ENGINE CONTROL APPARATUS

Abstract: An engine control apparatus comprises a plurality of sensors (2, 4, 5) for detecting the opera­ tion state of an engine (1), means (105) for calculating, on the basis of signals produced from the sensors, a correction amount (α) which corrects a predetermined controllable quantity, means (107) for calculating a learned correction amount (α L ) by averaging values of the correction amount (α) by a reference occurrence frequency (N₁), means (108) for calculating, under a predetermined condition, the learned correction amount (α L ) by averaging values of the correction amount (α) by an occurrence frequency (N₂) which is smaller than the reference occurrence frequency, and means (109) for correcting the controllable quantity in accordance with the correction amount (α) and the learned correction amount (α L ).

Description: This invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an engine such as an internal combustion engine in accordance with the precharacterizing part of claim 1. An engine control apparatus having a learning control function is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-59-180048. As is clear from the disclosure of the above public literature, in the conventional engine control apparatus having the learning control function, irregularity in characteristics of the engine per se and irregularity and secular variation in characteristics of sensors adapted to detect the status of the engine are corrected using the learning control function and various controllable quantities such as for example air/fuel ratio and ignition timing can be controlled optimally. In the conventional engine control apparatus as exemplified in the aforementioned public literature, however, the control speed for a learning control is unchangeable and it takes a long time to obtain optimum engine control through the learning control. The control speed for the learning control is desired to be high during a predetermined condition thereby placing the engine in an optimally controlled learning control within a short period of time following the commencement of use by the user. The GB-A-2 162 966 discloses an adaptive mixture control system in which data stored in a table is updated. The first updating is performed with an arithmetical average of maximum and minimum values in one cycle of the integration. Thereafter the correction coefficient for the injection amount is incremented or decremented with a set value. The GB-A-2 170 859 describes a system for controlling the ignition timing of an internal combustion engine. Based on an acceleration detecting signal the program proceeds to a correction subroutine for acceleration ignition timing. The principle of correction in this document is that there is applied a rough and a fine correction based on the deviation between the basic ignition timing and the new calculated desired value. If the deviation is greater than a preset value a rough correction of the ignition timing is applied. An apparatus for the control of an internal combustion engine is described in the Us 4 181 944. In this document the deterioration with time of the combustion engine is an input for the engine control. If the comparison between the actual combustion pressure and the stored maximum combustion pressure exceeds a certain level it is judged that the engine is deteriorated and a command for changing a modification factor is issued. The modification factor is proportional to the difference in combustion pressure. It is also disclosed to use an odometer to produce signals at regular intervals by which the modifications factor is updated dependent on the distance covered by the vehicle. In the EP-A3-194 019 an engine idle speed control system is described. The system is characterized by an integrator adjustment of engine idle speed for maintaining a constant engine idle speed independent of load and having load dependent gain characteristics with the integrator adjustment being a measure of engine load. A method of controlling the air-fuel ratio is enclosed in the EP-A3-145 992. In this document compensation factors are determined for different operating regions by learning during engine operation. The compensation factors are only changed if at least a certain number of extreme values of the control factors have appeared continuously. According to this document learning maps are updated, when a specific number of regions of this map have been updated. The specific number is smaller for the first update than for any following update. The object of this invention is to provide an engine control apparatus which can obtain, within a relatively short period of time, correction amounts for correcting irregularity in characteristics of the engine per se and irregularity in characteristics of various sensors so as to achieve an optimal engine control. The object is solved by the features of claim 1. The dependent claims characterize advantageous developments of the invention. In the invention an engine control apparatus is provided for controlling at least the fuel supply amount representative of the controllable quantities by fetching signals from the sensors adapted to detect the status of the engine comprises the learning control means for controlling the controllable quantity on the basis of the signals from the sensors, and control speed changing means for changing, under a predetermined condition, the control speed for the learning control means to a value which is higher than a reference value. With this construction, the control speed changing means sets, under the predetermined condition, the control speed for the learning control to a higher value than the reference value so that the engine can be placed in an optimally controlled condition through the learning control within a short period of time following the commencement of use by the user. At the expiration of a predetermined period of time, the control speed for learned controlling is set to the reference value. Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an engine control apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a time chart showing a correction coefficient changing with the operation of the Fig. 1 apparatus. Figure 3 is a time chart showing a change in the correction coefficient through learned controlling in the Fig. 1 apparatus. Figure 4 illustrates a map of learned correction coefficient data in a RAM obtained through learned controlling in the Fig. 1 apparatus. Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of the Fig. 1 apparatus. Figure 6 is a time chart showing another example of a change in the correction coefficient through learned controlling in the Fig. 1 apparatus The engine control apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. Firstly, referring to Fig. 1, an engine 1 has an intake conduit 10 in which an intake air flow rate sensor 2 is disposed having an output terminal connected to a control console 3. Disposed near one end of the intake conduit 10 is an injector 6 for fuel injection to the engine 1, the injector 6 having an input terminal connected to the control console 3. In an exhaust conduit 11 of the engine 1 is an oxygen (O₂) sensor 5 having an output terminal connected to the control console 3. In this embodiment, the pulse width for fuel injection to the engine 1 is controlled on the basis of a concentration of oxygen in exhaust gas which is detected by the O₂ sensor 5. A crank angle sensor 4 rotates in synchronism with the rotation of the engine 1 to produce an engine revolution number signal which is applied to the control console 3, and an odometer 7 is connected to the control console 3 to supply thereto a signal indicative of a running distance of a vehicle. The engine control apparatus constructed as above operates as will be described below. Where Q A is the intake air amount which is calculated by the control console 3 on the basis of a flow rate signal measured by the intake air flow rate sensor 2, N is the engine revolution number (per unit time) which is calculated by the control console 3 on the basis of an engine revolution number signal in the form of pulses produced from the crank angle sensor 4 each time the engine rotates a predetermined angle and k is a constant, the control console 3 calculates the pulse width T P for fuel injection in accordance with the following equation: T P = k × Q A /N (1) The fuel injection amount based on the pulse width T P for fuel injection as obtained from equation (1) is feedback controlled using a signal produced from the O₂ sensor 5. More specifically, where α is the feedback correction coefficient and α L is the learned correction coefficient obtained through learned controlling, the control console 3 comprised of a microcomputer calculates the corrected pulse width Ti for fuel injection in accordance with the following equation: Ti = T P × (α i + α L ) (2) The ultimate pulse width for fuel injection to the injector 6 is controlled pursuant to equation (2). The correction coefficient α in equation (2) can be obtained through proportional integration control corresponding to the output signal of the O₂ sensor 5, as shown in Fig. 2. More particularly, when the air/fuel ratio changes from "LEAN" to "RICH", for the purpose of rapid controlling, the proportional portion, P R , is subtracted and thereafter the integration portion at the rate of I R is subtracted. Conversely, when the air/fuel ratio changes from "RICH" to "LEAN", for the purpose of rapid controlling, the proportional portion, P L , is added and thereafter the integration portion at the rate of I L is added. This conventionally available correction based on the first correction amount α alone, however, fails to correct errors in controlling attributable to the difference in individuality of the engines per se of vehicles and manufacture errors (irregularity) or secular variation in the various sensors. Accordingly, it has hitherto been also practice to make correction by using the learned second correction amount α L obtained by the learning control. The learned second correction amount α L is defined by an average of values of the first correction amount. Therefore, when the air/fuel ratio changes from fuel "RICH" to fuel "LEAN" or conversely from fuel "LEAN" to fuel "RICH", values of α are averaged to determine a value of α L as shown in Fig. 3. The value of α L is -α L in this example. Values of the learned second correction amount α L are obtained in relation to various running states and stored in a RAM 3A of the control console 3, as shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, data values of the learned second correction amount α L are related to the running state in which the engine speed becomes higher as the revolution number N changes to the right on abscissa and the fuel becomes rich, i.e., the load on the engine becomes higher as the pulse width T P for fuel injection changes upwards. Data values αL₁ to αL₂₄ stored in the RAM 3A in relation to various operation or running states of the engine are not obtained by uniformly averaging values of α. Specifically, data values αL₆, αL₇, αL₁₀, αL₁₁, αL₁₄, αL₁₅, αL₁₈ and αL₁₉ on almost the central area in Fig. 4 are related to engine states which occur relatively frequently and can be obtained by averaging many (for example, ten) values of α. But data values on the peripheral area (for example, αL₁, αL₄, αL₂₁ and αL₂₄) are related to engine states which occur infrequently and if these data values αLi are to be determined by the conventional method which is designed to average, for example, ten values of α, these data values on the peripheral area will remain undetermined for a long time. When under this condition the engine states which are expected to occur infrequently occur, there results a problem that optimum engine controlling can not be performed by the conventional method. To solve this problem, the present invention features in that, for example, for a small running distance attributed to a new car, in view of the fact that the new car has poor experience in learning, values of α are averaged by a relatively small number (for example, five) to determine data values αLi, whereby data values αLi on the entire area of the map of Fig. 4 can be obtained within a relatively short period of time to meet controlling for any engine states. By using the thus obtained α and αL, the air/fuel ratio can be controlled optimumly pursuant to equation (2). Referring to Fig. 5, the operational procedure to this end will be described. In step 101, the intake air amount Q A is calculated in accordance with a flow rate signal produced from the intake air flow rate sensor 2 and in step 102, the engine revolution number N is calculated in accordance with an engine revolution number signal produced from the crank angle sensor 4. Subsequently, in step 103, the pulse width T P for fuel injection is calculated pursuant to equation (1) and in step 104, a signal produced from the O₂ sensor 5 is fetched. In step 105, the correction coefficient α is calculated on the basis of the signal of the O₂ sensor 5 fetched in step 104 through the proportional integration controlling as previously described in connection with Fig. 2, in a manner well known by itself. The procedure then proceeds to step 106 in which it is decided from a running distance signal produced from the odometer 7 whether the running distance of the vehicle is below I Km. If the running distance of the vehicle is decided to be below I Km in step 106, the learned correction coefficient α L is calculated, in step 108, pursuant to the following equation: If the running distance of the vehicle is decided to exceed I Km in step 106, the learned correction coefficient α L is calculated, in step 107, pursuant to the following equation: Since N₁ in equation (4) is related to N₂ in equation (3) by N₁ »N₂, data values of the learned correction coefficient α L can be calculated and determined through learned controlling within a short period of time. Finally, in step 109, the learned correction coefficient α L determined pursuant to equation (3) or (4) and the correction coefficient α determined in step 105 are used to calculate the pulse width Ti for fuel injection pursuant to equation (2). As described above, according to this embodiment of the invention, the control speed for learned controlling is set to a higher value before the vehicle reaches a predetermined running distance, thereby ensuring that the air/fuel ratio can be controlled optimumly within a short period of time following the commencement of use by the user. Fig. 6 shows another way to obtain the learned second correction amount α L by the learning control. In this example, values of α represented by α (t), α (t-1), ---- d(t-n) are multiplied by desired weight coefficients k₀, k₁, ---- k n , respectively, to calculate the learned second correction amount α L pursuant to the following equation: α L = k₀·α(t) + k₁·α(t-1)----- + k n ·α(t-n) (5) In this case, the time for obtaining values of learned second correction amount α L by the learning control can also be minimized by changing values of the weight coefficients k₀, k₁, ---- k n and consequently optimum control can be performed by the learning control within a short period of time following the commencement of use by the user. While in the foregoing embodiment the control speed for the learning control has been described as being set to a high value before the running distance of the vehicle reaches a predetermined value, the frequency of turn-on operations of the ignition switch and start switch may be counted so that when the frequency of the turn-on operations is below a predetermined value, the control speed for the learning control may be set to a higher value. Through the use of the frequency of the turn-on operations of the ignition switch and start switch in this manner, even when old learned control data are destroyed because of disconnection of the battery effected for repair and inspection, the control speed for the learning control can readily be set to the higher value before the frequency of the turn-on operations of the ignition switch and start switch, starting from the beginning of re-connection of the battery, reaches the predetermined value. Particularly, automobiles produced in an automobile production factory can be tested in the factory before consignment in a simulation running mode corresponding to a predetermined running mode (Ten mode or LA-4 mode) so as to cause various engine states to occur and accordingly, the engine states can be learned by the automobiles, in advance of consignment thereof, to complete necessary data on the entire area of the RAM. As has been described, according to the invention, the engine control apparatus can be provided wherein the control speed for the learning control is increased under the predetermined condition to permit optimum engine control by the learning control within a short period of time following the commencement of use by the user.

Claims: Engine control system comprising: a plurality of sensors, including an intake air flow sensor (2), a crank angle sensor (4) and an O₂-sensor (5), and a microcomputer (3) with a RAM (3A), a ROM, an I/O-interface and a CPU, which determines the injection pulse width (T p ) from inputs of the crank angle sensor (4) and the intake air flow sensor (2), determines first correction amounts (α) from the output of the O₂-sensor (5), stores the first correction amounts (α) in the RAM (3A), and determines the desired injection pulse width (T i ) by correcting the injection pulse width (T p ) by a correction coefficient, characterized by an odometer (7) and in that the microcomputer (3) determines a second correction amount (α L ) by arithmetically averaging the first correction amounts α over a number n₁ or n₂ of α-values, n₁ being greater than n₂ and either applies n₂ for odometer outputs below a predetermined value and applies n₁ for odometer outputs above the predetermined value or applies n₂ for a number of turn-on operations below a certain value and applies n₁ for a number of turn-on operations above the certain value, and determines the correction coefficient by adding the first (α) and the second correction amounts (α L ). System according to claim 1, characterized in that the microcomputer (3) determines the second correction amount (α L ) by System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an engine state sensor (20) is provided for determining the first correction amounts (α) for controlling the ignition timing. System according to claim 3, characterized in that the engine state sensor (20) is a knocking sensor or a combustion pressure sensor.

Inventors: HASEGAWA, TAIJI, ISHIKAWA, HIDEAKI
Applicants: HITACHI, LTD.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F02D41
IPC codes: F02D41, F02D45