JP2018021470A - Exhaust emission control device for engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately ensure execution of NOx reduction control while suppressing emission of ammonia from an SCR catalyst.SOLUTION: An exhaust emission control device for an engine includes: an NOx catalyst 45 for occluding NOx when an air-fuel ratio is in a lean state and reducing the occluded NOx when the air-fuel ratio is in the vicinity of a theoretical air-fuel ratio or in a rich state; an SCR catalyst 47 for eliminating NOx through reaction with ammonia; and a PCM 60 for executing NOx reduction control for setting the air-fuel ratio to a target air-fuel ratio enabling reduction of the NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45. Specifically, the PCM 60 restricts the execution of the NOx reduction control when an execution duration of the NOx reduction control reaches equal to or longer than determination time corresponding to ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47, and when the ammonia adsorption amount is large, the determination time is set to shorter time compared to when the ammonia adsorption amount is small.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to an engine exhaust gas purification device, and more particularly to an engine exhaust gas purification device provided with an NOx catalyst for purifying NOx in exhaust gas and an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalyst on an exhaust passage.

  Conventionally, NOx in the exhaust gas is occluded in a lean state (λ> 1) where the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is larger than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and this occluded NOx is stored in the vicinity of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. NOx occlusion reduction type NOx catalysts that reduce in a certain state (λ≈1) or a rich state (λ <1) smaller than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio are known. In the normal operating range, from the viewpoint of improving fuel efficiency, the engine is operated with the air-fuel ratio set to a lean state (λ> 1). If this lean operating state continues, the NOx storage of the NOx catalyst is continued. When the amount reaches the limit, the NOx catalyst cannot store NOx in the exhaust gas (in this case, NOx is released). Therefore, the air-fuel ratio is appropriately set to a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a state richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio (λ ≦ 1) to reduce NOx stored in the NOx catalyst (hereinafter, stored in the NOx catalyst). The control for reducing NOx is appropriately referred to as “NOx reduction control”). “Λ” is an index indicating the air-fuel ratio expressed with the theoretical air-fuel ratio as a reference, and corresponds to a so-called excess air ratio.

In recent years, in addition to such a NOx catalyst, an exhaust purification system has been developed that also uses an SCR catalyst that selectively reduces and purifies NOx in exhaust gas in the presence of ammonia (NH ₃ ) as a reducing agent. Yes. In general, urea water is injected into the exhaust passage on the upstream side of the SCR catalyst, and NOx is purified in the SCR catalyst by ammonia generated from the urea water. On the other hand, ammonia is generated when NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst is reduced as described above. Therefore, a method for purifying NOx in the SCR catalyst using ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst is also known. . For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an ammonia generated from a NOx catalyst during NOx reduction control is adsorbed to an SCR catalyst, and the ammonia of the SCR catalyst is used in an exhaust purification device that purifies NOx using the ammonia adsorbed on the SCR catalyst. A technique for executing NOx reduction control only when the adsorption amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount is disclosed. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, by prohibiting NOx reduction control when the ammonia adsorption amount exceeds a predetermined amount, an amount of ammonia exceeding the adsorption capability of the SCR catalyst is supplied to the SCR catalyst. It is suppressing that ammonia is released from.

JP 2010-112345 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, since the NOx reduction control is uniformly prohibited when the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is large, the execution frequency of the NOx reduction control is limited. Therefore, there has been a tendency that the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst cannot be effectively ensured.

  The present invention was made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and is caused by ammonia generated from a NOx catalyst by NOx reduction control in an exhaust purification device for an engine having a NOx catalyst and an SCR catalyst. An object is to appropriately ensure execution of NOx reduction control for the NOx catalyst while suppressing release of ammonia from the SCR catalyst.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided on an exhaust passage of an engine, and stores NOx in exhaust gas when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. An exhaust purification device for an engine having a NOx catalyst that reduces occluded NOx when the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas is in the vicinity of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. An SCR catalyst that is provided on the exhaust passage and purifies NOx in the exhaust gas by reaction with ammonia, and sets the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to a target air-fuel ratio that can reduce NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst. NOx reduction control means for performing NOx reduction control for reducing NOx stored in the catalyst, and ammonia adsorption for detecting or estimating the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst An acquisition means, and a determination time setting means for setting a determination time for determining the duration of execution of NOx reduction control by the NOx reduction control means based on the ammonia adsorption amount acquired by the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means. The NOx reduction control means limits the execution of the NOx reduction control when the execution duration time of the NOx reduction control becomes equal to or longer than the determination time, and the determination time setting means determines the ammonia adsorption amount when the ammonia adsorption amount is large. It is characterized in that the determination time is set to a shorter time than in the case where there is little.

According to the present invention configured as described above, the determination time corresponding to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is set, the execution duration time of the NOx reduction control is limited, and when the ammonia adsorption amount is large, a short determination is made. A time is set to impose a limit so that the execution duration of the NOx reduction control is made shorter. In the present invention as described above, at the start of execution of NOx reduction control, the amount of ammonia adsorbed in consideration that ammonia is not generated because the reducing agent (HC, etc.) by NOx reduction control first reacts with oxygen in the NOx catalyst. Even when there is a large amount of NOx, execution of NOx reduction control for a short time is permitted. Therefore, according to the present invention, as in the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, a configuration that uniformly prohibits NOx reduction control when the ammonia adsorption amount is large (that is, a configuration that limits the execution frequency of NOx reduction control). ), The execution of the NOx reduction control can be appropriately ensured. Therefore, the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst can be improved.
Further, according to the present invention, when the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is large, a short determination time is set and an appropriate restriction is imposed so as to shorten the execution duration of the NOx reduction control. Ammonia generated from the catalyst can be prevented from being released without being completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately ensure the execution of the NOx reduction control for the NOx catalyst while suppressing the release of ammonia from the SCR catalyst due to the ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst by the NOx reduction control. be able to.

In the present invention, preferably, the determination time setting means shortens the determination time as the ammonia adsorption amount increases.
According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to effectively suppress the ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst by the NOx reduction control and being released without being completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, preferably, the determination time setting means changes the determination time according to the ammonia adsorption amount, and when the ammonia adsorption amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the ammonia adsorption amount is less than the predetermined amount. The rate of change of the determination time with respect to the ammonia adsorption amount is reduced.
According to the present invention configured as described above, since the rate of change of the determination time applied in a relatively wide range where the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is large is reduced, the ammonia adsorption of the SCR catalyst that changes according to various situations. Regardless of the ability, it is possible to effectively suppress the ammonia generated by the NOx reduction control from being released from the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, preferably, the determination time setting means makes the determination time substantially constant when the ammonia adsorption amount is a predetermined amount or more.
According to the present invention thus configured, the determination time applied in a relatively wide range where the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is large is set to a substantially constant time, so even if the ammonia adsorption capacity of the SCR catalyst changes, It is possible to more effectively suppress the ammonia generated by the NOx reduction control from being released from the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, preferably, the determination time setting means shortens the determination time applied at the same ammonia adsorption amount when the temperature of the SCR catalyst is high than when the temperature of the SCR catalyst is low.
According to the present invention configured as described above, in view of the fact that when the temperature of the SCR catalyst is high, the ammonia adsorption ability of the SCR catalyst is reduced, ammonia is easily released from the SCR catalyst. The execution duration of the control can be appropriately limited. On the other hand, when the temperature of the SCR catalyst is low, the restriction on the duration of execution of the NOx reduction control can be relaxed appropriately in consideration of the difficulty in releasing ammonia from the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, preferably, the determination time setting means sets the minimum determination time to a time corresponding to the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst.
In the present invention configured as described above, the minimum determination time is set according to the time required from the start of the NOx reduction control until the oxygen stored in the NOx catalyst is consumed. As a result, when the ammonia adsorption amount is large, it is possible to ensure the execution of the NOx reduction control while more reliably suppressing the ammonia generated by the NOx reduction control from being released from the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a urea injector provided on the exhaust passage upstream of the SCR catalyst and injecting urea into the exhaust passage, and the SCR catalyst is generated from urea injected by the urea injector. NOx is purified using the ammonia, and the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means includes an ammonia supply amount supplied to the SCR catalyst by urea injected from the urea injector, an ammonia generation amount generated from the NOx catalyst by NOx reduction control, The ammonia adsorption amount is estimated based on the ammonia consumption amount consumed by the SCR catalyst for purifying NOx.
According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to accurately estimate the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, preferably, the NOx reduction control means is configured to temporarily reduce the exhaust gas air-fuel ratio to the target air-fuel ratio when the exhaust gas air-fuel ratio changes to a rich side due to vehicle acceleration. Execute control.
According to the present invention configured as described above, the limitation on the duration of execution of the NOx reduction control according to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst as described above, the vehicle air acceleration changes the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the rich side. Since it is applied to the NOx reduction control that is sometimes performed, it is possible to appropriately reduce the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst and ensure the NOx purification performance while suppressing deterioration of fuel consumption.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the NOx reduction control means performs a post-injection control from the fuel injection valve so as to set the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio as the NOx reduction control.

  According to the present invention, in an exhaust emission control device for an engine having a NOx catalyst and an SCR catalyst, NOx with respect to the NOx catalyst is suppressed while suppressing release of ammonia from the SCR catalyst due to ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst by NOx reduction control. The execution of the reduction control can be appropriately ensured.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine system to which an engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the fuel-injection control by embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing about the driving | operation area | region of the engine which performs each of passive DeNOx control and active DeNOx control in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the setting process of the active DeNOx control execution flag by embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the setting process of the passive DeNOx control execution flag by embodiment of this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating active DeNOx control according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the passive DeNOx control by embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing about the setting method of the passive DeNOx execution permission time by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the estimation method of the ammonia adsorption amount by embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an exhaust emission control device for an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<System configuration>
First, an engine system to which an exhaust emission control device for an engine according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an engine system to which an engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the engine system 200 mainly includes an engine E as a diesel engine, an intake system IN that supplies intake air to the engine E, a fuel supply system FS that supplies fuel to the engine E, An exhaust system EX that exhausts exhaust gas from the engine E, sensors 100 to 119 that detect various states relating to the engine system 200, a PCM (Power-train Control Module) 60 that controls the engine system 200, and an SCR catalyst 47 And a DCU (Dosing Control Unit) 70 for performing control related to the above.

First, the intake system IN has an intake passage 1 through which intake air passes, and an air cleaner 3 that purifies air introduced from the outside in order from the upstream side, and intake air that passes through the intake passage 1. The compressor of the turbocharger 5 that compresses and raises the intake pressure, the intercooler 8 that cools the intake air by outside air or cooling water, and the intake shutter valve 7 that adjusts the intake air flow rate (corresponding to a throttle valve) And a surge tank 12 for temporarily storing the intake air supplied to the engine E.
In the intake system IN, an air flow sensor 101 for detecting the intake air amount and a temperature sensor 102 for detecting the intake air temperature are provided on the intake passage 1 immediately downstream of the air cleaner 3. A pressure sensor 103 for detecting the pressure of the intake air is provided. A temperature sensor 106 for detecting the intake air temperature is provided on the intake passage 1 immediately downstream of the intercooler 8. A position sensor 105 for detecting the opening degree is provided, and the surge tank 12 is provided with a pressure sensor 108 for detecting the pressure of intake air in the intake manifold. Various sensors 101 to 108 provided in the intake system IN output detection signals S101 to S108 corresponding to the detected parameters to the PCM 60, respectively.

  Next, the engine E includes an intake valve 15 for introducing the intake air supplied from the intake passage 1 (specifically, an intake manifold) into the combustion chamber 17, a fuel injection valve 20 for injecting fuel toward the combustion chamber 17, A glow plug 21 provided with a heat generating portion in the combustion chamber 17 that generates heat when energized, a piston 23 that reciprocates by combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber 17, and a crankshaft 25 that is rotated by the reciprocating motion of the piston 23 And an exhaust valve 27 that exhausts exhaust gas generated by combustion of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber 17 to the exhaust passage 41. Further, the engine E is provided with a crank angle sensor 100 that detects a crank angle as a rotation angle with respect to a top dead center in the crankshaft 25, and the crank angle sensor 100 is provided at the detected crank angle. The corresponding detection signal S100 is output to the PCM 60, and the PCM 60 acquires the engine speed based on the detection signal S100.

  The fuel supply system FS includes a fuel tank 30 that stores fuel, and a fuel supply passage 38 that supplies fuel from the fuel tank 30 to the fuel injection valve 20. In the fuel supply passage 38, a low-pressure fuel pump 31, a high-pressure fuel pump 33, and a common rail 35 are provided in order from the upstream side.

  Next, the exhaust system EX has an exhaust passage 41 through which exhaust gas passes. A turbo that is rotated by the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust passage 41 and drives the compressor as described above by this rotation. A turbine of the supercharger 5 is provided. Further, on the exhaust passage 41 on the downstream side of the turbine, NOx catalyst 45 for purifying NOx in the exhaust gas and particulate matter (PM) in the exhaust gas are collected in order from the upstream side. A diesel particulate filter (DPF) 46, a urea injector 51 that injects urea (typically urea water) into the exhaust passage 41 downstream of the DPF 46, and urea injected from the urea injector 51 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalyst 47 which purifies NOx by reacting (reducing) this ammonia with NOx in the exhaust gas and oxidizing ammonia released from SCR catalyst 47. And a slip catalyst 48 to be purified. The urea injector 51 is controlled to inject urea into the exhaust passage 41 by a control signal S51 supplied from the DCU 70.

Here, the NOx catalyst 45 and the SCR catalyst 47 will be described more specifically. The NOx catalyst 45 occludes NOx in the exhaust gas in a lean state (λ> 1) in which the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is larger than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. This is a NOx storage reduction catalyst (NSC) that reduces in the vicinity (λ≈1) or in a rich state (λ <1) smaller than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. The NOx catalyst 45 generates ammonia when reducing the NOx occluded in this way, and releases the generated ammonia. Specifically, during NOx reduction control, “N” in NOx stored by the NOx catalyst 45 and “H” in “HC” such as unburned fuel supplied as a reducing agent to the NOx catalyst 45. Are combined to produce ammonia (NH ₃ ).
The NOx catalyst 45 not only functions as the NSC described above, but also diesel that oxidizes hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and the like using oxygen in the exhaust gas to change it into water and carbon dioxide. It also has a function as an oxidation catalyst (DOC: Diesel Oxidation Catalyst). Specifically, the NOx catalyst 45 is made by coating the surface of a DOC catalyst material layer with an NSC catalyst material.
On the other hand, the SCR catalyst 47 adsorbs ammonia produced from urea injected from the urea injector 51 and ammonia produced by NOx reduction in the NOx catalyst 45, and the adsorbed ammonia is adsorbed to NOx in the exhaust gas. To reduce and purify NOx. For example, the SCR catalyst 47 is made by supporting a catalyst metal that reduces NOx with ammonia on zeolite that traps ammonia to form a catalyst component, and supporting this catalyst component on the cell wall of the honeycomb carrier. . Fe, Ti, Ce, W or the like is used as the catalyst metal for NOx reduction.
Note that the DCU 70 described above seems to adsorb an appropriate amount of ammonia to the SCR catalyst 47 from the viewpoint of both ensuring NOx purification performance by the SCR catalyst 47 and suppressing release (slip) of ammonia from the SCR catalyst 47. Next, control is performed to inject urea from the urea injector 51. In this case, since the ammonia adsorption capacity changes according to the temperature of the SCR catalyst 47 (specifically, when the temperature of the SCR catalyst 47 becomes high, ammonia is easily released from the SCR catalyst 47), the DCU 70 In consideration of the temperature, control is performed to inject urea from the urea injector 51.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the exhaust system EX, a pressure sensor 109 that detects the pressure of the exhaust gas and the temperature of the exhaust gas are detected on the exhaust passage 41 upstream of the turbine of the turbocharger 5. A temperature sensor 110 is provided, and an O ₂ sensor 111 for detecting the oxygen concentration is provided on the exhaust passage 41 immediately downstream of the turbine of the turbocharger 5. Further, the exhaust system EX includes a temperature sensor 112 for detecting the temperature of the exhaust gas immediately upstream of the NOx catalyst 45, a temperature sensor 113 for detecting the temperature of the exhaust gas between the NOx catalyst 45 and the DPF 46, and the DPF 46. Differential pressure sensor 114 for detecting the pressure difference between the exhaust gas immediately upstream and the downstream side, a temperature sensor 115 for detecting the temperature of the exhaust gas immediately downstream of the DPF 46, and the exhaust gas immediately downstream of the DPF 46 NOx sensor 116 for detecting the concentration of NOx in the exhaust gas, temperature sensor 117 for detecting the temperature of the exhaust gas immediately upstream of the SCR catalyst 47, and the concentration of NOx in the exhaust gas immediately downstream of the SCR catalyst 47 And a PM sensor 119 for detecting PM in the exhaust gas immediately upstream of the slip catalyst 48. Various sensor sensors 109 to 119 provided in the exhaust system EX output detection signals S109 to S119 corresponding to the detected parameters to the PCM 60, respectively.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the turbocharger 5 is configured as a two-stage supercharging system that can efficiently obtain high supercharging throughout the entire range from a low rotation range to a high rotation range where the exhaust energy is low. That is, the turbocharger 5 includes a large turbocharger 5a for supercharging a large amount of air in a high rotation range, a small turbocharger 5b capable of efficiently supercharging with low exhaust energy, and a compressor of the small turbocharger 5b. A compressor bypass valve 5c for controlling the flow of intake air to the turbine, a regulator valve 5d for controlling the flow of exhaust gas to the turbine of the small turbocharger 5b, and a waste gate for controlling the flow of exhaust gas to the turbine of the large turbocharger 5a A valve 5e is provided, and the supercharging by the large turbocharger 5a and the small turbocharger 5b is switched by driving each valve according to the operating state (engine speed and load) of the engine E.

  The engine system 200 according to the present embodiment further includes an EGR device 43. The EGR device 43 connects the exhaust passage 41 upstream of the turbine of the turbocharger 5 and the intake passage 1 downstream of the compressor of the turbocharger 5 (specifically, downstream of the intercooler 8). The passage 43a, the EGR cooler 43b that cools the exhaust gas that passes through the EGR passage 43a, the first EGR valve 43c that adjusts the flow rate of the exhaust gas that passes through the EGR passage 43a, and the EGR cooler 43b are bypassed to flow the exhaust gas. The EGR cooler bypass passage 43d and the second EGR valve 43e for adjusting the flow rate of the exhaust gas passing through the EGR cooler bypass passage 43d are provided.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the electrical configuration of the exhaust emission control device for an engine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In addition to the detection signals S100 to S119 of the various sensors 100 to 119 described above, the PCM 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention detects an accelerator opening sensor 150 that detects an accelerator pedal opening (accelerator opening), and a vehicle speed. Based on the detection signals S150 and S151 output from the vehicle speed sensors 151, the control signal S20 is mainly output to control the fuel injection valve 20, and the control signal S7 is output to control the intake shutter valve 7. To do.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the PCM 60 sets the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from the fuel injection valve 20 so as to set the target air-fuel ratio (specifically, near the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a predetermined air-fuel ratio smaller than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio). Control (NOx reduction control) is performed to reduce the NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 by post injection. That is, the PCM 60 adds to the main injection that injects fuel into the cylinders in order to output the engine torque according to the driver's accelerator operation (basically, the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas becomes lean in the main injection). After this main injection, post injection is performed to inject fuel at a timing that does not contribute to engine torque output (specifically, an expansion stroke), and the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is reduced. The NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 is reduced so as to be set to a state close to the theoretical air-fuel ratio (λ≈1) or a rich state smaller than the theoretical air-fuel ratio (λ <1). Hereinafter, such control for reducing the NOx stored in the NOx catalyst 45 is referred to as “DeNOx control”. Note that “De” in the word “DeNOx” is a prefix meaning separation or removal.

  Although details will be described later, the PCM 60 functions as an “ammonia adsorption amount acquisition unit”, a “determination time setting unit”, and a “NOx reduction control unit”.

  The PCM 60 stores a CPU, various programs interpreted and executed on the CPU (including a basic control program such as an OS and an application program that is activated on the OS and realizes a specific function), programs, and various data. It is configured by a computer having an internal memory such as a ROM or RAM for storing.

<Fuel injection control>
Next, the fuel injection control according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart (fuel injection control flow) showing the fuel injection control according to the embodiment of the present invention. This fuel injection control flow is started when the ignition of the vehicle is turned on and the PCM 60 is turned on, and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

  First, in step S101, the PCM 60 acquires the driving state of the vehicle. Specifically, the PCM 60 is currently set to at least the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening sensor 150, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 151, the crank angle detected by the crank angle sensor 100, and the transmission of the vehicle. Get the gear position.

  Next, in step S102, the PCM 60 sets a target acceleration based on the driving state of the vehicle including the operation of the accelerator pedal acquired in step S101. Specifically, the PCM 60 determines the acceleration corresponding to the current vehicle speed and gear stage from acceleration characteristic maps (created in advance and stored in a memory or the like) defined for various vehicle speeds and various gear stages. A characteristic map is selected, and a target acceleration corresponding to the current accelerator opening is determined with reference to the selected acceleration characteristic map.

  Next, in step S103, the PCM 60 determines a target torque of the engine E for realizing the target acceleration determined in step S102. In this case, the PCM 60 determines a target torque within the range of torque that can be output by the engine E based on the current vehicle speed, gear stage, road surface gradient, road surface μ, and the like.

  Next, in step S104, the PCM 60 calculates the fuel injection amount to be injected from the fuel injection valve 20 based on the target torque and the engine speed so as to output the target torque determined in step S103 from the engine E. . This fuel injection amount is a fuel injection amount (main injection amount) applied in main injection.

  On the other hand, in parallel with the processing of steps S102 to S104 described above, in step S105, the PCM 60 sets a fuel injection pattern according to the operating state of the engine E. Specifically, when performing the above-described DeNOx control, the PCM 60 sets a fuel injection pattern for performing at least post injection in addition to main injection. In this case, the PCM 60 also determines the fuel injection amount (post injection amount) applied in the post injection and the timing (post injection timing etc.) for performing the post injection. Details of these will be described later.

  After steps S104 and S105, the process proceeds to step S106, where the PCM 60 is based on the main injection amount calculated in step S104 and the fuel injection pattern set in step S105 (when post injection is performed, the post injection amount or post injection). The fuel injection valve 20 is controlled. That is, the PCM 60 controls the fuel injection valve 20 so that a desired amount of fuel is injected in a desired fuel injection pattern.

  Here, a calculation method of the post injection amount (hereinafter referred to as “DeNOx post injection amount”) applied during DeNOx control in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The calculation of the post injection amount for DeNOx is executed in parallel with the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. That is, while the fuel injection control is being performed, the post injection amount for DeNOx is calculated as needed.

First, the PCM 60 determines at least the intake air amount (fresh air amount) detected by the air flow sensor 101, the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas detected by the O ₂ sensor 111, and the main injection amount calculated in step S104 in FIG. get. In addition, the PCM 60 also obtains an exhaust gas amount (EGR gas amount) recirculated to the intake system IN by the EGR device 43, which is obtained by a predetermined model or the like. Then, the PCM 60 calculates the amount of air introduced into the engine E (that is, the filling amount) based on the acquired fresh air amount and EGR gas amount, and the oxygen concentration of the air introduced into the engine E from this filling amount. Is calculated.

Next, the PCM 60 sets the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the vicinity of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or the target air-fuel ratio equal to or lower than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in order to reduce the NOx stored in the NOx catalyst 45 by performing post-injection in addition to the main injection. The post injection amount (DeNOx post injection amount) necessary for the calculation is calculated. That is, the PCM 60 determines how much post injection amount should be applied in addition to the main injection amount in order to set the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio. In this case, the PCM 60 calculates the DeNOx post injection amount in consideration of the difference between the oxygen concentration detected by the O ₂ sensor 111 and the oxygen concentration calculated as described above. Specifically, the PCM 60 appropriately performs feedback processing according to the difference between the detected oxygen concentration and the calculated oxygen concentration from the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas generated when the main injected fuel is burned. Then, the post-injection amount for DeNOx for setting the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio is calculated. By calculating the post-injection amount for DeNOx in this way, the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is accurately set to the target air-fuel ratio by post-injection in DeNOx control, and NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 is reliably reduced. I am doing so.

<DeNOx control>
Hereinafter, DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described.

  First, the basic concept of DeNOx control according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the PCM 60 reduces the NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 to approximately 0 when the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, typically when the NOx occlusion amount is near the limit. DeNOx control (hereinafter referred to as “active DeNOx control where appropriate”), in which post-injection is performed from the fuel injection valve 20 so that the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is continuously set to a target air-fuel ratio in the vicinity of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or lower than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. ”). By so doing, NOx stored in the NOx catalyst 45 in a large amount is forcibly reduced, and the NOx purification performance of the NOx catalyst 45 is reliably ensured.

  Further, in this embodiment, even if the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 is less than a predetermined amount, the PCM 60 is occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas changes to the rich side due to vehicle acceleration. In order to reduce the NOx, DeNOx control (hereinafter referred to as “passive DeNOx control” as appropriate) is performed in which the fuel injection valve 20 performs post-injection so as to temporarily set the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio. . In this passive DeNOx control, the air-fuel ratio is adjusted to a target air-fuel ratio in the vicinity of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or below the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio by taking advantage of the situation where the main injection amount increases during acceleration and the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas decreases. Since the post-injection is performed so as to be set, the post-injection amount for setting the air-fuel ratio to the target air-fuel ratio is smaller than in the case where the DeNOx control is performed in a situation where the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas does not decrease (that is, during non-acceleration). Become. Further, since the passive DeNOx control is performed by taking advantage of acceleration of the vehicle, it is performed at a relatively high frequency.

  In the present embodiment, by applying such passive DeNOx control, DeNOx is performed at a high frequency while suppressing deterioration in fuel consumption due to DeNOx. Although the passive DeNOx control is performed only for a relatively short period, it is performed at a high frequency, so that the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 can be efficiently reduced. As a result, the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 is less likely to exceed a predetermined amount, so that the frequency of execution of active DeNOx control that requires a larger amount of post-injection than passive DeNOx control can be reduced, and fuel consumption deterioration due to DeNOx It becomes possible to improve effectively.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the above-described active DeNOx control is executed, the post-injected fuel is burned in the cylinder of the engine E, so that the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is set to the target air-fuel ratio. In this case, the PCM 60 performs the post-injection at the timing when the post-injected fuel is combusted in the cylinder. Specifically, the PCM 60 sets a predetermined timing in the first half of the expansion stroke of the engine E as a post injection timing in the active DeNOx control. By applying such post injection timing in the active DeNOx control, the post-injected fuel is discharged as it is as unburned fuel (that is, HC), and the oil dilution by the post-injected fuel is suppressed. ing.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the above-described passive DeNOx control is performed, the PCM 60 causes the post-injected fuel to be discharged into the exhaust passage 41 as unburned fuel without burning in the cylinder of the engine E. Thus, the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is set to the target air-fuel ratio. In this case, the PCM 60 performs the post-injection at the timing when the post-injected fuel is discharged into the exhaust passage 41 as unburned fuel without being burned in the cylinder. Specifically, the PCM 60 sets a predetermined timing in the latter half of the expansion stroke of the engine E as a post injection timing in the passive DeNOx control. By applying such post-injection timing in passive DeNOx control, it is possible to prevent the post-injected fuel from burning in the cylinder and generating smoke.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation area | region of the engine E which performs each of passive DeNOx control and active DeNOx control in embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates the engine speed, and the vertical axis indicates the engine load. In FIG. 4, a curve L1 indicates the maximum torque line of the engine E.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the PCM 60 is in an intermediate load region where the engine load is equal to or higher than the first predetermined load Lo1 and lower than the second predetermined load Lo2 (> first predetermined load Lo1), and When the engine speed is in the middle engine speed range that is greater than or equal to the first predetermined engine speed N1 and less than the second predetermined engine speed N2 (> the first predetermined engine speed N1), that is, the engine load and the engine engine speed are indicated by reference numeral R12. When included in the region (hereinafter referred to as “active DeNOx execution region R12”), the active DeNOx control is executed. The reason for adopting such an active DeNOx execution region R12 is as follows.

  As described above, when executing the active DeNOx control, the post-injected fuel is reduced from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of HC due to the post-injected fuel being discharged as it is or the oil dilution by the post-injected fuel. Post injection is performed at the timing of combustion in the cylinder. In this case, in this embodiment, when the post-injected fuel is burned, the generation of smoke is suppressed and the generation of HC (that is, the discharge of unburned fuel due to incomplete combustion) is suppressed. Specifically, the generation of smoke and HC is suppressed by maximizing the time until the post-injected fuel burns as much as possible, that is, ignition occurs in a state where air and fuel are properly mixed. Yes. For this reason, the ignition of post-injected fuel is effectively delayed by introducing an appropriate amount of EGR gas during active DeNOx control.

The reason for suppressing the generation of HC during the active DeNOx control is that when EGR gas is introduced as described above, HC is also recirculated to the intake system IN as EGR gas, and this HC becomes a binder and is combined with soot. This is to prevent the gas passage from being blocked. In addition, when active DeNOx control is performed in an area where the temperature of the NOx catalyst 45 is low and HC purification performance (HC purification performance by DOC in the NOx catalyst 45) is not ensured, HC is not purified. This is to prevent discharge. Incidentally, the active DeNOx execution region R12 includes a region where the temperature of the NOx catalyst 45 where the HC purification performance is not ensured is relatively low.
The reason for suppressing the generation of smoke during active DeNOx control is that PM corresponding to the smoke is collected by the DPF 46, but DPF regeneration for burning and removing the PM collected by the DPF 46 (similar to DeNOx control). This is to prevent the fuel efficiency and the like from being deteriorated by frequently performing post-injection control).

By the way, when the engine load increases, the air introduced into the engine E in order to achieve the target air-fuel ratio is reduced, so that there is not enough oxygen necessary to properly burn the post-injected fuel, so that smoke and HC Tend to occur. In particular, when the engine load increases, the in-cylinder temperature rises and the time until the post-injected fuel is ignited cannot be properly secured, and ignition occurs midway, that is, the air and fuel are mixed properly. Combustion occurs in a state where it is not performed, and smoke and HC are generated. On the other hand, in a region where the engine load is considerably low, the temperature of the NOx catalyst 45 is low, and the NOx reduction function of the NOx catalyst 45 is not sufficiently exhibited. In addition, in this region, the post-injected fuel does not burn properly, that is, misfire occurs.
In addition, although the phenomenon regarding an engine load was described above, the same phenomenon arises also about an engine speed.

  From the above, in this embodiment, the operation region of the engine E corresponding to the medium load region and the medium rotation region is employed as the active DeNOx execution region R12 for executing the active DeNOx control. In other words, in this embodiment, the active DeNOx control is executed only in the active DeNOx execution region R12, and the execution of the active DeNOx control is prohibited in the operation region other than the active DeNOx execution region R12. Thus, in the operation region of the engine E for which execution of the active DeNOx control is prohibited, particularly in the region on the higher load side or the higher rotation side than the active DeNOx execution region R12 (region denoted by reference numeral R13), the SCR Since the NOx purification performance of the catalyst 47 is sufficiently secured, the SCR catalyst 47 purifies NOx, and NOx emission from the vehicle can be prevented without executing DeNOx control.

Further, in this embodiment, in the region on the higher load side than the region R13 in which the SCR catalyst 47 purifies NOx (the region denoted by reference numeral R11, hereinafter referred to as “passive DeNOx execution region R11”). Since the amount of exhaust gas increases and the SCR catalyst 47 cannot completely purify NOx, passive DeNOx control is executed. In this passive DeNOx control, as described above, post-injection is performed at a timing at which the post-injected fuel is discharged into the exhaust passage 41 as unburned fuel without being combusted in the cylinder. In the passive DeNOx execution region R11, the temperature of the NOx catalyst 45 is sufficiently high, and the HC purification performance (HC purification performance by DOC in the NOx catalyst 45) is ensured, so the unburned fuel discharged in this way Can be appropriately purified by the NOx catalyst 45.
In passive DeNOx control, smoke is generated when post-injected fuel is combusted in the cylinder as in active DeNOx control. As described above, the reason is the same as the reason why the execution of the active DeNOx control is prohibited when the engine load increases. Therefore, in passive DeNOx control, the post-injected fuel is discharged into the exhaust passage 41 as unburned fuel without burning in the cylinder.

  Here, a specific example of active DeNOx control when the engine operating state changes as indicated by an arrow A11 in FIG. 4 will be described. First, when the operating state of the engine enters the active DeNOx execution region R12 (see symbol A12), the PCM 60 executes active DeNOx control. When the engine operating state deviates from the active DeNOx execution region R12 (see A13), the PCM 60 temporarily stops the active DeNOx control. At this time, the SCR catalyst 47 purifies NOx. When the engine operating state reenters the active DeNOx execution region R12 (see reference A14), the PCM 60 resumes active DeNOx control. By doing so, the active DeNOx control is not terminated until the NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 drops to almost zero.

  Next, the temperature range in which passive DeNOx control and active DeNOx control are performed in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Basically, the NOx catalyst 45 exhibits NOx purification performance in a relatively low temperature range, and the SCR catalyst 47 has a relatively high temperature range, specifically, a temperature range where the NOx purification performance of the NOx catalyst 45 is exhibited. It exhibits NOx purification performance in a high temperature range. In the present embodiment, the temperature near the lower boundary value of the temperature range in which the NOx purification rate equal to or higher than a predetermined value is obtained by the SCR catalyst 47 is used as the determination temperature (hereinafter referred to as “SCR determination temperature”). Passive DeNOx control or active DeNOx control is executed only when the temperature of the SCR catalyst 47 (hereinafter referred to as “SCR temperature”) is lower than the SCR determination temperature, and when the SCR temperature is equal to or higher than the SCR determination temperature. The execution of the passive DeNOx control and the active DeNOx control is prohibited. This is because, when the SCR temperature is equal to or higher than the SCR determination temperature, the NOx in the exhaust gas can be appropriately purified by the SCR catalyst 47, so that the NOx purification performance by the NOx catalyst 45 is ensured. This is because there is no need to perform control. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the SCR temperature is equal to or higher than the SCR determination temperature, the execution of DeNOx control is prohibited, and the deterioration of fuel consumption due to the execution of DeNOx control is suppressed.

  Hereinafter, the active DeNOx control and the passive DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described.

  First, with reference to FIG. 5, the setting process of the active DeNOx control execution flag used for determining whether or not to execute the active DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an active DeNOx control execution flag setting process (active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow). This active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow is repeatedly executed by the PCM 60 at a predetermined cycle, and is executed in parallel with the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG.

  First, in step S201, the PCM 60 acquires various information on the vehicle. Specifically, the PCM 60 acquires at least the NOx catalyst temperature, the SCR temperature, and the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45. In this case, the NOx catalyst temperature is estimated based on, for example, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 112 provided immediately upstream of the NOx catalyst 45 (a temperature sensor provided between the NOx catalyst 45 and the DPF 46). The temperature detected by 113 may also be used). The SCR temperature is estimated based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 117 provided immediately upstream of the SCR catalyst 47, for example. Further, the NOx occlusion amount is obtained by, for example, estimating the NOx amount in the exhaust gas based on the operating state of the engine E, the flow rate of the exhaust gas, the temperature of the exhaust gas, and the like, and integrating this NOx amount. It is done.

  Next, in step S202, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the SCR temperature acquired in step S201 is lower than the SCR determination temperature. As a result of this determination, when the SCR temperature is lower than the SCR determination temperature (step S202: Yes), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, when the SCR temperature is equal to or higher than the SCR determination temperature (step S202: No), the process proceeds to step S209. In this case, since NOx in the exhaust gas can be appropriately purified by the SCR catalyst 47, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to prohibit the execution of the active DeNOx control ( Step S209). Then, the process ends.

  Next, in step S203, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the NOx catalyst temperature acquired in step S201 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. When the NOx catalyst temperature is low, the NOx catalyst 45 hardly reduces the stored NOx even if the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is set to the target air-fuel ratio. Therefore, in step S203, it is determined whether or not the NOx stored in the NOx catalyst 45 can be reduced. Therefore, the predetermined temperature used in the determination in step S203 is set based on the NOx catalyst temperature that can reduce the NOx stored in the NOx catalyst 45. As a result of the determination in step S203, if the NOx catalyst temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature (step S203: Yes), the process proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, when the NOx catalyst temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature (step S203: No), the process proceeds to step S209. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to prohibit the execution of the active DeNOx control (step S209).

  Next, in step S204, the PCM 60 determines whether or not active DeNOx control has never been executed after the engine is started. In step S204, if the active DeNOx control has never been executed after the engine has been started, the execution conditions of the active DeNOx control are relaxed compared to the case where the active DeNOx control has been executed after the engine has been started. The purpose is to preferentially execute the active DeNOx control. Specifically, when the active DeNOx control has been executed after the engine is started, the execution conditions of step S207 and the execution condition of step S208, which are relatively severe, are used, whereas the active DeNOx control is executed after the engine is started. Is never executed, only the execution condition of step S205, which is relatively mild, is used (details thereof will be described later). As a result of the determination in step S204, if the active DeNOx control is not executed after the engine is started (step S204: Yes), the process proceeds to step S205.

  Next, in step S205, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the NOx storage amount acquired in step S201 is greater than or equal to the first storage amount determination value. For example, the first storage amount determination value is set to a value that is somewhat lower than the limit value of the NOx storage amount. If the result of this determination is that the NOx storage amount is greater than or equal to the first storage amount determination value (step S205: Yes), the process proceeds to step S206. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “1” in order to allow execution of the active DeNOx control (step S206). In this way, the active DeNOx control is executed after the engine is started to forcibly reduce NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst 45 to some extent, thereby ensuring the NOx purification performance of the NOx catalyst 45 reliably. On the other hand, when the NOx storage amount is less than the first storage amount determination value (step S205: No), the process proceeds to step S209. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to prohibit execution of useless active DeNOx control (step S209). Then, the process ends.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S204 is that active DeNOx control has been executed after engine startup (step S204: No), the process proceeds to step S207. In step S207, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the NOx occlusion amount acquired in step S201 is greater than or equal to the second occlusion amount determination value. The second storage amount determination value is at least a value larger than the first storage amount determination value described above. For example, a value near the limit value of the NOx storage amount (in one example, a value about 2/3 of the limit value). ). If the result of this determination is that the NOx storage amount is greater than or equal to the second storage amount determination value (step S207: Yes), the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, when the NOx storage amount is less than the second storage amount determination value (step S207: No), the process proceeds to step S209. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to prohibit execution of useless active DeNOx control (step S209). Then, the process ends.

  Next, in step S208, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is greater than or equal to a predetermined determination distance. As a result of the determination in step S208, when the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is equal to or greater than the determination distance (step S208: Yes), the process proceeds to step S206. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “1” in order to allow execution of the active DeNOx control (step S206). In this way, the active DeNOx control is executed to forcibly reduce the NOx occluded in a large amount in the NOx catalyst 45, thereby ensuring the NOx purification performance of the NOx catalyst 45 reliably. On the other hand, when the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is less than the determination distance (step S208: No), the process proceeds to step S209. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the active DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to prohibit the execution of the active DeNOx control (step S209). Then, the process ends.

When the active DeNOx control is executed in a situation where the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is short (that is, when the execution interval of the active DeNOx control is short), there is a high possibility that oil dilution due to post injection occurs. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is less than the determination distance (step S208: No), the execution of the active DeNOx control is prohibited and the post injection in the active DeNOx control. The oil dilution caused by this is suppressed. On the other hand, when the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is long (that is, when the execution interval of the active DeNOx control is long), even if the active DeNOx control is executed from now on, the oil dilution caused by the post injection is not performed. It is unlikely to occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is equal to or greater than the determination distance (step S208: Yes), the execution of the active DeNOx control is not prohibited.
Further, in the present embodiment, considering that the post-injected fuel is vaporized and the oil dilution is less likely to occur when the in-cylinder temperature increases, the determination distance used in step S208 increases as the in-cylinder temperature increases. The value is set to a small value, and the restriction on the control according to the travel distance from the previous execution time of the active DeNOx control is relaxed.

  Next, a passive DeNOx control execution flag setting process used to determine whether or not to execute passive DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart (passive DeNOx control execution flag setting flow) showing the setting process of the passive DeNOx control execution flag according to the embodiment of the present invention. This passive DeNOx control execution flag setting flow is repeatedly executed by the PCM 60 at a predetermined cycle, and is executed in parallel with the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. 3 and the active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow shown in FIG. Is done.

First, in step S301, the PCM 60 acquires various information on the vehicle. Specifically, the PCM 60 includes at least the NOx catalyst temperature, the SCR temperature, the target torque determined by the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. 3, the DeNOx post-injection amount calculated as described above, The NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 and the value of the active DeNOx control execution flag set in the active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow shown in FIG. 5 are acquired. The method for obtaining the NOx catalyst temperature, the SCR temperature, and the NOx occlusion amount is as described above.
In addition, in step S301, the PCM 60 also acquires the execution frequency of passive DeNOx control within a predetermined period. Specifically, the PCM 60 acquires, as the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control, the number of times that the passive DeNOx control has been executed during a predetermined period (for example, several seconds or several minutes).

  Next, in step S302, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the SCR temperature acquired in step S301 is less than the SCR determination temperature. As a result of this determination, when the SCR temperature is lower than the SCR determination temperature (step S302: Yes), the process proceeds to step S303. On the other hand, when the SCR temperature is equal to or higher than the SCR determination temperature (step S302: No), the process proceeds to step S308. In this case, since NOx in the exhaust gas can be appropriately purified by the SCR catalyst 47, the PCM 60 sets the passive DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to prohibit the execution of the passive DeNOx control ( Step S308). Then, the process ends.

  Next, in step S303, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control acquired in step S301 is less than a predetermined frequency determination value. As a result of the determination in step S303, if the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control is less than the frequency determination value (step S303: Yes), the process proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, when the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control is greater than or equal to the frequency determination value (step S303: No), the process proceeds to step S308. In this case, the PCM 60 sets the passive DeNOx control execution flag to “0” to prohibit the execution of the passive DeNOx control (step S308).

When the passive DeNOx control has been performed relatively frequently so far, when the passive DeNOx control is executed from now on, there is a high possibility that oil dilution due to post injection occurs. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control is equal to or higher than the frequency determination value (step S303: No), the execution of the passive DeNOx control is prohibited and the oil resulting from the post injection in the passive DeNOx control. Dilution is controlled. On the other hand, when passive DeNOx control has hardly been performed so far (that is, when the frequency of passive DeNOx control is relatively low), even if passive DeNOx control is executed from now on, oil dilution caused by post-injection will occur. Is unlikely to occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control is less than the frequency determination value (step S303: Yes), the execution of the passive DeNOx control is not prohibited.
In the present embodiment, the frequency determination value used in step S303 is set to a larger value as the in-cylinder temperature becomes higher. When the frequency determination value is a large value, the possibility that the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control is less than the frequency determination value (step S303: Yes) is higher than when the frequency determination value is a small value. Therefore, in this embodiment, as the in-cylinder temperature becomes higher, the restriction on the control according to the execution frequency of the passive DeNOx control is relaxed. This is because as the in-cylinder temperature increases, the post-injected fuel is more vaporized and oil dilution is less likely to occur.

  Next, in step S304, it is determined whether or not the NOx occlusion amount acquired in step S301 is greater than or equal to the third occlusion amount determination value. For example, the third storage amount determination value is set to a value that is about 1/3 of the limit value of the NOx storage amount. If the result of this determination is that the NOx storage amount is greater than or equal to the third storage amount determination value (step S304: Yes), the process proceeds to step S305. On the other hand, when the NOx storage amount is less than the third storage amount determination value (step S304: No), the process proceeds to step S308. In this case, the PCM 60 prohibits execution of useless passive DeNOx control and sets the passive DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to suppress deterioration in fuel consumption caused by execution of passive DeNOx control (step S308). ). Then, the process ends.

  Next, in step S305, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the active DeNOx control execution flag acquired in step S301 is “0”. That is, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the situation is that the active DeNOx control should be executed. As a result of this determination, when the active DeNOx control execution flag is “0” (step S305: Yes), the process proceeds to step S306. On the other hand, when the active DeNOx control execution flag is not “0”, that is, “1” (step S305: No), the process proceeds to step S308. In this case, the PCM 60 prohibits the execution of the passive DeNOx control and sets the passive DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to preferentially execute the active DeNOx control (step S308). That is, even if the execution condition of the passive DeNOx control is satisfied, the active DeNOx control is preferentially executed when the execution condition of the active DeNOx control is satisfied. Then, the process ends.

  Next, in step S306, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the DeNOx post injection amount acquired in step S301 is less than the first post injection amount determination value. In this step S306, based on the post-injection amount for DeNOx calculated as the fuel amount necessary for realizing the target air-fuel ratio by post injection as described above, the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is reduced to a predetermined value or less on the rich side. It is determined whether or not the situation decreases, that is, whether the vehicle is in a predetermined acceleration state. By doing so, it is determined whether or not DeNOx control can be executed while suppressing deterioration in fuel consumption as much as possible, and whether or not there is a possibility of oil dilution by post injection is determined. Based on such a viewpoint, a first post injection amount determination value applied to the determination in step S306 is set.

  As a result of the determination in step S306, when the DeNOx post injection amount is less than the first post injection amount determination value (step S306: Yes), the process proceeds to step S307. In this case, since all of the above-described conditions of Steps S302 to S306 are satisfied, the PCM 60 sets a passive DeNOx control execution flag to “1” in order to permit execution of the passive DeNOx control (Step S307). Then, the process ends. On the other hand, when the DeNOx post injection amount is equal to or greater than the first post injection amount determination value (step S306: No), the process proceeds to step S308. In this case, the PCM 60 prohibits the execution of the passive DeNOx control, and sets the passive DeNOx control execution flag to “0” in order to suppress the deterioration of fuel consumption and oil dilution due to the execution of the passive DeNOx control (step). S308). Then, the process ends.

  Next, the active DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention executed based on the active DeNOx control execution flag set as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart (active DeNOx control flow) showing active DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention. This active DeNOx control flow is repeatedly executed by the PCM 60 at a predetermined cycle, and is executed in parallel with the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. 3, the active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow shown in FIG.

  First, in step S401, the PCM 60 acquires various information on the vehicle. Specifically, the PCM 60 at least sets the engine load, the engine speed, the NOx catalyst temperature, the DeNOx post-injection amount calculated as described above, and the active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow shown in FIG. And the value of the active DeNOx control execution flag set in step.

  Next, in step S402, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the active DeNOx control execution flag acquired in step S401 is “1”. That is, the PCM 60 determines whether or not it is a situation in which active DeNOx control should be executed. As a result of this determination, when the active DeNOx control execution flag is “1” (step S402: Yes), the process proceeds to step S403. On the other hand, when the active DeNOx control execution flag is “0” (step S402: No), the process ends without executing the active DeNOx control.

  Next, in step S403, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the engine operating state (engine load and engine speed) is included in the active DeNOx execution region R12 (see FIG. 4). As a result of the determination in step S403, when the operating state of the engine is included in the active DeNOx execution region R12 (step S403: Yes), the process proceeds to step S405. On the other hand, when the operating state of the engine is not included in the active DeNOx execution region R12 (step S403: No), the process proceeds to step S404.

  In step S404, the PCM 60 does not include the post injection without performing the active DeNOx control, that is, without performing the fuel injection control including the post injection for setting the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio. The fuel injection control is performed (step S404). Basically, the PCM 60 performs only control for main injection of the fuel injection amount corresponding to the target torque. Actually, the PCM 60 executes the process of step S404 in step S106 of the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. Then, the process returns to step S403, and the above-described determination in step S403 is performed again. That is, when the active DeNOx control execution flag is “1”, the PCM 60 performs normal fuel injection control while the engine operating state is not included in the active DeNOx execution region R12. When the operating state is included in the active DeNOx execution region R12, the normal fuel injection control is switched to the fuel injection control in the active DeNOx control. For example, when the operating state of the engine deviates from the active DeNOx execution region R12 during the fuel injection control in the active DeNOx control, the PCM 60 interrupts the fuel injection control and performs the normal fuel injection control. When the state enters the active DeNOx execution region R12, the fuel injection control in the active DeNOx control is resumed.

  Next, in step S405, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the DeNOx post injection amount acquired in step S401 is less than the second post injection amount determination value. The second post injection amount determination value is set to a value larger than the first post injection amount determination value (see step S306 in FIG. 6). In this way, it is possible to inject a larger amount of post-injection in the active DeNOx control than in the passive DeNOx control, regardless of the operating state of the engine E (for example, in a situation where the air-fuel ratio decreases during acceleration). If not), the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas can be reliably set to the target air-fuel ratio.

  As a result of the determination in step S405, when the DeNOx post injection amount is less than the second post injection amount determination value (step S405: Yes), the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, the PCM 60 controls the fuel injection valve 20 to post-inject the DeNOx post injection amount acquired in step S401. Actually, the PCM 60 executes the process of step S406 in step S106 of the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S409.

On the other hand, if the DeNOx post injection amount is equal to or greater than the second post injection amount determination value (step S405: No), the process proceeds to step S407. In step S407, the PCM 60 sets the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas by the post injection amount that does not exceed the second post injection amount determination value (specifically, the second post injection amount determination value itself is applied as the DeNOx post injection amount). In order to set the target air-fuel ratio, control is performed to reduce the oxygen concentration of the air introduced into the engine E. In this case, the PCM 60 executes at least one of the control for driving the intake shutter valve 7 in the valve closing direction, the control for increasing the EGR gas amount, and the control for decreasing the supercharging pressure by the turbocharger 5. Thus, the oxygen concentration of the air introduced into the engine E is reduced, that is, the filling amount is reduced. For example, the PCM 60 obtains the supercharging pressure required to bring the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio by the DeNOx post-injection amount to which the second post-injection amount determination value is applied, and realizes this supercharging pressure. In addition, the intake shutter valve 7 is controlled to a desired opening on the closing side based on the actual supercharging pressure (pressure detected by the pressure sensor 108) and the EGR gas amount. Then, the process proceeds to step S408.
Note that the intake shutter valve 7 is set to be fully open in the normal operation state of the engine E. On the other hand, at the time of DeNOx, DPF regeneration, idle operation, etc., the intake shutter valve 7 is basically set to a predetermined base opening. In the operation state where EGR gas is not introduced, the intake shutter valve 7 is feedback-controlled based on the supercharging pressure.

  In step S408, the PCM 60 applies the second post injection amount determination value to the DeNOx post injection amount, that is, sets the DeNOx post injection amount to the second post injection amount determination value, and this DeNOx post injection amount. The fuel injection valve 20 is controlled to post-inject fuel. Actually, the PCM 60 executes the process of step S408 in step S106 of the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S409.

  In step S409, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst has become substantially zero. Specifically, in the PCM 60, the NOx occlusion amount estimated based on the operating state of the engine E, the flow rate of exhaust gas, the temperature of exhaust gas, and the like is almost zero, and the NOx provided immediately downstream of the DPF 46 When the detection value of the sensor 116 changes, it is determined that the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 has become almost zero. When the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 becomes almost zero (step S409: Yes), the process ends. In this case, the PCM 60 ends the active DeNOx control. Further, the PCM 60 resets the NOx occlusion amount used in the active DeNOx control flow and the active DeNOx control execution flag setting flow of FIG. 5 to 0.

  On the other hand, when the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 is not substantially zero (step S409: No), the process returns to step S403. In this case, the PCM 60 continues the active DeNOx control. That is, the PCM 60 continues the active DeNOx control until the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 becomes substantially zero. In particular, the PCM 60 does not satisfy the execution condition of the active DeNOx control (specifically, the condition of step S403) during the active DeNOx control, and even if the active DeNOx control is stopped, the execution condition of the active DeNOx control is satisfied thereafter. In this case, the active DeNOx control is promptly restarted so that the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 becomes substantially zero.

  Here, the reason why it is possible to determine that the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 has become substantially zero based on the detection value of the NOx sensor 116 is as follows. Since the NOx sensor 116 also has a function as an oxygen concentration sensor, the detected value of the NOx sensor 116 corresponds to the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas supplied to the NOx sensor 116. While the NOx catalyst 45 is being reduced, that is, when the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 is not substantially zero, oxygen produced by the reduction of NOx is supplied to the NOx sensor 116. On the other hand, when the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 becomes substantially zero, oxygen generated by such reduction is not supplied to the NOx sensor 116. Therefore, at the timing when the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 becomes substantially zero, the detected value of the NOx sensor 116 changes as the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas supplied to the NOx sensor 116 decreases.

  Next, the passive DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is executed based on the passive DeNOx control execution flag set as described above, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart (passive DeNOx control flow) showing passive DeNOx control according to the embodiment of the present invention. This passive DeNOx control flow is repeatedly executed by the PCM 60 at a predetermined cycle, and is executed in parallel with the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. 3 and the passive DeNOx control execution flag setting flow shown in FIG.

  First, in step S501, the PCM 60 acquires various information on the vehicle. Specifically, the PCM 60 has at least the DeNOx post-injection amount calculated as described above and the value of the passive DeNOx control execution flag set in the passive DeNOx control execution flag setting flow shown in FIG. get. In addition, the PCM 60 acquires an ammonia adsorption amount that is the amount of ammonia adsorbed on the SCR catalyst 47. In this case, the PCM 60 acquires the estimated ammonia adsorption amount. The method for estimating the ammonia adsorption amount will be described later in detail.

  Next, in step S502, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the passive DeNOx control execution flag acquired in step S501 is “1”. That is, the PCM 60 determines whether or not it is a situation where passive DeNOx control should be executed. As a result of this determination, when the passive DeNOx control execution flag is “1” (step S502: Yes), the process proceeds to step S503. On the other hand, when the passive DeNOx control execution flag is “0” (step S502: No), the process ends without executing the passive DeNOx control.

  Next, in step S503, the PCM 60 determines the time (execution continuation time) during which the passive DeNOx control is continuously executed based on the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 acquired in step S501. Set. In this embodiment, the PCM 60 sets the passive DeNOx execution permission time according to the ammonia adsorption amount, and permits the execution of the passive DeNOx control until the execution time of the passive DeNOx control reaches the permission time. When the execution duration time of the DeNOx control reaches the permission time, the execution of the passive DeNOx control is terminated. A method for setting the passive DeNOx execution permission time will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a method for setting the passive DeNOx execution permission time according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis indicates the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47, and the vertical axis indicates the passive DeNOx execution permission time. In principle, when the passive DeNOx execution permission time is long, the passive DeNOx control is executed continuously for a long time. When the passive DeNOx execution permission time is short, the passive DeNOx control is executed only for a short time. Will not be.

  A graph G11 in FIG. 9 indicates the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be set according to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47. This graph G11 corresponds to a map that defines the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be set according to the ammonia adsorption amount. As shown in the graph G11, in this embodiment, the shorter passive DeNOx execution permission time is set as the ammonia adsorption amount increases. In this way, when the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is large, a restriction is imposed so that the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control is shortened, in other words, the execution of the passive DeNOx control is restricted to be terminated early. Thus, ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst 45 by DeNOx is prevented from being released without being completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst 47. On the other hand, when the amount of ammonia adsorbed by the SCR catalyst 47 is small, it takes time until ammonia from the NOx catalyst 45 by DeNOx is not completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst 47, so the passive DeNOx control is continued for a long time. Thus, the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst 45 is effectively ensured.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in the graph G11, in the region R21 where the ammonia adsorption amount is a predetermined amount S1 or more, the passive DeNOx execution permission time is made constant regardless of the ammonia adsorption amount, and the ammonia adsorption amount is a predetermined amount. In the region R22 that is less than S1, the passive DeNOx execution permission time is changed according to the ammonia adsorption amount (this is when the ammonia adsorption amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount S1, the ammonia adsorption amount is less than the predetermined amount S1). (This corresponds to reducing the rate of change (absolute value) of the passive DeNOx execution permission time with respect to the ammonia adsorption amount). In this case, in the region R21 where the ammonia adsorption amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount S1, the passive DeNOx execution permission time is set to a fixed time T1 (for example, 2 seconds). Specifically, in this embodiment, even if the ammonia adsorption amount is large, the oxygen storage amount (OSC: NOC) of the NOx catalyst 45 is set without setting the passive DeNOx execution permission time to 0, that is, without prohibiting the passive DeNOx control. A fixed time T1 corresponding to Oxygen Storage Capacity) is applied as the minimum time of the passive DeNOx execution permission time. The reason for this is as follows.

  At the start of DeNOx control, “H” in “HC” such as unburned fuel supplied as a reducing agent to the NOx catalyst 45 by DeNOx control is replaced with “O” of oxygen occluded in the NOx catalyst 45. Therefore, ammonia is not generated from the NOx catalyst 45. That is, ammonia is not released from the NOx catalyst 45 immediately after the DeNOx control is started, but ammonia is released from the NOx catalyst 45 after the oxygen stored in the NOx catalyst 45 is consumed. Therefore, until the oxygen stored in the NOx catalyst 45 is consumed after the DeNOx control is started, ammonia from the NOx catalyst 45 by DeNOx is not completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst 47 and is not released.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the ammonia adsorption amount is large, the fixed time T1 corresponding to the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45 is passively set without setting the passive DeNOx execution permission time to 0 and prohibiting passive DeNOx control. It is applied as the minimum time for executing DeNOx control to ensure the execution of passive DeNOx control. By doing so, the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst 45 is ensured. Here, the time T1 is not applied only when the ammonia adsorption amount is substantially maximum, but the time T1 is applied to the entire region R21 where the ammonia adsorption amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount S1. (In other words, the reason why the passive DeNOx execution permission time applied in the region R21 is constant) is as follows.

  The ammonia adsorption capacity of the SCR catalyst 47 varies depending on the operating state of the engine E, the SCR temperature, and the like. For example, when the SCR temperature increases, the ammonia adsorption capacity of the SCR catalyst 47 decreases, and the maximum ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 tends to decrease. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even in a situation where the ammonia adsorption capacity is lowered, the ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst 45 by DeNOx is reliably suppressed from being completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst 47 and released. Accordingly, with the allowance, passive DeNOx execution permission is permitted for a fixed time T1 as the minimum time for executing passive DeNOx control in a relatively wide range regarding the ammonia adsorption amount (region R21 where the ammonia adsorption amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount S1). Set to time.

  The fixed time T1 described above is basically set in accordance with the time required from the start of DeNOx control until the oxygen stored in the NOx catalyst 45 is consumed. Of course, this time varies depending on the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45. Specifically, as the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45 increases, the time until the oxygen in the NOx catalyst 45 is consumed becomes longer. As the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45 decreases, the oxygen in the NOx catalyst 45 increases. The time until it is consumed is shortened. In one example, assuming that the oxygen storage amount is relatively small in order to appropriately cope with various oxygen storage amounts (that is, from the viewpoint of safety), in this case, the oxygen in the NOx catalyst 45 is reduced. The time until consumption is uniformly applied as the fixed time T1 regardless of the actual oxygen storage amount (for example, 2 seconds). In another example, the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45 may be actually obtained, and the fixed time T1 may be changed according to the obtained oxygen storage amount. In this example, the amount of oxygen (oxygen concentration) supplied to the NOx catalyst 45 may be obtained from the amount of intake air detected by the airflow sensor 101, and the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45 may be obtained from this amount of oxygen.

Furthermore, the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be set according to the ammonia adsorption amount may be changed based on the SCR temperature. Specifically, when the SCR temperature is high, the passive DeNOx execution permission time applied at the same ammonia adsorption amount should be shorter than when the SCR temperature is low. In FIG. 9, a graph G12 shows an example of a passive DeNOx execution permission time that should be set according to the ammonia adsorption amount when the SCR temperature is high, and a graph G13 shows the ammonia adsorption amount when the SCR temperature is low. Shows an example of the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be set. The reason why the passive DeNOx execution permission time is changed according to the SCR temperature in this way is that, as described above, the ammonia adsorption ability of the SCR catalyst 47 changes depending on the SCR temperature. Specifically, when the SCR temperature increases, the ammonia adsorption ability of the SCR catalyst 47 decreases, and ammonia is easily released from the SCR catalyst 47.
FIG. 9 shows only two graphs G12 and G13 that define the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be applied according to the SCR temperature, but in actuality, the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be applied according to the SCR temperature. Should be defined by more graphs (maps). Alternatively, the passive DeNOx execution permission time may be continuously changed according to the SCR temperature.

  Returning to FIG. 8, the processing after step S504 will be described. In step S504, the PCM 60 controls the fuel injection valve 20 so as to post-inject the DeNOx post injection amount acquired in step S501. That is, passive DeNOx control is executed. Actually, the PCM 60 executes the process of step S504 in step S106 of the fuel injection control flow shown in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S505.

  In step S505, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the passive DeNOx control execution duration time is equal to or longer than the passive DeNOx execution permission time set in step S503. It is determined whether or not time has elapsed. As a result, when the passive DeNOx execution permission time has not elapsed (step S505: Yes), the process proceeds to step S506. On the other hand, when the passive DeNOx execution permission time has elapsed (step S505: No), the process ends. In this case, the PCM 60 ends the passive DeNOx control.

  Next, in step S506, the PCM 60 determines whether or not the passive DeNOx control execution flag has become “0”. As a result, when the passive DeNOx control execution flag becomes “0” (step S506: Yes), the process ends. In this case, the PCM 60 ends the passive DeNOx control. On the other hand, when the passive DeNOx control execution flag is not “0” (step S506: No), that is, when the passive DeNOx control execution flag is maintained at “1”, the process returns to step S504. In this case, the PCM 60 continues the passive DeNOx control. That is, the PCM 60 continues the passive DeNOx control until the passive DeNOx control execution flag is switched from “1” to “0”.

<Ammonia adsorption amount estimation method>
Next, a method for estimating the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram for explaining an ammonia adsorption amount estimation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. This ammonia adsorption amount estimation method is executed by the PCM 60.

  First, the PCM 60 per unit time supplied to the SCR catalyst 47 by urea injection from the urea injector 51 based on the exhaust gas state such as the exhaust gas amount and the exhaust gas temperature and the state of the SCR catalyst 47 such as the SCR temperature. Find the ammonia supply. Further, the PCM 60 obtains the ammonia generation amount per unit time generated from the NOx catalyst 45 during DeNOx control based on the operating state of the engine E and the state of the NOx catalyst 45 such as the NOx catalyst temperature and the NOx occlusion amount. Further, the PCM 60 is consumed by the reduction and purification of NOx in the SCR catalyst 47 based on the exhaust gas state such as the exhaust gas amount, the exhaust gas temperature and the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas, and the state of the SCR catalyst 47 such as the SCR temperature. Find the ammonia consumption per unit time.

  Thereafter, the PCM 60 obtains an adsorption ammonia change amount (amount of change in the ammonia adsorption amount) per unit time in the SCR catalyst 47 from these ammonia supply amount, ammonia generation amount, and ammonia consumption amount. Specifically, the PCM 60 calculates the amount of change in adsorbed ammonia per unit time from “ammonia supply amount + ammonia generation amount−ammonia consumption amount”. Then, the PCM 60 obtains the current ammonia adsorption amount by applying the obtained adsorption ammonia change amount to the current ammonia adsorption amount, that is, the previously estimated ammonia adsorption amount. Specifically, if the amount of change in adsorbed ammonia is a positive value, the PCM 60 adds the amount of adsorbed ammonia to the previously estimated amount of adsorbed ammonia to obtain the current amount of adsorbed ammonia (in this case, ammonia adsorbed amount). If the amount of change in adsorbed ammonia is negative, the amount of adsorbed ammonia is subtracted from the amount of adsorbed ammonia estimated last time to obtain the current amount of adsorbed ammonia (in this case, the amount of adsorbed ammonia is Decrease).

  In the above example, the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is estimated. However, in another example, the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 may be detected using a predetermined sensor.

<Effect>
Next, the operation and effect of the engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

According to the present embodiment, the passive DeNOx execution permission time corresponding to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is set to limit the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control. When the ammonia adsorption amount is large, a short passive DeNOx is performed. The execution permission time is set, and a restriction is imposed so that the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control is further shortened. In this embodiment, at the start of execution of passive DeNOx control, ammonia adsorption is performed in consideration that ammonia is not generated because a reducing agent (HC or the like) by DeNOx control first reacts with oxygen in the NOx catalyst 45. Even when the amount is large, execution of the passive DeNOx control for a short time is permitted. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, as in the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, a configuration that uniformly prohibits DeNOx control when the ammonia adsorption amount is large (that is, a configuration that limits the execution frequency of DeNOx control). Compared to the above, it is possible to appropriately ensure the execution of the passive DeNOx control. Therefore, the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst 45 can be improved.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is large, a short passive DeNOx execution permission time is set and an appropriate restriction is imposed so as to shorten the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control. It can be suppressed that ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst 45 by DeNOx is not completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst 47 and is released.
From the above, according to the present embodiment, the execution of the DeNOx control on the NOx catalyst 45 is appropriately performed while suppressing the release of ammonia from the SCR catalyst 47 due to the ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst 45 by the DeNOx control. Can be secured.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in the region R21 where the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount S1, the passive DeNOx execution permission time is made constant regardless of the ammonia adsorption amount, and the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 In the region R22 in which is less than the predetermined amount S1, the passive DeNOx execution permission time is changed according to the ammonia adsorption amount. As a result, the passive DeNOx execution permission time to be applied in a relatively wide range (region R21) where the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is large is set to a fixed time, so that the ammonia adsorption of the SCR catalyst 47 that changes according to various situations. Regardless of the capability, it is possible to reliably prevent ammonia generated by DeNOx from being released from the SCR catalyst 47. On the other hand, when the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 is relatively small, the passive DeNOx control is executed for a relatively long time according to the ammonia adsorption amount, so that the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst 45 is effectively increased. Can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the SCR temperature is high, the passive DeNOx execution permission time applied at the same ammonia adsorption amount is shortened compared to when the SCR temperature is low. As a result, when the SCR temperature is high, the ammonia adsorption capacity of the SCR catalyst 47 is reduced, and it is easy to release ammonia from the SCR catalyst 47, so that the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control is appropriately limited. can do. On the other hand, when the SCR temperature is low, in consideration of the difficulty in releasing ammonia from the SCR catalyst 47, it is possible to appropriately relax the restriction on the execution duration of the passive DeNOx control.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the minimum time applied to the passive DeNOx execution permission time is set to a time according to the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst 45. That is, the minimum time of the passive DeNOx execution permission time is set according to the time required from the start of DeNOx control until the oxygen stored in the NOx catalyst 45 is consumed. Thereby, when the ammonia adsorption amount is large, it is possible to ensure the execution of the passive DeNOx control while more reliably suppressing the ammonia generated by the DeNOx from being released from the SCR catalyst 47.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the amount of ammonia supplied to the SCR catalyst 47 by urea injection from the urea injector 51, the amount of ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst 45 during DeNOx control, and the reduction of NOx in the SCR catalyst 47 Based on the ammonia consumption consumed by the purification, the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 can be accurately estimated.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the limitation on the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control according to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47 as described above is performed when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas changes to the rich side due to vehicle acceleration. Since it is applied to the passive DeNOx control to be performed, it is possible to ensure the execution of the passive DeNOx control whose degree of fuel consumption deterioration is smaller than that of the active DeNOx control, and appropriately reduce the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst 45 while suppressing the fuel consumption deterioration. Thus, NOx purification performance can be ensured.

<Modification>
In the embodiment described above, the passive DeNOx control is ended when the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control is equal to or longer than the passive DeNOx execution permission time. However, at this time, the limitation is not imposed on completely ending the passive DeNOx control. Not. In another example, when the execution duration time of the passive DeNOx control becomes equal to or longer than the passive DeNOx execution permission time, the control contents may be limited while continuing the passive DeNOx control. For example, when the execution duration of the passive DeNOx control becomes equal to or longer than the passive DeNOx execution permission time, the target sky to be applied in the passive DeNOx control than when the passive DeNOx control execution duration is less than the passive DeNOx execution permission time. The fuel ratio may be set to the lean side (the air-fuel ratio at which DeNOx is ensured is maintained) to reduce the NOx reduction efficiency by passive DeNOx control.

  In the above-described embodiment, only the passive DeNOx control is limited in the duration of execution according to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst 47. In other examples, the active DeNOx control is also executed according to the ammonia adsorption amount. You may limit the duration.

Reference Signs List 1 intake passage 5 turbocharger 7 intake shutter valve 17 combustion chamber 20 fuel injection valve 41 exhaust passage 43 EGR device 45 NOx catalyst 46 DPF
47 SCR catalyst 51 Urea injector 60 PCM
200 Engine system E Engine EX Exhaust system IN Intake system

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided on an exhaust passage of an engine, and stores NOx in exhaust gas when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. An exhaust purification device for an engine having a NOx catalyst that reduces occluded NOx when the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas is in the vicinity of the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. An SCR catalyst that is provided on the exhaust passage and purifies NOx in the exhaust gas by reaction with ammonia, and sets the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to a target air-fuel ratio that can reduce NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst. NOx reduction control means for performing NOx reduction control for reducing NOx stored in the catalyst, and ammonia adsorption for detecting or estimating the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst An acquisition means, and a determination time setting means for setting a determination time for determining the duration of execution of NOx reduction control by the NOx reduction control means based on the ammonia adsorption amount acquired by the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means. The NOx reduction control means limits the execution of the NOx reduction control when the execution duration time of the NOx reduction control becomes equal to or longer than the determination time, and the determination time setting means determines the ammonia adsorption amount when the ammonia adsorption amount is large. The determination time is set to a shorter time than when the amount of adsorption is small, and the determination time setting means changes the determination time according to the ammonia adsorption amount. When the ammonia adsorption amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the ammonia adsorption amount is The change rate of the determination time with respect to the ammonia adsorption amount is made smaller than when the amount is less than the predetermined amount .

According to the present invention configured as described above, the determination time corresponding to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is set, the execution duration time of the NOx reduction control is limited, and when the ammonia adsorption amount is large, a short determination is made. A time is set to impose a limit so that the execution duration of the NOx reduction control is made shorter. In the present invention as described above, at the start of execution of NOx reduction control, the amount of ammonia adsorbed in consideration that ammonia is not generated because the reducing agent (HC, etc.) by NOx reduction control first reacts with oxygen in the NOx catalyst. Even when there is a large amount of NOx, execution of NOx reduction control for a short time is permitted. Therefore, according to the present invention, as in the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, a configuration that uniformly prohibits NOx reduction control when the ammonia adsorption amount is large (that is, a configuration that limits the execution frequency of NOx reduction control). ), The execution of the NOx reduction control can be appropriately ensured. Therefore, the NOx reduction efficiency of the NOx catalyst can be improved.
Further, according to the present invention, when the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is large, a short determination time is set and an appropriate restriction is imposed so as to shorten the execution duration of the NOx reduction control. Ammonia generated from the catalyst can be prevented from being released without being completely adsorbed by the SCR catalyst.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately ensure the execution of the NOx reduction control for the NOx catalyst while suppressing the release of ammonia from the SCR catalyst due to the ammonia generated from the NOx catalyst by the NOx reduction control. be able to.
In addition, according to the present invention, since the rate of change of the determination time applied in a relatively wide range where the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst is large is reduced, it does not depend on the ammonia adsorption ability of the SCR catalyst that changes according to various situations. In addition, it is possible to effectively suppress the ammonia generated by the NOx reduction control from being released from the SCR catalyst.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a urea injector provided on the exhaust passage upstream of the SCR catalyst and injecting urea into the exhaust passage, and the SCR catalyst is generated from urea injected by the urea injector. NOx is purified using the ammonia, and the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means includes an ammonia supply amount supplied to the SCR catalyst by urea injected from the urea injector, an ammonia generation amount generated from the NOx catalyst by NOx reduction control, The ammonia adsorption amount is estimated based on the ammonia consumption amount consumed by the SCR catalyst for purifying NOx.
According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to accurately estimate the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the NOx reduction control means temporarily sets the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas changes to a rich side due to vehicle acceleration. NOx reduction control is executed.
According to the present invention configured as described above, the limitation on the duration of execution of the NOx reduction control according to the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst as described above, the vehicle air acceleration changes the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the rich side. Since it is applied to the NOx reduction control that is sometimes performed, it is possible to appropriately reduce the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst and ensure the NOx purification performance while suppressing deterioration of fuel consumption.

In another aspect, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided on the exhaust passage of an engine, and the NOx in the exhaust gas when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. An exhaust purification device for an engine having a NOx catalyst that reduces the occluded NOx when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is near the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, An SCR catalyst provided on the exhaust passage downstream of the exhaust gas to purify NOx in the exhaust gas by reaction with ammonia, and the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to a target air-fuel ratio capable of reducing NOx occluded in the NOx catalyst Set and obtain NOx reduction control means for performing NOx reduction control for reducing NOx stored in the NOx catalyst, and detect or estimate the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst A determination time setting means for setting a determination time for determining the execution duration of the NOx reduction control by the NOx reduction control means based on the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means and the ammonia adsorption amount acquired by the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means; And the NOx reduction control means limits the execution of the NOx reduction control when the execution duration time of the NOx reduction control is equal to or longer than the determination time set by the determination time setting means, and the determination time setting means When the ammonia adsorption amount is large, the determination time is set to a shorter time than when the ammonia adsorption amount is small, and the determination time setting means sets the minimum determination time according to the oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst. set time, characterized in that.
In the present invention configured as described above, the minimum determination time is set according to the time required from the start of the NOx reduction control until the oxygen stored in the NOx catalyst is consumed. As a result, when the ammonia adsorption amount is large, it is possible to ensure the execution of the NOx reduction control while more reliably suppressing the ammonia generated by the NOx reduction control from being released from the SCR catalyst.

Claims (8)

NOx in the exhaust gas is occluded when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, provided on the exhaust passage of the engine. An exhaust emission control device for an engine having a NOx catalyst that reduces when it is close to a fuel ratio or richer than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio,
An SCR catalyst that is provided on the exhaust passage downstream of the NOx catalyst and purifies NOx in the exhaust gas by reaction with ammonia;
NOx reduction control means for performing NOx reduction control for setting the air / fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to a target air / fuel ratio at which NOx stored in the NOx catalyst can be reduced, and for reducing NOx stored in the NOx catalyst;
An ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means for detecting or estimating the ammonia adsorption amount of the SCR catalyst;
A determination time setting means for setting a determination time for determining an execution duration time of the NOx reduction control by the NOx reduction control means based on the ammonia adsorption amount acquired by the ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means;
Have
The NOx reduction control means limits the execution of the NOx reduction control when the duration of execution of the NOx reduction control is equal to or longer than the determination time set by the determination time setting means,
The engine exhaust purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination time setting means sets the determination time to a shorter time when the ammonia adsorption amount is large than when the ammonia adsorption amount is small.   The engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination time setting means shortens the determination time as the ammonia adsorption amount increases.   The determination time setting means changes the determination time according to the ammonia adsorption amount, and when the ammonia adsorption amount is a predetermined amount or more, than when the ammonia adsorption amount is less than the predetermined amount, The engine exhaust gas purification apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rate of change of the determination time with respect to the ammonia adsorption amount is reduced.   The engine exhaust purification device according to claim 3, wherein the determination time setting means makes the determination time substantially constant when the ammonia adsorption amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount.   The determination time setting means shortens the determination time applied at the same ammonia adsorption amount when the temperature of the SCR catalyst is higher than when the temperature of the SCR catalyst is low. The exhaust emission control device for an engine according to any one of the above.   The engine exhaust purification device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the determination time setting means sets a minimum time of the determination time to a time according to an oxygen storage amount of the NOx catalyst. A urea injector that is provided on the exhaust passage upstream of the SCR catalyst and injects urea into the exhaust passage;
The SCR catalyst purifies NOx using ammonia generated from urea injected by the urea injector,
The ammonia adsorption amount acquisition means includes an ammonia supply amount supplied to the SCR catalyst by urea injected from the urea injector, an ammonia generation amount generated from the NOx catalyst by the NOx reduction control, and the SCR catalyst is NOx. The exhaust emission control device for an engine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ammonia adsorption amount is estimated based on an ammonia consumption amount consumed for purifying gas.   The NOx reduction control means executes the NOx reduction control to temporarily set the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to the target air-fuel ratio when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas changes to the rich side due to vehicle acceleration. The exhaust emission control device for an engine according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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