided with an exhaust air-fuel ratio sensor 21 for detecting the exhaust air-fuel ratio, and an exhaust purification catalyst 11 is provided downstream thereof. The exhaust purification catalyst 11 is provided with a catalyst temperature sensor 22 that detects the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst 11.
The intake valve 3 and the exhaust valve 8 are driven by an intake cam 12 and an exhaust cam 13, respectively. A fuel pump 14 is interposed at the end of the intake camshaft, and the fuel pressurized by the fuel pump 14 is guided to the fuel injection valve 6 through the high-pressure fuel pipe 15. The high-pressure fuel pipe 15 is provided with a fuel pressure sensor 23 that detects the fuel pressure (passing through the high-pressure fuel pipe 15).

  The engine 1 is integrally controlled by an engine control unit (ECU) 20. Therefore, in addition to the exhaust air / fuel ratio sensor 21, the catalyst temperature sensor 22, and the fuel pressure sensor 23, the ECU 20 includes an air flow meter 24 that detects the intake air amount, an accelerator opening sensor 25, a crank angle sensor 26, and a cam angle sensor 27. Signals are input from the coolant temperature sensor 28, the starter switch 29, and the like, and the ECU 20 controls the fuel injection valve 6, the spark plug 7, the fuel pump 14, and the like based on these signals.

  In addition, as a combustion mode, a “stratified combustion mode” that realizes a lean operation by performing fuel injection (compression stroke injection) mainly during the compression stroke to improve fuel efficiency, and fuel injection (intake stroke during the intake stroke) A “homogeneous combustion mode” is provided to perform stoichiometric (theoretical air-fuel ratio) operation by performing injection, and the combustion mode (fuel mode) is selected according to the engine operating state.

FIG. 2 is a control flowchart for calculating the fuel injection amount, the injection timing, and the ignition timing in the present embodiment (first embodiment).
In FIG. 2, in S1, engine operating conditions such as the intake air amount QM, the engine rotational speed NE, the accelerator opening APO, the fuel pressure Pf, and the catalyst temperature Tcat are read.
In S2, the target torque TTC is obtained from the accelerator opening APO. For this target torque TTC, for example, table data in which the target torque TTC shown in the figure is assigned to the accelerator opening APO is stored in the ECU 20 in advance, and the table data is referred to according to the read accelerator opening APO. It is possible to ask for.

  In S3, it is determined based on the engine operating conditions whether or not the stratified combustion region is set (whether the combustion mode is stratified combustion or homogeneous combustion). In this determination, the relationship between the engine rotational speed NE and the engine load and the combustion mode is obtained from an experiment and read from a table stored in advance. If it is the stratified combustion region, the process proceeds to S4, and if it is not the stratified combustion region (that is, if it is the homogeneous fuel region), the process proceeds to S12. Basically, it is determined that the low load region is the stratified combustion region and the high load region is the homogeneous combustion region.

  In S4, the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA is obtained from the engine speed NE and the target torque TTC. For this target fuel-air ratio TFBYA, for example, map data in which the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA as shown in the figure is assigned to the engine speed NE and the target torque TTC is stored in the ECU 20, and the map data according to these values is stored. It can be determined by referring to it. The target fuel / air ratio TFBYA means the reciprocal of the target excess air ratio λ.

  In S5, it is determined whether the current catalyst temperature Tcat has reached the catalyst activation temperature TcatH. If the catalyst temperature Tcat is equal to or higher than the activation temperature TcatH, the process proceeds to S6, and stratified combustion is performed by normal compression stroke injection as follows (S6 to S8). In other words, this determination is to determine whether or not the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst 11 needs to be raised. If Tcat <TcatH, the temperature increase of the exhaust purification catalyst 11 is requested. .

In S6, for example, the optimum injection start timing ITco in the compression stroke is read with reference to the map data allocated to the engine speed NE and the target torque TTC. Note that the map data used here is obtained by preliminarily storing the relationship between the load and the optimal injection start timing ITco through experiments or the like.
In S7, based on the basic fuel injection amount equivalent to the theoretical air-fuel ratio (K × QM / NE; K is a constant) determined from the intake air amount QM and the engine speed NE, and the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA, the fuel injection amount Qfco Is set.

In S8, the ignition timing ADV is calculated. Here, in stratified combustion, since the air-fuel mixture near the end of fuel injection is ignited, for example, the ignition timing ADV is calculated by the following method.
First, the crank angle conversion value Tl for the injection period required to inject the fuel injection amount Qfco at the fuel pressure Pf is obtained. This injection period (crank angle conversion value) Tl is obtained, for example, by calculating the injection amount (injection rate) dQf per unit time and using the following equation (1) from the basic injection amount Qfco and the injection rate dQf. For the injection rate dQf, an injection rate characteristic with respect to the fuel pressure Pf of the fuel injection valve 6 is obtained in advance by experiment and stored in the ECU 20 as table data, and the table data is referred to according to the read fuel pressure Pf. (C is a constant for unit conversion).

Tl = Qfco / dQf × 360 × NE / 60 × C (1)
Then, the ignition timing ADV is calculated by the following equation (2) using the calculated injection period Tl and the read injection start timing ITco.
ADV = ITco + T1-Td (2)
Here, Td is a coefficient for adaptation for adapting the ignition timing ADV so that ignition can be performed near the end of spraying and ignition can be performed before the spray tip reaches the combustion chamber 4 wall surface. The coefficient Td for adaptation can be obtained by obtaining an optimum value in advance by experiment and storing the data in the ROM of the ECU 20 and referring to it each time.

On the other hand, if the catalyst temperature Tcat is lower than the activation temperature TcatH in S5 (that is, if the temperature increase of the exhaust purification catalyst 11 is required), the process proceeds to S9, and the expansion for injecting fuel in the expansion stroke as follows. Stratified combustion is performed by stroke injection (S9 to S11).
In S9, for example, the optimum injection start timing ITe in the expansion stroke is read with reference to map data assigned to the engine speed NE and the target torque TTC. The map data used here is obtained by storing the relationship between the engine rotational speed NE and the engine load and the optimum injection start timing ITex through experiments and the like. The injection start timing ITex read (set) here is set between the initial stage and the middle stage of the expansion stroke where the ratio of the injected supplied fuel becomes relatively high.

  In S10, a fuel injection amount Qfex injected in the expansion stroke is obtained. The calculation of the fuel injection amount Qfex is substantially the same as S7 described above. However, in the expansion stroke injection, the entire amount of supplied fuel does not become torque (some are used for “afterburning”), and therefore combustion considering its combustion efficiency The final fuel injection amount Qfex is obtained by multiplying by the efficiency coefficient Kco (> 1). For the combustion correction coefficient Kco, for example, a relationship between the combustion efficiency and the engine load is obtained in advance through experiments, the relationship is stored in the ROM of the ECU 20, and the map data assigned to the engine speed NE and the target torque TTC is referred to. Read. Further, the throttle (air amount) is adjusted according to the fuel amount increased by considering the combustion efficiency so that the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA is obtained.

During stratified combustion by expansion stroke injection, the air-fuel ratio around the spark plug 7 at the ignition timing is richer than stoichiometric and can be ignited, and during stratified combustion by expansion stroke injection, the total exhaust air-fuel ratio It is desirable that the (average air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber 4) be controlled so as to be slightly lean (exhaust A / F = 14.4 to 18) from stoichiometry.
In S11, the ignition timing ADV is calculated. This calculation is the same as S8 using the injection start timing ITex and the fuel injection amount Qfex (see formulas (1) and (2)).

In S12 (when it is determined that the fuel is in the homogeneous fuel region in S3), 1 is substituted for the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA, and the homogeneous combustion by the normal intake stroke injection is performed as follows (S13 to S15).
In S13, the fuel injection start timing ITin in the intake stroke is set. The fuel injection start timing ITin can be obtained by storing in the ECU 20 map data assigned to the engine rotational speed NE and the target torque TTC, which are matched by experiment, and referring to these values.

In S14, a basic fuel injection amount (K × QM / NE; K is a constant) corresponding to the theoretical air-fuel ratio determined from the intake air amount QM and the engine speed NE is set as the fuel injection amount Qfin.
In S15, the ignition timing ADV is set. The calculation of the ignition timing ADV here is different from the above S8 and S11 (that is, in the case of expansion stroke injection), for example, MBT is set, and the relationship between the engine rotation speed NE and the MBT with respect to the load is obtained by experiment and stored in advance. This is done by referring each time.

FIG. 3 compares the mixture (a) described in Patent Document 1 with the present embodiment (b) for the air-fuel mixture formed by the expansion stroke injection.
As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the one described in Patent Document 1 is configured to inject fuel into the fuel chamber at an angle, and the piston descends during the expansion stroke, so that it is injected toward the piston cavity. The burned fuel is not transported enough around the spark plug and may cause misfire.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the fuel injection valve is provided in a substantially central portion at the upper part of the combustion chamber, and the fuel spray injected while injecting fuel in the expansion stroke (during a specific operating condition) is the wall surface of the combustion chamber. As shown in FIG. 3B, the ignition timing that is desirable from the viewpoint of the exhaust gas temperature rise, that is, the ignition timing is compressed top dead center. Later, even when the expansion stroke is set from the initial stage to the middle stage, the air-fuel mixture is reliably formed around the spark plug at the ignition timing, and almost all of the fuel injected during the expansion stroke can be burned. is there.

  Here, since the maximum combustion temperature in the expansion stroke injection is lower than that in the normal homogeneous or stratified combustion, NOx emission can be reduced. Further, since the heat generation position is retarded (on the side), “afterburning” of unburned HC is promoted, the exhaust temperature rises, and HC emissions can be suppressed. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the fuel spray from reaching the wall surface without being burned to form a liquid film, and it is possible to reduce the discharge of HC for the wall flow.

The spark plug is arranged so that a part of the fuel spray formed by injection from the fuel injection valve reaches directly, and the spark plug is operated before the tip of the fuel spray reaches the wall surface of the combustion chamber. (See S11, Equation (1), Equation (2)). As a result, the air-fuel mixture can be reliably ignited before reaching the combustion chamber wall surface.
In addition, when the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst is required (for example, when the catalyst temperature does not reach the activation temperature), the stratified combustion is performed by the expansion stroke injection, so even before the catalyst activation, It is possible to raise the catalyst temperature early (that is, early activation of the catalyst) while suppressing the emission of HC and NOx to the maximum.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 4 is a control flowchart for calculating the fuel injection amount, the injection timing, and the ignition timing in the second embodiment. In FIG. 4, S21 to S28 are the same as S1 to S8 of FIG.

In S25, if the catalyst temperature Tcat is lower than the activation temperature TcatH of the catalyst, the process proceeds to S29, and “expansion stroke injection + ignition” is performed in addition to “compression stroke injection + ignition” as described below (S29˜). S34).
S29 to S31 are the same as S6 to S8 in FIG.
In S32, the injection start timing ITex of the additional injection in the expansion stroke after “compression stroke injection + ignition” is set. The injection start timing ITex set here is used so that the total amount of supplied fuel is used for “afterburning” for raising the exhaust gas temperature or reducing unburned HC. Unlike the setting of, it is set between the middle and later stages of the expansion stroke. The injection start timing ITex is set to the middle stage of the expansion stroke as the engine rotational speed NE is higher. Specifically, the table data in which the relationship obtained by the experiment is assigned to the engine rotational speed NE. Can be set by referring to the table data in accordance with the read engine rotational speed NE.

In S33, an additional fuel injection amount adQfex to be additionally injected from the middle stage to the latter stage of the expansion stroke is obtained. This additional fuel injection amount adQfex has a relationship as shown in FIG. 5 according to the current catalyst temperature Tcat and the target combustion air ratio TFBYA of the main combustion. For example, table data as shown in FIG. Store it and find it by referring to it.
Note that, as the current catalyst temperature Tcat is lower, a larger amount of additional fuel is injected to make the activation temperature faster (a larger amount of additional fuel is set). Further, if there is not enough air for “afterburning”, additional fuel will remain unburned, so that the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA increases (that is, the air-fuel ratio A / F tends to become richer). When the residual oxygen amount after the main combustion becomes smaller), the additional fuel amount is set to be small.

In S34, an additional ignition timing ADV for burning the additional injection amount adQfex set in S33 is set at the injection start timing ITex set in S32. The additional ignition timing ADV is calculated by the same method as S8 in FIG. 2 using the injection start timing ITex and the additional fuel injection amount adQfex (see formulas (1) and (2)).
In S35 (when it is determined in S33 that the region is a homogeneous combustion region), it is determined whether or not the current catalyst temperature Tcat is equal to or higher than the catalyst activation temperature TcatH. If the catalyst temperature Tcat is equal to or higher than the activation temperature TcatH, the process proceeds to S36, and homogeneous combustion is performed by normal intake stroke injection (S36 to S39). S36 to S39 are the same as S12 to S15 in FIG.

On the other hand, if the catalyst temperature Tcat is lower than the activation temperature TcatH in S35, the process proceeds to S40, and “expansion stroke injection + ignition” is performed in addition to “intake stroke injection + ignition” of the main combustion as described below ( S40-S46).
First, in S40, the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA is set so that the exhaust air-fuel ratio by “intake stroke injection + ignition”, which is the main combustion, becomes leaner than stoichiometric, that is, the exhaust A / F = about 15-18. Is substituted for 0.8 to 0.96. This is because the amount of oxygen for burning the additional fuel in the subsequent expansion stroke injection remains after the main combustion.

Subsequent S41 to S43 are the same as S13 to S15 in FIG. 2, and S44 to S46 are the same as S12 to S14 in FIG.
According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects in the first embodiment, the following effects are further obtained.
That is, in this embodiment, when there is a request for raising the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst in the stratified combustion region, an amount of fuel that makes the total exhaust air-fuel ratio leaner than the stoichiometric injection is injected in the compression stroke, spark ignited, and stratified After the main combustion is performed, a comparatively small amount of fuel is additionally injected in the expansion stroke, and is ignited with sparks to cause stratified combustion (S25, S29 to S34). Thus, for example, when the operation is a stratified operation of compression stroke injection immediately before the temperature increase request of the exhaust purification catalyst, the total exhaust air / fuel ratio (combustion chamber average air / fuel ratio) is first set at the time of the temperature increase request of the exhaust purification catalyst. The amount of oxygen remaining as lean, and then the combustion energy of a relatively small amount of fuel additionally injected in the expansion stroke (especially from the middle stage to the latter stage) is increased in the exhaust gas temperature or incompletely combusted CO, Since it is used for “afterburning” of H ₂ and unburned HC, there is little torque shock at the time of control switching, and deterioration of drivability can be suppressed. That is, it is possible to raise the exhaust gas temperature (catalyst) while suppressing deterioration of drivability only by adding a relatively small amount of fuel injection from the middle stage to the latter stage of the expansion stroke and the second ignition.

On the other hand, when there is a request to raise the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst in the homogeneous combustion region, an amount of fuel that makes the total exhaust air-fuel ratio leaner than the stoichiometric injection is injected in the intake stroke and ignited to produce homogeneous main combustion. After this, a relatively small amount of fuel is injected in the expansion stroke and ignited to cause stratified combustion (S35, S40 to S46). Thereby, for example, when the operation is a homogeneous combustion operation by intake stroke injection immediately before the temperature increase request of the exhaust purification catalyst, when the temperature increase request of the exhaust purification catalyst (when the catalyst temperature becomes less than the activation temperature), If the fuel amount and the air amount are adjusted and the air-fuel ratio is made lean, the oxygen amount for burning the additional fuel in the subsequent expansion stroke injection can be left after the main combustion. The combustion energy of a relatively small amount of fuel additionally injected in the subsequent expansion stroke (especially from the middle stage to the later stage of the expansion stroke) is caused by CO, H ₂ , unburned HC as exhaust temperature rise or incomplete combustion products. Therefore, there is little torque shock at the time of control switching, and the deterioration of drivability can be suppressed.

  In any of the above cases, the additional fuel injected into the expansion stroke does not self-ignite and burn as described in Patent Document 2, but is ignited reliably by the spark plug. As described above, it is possible to suppress the remaining unburned additional fuel under the condition where the combustion chamber temperature is low, and to reduce the amount of HC discharged into the ambient atmosphere. It is also possible to easily change the first ignition timing and the second injection timing according to the engine request or the like.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine according to the third embodiment. The difference in configuration between the first and second embodiments in the present embodiment is that a cavity 5a is formed at a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the piston 5 and that the catalyst temperature sensor 22 is not installed ( Others are the same and will not be described).
FIG. 7 is a control flowchart for calculating the fuel injection amount, injection timing, and ignition timing in the third embodiment.

In FIG. 7, in S51, when the key switch is turned on and the key is turned to the starter activation position, the starter is activated (the starter switch is turned on), and the engine starts cranking.
In S52, cylinder discrimination is performed using the crank angle sensor 27 and the cam angle sensor 28 input by the engine rotation.

In S53, the intake air amount QM, the engine speed NE, the fuel pressure Pf, the coolant temperature Tw, and the cycle number Ncyl of each cylinder from the first explosion are read. The cycle number Ncyl of each cylinder can be determined from the number of injections of the fuel injection valve 6, the number of ignitions of the spark plug 7, and the like.
In S54, the target torque TTC is calculated according to the coolant temperature Tw and the engine speed NE. In the present embodiment, table data assigned to the cooling water temperature Tw and the engine rotation speed NE as shown in the figure is stored in the ECU 20 in advance, and the table is set according to the read cooling water temperature Tw and the engine rotation speed NE. Obtained by referring to the data.

In S55, the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA is obtained from the target torque TTC and the engine speed NE (similar to S4 in FIG. 2).
In S56, it is determined whether or not the starter switch (STSW) has been switched from ON to OFF. If it has been switched from ON to OFF, the process proceeds to S57, and if it remains ON, the process proceeds to S66.

  In S57, it is determined whether the fuel pressure Pf is higher than a predetermined fuel pressure value LPf. The predetermined fuel pressure value LPf used here is a fuel pressure value at which the shape of the fuel spray injected from the fuel injection valve 6 is deformed and a part of the fuel spray does not directly reach the spark plug 7 and may misfire. And is a value determined by examining the relationship between the fuel pressure and the spray as a characteristic of the fuel injection valve 6 in advance through experiments. If Pf> LPf, the process proceeds to S58, and if Pf ≦ LPf, the process proceeds to S65.

  In S58, the catalyst temperature increase control cycle number Kcyl is calculated. The catalyst temperature increase control cycle number Kcyl is the number of cycles that need to be implemented until the exhaust purification catalyst 11 reaches the activation temperature TcatH (that is, the number of cycles necessary for temperature increase control). In the present embodiment, the catalyst temperature Tcat is not directly measured, but the relationship between the starting water temperature Tw0 and the catalyst temperature increase control cycle number Kcyl is obtained in advance through experiments or the like and stored in the ROM of the ECU 20 as table data. The table data is obtained according to the water temperature Tw0. Here, in this embodiment, Kcyl = 0 is set when the starting water temperature Tw0 is lower than the predetermined temperature LTw (that is, the catalyst temperature increase control is not performed). The predetermined temperature LTw is set as a temperature at which it is determined that stratified combustion cannot be performed due to the problem of combustion stability.

In S59, it is determined whether or not the current cycle number Ncyl is less than the catalyst temperature increase control cycle number Kcyl. If Kcyl> Ncyl, it is determined that there is a catalyst temperature increase request and the process proceeds to S60, and catalyst temperature increase control is performed as described below (S60 to S64).
In S60, the corrected fuel-air ratio TFBYA2 is calculated. This corrected fuel / air ratio TFBYA2 is the sum of the target fuel / air ratio TFBYA required for generating the target torque TTC and the amount of unburned components for causing “afterburning”. Here, in order to efficiently raise the exhaust gas temperature, it is necessary to balance the amount of CO and H ₂ that are incomplete combustion products generated by main combustion and the amount of residual oxygen existing after main combustion. Therefore, the corrected fuel-air ratio TFBYA2 is set between 0.8 and 1.0.

In S61, as in S9 of FIG. 2, the optimal injection start timing ITex (expansion stroke initial to middle period) of the expansion stroke is set from the engine speed NE and the target torque TTC.
In S62, as in S10 of FIG. 2, the basic fuel injection amount (K × QM / NE; K is a constant) is multiplied by the corrected target fuel-air ratio TFBYA2 and the combustion efficiency coefficient Kco to set the corrected fuel injection amount Qfex. Is done.

In S63, the ignition timing ADV is set. The ignition timing ADV is calculated by the same method as S8 in FIG. 2 using the injection start timing ITex and the corrected fuel injection amount Qfex (see equations (1) and (2)).
In S64, the corrected fuel injection amount (total fuel amount) Qfex is injected at the injection start timing ITex set between the initial stage and the middle stage of the expansion stroke. FIG. 8 shows the state of the air-fuel mixture at the ignition timing when such fuel injection is performed. As shown in FIG. 8, at the ignition timing ADV, the air-fuel mixture around the spark plug 7 has an air-fuel ratio that allows rich ignition from stoichiometry, and air exists outside the air-fuel mixture. That is, in this embodiment, the fuel injection amount Qfex is set so that the air-fuel ratio around the spark plug 7 at the ignition timing is richer than stoichiometric and can be ignited, and during stratified combustion by expansion stroke injection The total exhaust air-fuel ratio (the average air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber 4) is controlled so as to be slightly lean (exhaust A / F = 14.4 to about 18) from stoichiometry.

On the other hand, normal control is performed in S65 (when the starter switch remains ON in S56 or when the fuel pressure Pf is equal to or lower than the predetermined fuel pressure value LPf in S57). Specifically, this normal control is as follows.
First, when the starter switch remains ON, it is a start-up transition accompanied by a sudden increase in rotation. At the start-up transition, the basic fuel injection amount (K × QM / NE; K is a constant), the target fuel-air ratio TFBYA The fuel amount calculated from the water temperature increase correction, the start-up and the post-start-up increase correction, etc. is injected in the first half of the intake stroke or the compression stroke. In order to improve the rotation, the ignition timing ADV is set to a relatively advanced side with respect to the ignition timing during normal fast idling.

  On the other hand, even after the starter switch is switched from ON to OFF, if the fuel pressure Pf is equal to or lower than the predetermined fuel pressure value LPf, a part of the fuel spray may not reach the spark plug 7 and may misfire. Therefore, the fuel is injected during the intake stroke or the compression stroke, and the ignition timing ADV is set to, for example, the MBT setting for engine rotation and engine load regardless of the fuel injection timing.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects in the first embodiment, the following effects are further obtained.
That is, when the cycle number Ncyl of each cylinder from the first explosion is less than the predetermined number (catalyst temperature increase control cycle number Kcyl), the catalyst temperature increase control (stratified combustion by expansion stroke injection) is performed (59- S64), the catalyst temperature sensor can be deleted, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in the expansion stroke injection, fuel is injected (in such an amount) that the air-fuel ratio around the spark plug becomes richer than the stoichiometric and ignitable air-fuel ratio at the ignition timing. Incomplete combustion products such as CO and H ₂ are generated, and this reacts with excess oxygen in the combustion chamber in the remaining expansion stroke, exhaust stroke, and exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst (reburning), further increasing the exhaust temperature. Moreover, since the “afterburning” of unburned HC is promoted, HC emission can be further suppressed.

Further, at the time of stratified combustion by the expansion stroke injection, the total exhaust air-fuel ratio (average air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber) is changed from stoichiometric to weak lean (exhaust A / F = 14.4 to about 18), so it is generated by main combustion. The amount of CO and H ₂ that are incompletely combusted products and the amount of residual oxygen present after the main combustion can be balanced, and the exhaust temperature can be raised efficiently. In particular, if the total exhaust air / fuel ratio (combustion chamber average air / fuel ratio) is almost the stoichiometric air / fuel ratio (stoichiometric), the amount of incompletely combusted matter and the amount of residual oxygen will be almost equivalent, and the temperature rise efficiency of the exhaust temperature will be in the best condition. it can.

Furthermore, when the fuel pressure Pf is lower than the predetermined value LPf or when the cooling water temperature Tw (Tw0) is lower than the predetermined temperature LTw, the stratified combustion operation performed by injecting fuel in the expansion stroke is not performed (S57). , S58), misfire and combustion instability can be avoided.
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment (FIG. 6), description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a control flowchart for calculating the fuel injection amount, the injection timing, and the ignition timing in the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 9, S71 to S82 are the same as S51 to S62 of FIG.
In S83, the fuel split ratio Ksp, that is, the ratio of the pre-injected fuel amount for injecting a part of the fuel ahead of the total (corrected) fuel amount Qfex is set. The fuel split ratio Ksp is normally set to a value of about 0 to 0.3 (0% to 30%), although an optimum value exists depending on the engine speed NE and the engine load. In the present embodiment, the fuel split ratio Ksp is set based on the experimental results.

In S84, the ignition timing ADV is set in the same manner as S63 in FIG.
In S85, fuel injection is performed. However, unlike the third embodiment, the preceding injected fuel amount (= total fuel amount Qfex × fuel split ratio Ksp) is injected prior to the intake stroke, and the remaining (= Qfex × (1−Ksp)) is expanded. Injection is performed at the fuel injection timing ITex set between the initial period and the middle period. FIG. 10 shows the state of the air-fuel mixture at the ignition timing when such fuel injection is performed. As shown in FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, at the ignition timing ADV, the air-fuel mixture around the spark plug 7 has a richer air-fuel ratio that can be ignited than stoichiometric, and a lean air-fuel mixture is present outside the air-fuel mixture. Will exist.

Since S86 is the same as S65 in FIG. 7, the description thereof is omitted.
According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects in the first and third embodiments, the following effects are further obtained.
That is, during the stratified charge combustion operation by the expansion stroke injection, a part of the fuel is divided and injected prior to the intake stroke (S85), so at the ignition timing set from the initial stage to the middle stage of the expansion stroke, The air-fuel ratio is stoichiometric or an air-fuel mixture richer than stoichiometric exists, and a lean air-fuel mixture exists outside the air-fuel mixture (FIG. 10). In this case, as a result of the main combustion, CO, H ₂ or unburned HC which is an incomplete combustion product is generated, and the fuel in the outer lean mixture is partially reacted by the heat of the main combustion or some flame propagation. To generate a chemically reactive combustion precursor material (aldehydes, OH radicals, etc.). As a result, the reaction (reburning) of CO, H ₂ and unburned HC in the remaining expansion stroke, exhaust stroke, and exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst is performed in a more chained manner, and the exhaust temperature is further effectively increased. In addition, it is possible to further suppress HC emissions.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment (FIG. 6), description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 11 is a control flowchart for calculating the fuel injection amount, the injection timing, and the ignition timing in the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 11, S91 to S104 are the same as S71 to S84 of FIG.

  In S105, fuel injection is performed as in S85 of FIG. That is, the pre-injected fuel amount (= total fuel amount Qfex × fuel split ratio Ksp) is injected in advance during the compression stroke, and the remaining (= Qfex × (1−Ksp)) is set between the initial stage and the middle stage of the expansion stroke. Injection is performed at the set fuel injection timing ITex1. Here, the preceding injection timing at the time of the compression stroke in the present embodiment is a range in which the total amount of fuel spray enters the cavity 5a due to the geometric relationship between the spray vector and the cavity 5a formed at the substantially central portion of the piston 5. Is set within. FIG. 12 shows the state of the air-fuel mixture at the ignition timing when such fuel injection is performed. As shown in FIG. 12, in the present embodiment, at the ignition timing ADV, the air-fuel mixture around the spark plug 7 is richer than stoichiometric and can be ignited, and a lean air-fuel mixture is formed above the cavity 5a. Furthermore, air exists outside the lean air-fuel mixture.

Since S106 is the same as S65 in FIG. 7 (S86 in FIG. 9), description thereof is omitted.
According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects in the first and third embodiments, the following effects are further obtained.
That is, during the stratified charge combustion operation by the expansion stroke injection, since a part of the fuel is divided and injected prior to the compression stroke (S105), the same effect as the fourth embodiment can be obtained. If the piston cavity is formed for normal stratified combustion by stroke injection, the fuel injection timing prior to the compression stroke is set to the timing at which the fuel spray enters the cavity. HC can be reduced and HC emission can be further suppressed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a direct injection type internal combustion engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a control flowchart of fuel injection amount, injection timing, and ignition timing calculation which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the mode of the air-fuel | gaseous mixture formed by expansion stroke injection in each of the prior art (a) and 1st Embodiment (b). It is a control flowchart of fuel injection amount, injection timing, and ignition timing calculation concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting table of additional fuel injection quantity adQfex. It is a schematic block diagram of the direct injection type internal combustion engine which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a control flowchart of fuel injection amount, injection timing, and ignition timing calculation concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the air-fuel | gaseous mixture in the ignition timing at the time of the stratified combustion operation by expansion stroke injection in 3rd Embodiment. It is a control flowchart of fuel injection amount, injection timing, and ignition timing calculation concerning 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the air-fuel | gaseous mixture in the ignition timing at the time of the stratified combustion operation by expansion stroke injection in 4th Embodiment. It is a control flowchart of fuel-injection amount, injection timing, and ignition timing calculation concerning 5th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the air-fuel | gaseous mixture in the ignition timing at the time of the stratified combustion operation by expansion stroke injection in 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Direct injection type internal combustion engine (engine), 4 ... Combustion chamber, 5 ... Piston, 5 ... Cavity, 6 ... Fuel injection valve, 7 ... Spark plug, 14 ... Fuel pump, 20 ... Engine control unit (ECU) , 21 ... exhaust air-fuel ratio sensor, 22 ... catalyst temperature sensor, 23 ... fuel pressure sensor, 24 ... air flow meter, 25 ... accelerator opening sensor, 26 ... crank angle sensor, 27 ... cam angle sensor, 28 ... cooling water temperature sensor, 29 ... Starter switch

Claims (13)

A fuel injection valve that is provided in a substantially central portion of the upper portion of the combustion chamber and directly injects fuel into the cylinder;
An ignition plug that performs spark ignition on the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, and an exhaust purification catalyst interposed in the exhaust passage of the engine,
In the cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine performing stratified combustion operation in which fuel is injected from the fuel injection valve and stratified combustion is performed by spark ignition,
In-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine that injects fuel in an expansion stroke under specific operating conditions and ignites directly before the injected fuel spray reaches the wall surface of the combustion chamber for stratified combustion organ. The spark plug is arranged so that a part of the fuel spray injected from the fuel injection valve reaches directly,
2. The direct injection internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the spark plug is operated before the tip of the fuel spray reaches the wall surface of the combustion chamber.   The in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the specific operating condition is a time when a temperature increase of the exhaust purification catalyst is required.   The in-cylinder direct according to claim 3, wherein the specific operating condition is when the temperature of the exhaust purification catalyst is lower than a predetermined temperature or when the number of cycles from the first explosion is less than a predetermined number. Injection-type internal combustion engine.   5. The direct injection type internal combustion engine according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined number of times is set according to an engine coolant temperature.   The fuel is injected in the expansion stroke so that the air-fuel ratio around the spark plug is richer than stoichiometric and can be ignited at the ignition timing. In-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine.   The direct injection internal combustion engine according to claim 6, wherein the total exhaust air-fuel ratio is changed from stoichiometric to weak lean during stratified charge combustion operation by expansion stroke injection in which fuel is injected in an expansion stroke.   Under the specific operating conditions, an amount of fuel that makes the total exhaust air-fuel ratio leaner than stoichiometric is injected in the compression stroke, ignited and stratified main combustion is performed, and then a relatively small amount in the expansion stroke. The direct injection internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein fuel is additionally injected, ignited, and stratified combustion is performed.   Under the specific operating conditions, an amount of fuel that makes the total exhaust air / fuel ratio leaner than the stoichiometric injection is injected in the intake stroke, ignited to perform homogeneous main combustion, and then a relatively small amount in the expansion stroke. The direct injection type internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein fuel is additionally injected, spark ignited and layered combustion is performed.   The stratified combustion operation by the expansion stroke injection that injects the fuel in the expansion stroke, a part of the fuel is divided and injected prior to the intake stroke. In-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine.   8. The fuel injection according to claim 1, wherein a part of the fuel is divided and injected prior to the compression stroke during the stratified combustion operation by the expansion stroke injection in which the fuel is injected in the expansion stroke. In-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine. It has a piston with a cavity formed in the upper surface approximately in the center,
The in-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine according to claim 11, wherein split injection is performed during the compression stroke so that fuel spray enters the cavity.   The cylinder according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the stratified combustion operation by the expansion stroke injection is not performed when the fuel pressure is lower than a predetermined value or when the engine coolant temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature. Internal direct injection internal combustion engine.

Images