KR20130020317A - Apparatus for flow controlling of engine oil in variable cylinder engine and method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: Apparatus for flow controlling of engine oil in a variable cylinder engine and a method of the same are provided to warm up the paused bank by circulating the engine oil to the bank and opening a bi-directional thermostat when the engine oil of the driving bank is fully warmed-up by using the engine oil flow control device of a variable cylinder engine. CONSTITUTION: Apparatus for flow controlling of engine oil in a variable cylinder engine comprises a partition(52) and a thermostat(53) for oil. The partition is equipped in the bottom of an engine block(1) and is formed between banks(10A,10B) inside an oil pan(51) which internally accommodates the engine oil. The thermostat for oil is equipped on the partition and opens to float the engine oil when temperature matches to the set temperature.

Description

Apparatus for flow controlling of engine oil in variable cylinder engine and method of the same}

The present invention relates to the control of the engine oil flow of a variable cylinder engine consisting of a plurality of banks, and more particularly, when the engine oil of the operating bank is warmed up to be supplied to the bank in the idle state, when the engine is operated. The present invention relates to an engine oil flow control apparatus and a control method of a variable cylinder engine for allowing oil to warm up.

Research on the improvement of fuel economy by stopping the operation of some cylinders in high-efficiency situations such as starting, low-speed driving, and downhill driving is required even in vehicles equipped with high exhaust engines due to the high oil price. It is becoming.

For example, a variable cylinder engine is disclosed in which a series of cylinders are configured as one bank, and a plurality of banks, which are independently configured as such, are provided in the engine block, usually two, and finally, power is output to the transmission through one output shaft. It is. Such a variable cylinder engine generates power required for driving a vehicle and operating various devices by operating only one bank in a low speed driving region in which high power is not required, and high power is generated by allowing all banks to operate in a high speed driving region. Be sure to

However, in the variable cylinder engine as described above, when only one bank of cylinders is operated and cylinders of all banks are operated in a section requiring high power, the cylinder on the bank side, which is in the idle state, is immediately warmed up without a warm-up process in the idle state. By entering the high-speed driving region, frictional losses occur in the friction part according to engine driving, fuel economy is lowered, and there is a problem of discharging excessive pollutants.

On the other hand, the following prior art document discloses an example in which a plurality of cylinders provided in an engine are divided into two sets so as to be operated according to an operating region, but an example of selectively warming up the engine at rest is not disclosed.

KR 10-0992402 B1, claim 1

The present invention has been invented to solve the above problems, and in a vehicle to which a variable cylinder engine is applied, the engine oil warmed up from a bank operating in a low speed driving region in which some banks are operated is supplied to a bank in the idle state, thereby resting the system. It is an object of the present invention to provide an engine oil flow control apparatus and a control method for a variable cylinder engine for warming up the engine oil of a bank in progress.

Engine oil flow control apparatus of a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention for achieving the above object, having a plurality of cylinders in one engine block in parallel with a bank that can be driven independently, in each bank A variable cylinder engine configured to output generated power to a transmission through an output shaft, wherein a partition wall is formed along an bank in an oil pan provided at a lower portion of the engine block and accommodating engine oil therein, and on the partition wall. It is characterized in that it is further provided with a thermostat for oil to be opened when the set temperature is provided to allow the engine oil to flow.

The oil thermostat is characterized in that the two-way thermostat is opened when the temperature of the engine oil accommodated in any one of the areas partitioned by the partition wall is set to the set temperature.

Here, the bidirectional thermostat is preferably set to open at 80 ℃.

On the other hand, the engine oil flow control method of the variable cylinder engine according to the present invention, the starting step of operating the start key to drive the engine, and the start bank can be arbitrarily selected so that any one of the plurality of start banks to be started If the start bank random selection step and the start bank random selection step do not arbitrarily select the start bank, the ECU uses the previously started bank as the start bank, and determines whether the cumulative distance set for switching the start bank has been reached. Starting bank switching cumulative distance reach determination step, the previous start bank operation step to drive the bank that was previously started, and the vehicle is driven by using the bank operated through the previous start bank operation step, the vehicle operating conditions High power request determination step of judging whether or not a situation that high power is required by judging; If it is determined that the high power is not required in the high power request determination step, the start bank continues to operate the vehicle using the bank used for starting, and the first warm-up judgment step for determining whether the temperature of the engine oil has reached warm-up; When it is determined that the warm-up is completed by reaching the temperature set in the first warm-up determination step, the bi-directional thermostat opening step of opening the bi-directional thermostat to allow the engine oil to flow, and the stop determination step of determining the stop state of the vehicle Include.

Here, when it is determined that the preset start bank switching cumulative distance has been reached in the start bank switching cumulative distance reaching determination step, a start bank switching operation step of starting using another bank instead of the previous starting bank is performed, and the starting bank switching is performed. After the operation step, the high power request determination step is performed.

After the start bank switching operation step, the high power request determination step is preferably performed.

In addition, if it is determined that the high power is required in the high power request determination step, the power assist step of starting the idle bank is performed, and it is returned to the high power request determination step whether the high power is continuously required.

In addition, in the random selection step of the startup bank, if a startup bank is arbitrarily selected, an operation mode random selection step for determining whether only some banks are to be operated or all banks may be performed may be performed.

On the other hand, if only a part of the banks are selected to be operated in the operation mode random selection step, the main power bank operation step for starting the bank started during the previous operation is performed, and the main power bank is warmed up according to the operation of the main power bank. The second warm-up determining step of determining whether the step is performed is performed, and if it is determined that the warm-up is performed in the second warm-up determining step, the bidirectional thermostat opening step may be performed.

In addition, when all the banks are selected to be operated in the driving mode random selection step, the maximum operating step in which all the banks are operated is performed regardless of the driving conditions of the vehicle.

According to the engine oil flow control apparatus and control method of the variable cylinder engine according to the present invention having the above configuration, when the engine oil of the bank in operation is sufficiently warmed up, the engine oil warmed up is also supplied to the bank being idle, When the bank is running, the entire engine enters the warmed-up state in a short time, so that even if the idle engine is operated immediately in the high speed operating range, friction loss, fuel economy, excessive emission of contaminants, The same problem can be solved.

In addition, if the engine oil is not warmed up sufficiently in the low speed region in which some banks are running, the engine oil is restricted from being supplied to the rest bank, and is supplied to the rest bank only in the sufficiently warmed up state, thereby preventing the warming up of the running engine delayed. .

1 is a plan view conceptually showing the engine oil flow control device of a variable cylinder engine,
2 is a front view conceptually showing an engine oil flow control apparatus for a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention;
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling engine oil flow in a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, an engine oil flow control apparatus of a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The engine oil flow control apparatus for a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention includes a plurality of cylinders (111A) and (111B) in one engine block (1) in parallel to the bank 10A (10B) which can be driven independently. In the variable cylinder engine which is provided in each of the banks 10A, 10B is output to the transmission 32 through the output shaft 21, provided in the lower portion of the engine block (1) and the engine inside Inside the oil pan 51 for accommodating oil, a partition wall 52 formed along the banks 10A and 10B, and is opened on the partition wall 52 to be opened at a set temperature so that engine oil can flow. It is provided with a thermostat 53 for the oil.

Looking at the structure of a variable cylinder engine to which the engine oil flow control device of the variable cylinder engine according to the present invention is applied, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of banks (s) capable of operating independently in the engine block 1 ( 10A) and 10B are arranged in parallel, and the power generated in the banks 10A and 10B arranged in parallel is output through the output shaft 21.

For example, when bank A 10A and bank B 10B are provided in one engine block 1, bank A 10A and bank B 10B may operate independently of each other. The power generated in the bank A 10A or the bank B 10B is input to the output shaft 21 so that the engine block 1 finally outputs the power to the output shaft 21. The output shaft 21 is transmitted to the driving wheel through the flywheel 31 and the transmission 32 like the normal engine, thereby driving the vehicle.

The bank A 10A is provided with a plurality of cylinders 111A inside the cylinder block 11A. Each individual cylinder 111A is provided with a piston 112A and a connecting rod 113A and connected to the crankshaft 114A, as in a conventional engine structure. The crankshaft 114A is connected to the power output gear 12A to output power generated in the bank A 10A through the power output gear 12A.

Reference numerals 14A and 15A denote cylinder heads and start motors.

In addition, a plurality of cylinders 111B are formed in the cylinder block 11B in the bank B 10B, and the piston 112B, the connecting rod 113B, and the cylinder head 14B are provided.

The power generated in the banks A 10A and B 10B is output to the power output gears 12A and 12B provided in each of the banks 10A and 10B, and the power output gears 12A and 12B are provided. Is selectively engaged with the output shaft 21 of the engine block 1 and finally output from the engine block 1.

Between the power output gears 12A, 12B and the output shaft 21, there are power cut-off gears 13A, 13B which can be selectively engaged with the output shaft 21 by the power cut-off gear actuators 131A, 131B. The power generated in the bank A 10A and the bank B 10B is transmitted to the output shaft 21 according to whether the power shut-off gears 13A and 13B are engaged with each other.

Meanwhile, the bank A 10A and the bank B 10B may be provided in various combinations.

For example, the bank A 10A and the bank B 10B may be configured with different displacements rather than the same displacement. Bank A 10A and bank B 10B may select one of I3 or I4 and arrange them in parallel with each other, or I3 may be arranged to add I3 to I4.

In addition, the bank A 10A and the bank B 10B may use the same fuel or may be configured to use different fuels. That is, a combination of gasoline-gasoline, gasoline-diesel and diesel-diesel is possible.

The lower part of the engine block 1 is provided with an oil pan 51 for receiving the engine oil supplied to the movable portion for lubrication during operation of the engine.

Here, a partition wall 52 for partitioning between the banks 10A and 10B is provided inside the oil pan 51, and an oil thermostat 53 for interrupting the flow of engine oil to the partition wall 52 is provided. ) Is provided.

The oil thermostat 53 may be a bidirectional thermostat 53 which is opened when the temperature of the engine oil accommodated in either of the regions partitioned by the partition wall 52 reaches a set temperature. In other words, either of the banks 10A and 10B may be selectively operated in both regions partitioned around the partition 52, depending on various conditions. When the side is warmed up so that the engine oil is circulated to the other side, the oil thermostat 53 is to be a bidirectional thermostat 53.

In addition, as an example of the temperature set to operate the bi-directional thermostat 53, 75 ℃ to 85 ℃, preferably to be opened at 80 ℃. In the manufacture of the bidirectional thermostat 53, it can be achieved by manufacturing to open in accordance with the temperature conditions.

Here, reference numerals 22 and 23 are coupled to the power output shafts 12A and 12B of the respective banks 10A and 10B so as to input power to the output shaft 21 and the output shaft 21. It is an accessory drive pulley provided to drive various devices. Reference numerals 41, 42, and 43 denote ECUs, batteries, and accelerator pedals, respectively.

On the other hand, with reference to Figure 3 will be described in detail the engine oil flow control method of a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention.

Engine oil flow control method of a variable cylinder engine according to the present invention, using the engine oil control device of the variable cylinder described above, starting step (S110) for operating the start key to drive the engine, and a plurality of starting banks A startup bank random selection step (S120) for arbitrarily selecting a startup bank so that any one bank is started, and if the startup bank is not arbitrarily selected in the startup bank random selection step (S120), the ECU is used to select a bank previously started. Use as a start bank, but the start bank switching cumulative distance reaching determination step (S130) for determining whether the set cumulative distance has been reached for switching the start bank, and the previous start bank operation step (S140) to drive the bank that was previously started And, while driving the vehicle by using the bank operated through the previous start bank operation step (S140), A high power request determination step (S150) for determining whether a situation is required for high power by determining a row condition; and if a high power is not required in the high power request determination step, a start of driving the vehicle using the bank used for starting Bank continued operation step (S160), the first warm-up determination step (S170) for determining whether the temperature of the engine oil has reached the warm-up, and the temperature set in the first warm-up determination step (S170) is determined that the warm-up is completed When the bidirectional thermostat is opened to include a bidirectional thermostat opening step (S180) to allow the engine oil to flow.

The startup step S110 includes all actions for starting the vehicle, including inserting and turning the ignition key for driving or pressing a button ignition key.

The startup bank random selection step S120 allows the driver to select a bank to be operated at random startup in an engine composed of a plurality of banks 10A and 10B. For example, it is possible to select a bank to be operated at start-up by operating a select button provided in a vehicle interior.

Starting bank switching cumulative distance reaching step (S130) is executed when the driver does not arbitrarily select the starting bank in the starting bank random selection step (S120), and whether the bank used by the ECU for the previous start will be used in this starting. If not, determine whether you want to use a bank that has not been run during a previous startup. The basis for judging the start bank switch is based on the accumulated mileage of the vehicle, and the start bank is switched for each set mileage. For example, if the cumulative driving distance 10,000km is set as the cumulative distance for switching the start bank in the engine consisting of the bank A 10A and the bank B 10B, 0km to 10,000km is the bank A 10A, 10,000km to 20,000km. Bank B (10B), 20,000 km to 30,000 km is again Bank A (10A), and 30,000 km to 40,000 km is used for starting Bank B (10B). The cumulative distance of the vehicle switching the starting bank may be set to other values. Here, the reason for switching the start banks at a predetermined cumulative distance is that if a particular bank is used continuously for start-up or used as main power, each bank 10A and 10B is relatively old as compared to a bank which is relatively inactive. This is to ensure uniform use.

In the previous start bank operation step (S140), if it is determined that the start bank switching cumulative distance is not reached in the start bank switching cumulative distance reaching determination step (S130), it is started through the bank used during the previous start-up. For example, if the start bank switching cumulative distance has not been reached and has been previously started in the bank A 10A, the start bank is started again in the bank A 10A and the vehicle is driven. Since high power is not required at start-up and initial start-up, the vehicle can be driven through one bank.

On the other hand, when the vehicle travels, a high power request determination step (S150) for periodically determining whether or not a high power is required is performed. In the high power request determination step (S150), the driving state of the vehicle is determined, and when a high power is required, the idle bank is operated, and only a part of the banks is operated when the high power is not required.

In a situation where high power is not required in the high power request determination step S150, all banks are not operated, the bank 10A used at startup is operated, and the remaining banks 10B are still in the idle state (S160). ).

In the first warm-up determining step (S170), it is determined whether the bank used at startup among the plurality of banks 10A and 10B is sufficiently warmed up. That is, the first warm-up determination step (S170) may be determined using the cooling water temperature of the bank in operation, the oil temperature of the engine oil, and the like.

In particular, in the engine oil flow control method of the variable cylinder engine according to the present invention, the oil pan 51 is provided with a bidirectional thermostat 53 which opens when only one of the partition walls 52 is set to the partition wall 52. Therefore, even without a separate temperature sensor, the bidirectional thermostat 53 can operate when the warm-up temperature is reached.

If it is determined in the first warm-up determination step (S170) that the bank used continuously from the start-up is warmed up, the bidirectional thermostat 53 is opened. When the bidirectional thermostat 53 is opened, the engine oil existing in the space divided into the partition walls in the oil pan 51 may flow to the adjacent space. That is, the engine oil on the bank side warmed up by the operation and the engine oil on the bank not warmed up are mixed with each other.

As such, since the engine oil may flow to the adjacent banks due to the opening of the bidirectional thermostat 53, the engine oil heated to a constant temperature, for example, 80 ° C., is supplied to the bank in the idle state, and thus, through the bank in the idle state. Combustion is not in progress but rises to or near the warm-up temperature. Since the engine oil is circulated and supplied from the bank in which the idle bank is in operation, it becomes like a warm-up state. Therefore, even if the idle bank is operated at the moment when high power is required, it operates in a sufficiently warmed-up state. Problems such as friction, low fuel consumption and excessive pollutant emissions can be solved.

If it is determined that the warm-up is not warmed up in the first warm-up determining step (S170), a stop determination step (S190) of determining whether the driver stops the vehicle and turns off the start is performed. If it is determined in the stop determination step (S190) that the stop is not, it is repeated from the start bank random selection step (S120) again.

On the other hand, in the high power request determination step (S150), if it is determined that high output is required due to rapid acceleration, uphill driving or high speed driving while driving, the idle bank is also supplied by supplying fuel while cranking the bank 10B that is idle. By starting and operating to output power, it becomes a form which assists the power output to the bank 10A which is already operating (S151).

As described above, when all the banks 10A and 10B are operated, that is, while the vehicle is driven at a high output, the power returns to the high power request determination step S150 to continuously determine whether a high power is required. Determine whether to drive.

In step S130 of determining the starting distance switching cumulative distance, when it is determined that the starting distance switching cumulative distance has been reached, instead of using the bank used previously, the starting bank is switched to replace another bank not used in the previous start. To start using (S131).

In the above, the driver does not select the banks 10A and 10B used for initial start-up, and the engine oil flow control method of the variable cylinder engine determines, by the ECU 41, the bank to be used at start-up to configure the engine. Each bank (10A) (10B) optionally operates either one or both, and first circulates the engine oil of the warmed up bank (10A) to the unwarmed up bank (10B) to quickly pass through the unwarmed up bank (10B). The control to be in the warm-up state has been described.

On the other hand, the driver may arbitrarily select and operate the bank used for starting. If the driver arbitrarily selects a bank to be used for startup by means of a selection button or the like in the startup bank random selection step (S120), it is determined whether only some banks are to be operated or all banks 10A and 10B are to be operated. The operation mode random selection step S121 for determining is performed.

If only some banks are selected to be operated in the operation mode random selection step S121, the main power bank operation step S122 is performed to start the banks used in the previous startup.

When starting and operating through the bank used during the previous startup as described above, a second warm-up determination step S123 of determining whether the bank is warmed up is performed. In the second warm-up determination step S123, the bidirectional thermostat 53 may be operated when the warm-up temperature is reached without a separate temperature sensor.

If it is determined in the second warm-up determination step S123 that the bank side used in the main power bank operation step S122 is sufficiently warmed up, the bidirectional thermostat opening step S180 is performed.

In addition, when all the banks are selected to be operated in the driving mode random selection step S121, the maximum operating step S125 is performed to operate all the banks provided in the engine regardless of the driving conditions of the vehicle.

After the maximum operation step (S125), the stop determination step (S190) is performed.

1: Engine Block 10A, 10B: Bank
11A, 11B: Cylinder block 111A, 111B: Cylinder
112A, 112B: Piston 113A, 113B: Connecting Rod
114A, 114B: Crankshaft 12A, 12B: Power output gear
13A, 13B: Power Block Gear 131A, 131B: Power Block Gear Actuator
14A, 14B: Cylinder head 15A, 15B: Start motor
21: output shaft 22: power input gear
23: accessory drive pulley 31: flywheel
32: transmission 41: ECU
42: battery 43: accelerator pedal
51: oil pan 52: bulkhead
53: bidirectional thermostat S110: starting step
S120: Random selection step of starting bank S121: Random selection step of operation mode
S122: main power bank operation step S123: second warm-up determination step
S125: Maximum Operation Level
S130: start bank switching cumulative distance reach determination step
S131: Start bank switch operation step S140: Start bank operation step
S150: High power request judging step S151: Power auxiliary step
S160: start bank operation step S170: the first warm-up determination step
S180: bidirectional thermostat opening step S190: stop determination step

Claims (10)

In a variable cylinder engine provided with a plurality of cylinders in one engine block in parallel can be driven independently, the power generated in each bank is output to the transmission through the output shaft,
A partition wall provided between the banks in an oil pan provided under the engine block and accommodating engine oil therein;
Engine oil flow control device for a variable cylinder engine, characterized in that the thermostat for the oil is further provided on the partition wall is opened to allow the engine oil to flow. The method of claim 1,
The oil thermostat is,
The engine oil flow control apparatus of a variable cylinder engine, characterized in that the bidirectional thermostat is opened when the temperature of the engine oil accommodated in any one of the regions partitioned by the partition wall is set to the set temperature. The method of claim 2,
The bidirectional thermostat is set to open at 80 ℃ engine oil flow control device of a variable cylinder engine. A starting step of operating the ignition key to drive the engine,
A startup bank random selection step of arbitrarily selecting a startup bank such that any one bank from among a plurality of startup banks is started;
If the start bank is not selected arbitrarily in the start bank random selection step, the ECU uses the bank which has been started before as the start bank, but determines whether the start bank switching cumulative distance reaches to determine whether the cumulative distance set for switching the start bank has been reached. Steps,
A previous start bank operation step for driving a previously started bank;
A high power request determination step of driving a vehicle using a bank operated through the previous start bank operation step, and determining whether a high power is required by determining a driving condition of the vehicle;
If it is determined that the high power is not required in the high power request determination step, the start bank continued operation step of driving the vehicle using the bank used for starting;
A first warm-up determining step of determining whether the temperature of the engine oil has reached warm-up;
A bidirectional thermostat opening step of opening the bidirectional thermostat to allow the engine oil to flow when it is determined that the warming up is completed by reaching the temperature set in the first warm-up determining step;
An engine oil flow control method for a variable cylinder engine including a stop determination step of determining a stopped state of a vehicle. 5. The method of claim 4,
When it is determined that the preset start bank switching cumulative distance has been reached in the start bank switching cumulative distance reaching determination step, a start bank switching operation step of starting using another bank instead of the previous starting bank is performed.
And after the starting bank switching operation step, the high power request determination step is performed. 5. The method of claim 4,
And after the starting bank switching operation step, the high power request determination step is performed. 5. The method of claim 4,
If it is determined that high power is required in the high power request determination step, a power assist step of starting the idle bank is performed.
The engine oil flow control method of a variable cylinder engine, characterized in that the high power is constantly returned to the high power request determination step. 5. The method of claim 4,
In the random start bank random selection step,
When the start bank is arbitrarily selected, only a certain bank is to be operated, and an operation mode random selection step of determining whether all banks are to be operated is performed. The method of claim 5,
In the operation mode random selection step
If only a part of the banks are selected to be operated, the main power bank start step is performed in which the bank started during the previous start-up is performed.
A second warm-up determination step of determining whether the main power bank is warmed up according to the operation of the main power bank is performed,
If it is determined that the warm-up in the second warm-up determination step, the bidirectional thermostat opening step is performed, characterized in that the engine oil flow control method of the variable cylinder engine. 10. The method of claim 9,
And selecting all of the banks in the operation mode arbitrary selection step, wherein the maximum operating step in which all the banks are operated is performed regardless of the driving conditions of the vehicle.

Images