Patent Publication Number: US-11649776-B2

Title: Turbo-boost control system

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/664,702 filed on Oct. 25, 2019 and U.S. Provisional Application, entitled “Turbo-Boost Control System,” filed on Oct. 26, 2018 and having application Ser. No. 62/751,426, the entirety of said application being incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of vehicle control systems. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosure relate to a turbo-boost control system and methods that provide greater control over the power output of turbocharged engines. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A turbocharger is generally a turbine-driven, forced induction device configured to increase the efficiency and power of an engine. As compared to a naturally aspirated engine, a turbocharged engine produces greater output power because the turbine forces more air, and proportionately more fuel, into the engine&#39;s combustion chambers than atmospheric pressure alone. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, turbochargers were once referred to as “turbosuperchargers” when all forced induction devices were classified as “superchargers.” At present, however, the term “supercharger” typically is used in reference to only mechanically driven, forced induction devices, such as by way of a belt, gear, shaft, or chain connected to the engine&#39;s crankshaft, whereas the term “turbocharger” is used in reference to a turbine driven by the engine&#39;s exhaust gas. Turbochargers find wide use with truck, car, train, aircraft, and construction equipment engines. Turbochargers typically are used with Otto cycle and Diesel cycle internal combustion engines; although more recently, turbochargers have also been found to be useful with automotive fuel cells. 
     A drawback to many factory turbocharged engines is that, under factory parameters, a vehicle&#39;s waste gate releases manifold pressure at a level specified by the vehicle manufacturer, thereby undesirably dropping the available power level of the vehicle. What is needed, therefore, is a turbo-boost control module capable of raising an amount of pressure within the engine&#39;s manifold to a higher level before releasing it through the waste gate, thereby maintaining more boost for when it is desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     A system and methods for a turbo-boost control system are disclosed for providing a driver of a vehicle with greater control over vehicle performance. The turbo-boost control system is configured to instruct an electronic control unit of the vehicle to increase the manifold pressure to a higher level before releasing the pressure through a waste gate so as to provide a greater power output of the engine. In an embodiment, the turbo-boost control system includes a control module, a wiring harness, and a signal adjuster. The wiring harness is configured to couple the control module with a turbo inlet pressure sensor, a manifold absolute pressure sensor, and an electronic control unit of the vehicle. The control module is configured to send signals to the electronic control unit based on input readings from the turbo inlet pressure sensor and the manifold absolute pressure sensor. The signal adjuster includes a rheostat that is configured to enable manual adjustment of the power output of the engine. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, a turbo-boost control system configured to provide a driver of a vehicle with greater control over vehicle performance comprises: a control module configured to signal an increase in manifold pressure before releasing the pressure through a waste gate so as to maintain additional boost for an increased power output of the engine; a wiring harness configured to couple the control module with a turbo inlet pressure sensor, a manifold absolute pressure sensor, and an electronic control unit of the vehicle; and a signal adjuster configured to facilitate manual adjustment of the power output of the engine. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the control module is comprised of one or more microprocessors that can process input signals received from the turbo inlet pressure sensor and the manifold absolute pressure sensor. In another exemplary embodiment, the control module includes an internal lookup table whereby turbo inlet pressure sensor and manifold absolute pressure sensor readings may be evaluated. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the control module includes a rigid enclosure and an input socket. In another exemplary embodiment, the input socket is configured to receive a signal connector comprising the wiring harness. In another exemplary embodiment, the input socket couples the control module with turbo inlet pressure sensor, the manifold absolute pressure sensor, and the electronic control unit of the vehicle. In another exemplary embodiment, the rigid enclosure is configured to withstand an environment encountered within an engine compartment of the vehicle. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the wiring harness includes a cable, a turbo inlet pressure sensor connector, a turbo inlet pressure sensor harness connector, a signal connector, and a manifold absolute pressure sensor connector. In another exemplary embodiment, the turbo inlet pressure sensor connector is configured to be coupled directly with the turbo inlet pressure sensor of the vehicle. In another exemplary embodiment, the turbo inlet pressure sensor harness connector is configured to be coupled with the wiring harness that was originally coupled with the turbo inlet pressure sensor. In another exemplary embodiment, the signal connector is configured to be plugged into an input socket comprising the control module. In another exemplary embodiment, the manifold absolute pressure sensor connector is configured to be coupled with the manifold absolute pressure sensor of the vehicle for the purpose reading the air pressure within the engine manifold. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the signal adjuster comprises a cable that extends from a controller connector to a rheostat. In another exemplary embodiment, the controller connector is configured to be plugged into a controller socket comprising the wiring harness. In another exemplary embodiment, the rheostat is configured to enable manual adjustment of the power output of the engine. In another exemplary embodiment, the signal adjuster includes a control dial configured to be coupled with the rheostat to facilitate hand operation of the rheostat. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, a method for a throttle control system to provide greater control over engine performance of a vehicle comprises: configuring a control module to signal an increase in manifold pressure before releasing the pressure through a waste gate for maintaining additional boost for an increased power output of the engine; fabricating a wiring harness for electrically coupling the control module with a turbo inlet pressure sensor, a manifold absolute pressure sensor, and an electronic control unit of the vehicle; and coupling a signal adjuster with a controller socket comprising the wiring harness for enabling manual adjustment of engine performance. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, configuring includes incorporating one or more microprocessors that can process input signals received from the turbo inlet pressure sensor and the manifold absolute pressure sensor. In another exemplary embodiment, configuring includes providing an internal lookup table whereby turbo inlet pressure sensor and manifold absolute pressure sensor readings may be evaluated. In another exemplary embodiment, fabricating includes configuring the wiring harness to be coupled directly with the turbo inlet pressure sensor and the wiring harness that was originally coupled with the turbo inlet pressure sensor. In another exemplary embodiment, coupling the signal adjuster includes coupling a control dial whereby power output of the engine may be manipulated by hand. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which: 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a turbo-boost control system configured to provide a driver of a vehicle with greater control over vehicle performance; 
         FIG.  2    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a control module configured to create an increase in manifold air pressure before releasing the pressure through a waste gate; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a wiring harness configured to electrically couple the control module of  FIG.  2    with a turbo inlet pressure sensor and a manifold absolute pressure sensor of the vehicle; 
         FIG.  4    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a signal adjuster configured to facilitate manual adjustment of the turbo-boost of the vehicle; 
         FIG.  5    is a graph illustrating manifold pressure readings by an engine control unit of the vehicle with and without the turbo-boost control system of  FIG.  1   ; and 
         FIG.  6    is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may be used with a turbo-boost control system according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The invention should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific numeric references such as “first module,” may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted that the “first module” is different than a “second module.” Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The term “coupled” is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein. 
     Factory turbocharged engines generally release manifold pressure at a level specified by the vehicle manufacturer, thereby undesirably dropping the available power level of the vehicle. The embodiments disclosed herein provide a turbo-boost control system capable of raising an amount of pressure within the engine&#39;s manifold to a higher level before releasing it through the waste gate, thereby maintaining more turbo-boost for greater power output of the engine. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a turbo-boost control system  100  that is configured to provide a driver of a vehicle with greater control over vehicle performance. In the illustrated embodiment, the turbo-boost control system  100  includes a control module  104 , a wiring harness  108 , and a signal adjuster  112 . The turbo-boost control system  100  generally is configured to instruct an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle to increase the manifold pressure to a higher level before releasing the pressure through a waste gate so as to provide a greater power output of the engine. It is contemplated that the turbo-boost control system  100  is configured to provide a plug and play installation without requiring a practitioner to modify or fabricate components. The components comprising the turbo-boost control system  100  are discussed in greater detail herein. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a control module  104  configured to create an increase in throttle responsiveness of a vehicle. The control module  104  generally is configured to instruct the ECU to increase the manifold pressure before releasing the pressure through the waste gate so as to maintain additional boost for an increased power output of the engine. The control module  104  may be comprised of one or more microprocessors that can process input signals received from a turbo inlet pressure (TIP) sensor  52  and a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor  58  of the vehicle (see  FIG.  1   ). As will be appreciated, the control module  104  may include hardware comprising electronic components on a printed circuit board (PCB), ceramic substrate or a thin laminate substrate, and include a micro controller chip (CPU). Software may be stored in the microcontroller or other chips on the PCB, such as EPROMs or flash memory, so that the CPU can be re-programmed by uploading updated code or replacing chips. The control module  104  preferably has a fixed programming, such as an internal lookup table whereby TIP and MAP sensor readings may be evaluated. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the control module  104  includes a rigid enclosure  116  and an input socket  120 . The input socket  120  is configured to receive a signal connector comprising the wiring harness  108 , as discussed herein. The input socket  120  facilitates coupling the control module  104  with the TIP and MAP sensors  52 ,  58  ( FIG.  1   ) of the vehicle, as well as coupling the control module  104  with the ECU of the vehicle. Further, it is contemplated that the rigid enclosure  116  is configured to withstand the environment encountered within an engine compartment of the vehicle for the purpose of protecting the internal circuitry of the control module  104 . 
       FIG.  3    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a wiring harness  108  configured to electrically couple the control module  104  with the TIP and MAP sensors  52 ,  58  ( FIG.  1   ) of the vehicle, as well as coupling the control module  104  with the ECU. The wiring harness  108  generally includes a cable  124 , a TIP sensor connector  128 , a TIP sensor harness connector  132 , a signal connector  136 , and a MAP sensor connector  140 . As will be recognized, the cable  124  includes an exterior sheath configured to protect the cable  124  from potential damage due to nearby components comprising the vehicle. The TIP sensor connector  128  is configured to be coupled directly with the TIP sensor  52  of the vehicle, while the TIP sensor harness connector  132  is configured to be coupled with a TIP sensor connector  56  (see  FIG.  1   ) of the wiring harness that was originally coupled with the TIP sensor  52 . The signal connector  136  is configured to be plugged into the input socket  120  of the control module  104 . The MAP sensor connector  140  is configured to be coupled with the MAP sensor  58  of the vehicle for the purpose reading the air pressure within the engine manifold. Thus, the wiring harness  108  effectively provide direct communication between the TIP and MAP sensors  52 ,  58 , the control module  104 , and the ECU of the vehicle. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a signal adjuster  112  configured to facilitate manual adjustment of the power output of the engine. The signal adjuster  112  comprises a cable  144  that extends from a controller connector  148  to a rheostat  152 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG.  4   , the cable  144  includes an exterior sheath configured to protect the cable  144  from potential damage due to nearby components comprising the vehicle. The controller connector  148  is configured to be plugged into a controller socket (not shown) comprising the wiring harness  108 . The rheostat  152  is configured to enable a practitioner, such as the driver, to manually interact with the control module  104  so as to control the power output of the vehicle. The signal adjuster  112  includes a control dial  156  configured to be coupled with the rheostat  152  to facilitate hand operation of the rheostat. It is contemplated that the practitioner mounts the rheostat  152  and the control dial  156  in an advantageous location within the passenger cabin of the vehicle, such as a dashboard, and then routes the cable  144  to the wiring harness  108 . The practitioner then plugs the controller connector  148  into the controller socket to place the rheostat  152  into electrical communication with the control module  104 . It is contemplated that, in some embodiments, the signal adjuster  112  may be omitted from the turbo-boost control system  100 , thereby providing a fully automated adjustment of engine power output of the vehicle. 
       FIG.  5    is a graph  160  illustrating manifold pressure readings by the ECU of the vehicle with and without the turbo-boost control system  100  illustrated in  FIG.  1   . The data plotted in the graph  160  are based on experimental observations before and after installation of the turbo-boost control system  100  into a test vehicle. During operation of the system  100 , the control module  104  continuously reads the MAP and TIP sensors  58 ,  52  individually and compares the readings against an internal lookup table. The control module  104  then sends appropriate signals to the ECU. As indicated in graph  160 , if the measured manifold pressure falls within a range specified in the lookup table, a higher target manifold pressure is signaled to the ECU. It is contemplated, however, that the higher pressure is not to exceed factory vehicle limits. Graph  160  shows, therefore, that the turbo-boost control system  100  provides a desirable increase in turbo-boost as compared with the performance provided by the factory ECU. 
       FIG.  6    is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system  600  that may be used with an adjustable turbo-boost control system, such as the turbo-boost control system  100  to perform any of the processes or methods described herein. System  600  may represent a desktop, a tablet, a server, a mobile phone, a media player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal communicator, a network router or hub, a wireless access point (AP) or repeater, a set-top box, or a combination thereof. 
     In an embodiment, illustrated in  FIG.  6   , system  600  includes a processor  624  and a peripheral interface  628 , also referred to as a chipset, to couple various components to the processor  624 , including a memory  632  and devices  636 - 648  by way of a bus or an interconnect. Processor  624  may represent a single processor or multiple processors with a single processor core or multiple processor cores included therein. Processor  624  may represent one or more general-purpose processors such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), and the like. More particularly, processor  624  may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or processor implementing other instruction sets, or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. Processor  624  may also be one or more special-purpose processors such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, a graphics processor, a network processor, a communications processor, a cryptographic processor, a co-processor, an embedded processor, or any other type of logic capable of processing instructions. Processor  624  is configured to execute instructions for performing the operations and steps discussed herein. 
     Peripheral interface  628  may include a memory control hub (MCH) and an input output control hub (ICH). Peripheral interface  628  may include a memory controller (not shown) that communicates with a memory  632 . The peripheral interface  628  may also include a graphics interface that communicates with graphics subsystem  634 , which may include a display controller and/or a display device. The peripheral interface  628  may communicate with the graphics device  634  by way of an accelerated graphics port (AGP), a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) express bus, or any other type of interconnects. 
     An MCH is sometimes referred to as a Northbridge, and an ICH is sometimes referred to as a Southbridge. As used herein, the terms MCH, ICH, Northbridge and Southbridge are intended to be interpreted broadly to cover various chips that perform functions including passing interrupt signals toward a processor. In some embodiments, the MCH may be integrated with the processor  624 . In such a configuration, the peripheral interface  628  operates as an interface chip performing some functions of the MCH and ICH. Furthermore, a graphics accelerator may be integrated within the MCH or the processor  624 . 
     Memory  632  may include one or more volatile storage (or memory) devices, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or other types of storage devices. Memory  632  may store information including sequences of instructions that are executed by the processor  624 , or any other device. For example, executable code and/or data of a variety of operating systems, device drivers, firmware (e.g., input output basic system or BIOS), and/or applications can be loaded in memory  632  and executed by the processor  624 . An operating system can be any kind of operating systems, such as, for example, Windows® operating system from Microsoft®, Mac OS®/iOS® from Apple, Android® from Google®, Linux®, Unix®, or other real-time or embedded operating systems such as VxWorks. 
     Peripheral interface  628  may provide an interface to I/O devices, such as the devices  636 - 648 , including wireless transceiver(s)  636 , input device(s)  640 , audio I/O device(s)  644 , and other I/O devices  648 . Wireless transceiver  636  may be a WiFi transceiver, an infrared transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a WiMax transceiver, a wireless cellular telephony transceiver, a satellite transceiver (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) transceiver) or a combination thereof. Input device(s)  640  may include a mouse, a touch pad, a touch sensitive screen (which may be integrated with display device  634 ), a pointer device such as a stylus, and/or a keyboard (e.g., physical keyboard or a virtual keyboard displayed as part of a touch sensitive screen). For example, the input device  640  may include a touch screen controller coupled with a touch screen. The touch screen and touch screen controller can, for example, detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensitivity technologies, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch screen. 
     Audio I/O  644  may include a speaker and/or a microphone to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and/or telephony functions. Other optional devices  648  may include a storage device (e.g., a hard drive, a flash memory device), universal serial bus (USB) port(s), parallel port(s), serial port(s), a printer, a network interface, a bus bridge (e.g., a PCI-PCI bridge), sensor(s) (e.g., a motion sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, etc.), or a combination thereof. Optional devices  648  may further include an imaging processing subsystem (e.g., a camera), which may include an optical sensor, such as a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, utilized to facilitate camera functions, such as recording photographs and video clips. 
     Note that while  FIG.  6    illustrates various components of a data processing system, it is not intended to represent any particular architecture or manner of interconnecting the components; as such details are not germane to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should also be appreciated that network computers, handheld computers, mobile phones, and other data processing systems, which have fewer components or perhaps more components, may also be used with embodiments of the invention disclosed hereinabove. 
     Some portions of the preceding detailed descriptions have been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the ways used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. 
     It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it should be appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as those set forth in the claims below, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system&#39;s memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. 
     The techniques shown in the figures can be implemented using code and data stored and executed on one or more electronic devices. Such electronic devices store and communicate (internally and/or with other electronic devices over a network) code and data using computer-readable media, such as non-transitory computer-readable storage media (e.g., magnetic disks; optical disks; random access memory; read only memory; flash memory devices; phase-change memory) and transitory computer-readable transmission media (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals—such as carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals). 
     The processes or methods depicted in the preceding figures may be performed by processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g. circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), firmware, software (e.g., embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium), or a combination of both. Although the processes or methods are described above in terms of some sequential operations, it should be appreciated that some of the operations described may be performed in a different order. Moreover, some operations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of particular variations and illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the variations or figures described. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicate certain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may be modified and that such modifications are in accordance with the variations of the invention. Additionally, certain of the steps may be performed concurrently in a parallel process when possible, as well as performed sequentially as described above. To the extent there are variations of the invention, which are within the spirit of the disclosure or equivalent to the inventions found in the claims, it is the intent that this patent will cover those variations as well. Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of the appended claims.