JP6107859B2 - Engine control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention controls an engine including an engine body having a plurality of cylinders, an exhaust system for exhausting exhaust from the engine body to the outside, and a control means for controlling various devices included in the engine body and the exhaust system. Relates to the device.

  Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, spark ignition combustion is performed in a high load region where the engine load is relatively high, while compression self-ignition combustion is performed in a low load region where the engine load is relatively low. In the engine, the scavenging performance is enhanced using the ejector effect in the high load region, thereby improving the engine output.

  Specifically, the engine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a device in the exhaust passage that can increase the negative pressure in the portion downstream of the exhaust port due to the ejector effect. Scavenging is improved by increasing the pressure.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, in order to promote compression self-ignition combustion in the low load region, the exhaust valve is opened not only in the exhaust stroke but also in the intake stroke, and the high-temperature exhaust (internal A configuration in which the EGR gas) is caused to flow back into the cylinder to increase the temperature in the cylinder, and a configuration in which the negative pressure is suppressed in a low load region in order to increase the reverse flow rate of the exhaust gas is disclosed.

JP 2013-227842 A

  In the engine disclosed in Patent Document 1, since a large amount of exhaust gas flows back into the cylinder from the exhaust port in a low load region where the engine load is low and the exhaust temperature tends to be low, the activation of the catalyst is hindered and the exhaust performance deteriorates. There is a risk. That is, in this engine, since the flow rate of the exhaust gas introduced into the catalyst is further suppressed under operating conditions where the exhaust gas temperature is low, the catalyst temperature may be lowered below the activation temperature and the exhaust purification performance may deteriorate. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a multi-cylinder engine that can maintain the temperature of the catalyst at or above the activation temperature more reliably and improve the exhaust performance. And

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a control device for an engine having a plurality of cylinders, and includes a plurality of independent exhaust passages extending from the exhaust ports of the plurality of cylinders, and downstream of the individual exhaust passages. An exhaust collecting portion that forms a common space that communicates with each independent exhaust passage, negative pressure changing means that can change the negative pressure generated in the exhaust collecting portion, and downstream of the exhaust collecting portion A catalyst provided in the exhaust system, an exhaust gas recirculation device that recirculates the exhaust gas that has passed through the catalyst to the exhaust gas collecting portion, and a control unit that controls each part of the engine including the negative pressure changing unit and the exhaust gas recirculation device; And when the catalyst is active, the control means passes the catalyst by the exhaust gas recirculation device in a specific region where the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the engine body is equal to or lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst. Exhaust causes returned to the exhaust collector to the post, and controlling the negative pressure changing means to generate a negative pressure, increases the direction of the exhaust collecting section (claim 1).

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can suppress that the temperature of a catalyst falls below an activation temperature, can maintain the active state of a catalyst, and can make exhaust performance favorable.

  Specifically, in the present invention, in an operation region where the temperature of exhaust discharged from the engine body is lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst, that is, in an operation region where the temperature of the catalyst may be lower than the activation temperature, The exhaust gas, which has been exhausted and has a temperature higher than that before the inflow of the catalyst due to the reaction at the catalyst, is recirculated to the exhaust gas collecting portion located on the upstream side of the catalyst and flows into the catalyst again. Therefore, the temperature of the catalyst can be increased by the high-temperature exhaust, and the exhaust performance can be improved by suppressing the temperature of the catalyst from dropping below the activation temperature.

  In addition, in the present invention, the negative pressure generated in the exhaust collecting part is increased in the operation region. Therefore, it is possible to increase the flow rate of the exhaust gas that recirculates from the downstream side of the catalyst to the upstream side of the exhaust collecting portion and re-enters the catalyst, thereby increasing the temperature of the catalyst more reliably.

  Here, in the regions where the engine load and the engine speed are low, the amount of fuel supplied to the cylinder is small, so that the exhaust temperature is likely to be lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst. Therefore, the specific region is preferably a low-load low-speed region where the engine load is lower than a predetermined reference load and the engine speed is lower than a predetermined reference speed.

  If it does in this way, it can control that the temperature of a catalyst falls below active temperature more certainly.

  In particular, when the fuel / air mixture is burned in a lean state with an excess air ratio of 1 or more in the low load and low rotation speed region, there is a possibility that the temperature of the exhaust gas becomes lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst. It gets even higher. For this reason, the specific region is preferably an operation region in which a mixture of fuel and air is burned in a lean state with an excess air ratio of 1 or more (claim 3).

  In this way, even when lean combustion is performed in the low load and low rotation speed region, it is possible to more reliably suppress the temperature of the catalyst from dropping below the activation temperature.

  Moreover, as a combustion form in the specific region, there is a combustion mode in which an air-fuel mixture of fuel and air is subjected to compression self-ignition combustion.

  And even if it is a case where lean compression self-ignition combustion is implemented in such a low load low rotation speed region, it can control that the temperature of a catalyst falls below activation temperature more certainly.

  In this configuration, when the catalyst is active, the control means has a negative pressure of the exhaust collecting portion in a low load high rotation region where the engine load is lower than the reference load and the engine speed is equal to or higher than the reference speed. It is preferable to control the negative pressure changing means so that the pressure becomes smaller than the negative pressure in the low load low rotation speed region.

  In this way, the negative pressure on the downstream side of the exhaust port is kept small in the low-load high-rotation region where compression self-ignition combustion is performed, so that the catalyst temperature is active in the low-load low-rotation region as described above. Stable compressed self-ignition combustion can be realized in a low-load high-rotation region while suppressing the temperature from dropping below the temperature. In other words, if the negative pressure on the downstream side of the exhaust port is kept small in the low-load high-rotation region, the scavenging performance is deteriorated and the amount of high-temperature burned gas remaining in the cylinder is increased, thereby increasing the temperature in the cylinder. Therefore, the self-ignition of the air-fuel mixture can be promoted to realize proper compression self-ignition combustion.

  As described above, according to the engine control apparatus of the present invention, the exhaust gas performance can be improved by more reliably maintaining the temperature of the catalyst at the activation temperature or higher.

It is a top view showing composition of an engine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the engine main body of the said engine. It is the figure which showed the open / close state of the exhaust valve and the intake valve in the internal EGR mode. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 5 is a V arrow diagram of FIG. 4. It is the figure which showed the slide part periphery in a most upstream position. It is sectional drawing which showed the slide part periphery in a most upstream position. It is the figure which showed the slide part periphery in a most downstream position. It is sectional drawing which showed the slide part periphery in a most downstream position. It is the side view which showed a part of exhaust system. It is the front view which showed a part of exhaust system. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the said engine. It is a figure which shows notionally the control map used during the driving | operation of an engine. It is a figure which shows how the component ratio of the filling gas in a cylinder and various control parameters change according to the change of an engine load. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the engine speed in the area | region below 1st reference load, and the position of a slide part.

(1) Overall Configuration of Engine FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams showing the configuration of an engine control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The engine of the present embodiment includes a four-stroke engine main body 1, an intake manifold 20 for introducing combustion air (intake air) into the engine main body 1, and an exhaust system for discharging exhaust from the engine main body 1 to the outside. 30.

  Here, the case where the engine body 1 is a four-cylinder engine having four cylinders 2A to 2D arranged in a specific direction and mainly using gasoline as fuel will be described.

  The engine body 1 includes a cylinder block 2 in which cylinders 2A to 2D are formed, a cylinder head 3 provided on the upper surface of the cylinder block 2, and a piston 4 that is slidably inserted into the cylinders 2A to 2D. have.

  A combustion chamber 5 is formed above the piston 4, and fuel is supplied to the combustion chamber 5 by injection from the injector 10. The injected fuel / air mixture is combusted in the combustion chamber 5, and the piston 4 is pushed down by the expansion force generated by the combustion and reciprocates up and down.

  The piston 4 is connected to the crankshaft 15 via a connecting rod 16, and the crankshaft 15 rotates around the central axis in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the piston 4.

  The cylinder block 2 is provided with an engine rotation speed sensor SW1 that detects the rotation speed of the crankshaft 15 as the rotation speed of the engine.

  The cylinder head 3 includes an injector 10 for injecting fuel toward the combustion chamber 5, and an ignition plug 11 for igniting a mixture of fuel and air injected from the injector 10 by spark discharge. One set is provided for each of 2D.

  The injector 10 has a plurality of injection holes serving as fuel injection ports at the tip, and is provided so as to face the combustion chambers 5 of the respective cylinders 2A to 2D from the side of the intake side thereof. The injection pressure of the fuel injected from the injector 10 is set to a considerably high value for a gasoline engine, such as 30 MPa or more.

  The spark plug 11 has an electrode for discharging a spark at the tip, and is provided so as to face the combustion chamber 5 of each cylinder 2A to 2D from above.

  The engine body 1 of this embodiment has a geometric compression ratio (ratio of the combustion chamber volume when the piston 4 is at bottom dead center and the combustion chamber volume when the piston 4 is at top dead center) of 15. It is set to a considerably high value of 20 or less for a gasoline engine. The reason for setting such a high geometric compression ratio is to improve the theoretical thermal efficiency and to ensure the ignitability in CI combustion (compression self-ignition combustion) described later.

  Further, in the four-stroke four-cylinder engine as in this embodiment, the piston 4 provided in each of the cylinders 2A to 2D moves up and down with a phase difference of 180 ° (180 ° CA) in the crank angle. Thus, the timing of ignition in each of the cylinders 2A to 2D is also set to a timing that is shifted in phase by 180 ° CA. Specifically, if the cylinder numbers of the cylinders 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, the first cylinder 2A → the third cylinder 2C → the fourth cylinder 2D → the second cylinder Ignition is performed in the order of 2B. Therefore, for example, if the first cylinder 2A is in the expansion stroke, the third cylinder 2C, the fourth cylinder 2D, and the second cylinder 2B are in the compression stroke, the intake stroke, and the exhaust stroke, respectively.

  The cylinder head 3 includes an intake port 6 for introducing air supplied from the intake manifold 20 into the combustion chamber 5 of each cylinder 2A to 2D, an intake valve 8 for opening and closing the intake port 6, and each cylinder 2A to 2D. An exhaust port 7 for leading the exhaust generated in the combustion chamber 5 to the exhaust system 30 and an exhaust valve 9 for opening and closing the exhaust port 7 are provided. The illustrated engine is a so-called double overhead camshaft (DOHC) engine, and two intake valves 8 and two exhaust valves 9 are provided for each cylinder.

  The intake valve 8 and the exhaust valve 9 are driven to open and close in conjunction with the rotation of the crankshaft 15 by valve mechanisms 13 and 14 including a pair of camshafts and the like disposed in the cylinder head 3.

  The valve mechanism 13 for the intake valve 8 is provided with a variable mechanism 13a that can change the opening and closing timing of the intake valve 8.

  The valve mechanism 14 for the exhaust valve 9 includes a first cam that opens the exhaust valve 9 only during the exhaust stroke, and a second cam that opens the exhaust valve 9 during the intake stroke in addition to the exhaust stroke. And the switching mechanism 14a which switches the cam which transmits a driving force to the exhaust valve 9 between these 1st cams and 2nd cams is incorporated. That is, the switching mechanism 14a enables the exhaust valve 9 to be opened not only in the exhaust stroke but also in the intake stroke, and performs or stops the valve opening operation (internal EGR mode) of the exhaust valve 9 during the intake stroke. It has a function to switch between.

  When the second cam is selected as the cam for transmitting the driving force to the exhaust valve 9 by the switching mechanism 14a, the exhaust valve 9 opens not only during the exhaust stroke but also during the intake stroke, as shown in FIG. The high-temperature exhaust gas (burned gas) flows back from the exhaust port 7 to the combustion chamber 5 as internal EGR gas (EGR: External Exhaust Gas Recirculation). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, in the internal EGR mode, the lift amount of the exhaust valve 9 is maintained at a constant amount for a predetermined period after it decreases from the peak position. As described above, in the present embodiment, the exhaust valve 9 is opened and closed in the internal EGR mode, thereby realizing the internal EGR in which the high-temperature exhaust gas remains in the cylinder. FIG. 3 shows valve lifts of the intake valve 8 and the exhaust valve 9, “EX” indicates the lift of the exhaust valve 9, and “IN” indicates the lift of the intake valve 8.

  On the other hand, when the first cam is selected by the switching mechanism 14a, the exhaust valve 9 is opened only in the exhaust stroke, so that the internal EGR is stopped (backflow of exhaust is stopped).

  Further, the valve operating mechanism 14 for the exhaust valve 9 incorporates an exhaust valve closing timing changing mechanism 14b that can change the valve closing timing of the exhaust valve 9. In the present embodiment, the valve closing timing is changed while keeping the valve opening period of the exhaust valve 9 constant. Such a mechanism is already known, and a detailed description of the structure is omitted.

  The intake manifold 20 includes a surge tank 22 having a predetermined volume connected to the upstream end of a single intake pipe 23, and a plurality (four) of the surge tank 22 and the intake ports 6 of the cylinders 2A to 2D. And an independent intake passage 21.

  A throttle valve 25 capable of opening and closing the passage of the intake pipe 23 and an air flow sensor SW2 for detecting the flow rate of air (fresh air) sucked into the engine body 1 are provided in the middle of the intake pipe 23. Yes.

  An external EGR device 50 is connected to the surge tank 22. The external EGR device 50 includes an external EGR that includes an EGR passage 51 that connects an intermediate exhaust pipe 40 to be described later and the intake manifold 20, and an EGR valve 52 that is provided in the middle of the EGR passage 51 and can open and close the EGR passage 51. A device 50 is included. The external EGR device 50 further includes an EGR cooler 53 that is provided in the middle of the EGR passage 51 and includes a heat exchanger that uses engine coolant or the like. In the present embodiment, the EGR passage 51 connects the intermediate exhaust pipe 40 and the surge tank 22.

  The external EGR device 50 performs external EGR, that is, performs external EGR, that is, a part of the exhaust discharged from the engine body 1 and flowing down the intermediate exhaust pipe 40 as external EGR gas via the intake manifold 20. Used to recirculate to the cylinders 2A to 2D.

  Specifically, when the EGR valve 52 is opened, a part of the exhaust gas flowing through the intermediate exhaust pipe 40 flows into the EGR passage 51 and is returned to the surge tank 22 through the EGR passage 51, and then again each It is introduced into the cylinders 2A to 2D. The external EGR gas is cooled while passing through the EGR passage 51. Accordingly, the external EGR gas recirculated to the cylinders 2A to 2D has a relatively low temperature. In particular, in the present embodiment, the external EGR gas introduced into each of the cylinders 2A to 2D is cooled by the EGR cooler 53, and thus is significantly lower than the temperature of the exhaust gas passing through the intermediate exhaust pipe 40. On the other hand, when the EGR valve 52 is fully closed, the exhaust does not flow from the exhaust pipe 40 to the EGR passage 51, and the external EGR is stopped.

  The exhaust system 30 includes a plurality of independent exhaust passages 31 connected to the exhaust ports 7 of the respective cylinders 2A to 2D and extending from the exhaust ports 7, and downstream ends (engine body 1) of the independent exhaust passages 31. A common space that is provided downstream of the aggregation portion 34 and that communicates with all of the independent exhaust passages 31. A slide part (exhaust collecting part) 35 formed inside, a single intermediate exhaust pipe 40 connected to the downstream side of the slide part 35 via a diffuser part 36, and a downstream side of the intermediate exhaust pipe 40 are provided. The catalytic converter 48 containing the catalyst 48a, the downstream exhaust pipe 41 extending downstream from the catalytic converter 48, and the exhaust for returning the exhaust in the downstream exhaust pipe 41 to the slide portion 35 And a flow device 90. The catalytic converter 48 incorporates a catalyst 48a made of, for example, a three-way catalyst. The detailed structure of the exhaust system 30 will be described later.

(2) Detailed Structure of Exhaust System The exhaust gas recirculation device 90 includes an exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 that connects a portion of the downstream exhaust pipe 41 immediately downstream of the catalytic converter 48 and the upstream side of the slide portion 35, and exhaust gas recirculation. And a switching valve 92 provided in the middle of the passage 91 and capable of opening and closing the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91.

  The exhaust gas recirculation device 90 is used for reintroducing exhaust gas exhausted from the catalytic converter 48 and having a high temperature due to a chemical reaction in the catalytic converter 48 due to the action of the catalyst 48 a into the catalytic converter 48. That is, when the switching valve 92 is opened and the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is increased as described later, a part of the exhaust discharged from the catalytic converter 48 is discharged from the downstream exhaust pipe 41. The gas flows into the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91, is recirculated to the slide portion 35 through the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91, and is again introduced into the catalytic converter 48 through the slide portion 35. On the other hand, when the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is reduced and the switching valve 92 is closed, the exhaust does not flow from the downstream exhaust pipe 41 to the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91, and the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 is routed. The exhaust gas recirculation is stopped.

  Each independent exhaust passage 31 extends toward the center side in the cylinder row direction so that the positions of the respective downstream end portions 31a coincide with each other. Each downstream end portion 31a of the independent exhaust passage 31 is located at a position away from the center of the exhaust-side wall surface of the engine body 1 (a position corresponding to between the second cylinder 2B and the third cylinder 2C in a top view) downstream. The bundling portions 34 are formed by the downstream end portions 31a of the bundled independent exhaust passages 31 and the holding members that hold them in a bundled state.

  In the present embodiment, the downstream end of the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 is disposed at the center of the concentrating portion 34, and the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 is bundled and held together with each independent exhaust passage 31.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 which is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1, each downstream end portion 31a of each independent exhaust passage 31 and downstream end 91a of the exhaust recirculation passage 91 are exhaust recirculation in the center. The downstream ends 91a of the passages 91 are positioned, and are positioned at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the downstream end portions 31a of the independent exhaust passages 31 and are held in a state having a substantially circular cross section as a whole.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the downstream end portion of the concentrating portion 34 has a substantially frustoconical shape whose diameter decreases toward the downstream centering on the central axis x of the concentrating portion 34, and each independent exhaust passage Each of the downstream end portions 31a of the 31 is provided with an independent exhaust passage side inclined portion 31b which is inclined toward the central axis x side toward the downstream end at the downstream end thereof. Accordingly, the flow area of the downstream end 31a of each independent exhaust passage 31 is smaller on the downstream side than on the upstream side.

  As described above, the flow area of the downstream end portion 31a of each independent exhaust passage 31 is reduced toward the downstream, so that the speed of the exhaust gas passing through each independent exhaust passage 31 is reduced during the passage of the downstream end portion 31a. Enhanced.

  As shown in FIG. 5, which is an arrow V diagram of FIG. 4, each independent exhaust passage side inclined portion 31 b is formed with an opening 31 c that communicates the inside and the outside of the independent exhaust passage 31. In the present embodiment, a part of each inclined portion 31b is cut out in a substantially semicircular shape from the downstream end toward the upstream, so that the opening 31c is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the slide portion 35 has a single tubular shape, and the downstream portion of the concentrating portion 34 (the downstream end portion 31 a of each independent exhaust passage 31) is inserted into the inside of the concentrating portion 34. It is coaxial with the central axis x and extends downstream from the aggregation portion 34. The exhaust gas that has passed through each independent exhaust passage 31 (aggregation portion 34) gathers inside the slide portion 35.

  The slide portion 35 has a cylindrical shape with the axis x as the central axis, and has an upstream end portion 35a extending in the upstream / downstream direction with a constant flow path area, and a slide portion side inclined portion (nozzle portion) extending downstream from the upstream end portion 35a. ) 35b and a straight portion 35c having a cylindrical shape with the axis x as the central axis and having a constant flow path area and extending downstream from the slide portion side inclined portion 35b. The slide part 35 is attached so as to be slidable in the upstream / downstream direction, and is relatively displaced in the upstream / downstream direction with respect to the aggregation part 34.

  The slide portion side inclined portion 35b has a shape extending along the independent exhaust passage side inclined portion 31b, and has an outer shape that forms a substantially truncated cone shape that decreases in diameter toward the downstream centering on the axis x. . Along with this, the flow path area of the slide portion side inclined portion 35b becomes smaller toward the downstream side. As a result, the slide portion 35 cannot slide and displace upstream from the position where the slide portion side inclined portion 35b and the independent exhaust passage side inclined portion 31b contact (contact). Hereinafter, the position of the slide part 62 in a state where they are in contact with each other is referred to as the most upstream position of the slide part 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the state where the slide portion 35 is at the most upstream position, the inner peripheral surface of the slide portion side inclined portion 35b is the outer peripheral surface of each independent exhaust passage side inclined portion 31b (of the collecting portion 34). Each opening 31c is closed by the inner peripheral surface of the slide portion side inclined portion 35b. Therefore, in a state where the slide portion 35 is in the most upstream position, the exhaust gas that has passed through each independent exhaust passage 31 flows into the slide portion 35 without flowing out from the opening portion 31 c to the outer peripheral side of the independent exhaust passage 31.

  Here, in a state where the slide part 35 is in the most upstream position, the slide part side inclined part 35b extends downstream from the downstream end of the independent exhaust passage 31, and the flow passage area of the slide part 35 is the independent exhaust passage. The downstream side is also smaller on the downstream side than the downstream end of 31. Therefore, the speed of the exhaust gas that has passed through each independent exhaust passage 31 can be increased even at the slide portion side inclined portion 35b.

  As described above, when exhaust is ejected from each independent exhaust passage 31 toward the slide portion 35 at a high speed, a negative pressure portion having a relatively low pressure is generated around the ejected gas in the slide portion 35. The Therefore, when exhaust gas is ejected from the independent exhaust passage 31 of a certain cylinder to the slide portion 35, negative pressure acts on the other independent exhaust passage 31, and the exhaust gas is sucked downstream from there. Further, a negative pressure acts on the downstream end of the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91, and the exhaust air recirculation passage 91 is subjected to a force for sucking exhaust gas from the inside toward the slide portion 35 side. This is known as the ejector effect.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the slide part 35 is slid to the downstream side from the most upstream position, the slide part side inclined part 35b is separated from the independent exhaust passage side inclined part 31b to the downstream side. In this state, a passage is defined between the inclined portions 35b and 31c, and the openings 31c are opened. Therefore, in this state, a part of the exhaust gas that has passed through each independent exhaust passage 31 flows down through the opening 31c and the passage between the inclined portions 35b and 31c (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an external passage). That is, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 9, the exhaust gas flowing down the independent exhaust passage 31 flows into the slide portion 35 through the external passage in addition to the passage in the independent exhaust passage 31. The flow passage area of the portion through which the exhaust passes before flowing into 35 increases.

  When the flow path area is enlarged in this way, the speed of exhaust when flowing into the slide portion 35 is suppressed to a small value. Therefore, in a state where the slide part 35 is slid to the downstream side from the most upstream position, the negative pressure generated in the slide part 35 becomes smaller than when the slide part 35 is in the most upstream position. Thus, when the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is reduced, the force for sucking the exhaust gas acting on the other independent exhaust passage 31 and the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 is reduced.

  Here, the flow path area of the external passage increases as the displacement amount of the slide portion 35 toward the downstream side increases. Therefore, the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 decreases as the displacement amount of the slide portion 35 toward the downstream side increases. Thus, in this embodiment, the negative pressure produced | generated in the slide part 35 is changed because the slide part 35 displaces.

  A single tubular diffuser portion 36 is provided on the downstream side of the slide portion 35. The diffuser portion 36 is configured such that the flow path area increases as it goes downstream. Specifically, the upstream end portion of the diffuser portion 36 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and the portion downstream of the upstream end portion has a substantially frustoconical shape centering on the axis x. . A downstream end portion of the slide portion 35 is inserted from the upstream side into the diffuser portion 36, and the slide portion 35 is supported by the diffuser portion 63 so as to be slidable.

  As described above, the high-speed exhaust gas in the downstream end portion 31a and the slide portion side inclined portion 35b of the independent exhaust passage 31 passes through the straight portion 35c and the diffuser portion 36 of the slide portion 35 extending upstream and downstream with a constant flow path area. As the engine is decelerated, the exhaust pressure is restored.

  The aggregation portion 34, the slide portion 35, and the diffuser portion 36 are accommodated inside the outer shell 38, respectively. That is, the exhaust system 30 is provided with an outer shell 38 that accommodates them, and an exhaust pipe 40 extends downstream from the outer shell 38.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a portion of the outer shell 38 that surrounds the outside of the slide portion side inclined portion 35 b extends in parallel with the slide portion side inclined portion 35 b, and is inclined toward the central axis x as it goes downstream. The outer shell side inclined portion 38a is configured. As shown in FIG. 8, the outer shell side inclined portion 38a is provided so as to come into contact with the slide portion side inclined portion 35b from the downstream side when the slide portion side inclined portion 35b is slid to the downstream side. The slide portion 35 cannot be displaced downstream from the contact position. That is, the slide part 35 can be slidably displaced only between the most downstream position and the most upstream position with the contact position as the most downstream position.

  The slide part 35 is slid and displaced by a slide actuator (negative pressure changing means) 39.

  In this embodiment, the slide actuator 39 is a diaphragm type. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the slide actuator 39 extends in a predetermined direction from the diaphragm main body 39a and is connected to the diaphragm main body 39a by the diaphragm main body 39a. A first shaft 39b that is slid in the separating direction; a lever portion 39c that is connected to the tip of the first shaft 39b (on the side opposite to the diaphragm main body); a second shaft 39d that is fixed to the lever portion 39c; It has a fork part 39e (FIG. 6) connected to the slide part 35 as well as connected to the tip (on the side opposite to the lever) of the shaft 39d.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the fork portion 39 e includes a semicircular fork main body housed inside the outer shell 38 and attached to the outer surface of the slide portion 35, and the outer shell from the center of the fork main portion. And a connecting portion that extends out of the outer shell 38 and is fixed to the tip of the second shaft 39d.

  In the slide actuator 39 configured as described above, when the first shaft 39b is slid and displaced by the diaphragm body 39a, the lever portion 39c swings with a portion through which the central axis of the second shaft 39d passes as a fulcrum. The two shafts 39d rotate around the center axis thereof, and the fork portion 39e rotates about the connecting portion as a fulcrum along with the rotation of the second shaft 39d, thereby slidingly displacing the slide portion 35. For example, when the first shaft 39b slides and displaces from the state shown in FIG. 6, the fork portion 39e rotates about the connection portion as a fulcrum and becomes the state shown in FIG.

(3) Control System Next, the engine control system will be described with reference to FIG. The engine of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and is controlled by an ECU (engine control unit) 60 provided in the vehicle. As is well known, the ECU 60 is a microprocessor including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and corresponds to a control unit according to the present invention.

  Information from various sensors is input to the ECU 60. For example, the ECU 60 is electrically connected to an engine rotation speed sensor SW1 and an airflow sensor SW2 provided in the engine, and receives input signals (information on the engine rotation speed and the intake flow rate) from these sensors. Further, the vehicle is provided with an accelerator opening sensor SW3 for detecting the opening of an accelerator pedal (not shown) operated by the driver, and a detection signal from the accelerator opening sensor SW3 is also input to the ECU 60. .

  The ECU 60 controls each part of the engine while performing various calculations based on input signals from the sensors (SW1 to SW3, etc.). That is, the ECU 60 is electrically connected to the injector 10, the spark plug 11, the variable mechanism 13a, the switching mechanism 14a, the exhaust valve closing timing changing mechanism 14b, the slide actuator 39, the throttle valve 25, the EGR valve 52, the switching valve 92, and the like. The control signals for driving are output to these devices based on the result of the calculation. In this embodiment, the throttle valve 25 is almost always fully opened in order to keep the pumping loss small.

(4) Operating Area FIG. 13 is a diagram conceptually showing a control map referred to by the ECU 60 during engine operation. In this control map, the engine operation area is divided into four areas of a first operation area A1, a second operation area A2, a third operation area A3, and a fourth operation area A4. During operation of the engine, the ECU 60 sequentially determines in which operating region in the map of FIG. 13 the engine is operating from each value of the load (requested torque based on the accelerator opening) and the engine speed, and each operation. The injector 10 and the like are controlled according to the area.

  In the present embodiment, in the fourth operation region A4 set in the high load side where the engine load is equal to or higher than the second reference load T2 and the high speed side where the engine speed is equal to or higher than the second reference rotational frequency N2, Spark ignition combustion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as SI combustion) is performed in which the air-fuel mixture is combusted by flame propagation triggered by forced ignition by spark discharge from the spark plug 11. On the other hand, in the first to third operation regions A1 to A3 set in other regions, the compression self-ignition combustion (hereinafter, referred to as “combustion gas mixture”) is performed at a high temperature and high pressure by the compression action of the piston 4 to self-ignite near the compression top dead center. , Sometimes referred to as CI combustion). The first operating range (A1 is set to a low load low speed range where the engine load is equal to or lower than the first reference load T1 and the engine speed is equal to or lower than the first reference speed N1, and the second operating range A2 The load is set to a low load high rotation speed range from the first reference rotation speed N1 to the second reference rotation speed N2 with the engine speed being equal to or lower than the first reference load T1, and the third operation area A3 has an engine load. The second reference load T1 to the second reference load T2 and the engine speed is set in a medium load region from the second reference speed N2.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how the gas component in the cylinder changes according to a change in the engine load with the horizontal axis as the engine load. The broken line is a line with an excess air ratio λ = 1.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the first and second operation areas A1 and A2, lean CI combustion (CI combustion in a state where the excess air ratio λ of the air-fuel mixture is made larger than 1) is performed, and the third operation area In A3, CI combustion with an excess air ratio λ = 1 is performed. In the fourth operation region A4, SI with an excess air ratio λ = 1 is executed.

(4-1) First operation region The first operation region A1 is a region where the engine load and the engine speed are low. Therefore, the energy obtained by combustion is small and the temperature of the exhaust is low. Here, if the temperature of the exhaust gas is low, the temperature of the catalyst 48a may fall below the activation temperature. In particular, in this embodiment, since lean combustion with an excess air ratio λ of greater than 1 is performed, the combustion temperature in the first operation region A1 is low, and the exhaust temperature associated therewith (exhaust exhausted from each cylinder). And the temperature before flowing into the catalyst 48a, for example, the temperature on the upstream side of the vicinity of the slide portion 35) is equal to or lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a. In other words, the first operation region A1 is set to a region where the temperature of the exhaust upstream of the slide portion 35 is equal to or lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a, and the other operation regions A2 to A4 are the temperatures of the exhaust. Is set in a region where the temperature is higher than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a. Therefore, even if the catalyst 48a is once activated by the warm-up operation after starting the engine or the like, if the operation in the first operation region A1 is continued for a relatively long time, the activation is performed. The exhausted catalyst 48a becomes inactive again, and the exhaust performance may be deteriorated.

  Therefore, in the first operation region A1, in order to increase the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into the catalytic converter 48 and maintain the active state of the catalyst 48a, the switching valve 92 is opened and the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is reduced. As a result, a part of the exhaust discharged from the catalytic converter 48 is returned to the slide part 35 via the exhaust recirculation passage 91 and introduced into the catalytic converter 48 again. That is, the exhaust gas discharged from the catalytic converter 48 undergoes a chemical reaction under the action of the catalyst 48a and is at a high temperature. Therefore, the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into the catalytic converter 48 is increased by returning the high-temperature exhaust gas to the slide portion 35 located on the upstream side of the catalytic converter 48 again. Specifically, the exhaust gas is oxidized and reduced in the catalytic converter 48, so that the temperature of the exhaust gas rises.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, in the first operation region A1, the negative pressure is increased to the maximum value with the slide portion 35 as the most upstream position.

  Further, in the first operation region A1, the temperature in the cylinder tends to be low as the combustion temperature is low as described above. Therefore, in the first operation region A1, a large amount of internal EGR gas is introduced to increase the compression end temperature in order to promote CI combustion. Specifically, in the first operation region A1, the exhaust valve 9 is opened in the internal EGR mode to cause the hot exhaust gas to flow back into the cylinder, and the EGR valve 52 is closed to stop the external EGR. To increase the temperature in the cylinder.

  The above control in the first operation region A1 is performed after the catalyst 48a is once activated at the time of starting or the like, that is, when the catalyst 48a is activated. If not, control for more actively activating the catalyst 48a is performed.

(4-2) Second Operation Region The second operation region A2 is a region in which the exhaust gas temperature upstream of the catalytic converter 48 is higher than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a as described above. That is, in the second operation region A2, the engine speed is higher than that in the first operation region A1, and the amount of fuel supplied is larger than that in the first operation region A1, so that the exhaust temperature is higher than that in the first operation region A1. Get higher.

  Therefore, in the second operation region A2, it is not necessary to introduce a part of the exhaust discharged from the catalytic converter 48 into the catalytic converter 48 again. Therefore, in the second operation region A2, the switching valve 92 is closed.

  Further, in the second operation region A2, it is not necessary to reintroduce part of the exhaust gas into the catalytic converter 48 as described above, and it is not necessary to maximize the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35. The second operation region A2 is a region where the engine load is low and the combustion temperature is higher than the first operation region A1, but the temperature in the cylinder is not sufficiently high.

  Therefore, in the second operation region A2, the exhaust valve 9 is opened in the internal EGR mode in order to increase the amount of high-temperature exhaust gas that flows back into the cylinder, that is, the internal EGR gas amount, in order to realize stable CI combustion. The EGR valve 52 is closed to stop the external EGR, and the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is kept small. That is, if the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is large, the force for sucking the gas in the cylinder and the exhaust port 7 to the downstream side becomes large, and the exhaust does not easily flow backward from the exhaust port 7 into the cylinder. Therefore, in the second operation region A2, as described above, the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is suppressed to be small, and a large reverse flow rate of exhaust into the cylinder, that is, a large amount of internal EGR gas is ensured. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is minimized by setting the slide portion 35 as the most downstream position in the second operation region A2.

  Thus, in this embodiment, in the region where the engine load is equal to or less than the first reference load T1, as shown in FIG. 15, when the engine speed is equal to or less than the first reference speed N1, the slide portion 35 is at the most upstream position. When the rotation speed is greater than the first reference rotational speed N1, the slide portion 35 is set to the most downstream position.

  In the first operation region A1 and the second operation region A2, the in-cylinder temperature increases as the engine load increases. If this temperature becomes excessively high, abnormal combustion such as premature ignition may occur or combustion noise may increase. Therefore, in the first operation region A1, the internal EGR rate (the ratio occupied by the internal EGR gas out of the total gas amount in the cylinder) is reduced as the engine load increases. In this embodiment, the higher the engine load is, the more the exhaust valve 9 is closed, and the internal EGR rate is reduced by shortening the period during which the exhaust valve 9 is open during the intake stroke.

(4-3) Third Operating Area As described above, in the third operating area A3, as in the second operating area A2, the temperature of the exhaust becomes higher than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a. Therefore, also in the third operation region A3, the switching valve 92 is closed and the reintroduction of exhaust gas to the catalytic converter 48 is stopped.

  Here, CI combustion is also performed in the third operation region A3, but this region A3 is a region in which the engine load is relatively high and the in-cylinder temperature tends to increase due to combustion. Therefore, unlike the first and second operation areas A1 and A2, in the third operation area A3, there is a problem that abnormal combustion such as pre-ignition and an increase in combustion noise are likely to occur when performing CI combustion.

  Therefore, in the third operation region A3, in order to keep the temperature in the cylinder low in order to avoid premature ignition or the like, the internal EGR gas amount is reduced and the external EGR is performed. That is, in the third operation region A3, the temperature in the cylinder before the start of compression is lowered by reducing the amount of relatively high internal EGR gas. Further, by introducing a relatively low temperature external EGR gas, the total amount of EGR gas (consisting of the internal EGR gas and the external EGR gas), that is, the specific heat ratio is suppressed while suppressing an increase in the gas temperature in the cylinder due to the EGR gas. A high amount of inert gas is ensured to some extent, and thereby the temperature in the cylinder before the start of combustion is kept low and the combustion temperature is kept low. Here, if the combustion temperature is lowered, the temperature of the exhaust gas is lowered, and the temperature of the EGR gas, particularly the temperature of the internal EGR gas is lowered. Thus, the temperature in the cylinder before the start of compression is further lowered.

  Specifically, also in the third operation region A3, the internal EGR gas is introduced into the cylinder by setting the open / close mode of the exhaust valve 9 to the internal EGR mode, but the exhaust valve closing timing is set to the first and second operation regions A1, A2. The amount of internal EGR gas is suppressed to a smaller value by setting the angle to the more advanced side. Further, the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is increased with the slide portion 35 as the most upstream position, thereby suppressing the reverse flow rate of the exhaust into the cylinder and increasing the amount of exhaust flowing into the external EGR passage 51 to the outside. A large amount of EGR gas is secured. That is, when the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is increased, the amount of exhaust discharged from the cylinder, that is, the exhaust flow rate increases, so that the amount of exhaust flowing into the external EGR passage 51 can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, in the third operation region A3, the combustion with the excess air ratio λ = 1 is performed, and the fresh air amount becomes the excess air ratio λ = 1 by adjusting the EGR gas amount. It is adjusted to become. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, in the first and second operation areas A1 and A2, in the area adjacent to the third operation area A3, the external EGR gas is gradually supplied toward the third operation area A3. To introduce.

(4-4) Fourth Operation Region In the fourth operation region A4, the SI combustion with the excess air ratio λ = 1 is performed as described above. In the present embodiment, fuel is injected from the injector 10 at a relatively late timing such as the latter stage of the compression stroke, and spark ignition is performed on the spark plug 11 after this fuel injection, so that the compression top dead center is slightly passed. The air-fuel mixture is burned by flame propagation from the start timing (initial stage of the expansion stroke).

  Also in the fourth operation region A4, as described above, the exhaust temperature becomes higher than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a, so that the switching valve 92 is closed and the reintroduction of the exhaust gas into the catalytic converter 48 is stopped.

  Further, in the fourth operation region A4, the exhaust valve 9 is set in a normal mode (a mode in which the valve is opened only in the exhaust stroke), the introduction of the internal EGR gas is stopped, and the external EGR gas amount is increased as the engine load increases. Is reduced and the amount of fresh air is increased so that the excess air ratio λ of the air-fuel mixture becomes 1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the fourth operation region A4, on the side where the engine speed is high, the slide portion 35 is set as the most downstream position in the slide portion 35 in order to keep the back pressure of the engine small in order to secure a fresh air amount. While suppressing the generated negative pressure to a small value, on the side where the engine speed is low and the load is high, the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is increased with the slide portion 35 as the most upstream position in order to improve scavenging performance to ensure engine output.

  The opening / closing timing of the intake valve 8 is changed by the variable mechanism 13a in accordance with the amount of fresh air. For example, in the first to third operation regions A1 to A3 where the CI combustion is performed, the closing timing of the intake valve 8 is relatively advanced, and in the fourth operation region A4 where the SI combustion is performed, the intake air The valve closing timing of the valve 8 is retarded, and the valve opening period is lengthened.

(5) Operation, etc. As described above, in the engine control apparatus according to the present embodiment, switching is performed in the first operation region A1 that is set on the low load low rotation speed side and the exhaust temperature is equal to or lower than the catalyst activation temperature. The valve 92 is opened and a negative pressure is generated in the slide portion 35, so that the exhaust gas that has passed through the catalyst 48a and that has been heated by the reaction in the catalyst 48a is reflowed into the catalyst 48a. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the temperature of the catalyst 48a from dropping below the catalyst activation temperature, and it is possible to maintain the catalyst active state and improve the exhaust performance.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, in the first operation region A1, the negative pressure generated in the slide portion 35 is maximized with the slide portion 35 as the most upstream position, so that more high-temperature exhaust gas is more reliably recycled to the catalyst 48a. It can be made to flow in, and the exhaust performance can be improved more reliably.

  In the present embodiment, in the second operating region A2 where the load of CI combustion is low, the negative pressure generated on the downstream side of the slide portion 35, that is, the exhaust port 7, is reduced. The amount of high-temperature burned gas remaining in the cylinder can be increased by deteriorating scavenging performance. And thereby, the temperature in a cylinder can be raised and appropriate compression self-ignition combustion can be implement | achieved.

(6) Modified Example Here, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the negative pressure of the slide part 35 is maximized with the slide part 35 as the most upstream position in the first operation region A1, but this negative pressure is less than the minimum value. May be increased, and may not be the maximum value. Similarly, the position of the slide portion 35 is not limited to the most downstream position in the second operation region A2, but may be a position where the negative pressure of the slide portion 35 is smaller than the negative pressure in the first operation region A1.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the switching valve 92 which can open and close the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 was provided in the exhaust gas recirculation apparatus 90, this switching valve 92 may be abbreviate | omitted. That is, when the negative pressure on the downstream side (slide portion 35 side) of the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 is not large, the amount of recirculation through the passage 91 to the slide portion 35 side can be suppressed, so the switching valve 92 The exhaust gas recirculation through the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 may be switched between execution and stop only by changing the negative pressure, that is, the negative pressure of the slide portion 35.

  Further, the exhaust gas recirculation passage 91 only needs to communicate the downstream side of the catalyst 48a and the slide portion 35, and the specific connection location is not limited to the above.

  In the above-described embodiment, the individual exhaust passages 31 are configured as described above, and the slide portions 35 that are displaced in the upstream / downstream direction with respect to the individual exhaust passages 31 are provided so that the exhaust discharged from the individual exhaust passages 31 gathers. Although a case has been described in which negative pressure is generated in the collecting portion (slide portion 35) and the negative pressure generated in the exhaust collecting portion (slide portion 35) is changed by the displacement of the slide portion 35. The specific configuration for generating the negative pressure and the specific configuration for changing the negative pressure are not limited thereto. For example, a fixed passage and a valve capable of changing the flow passage area of the passage are provided on the downstream side of each independent exhaust passage 31, and the negative pressure is generated by narrowing the flow passage area by the valve. The negative pressure may be changed by changing the throttle amount of the channel area.

  The specific configuration of the slide actuator 39 for displacing the slide portion 35 is not limited to the above.

  In addition, when the catalyst 48a is active, the operation region where the exhaust gas that has passed through the catalyst 48a re-flows into the catalyst 48a may be a region where the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the engine body 1 is equal to or lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the first operation region A1 set on the low load low rotation speed side.

  Further, when the catalyst 48a is activated, the engine to which the above-described control that is performed in the region where the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the engine body 1 is equal to or lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst 48a is applied to the lean combustion or the CI combustion in this operation region. However, SI combustion or the like may be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the independent exhaust passages 31 individually extend from the exhaust ports 7 of the four cylinders 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D has been described. The independent exhaust passages extending from the exhaust port 7 may be combined into a single passage on the downstream side. For example, in a four-cylinder engine, an independent exhaust passage that is bifurcated on the upstream side is prepared, and the two upstream ends of the independent exhaust passage are connected to the exhaust port of the second cylinder 2B and the third cylinder 2C where the exhaust order is not continuous. You may do it.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine main body 2A-2D Cylinder 7 Exhaust port 20 Intake manifold 30 Exhaust system 31 Independent exhaust passage 35 Slide part (exhaust collecting part)
39 Slide actuator (negative pressure changing means)
48a catalyst 48 catalytic converter 60 ECU (control means)
90 Exhaust gas recirculation device

Claims (5)

An engine control device having a plurality of cylinders,
A plurality of independent exhaust passages extending from the exhaust ports of the plurality of cylinders;
An exhaust collecting portion that is provided downstream of each independent exhaust passage and forms a common space communicating with each independent exhaust passage;
Negative pressure changing means capable of changing the negative pressure generated in the exhaust collecting portion;
A catalyst provided on the downstream side of the exhaust collecting portion;
An exhaust gas recirculation device for recirculating the exhaust gas after passing through the catalyst to the exhaust gas collecting section;
Control means for controlling each part of the engine including the negative pressure changing means and the exhaust gas recirculation device,
In the specific region where the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the engine main body is equal to or lower than the activation temperature of the catalyst when the catalyst is active, the control means exhausts the exhaust after passing through the catalyst by the exhaust gas recirculation device. An engine control device characterized in that the negative pressure changing means is controlled in a direction in which the negative pressure in the exhaust gas collecting portion is increased while being recirculated to the collecting portion. The engine control device according to claim 1,
The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific region is a low-load low-revolution region where the engine load is lower than a predetermined reference load and the engine rotational speed is lower than a predetermined reference rotational number. The engine control device according to claim 2,
The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific region is an operation region in which a fuel / air mixture is burned in a lean state with an excess air ratio of 1 or more. The engine control device according to claim 3,
The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific region is an operation region in which a mixture of fuel and air is subjected to compression self-ignition combustion. The engine control device according to claim 4,
In the low load high rotation region where the engine load is lower than the reference load and the engine speed is equal to or higher than the reference rotation speed when the catalyst is active, the control means is configured such that the negative pressure of the exhaust collecting portion is the low load. An engine control apparatus that controls the negative pressure changing means so as to be smaller than a negative pressure in a low rotational speed region.

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