WO2015029314A1 - Engine control device - Google Patents

Abstract

An engine (10) is provided with: first injection valves (21) for injecting a gaseous fuel; second injection valves (22) for injecting a liquid fuel knocking resistance of which is lower than that of the gaseous fuel; and a variable valve mechanism (28) that is capable of varying a valve open period of each intake valve (25) and advances intake valve opening timing in accordance with advancement of intake valve closing timing. When it is determined that a request has been made to increase the compression ratio of the engine (10), a control unit (80) advances the intake valve closing timing toward an intake bottom dead center. In addition, when the valve opening timing of the intake valve (25) overlaps with the valve opening timing of an exhaust valve (26) due to said advancement, the control unit (80) performs the supplying of fuel within one combustion cycle of the engine (10) by means of injection of the gaseous fuel by the first injection valve (21) and injection of the liquid fuel by the second injection valve (22).

Description

Engine control device Cross-reference of related applications

This disclosure is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-181637 filed on September 2, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to an engine control device, and more particularly, to an engine control device applied to an engine capable of supplying gaseous fuel and liquid fuel.

Engines that are driven by burning gaseous fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG) are known. Gaseous fuel is different in fuel properties from liquid fuel such as gasoline. For example, when CNG and gasoline are compared, CNG has a characteristic that the energy density is smaller than gasoline, but knocking hardly occurs. In consideration of such differences in fuel properties, Patent Document 1 discloses fuel injection control of a bi-fuel engine using gaseous fuel and liquid fuel.

In the fuel injection control disclosed in Patent Document 1, when liquid fuel is used in an operation range where the engine rotation speed is lower than the set rotation speed, by reducing the effective compression ratio of the gaseous fuel at the time of high engine load, The increase in the cylinder temperature in the vicinity of the compression top dead center is suppressed to suppress knocking. On the other hand, when using gaseous fuel for which it is difficult to ensure output, the output is ensured by using a relatively high effective compression ratio.

In a bi-fuel engine that can use gaseous fuel and liquid fuel, it is usually desirable to operate by using gaseous fuel with low fuel cost and excellent emission. On the other hand, in the configuration in which the intake valve opening timing is advanced in accordance with the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing, the intake valve closing timing is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center when using gaseous fuel. When the effective compression ratio is increased, the valve overlap period increases when the effective compression ratio is increased. In such a case, blowout of unburned fuel increases during the overlap period, which may cause emission deterioration and engine output reduction.

JP 2011-122529 A

This disclosure is intended to provide an engine control device capable of achieving both high output and improved emission during engine operation using gaseous fuel.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an engine control device includes: a first injection unit that injects gaseous fuel; a second injection unit that injects liquid fuel having a knock resistance lower than that of the gaseous fuel; and an intake valve that opens. The present invention is applied to an engine provided with a variable valve mechanism that varies the valve period and advances the intake valve opening timing in accordance with the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing. The engine control device is configured to determine whether or not there is a compression ratio increase request for changing the compression ratio of the engine to an increase side based on an operating state of the engine, and to increase the compression ratio by the request determination unit. When it is determined that there is a request, an intake advance means for advancing the closing timing of the intake valve toward the intake bottom dead center of the engine, and an advance of the intake valve closing timing by the intake advance means When there is an overlap between the valve opening period of the intake valve and the valve opening period of the exhaust valve, the supply of fuel in one combustion cycle of the engine is performed by the injection of the gaseous fuel by the first injection means and the fuel injection. Injection control means implemented by injection of the liquid fuel by the second injection means.

GNG fuel such as CNG is low in fuel cost and excellent in emission, and is useful as an engine fuel. In addition, since the octane number is higher than that of liquid fuels such as gasoline and alcohol, and knocking is less likely to occur, high-efficiency combustion at the optimal ignition timing is possible. On the other hand, since the gaseous fuel has a lower energy density than the liquid fuel, there is a characteristic that during high load operation, the torque is lower than when the liquid fuel is used due to a decrease in the intake air amount. Therefore, when performing a high load operation using gaseous fuel, it is conceivable that the intake valve closing timing is brought close to the intake bottom dead center of the engine, and the effective compression ratio of the engine is increased to improve the torque.

However, when the intake valve closing timing is advanced to approach the intake bottom dead center, thereby increasing the effective compression ratio of the engine, the intake valve opening timing is advanced in accordance with the intake valve closing timing advance. If the effective compression ratio is increased, the valve overlap period increases. In such a case, there is a concern that unburned fuel injected before or during the valve overlap period may be blown out, thereby causing emission deterioration and engine output reduction. In particular, gaseous fuel is lighter than liquid fuel, so that unburned fuel is likely to blow through during a valve overlap period in a high load region where intake pressure is high. Moreover, the injection time is longer than that of liquid fuel, and the degree of freedom in setting the injection timing is small. In view of these points, in one aspect of the present disclosure, when the intake valve closing timing is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center, the fuel supply in one combustion cycle of the engine is changed to the injection of gaseous fuel. The configuration is implemented by injecting liquid fuel. That is, in an engine operating state in which valve overlap occurs, part of the fuel used is replaced with liquid fuel that is heavier than gaseous fuel and has a high degree of freedom in setting the injection timing. As a result, it is possible to suppress blowout of unburned fuel during the valve overlap period, and it is possible to achieve both high output and improved emission even during engine operation using gaseous fuel.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The block diagram which shows the outline of the fuel-injection system of an engine. The timing chart in the case of injecting gaseous fuel independently when the intake valve closing timing approaches the intake bottom dead center. The timing chart which shows the specific aspect in the case of injecting gaseous fuel and liquid fuel when the intake valve closing timing approaches the intake bottom dead center. The figure which shows the relationship between the amount of advance of intake valve closing timing, and the quantity of unburned fuel in exhaust_gas | exhaustion. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of engine control. The figure showing the change of the shaft torque at the time of changing the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel with respect to the total supply amount of the fuel in 1 combustion cycle. The figure which shows the relationship between the valve overlap amount and the supply ratio of gaseous fuel. The subroutine which shows the process sequence of the injection control by combined use of liquid fuel and gaseous fuel. The timing chart which shows the specific aspect in the case of changing the injection timing of gaseous fuel to the retard side when the intake valve closing timing approaches the intake bottom dead center. The timing chart which shows the specific aspect in the case of changing the injection rate of gaseous fuel when the intake valve closing timing is brought close to the intake bottom dead center. The figure which shows an example of the map for fuel supply ratio setting in the case of making the supply ratio of liquid fuel variable according to an engine speed. The timing chart which shows the specific aspect in the case of shortening a valve overlap period by the advance angle of exhaust valve closing timing.

FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic diagram of a fuel injection system of a bi-fuel engine that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) as a gaseous fuel and gasoline as a liquid fuel.

1 is an inline three-cylinder spark ignition engine, and an intake system 11 and an exhaust system 12 are connected to an intake port and an exhaust port, respectively. The intake system 11 has an intake manifold 13 and an intake pipe 14. The intake manifold 13 has a plurality of (the number of cylinders of the engine 10) branch pipe portions 13a connected to the intake port of the engine 10 and a collective portion 13b connected to the intake pipe 14 on the upstream side. Yes. The intake pipe 14 is provided with a throttle valve 15 as air amount adjusting means. The throttle valve 15 is configured as an electronically controlled throttle valve whose opening degree is adjusted by a throttle actuator 15a such as a DC motor. The opening of the throttle valve 15 (throttle opening θt) is detected by a throttle opening sensor 15b incorporated in the throttle actuator 15a.

The exhaust system 12 has an exhaust manifold 16 and an exhaust pipe 17. The exhaust manifold 16 has a plurality of (the number of cylinders of the engine 10) branch pipe portions 16a connected to the exhaust port of the engine 10 and a collective portion 16b connected to the exhaust pipe 17 on the downstream side. Yes. The exhaust pipe 17 is provided with an exhaust sensor for detecting exhaust components and a catalyst 19 for purifying the exhaust. As the exhaust sensor, an air-fuel ratio sensor 18 that detects the air-fuel ratio from the oxygen concentration in the exhaust is provided.

The intake port and exhaust port of the engine 10 are provided with an intake valve 25 and an exhaust valve 26 as engine valves, respectively. The air / fuel mixture is introduced into the cylinder 24 by the opening operation of the intake valve 25, and the exhaust gas after combustion is discharged into the exhaust passage by the opening operation of the exhaust valve 26. Each of the intake valve 25 and the exhaust valve 26 is provided with an intake valve drive mechanism 28 and an exhaust valve drive mechanism 29 as variable valve mechanisms that make the valve opening periods of the valves 25 and 26 variable. Each valve drive mechanism 28, 29 adjusts the advance amount (phase angle) of the intake cam shaft or the exhaust cam shaft with respect to the crankshaft of the engine 10. According to the intake valve drive mechanism 28, the opening / closing timing of the intake valve 25 is changed, whereby the valve opening period is changed to the advance side or the retard side. Further, according to the exhaust valve drive mechanism 29, the opening / closing timing of the exhaust valve 26 is changed, whereby the valve opening period is advanced or retarded. Note that the variable valve mechanism may be provided only in the intake valve 25.

A spark plug 20 is provided in each cylinder 24 of the engine 10. A high voltage is applied to the ignition plug 20 at a desired ignition timing through an ignition device 20a having an ignition coil. By applying this high voltage, a spark discharge is generated between the opposing electrodes of each spark plug 20, and the fuel introduced into the cylinder 24 (combustion chamber) is ignited and used for combustion.

The present system also includes a first injection valve 21 that injects gaseous fuel (CNG) and a second injection valve 22 that injects liquid fuel (gasoline) having a lower octane number than the gaseous fuel. The first injection valve 21 injects fuel into the branch pipe portion 13 a of the intake manifold 13. The second injection valve 22 directly injects fuel into the cylinder 24.

Each of the injection valves 21 and 22 is an open / close type control valve in which a valve body is lifted from a closed position to an open position by electrically driving an electromagnetic drive unit. An ON / OFF drive signal is transmitted from the control unit 80 to the electromagnetic drive unit. Each of the injection valves 21 and 22 is opened by energization and closed by energization interruption, thereby injecting an amount of fuel corresponding to the energization time. In the present embodiment, the injection pipe 23 is connected to the distal end portion of the first injection valve 21, and the gaseous fuel injected from the first injection valve 21 is branched through the injection pipe 23 to the branch pipe portion 13 a of the intake manifold 13. Is to be injected.

Next, the gas fuel supply unit 40 that supplies gas fuel to the first injection valve 21 and the liquid fuel supply unit 70 that supplies liquid fuel to the second injection valve 22 will be described. The gaseous fuel supply unit 40 is provided with a gas pipe 41 that connects the gas tank 42 and the first injection valve 21. The gas pipe 41 is provided with a regulator 43 that adjusts the pressure of the gaseous fuel supplied to the first injection valve 21 to reduce the pressure. The regulator 43 is configured so that gaseous fuel in a high pressure state (for example, a maximum of 20 MPa) stored in the gas tank 42 is a predetermined set pressure (for example, in a range of 0.2 to 1.0 MPa) that is an injection pressure of the first injection valve 21. The pressure is adjusted to be constant. The gaseous fuel after the decompression adjustment is supplied to the first injection valve 21 through the gas pipe 41.

The gas pipe 41 is further provided with a tank main stop valve 44 disposed in the vicinity of the fuel outlet of the gas tank 42 and a shut-off valve 45 disposed at the fuel inlet of the regulator 43. These valves 44 and 45 allow and block the flow of gaseous fuel in the gas pipe 41. Both the tank main stop valve 44 and the shut-off valve 45 are electromagnetic on-off valves, and are normally closed types in which the flow of gaseous fuel is blocked when not energized and the flow of gaseous fuel is allowed when energized. In the gas pipe 41, pressure sensors 46a and 46b for detecting the fuel pressure and temperature sensors 47a and 47b for detecting the fuel temperature are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the regulator 43, respectively.

In the liquid fuel supply unit 70, the fuel tank 72 and the second injection valve 22 are connected via a fuel pipe 71. The fuel pipe 71 is provided with a fuel pump 73 that feeds the liquid fuel in the fuel tank 72 to the second injection valve 22. Although not shown, the system is provided with a supercharger that supercharges intake air.

The control unit 80 includes a CPU 81, a ROM 82, a RAM 83, a backup RAM 84, an interface 85, and a bidirectional bus 86. The CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, backup RAM 84, and interface 85 are connected to each other by a bidirectional bus 86.

The CPU 81 executes a routine (program) for controlling the operation of each unit in the system. The ROM 82 stores in advance a routine executed by the CPU 81 and various data such as a map, a table, a relational expression, and a parameter referred to when the routine is executed. The RAM 83 temporarily stores data as necessary when the CPU 81 executes a routine. The backup RAM 84 appropriately stores data under the control of the CPU 81 in a state where the power is turned on, and retains the stored data even after the power is shut off.

The interface 85 includes a throttle opening sensor 15b, an air-fuel ratio sensor 18, pressure sensors 46a and 46b, temperature sensors 47a and 47b, and other sensors (crank angle sensor, cam angle sensor, air flow meter, intake pipe pressure sensor, cooling). A water temperature sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, an accelerator sensor, etc.) are electrically connected, and outputs (detection signals) from these sensors are transmitted to the CPU 81. The interface 85 is electrically connected to the throttle actuator 15a, the ignition device 20a, and the drive units of the injection valves 21 and 22, and outputs the drive signal sent from the CPU 81 to the drive unit. Drive the drive unit.

The control unit 80 selectively switches the fuel supplied by the engine 10 in accordance with the remaining amount of fuel in the tank and an input signal from a fuel selection switch (not shown). Specifically, when the remaining amount of gaseous fuel in the gas tank 42 falls below a predetermined value or when the use of liquid fuel is selected by the fuel selection switch, the liquid is basically controlled by the second injection valve 22. Fuel is injected into the engine 10 combustion chamber. When the remaining amount of liquid fuel in the fuel tank 72 falls below a predetermined value or when the use of gaseous fuel is selected by the fuel selection switch, the gaseous fuel is basically converted into the engine 10 by the first injection valve 21. Is injected into the combustion chamber.

A high octane gas fuel such as CNG is low in fuel cost and excellent in emission. In addition, gas fuel is less likely to knock than liquid fuel (gasoline or alcohol) having a lower octane number than CNG. For this reason, when engine operation is performed using gaseous fuel, high-efficiency combustion at the optimum ignition timing is possible. Therefore, it is basically desirable to operate with 100% gaseous fuel. On the other hand, gaseous fuel has a lower energy density than liquid fuel, and the volume occupied by the injected fuel in the intake port is large. Therefore, the amount of intake air decreases during engine operation using gas fuel (particularly during high load operation), and the torque decreases compared to when liquid fuel is used due to the decrease in intake air amount. There are characteristics. In view of such characteristics, when high load operation is performed using gaseous fuel, the intake side valve drive mechanism 28 determines the intake valve 25 closing timing (intake valve closing timing) as the intake bottom dead center of the engine 10. It is conceivable to increase the effective compression ratio (actual compression ratio) of the engine 10 (see FIG. 2).

In addition, in the injection control of the gaseous fuel by the first injection valve 21, the injection start timing corresponding to each fuel injection amount is calculated with reference to the preset injection end timing. Further, the energization control of the first injection valve 21 is performed so that the gaseous fuel is injected from the first injection valve 21 at the calculated injection start timing. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the injection end timing of the first injection valve 21 is set at or near the intake top dead center. When the fuel is in a gaseous state, the fuel and air are unlikely to mix, and therefore, mixing can be improved by terminating the injection as early as possible.

When the intake valve closing timing is retarded from the intake bottom dead center, the intake valve closing timing is advanced to approach the intake bottom dead center, thereby increasing the effective compression ratio of the engine 10. The mechanism advances the intake valve opening timing (opening timing of the intake valve 25) in accordance with the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing. Therefore, if the effective compression ratio is to be increased, the period TVL in which the valve opening period of the intake valve 25 and the valve opening period of the exhaust valve 26 overlap is increased. In such a case, there is a concern that blowout of unburned fuel that has been injected before or during the valve overlap period increases, leading to deterioration in emissions and engine output. That is, when using gaseous fuel during high-load operation, the engine output decreases due to a decrease in the intake air amount accompanying the injection of the gaseous fuel, and an attempt is made to increase the effective compression ratio of the engine 10 to compensate for this output decrease. As a result, the emission of unburned fuel during the valve overlap period causes deterioration of emissions and engine output. In particular, gaseous fuel has a smaller inertia (lighter) than liquid fuel, and therefore, fuel blowout easily occurs during a valve overlap period in a high load region where intake pressure is high. Also, in order to avoid fuel blow-through, it is effective to inject fuel after compression top dead center or after the end of the valve overlap period. The time is long and the degree of freedom in setting the injection timing is small.

In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors have attempted to replace part of the gaseous fuel injected in one combustion cycle of the engine 10 with liquid fuel. Further, according to this attempt, during high load operation using gaseous fuel, the intake valve closing timing is brought close to the intake bottom dead center to increase the effective compression ratio of the engine 10, and the fuel within one combustion cycle of the engine 10 is increased. The structure (refer FIG. 3) which implements supply of this by the injection of the gaseous fuel by the 1st injection valve 21, and the injection of the liquid fuel by the 2nd injection valve 22 was examined. According to such a configuration, it has been found that it is possible to achieve both high output of the engine 10 and emission improvement even during engine high load operation using gaseous fuel.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a result of confirmation that the effect of reducing the unburned fuel in the exhaust gas can be obtained by using the gaseous fuel and the liquid fuel when the intake valve closing timing is brought close to the intake bottom dead center. . The horizontal axis of FIG. 4 represents the advance amount [deg. CA] of the intake valve closing timing when the intake valve closing timing approaches the intake bottom dead center, and the vertical axis represents the advance of the intake valve closing timing. The amount of change in HC in the exhaust is shown. FIG. 4 shows the results of an experiment under the conditions of WOT using CNG as the gaseous fuel and gasoline as the liquid fuel. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, for the gaseous fuel, the injection is performed with the vicinity of the intake top dead center as the injection end timing, and for the liquid fuel injection, the intake air is opened after the end of the valve overlap period. Injection was performed during the valve period. In FIG. 4, circles indicate results when gaseous fuel is used alone, and squares indicate results when fuel used in one combustion cycle is gaseous fuel and liquid fuel. According to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the unburned HC in the exhaust gas can be reduced when the gaseous fuel and the liquid fuel are used in combination, compared with the case where the gaseous fuel is used alone.

Next, the engine control processing procedure using gaseous fuel will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This processing is performed when the engine is operated using gaseous fuel, for example, when the use of gaseous fuel is selected by the fuel selection switch, or when the gaseous fuel is selected by the CPU 81. This is executed by the CPU 81 at predetermined intervals.

In step S101, the control unit 80 reads the parameter X related to the engine operating state. Here, the parameter X includes at least one of the accelerator opening degree θa, the throttle opening degree θt, the intake air amount Ga, the intake pipe pressure Pim, the maximum in-cylinder pressure Pmax, the engine rotational speed Ne, and the shaft torque Tq. Among these, the accelerator opening θa is detected by an accelerator sensor, and the intake air amount Ga is detected by an air flow meter. The intake pipe pressure Pim is detected by an intake pipe pressure sensor, and the engine rotational speed Ne is detected by a crank angle sensor. The maximum in-cylinder pressure Pmax may be detected directly by attaching a sensor for detecting the in-cylinder pressure, or may be estimated by calculation. The shaft torque Tq may be directly detected by attaching a torque sensor, for example, or may be estimated by calculation.

In subsequent step S102, the control unit 80 determines whether or not there is a compression ratio increase request for changing the compression ratio of the engine 10 to the increase side based on the read parameter X (request determination unit). Here, the parameter X is compared with the determination value to determine whether or not there is a request to place the engine 10 in a predetermined high load state or a predetermined high rotation state. Specifically, the control unit 80 determines that there is a compression ratio increase request when the parameter X exceeds the determination value, and determines that there is no compression ratio increase request when the parameter X is equal to or less than the determination value. In place of the determination method based on the comparison between the parameter X and the determination value, the compression ratio is determined by comparing the time differential value of the parameter X with the determination value, or comparing the amount of change of the parameter X per unit angle and the determination value. It may be configured to determine whether or not there is an increase request.

If it is determined in step S102 that there is no request for increasing the compression ratio, the process proceeds to step S106, and the control unit 80 performs fuel injection control by using the gaseous fuel alone. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a request for increasing the compression ratio, the process proceeds to step S103, and the control unit 80 determines whether or not to select the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing according to the parameter X. At this time, if the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing is not selected, the process proceeds to step S106. Here, “the case where the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing is not selected” includes a case where the injection of gaseous fuel by the first injection valve 21 and the injection of liquid fuel by the second injection valve 22 cannot be performed. For example, it includes at least one of the case where the remaining amount of liquid fuel in the fuel tank 72 is below a predetermined value and the case where an abnormality occurs in any of the liquid fuel supply units 70. In this case, even when there is a request to increase the compression ratio, the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing IVC toward the intake bottom dead center is limited (advance angle is prohibited).

When the advance angle of the intake valve closing timing is selected in step S103, the process proceeds to step S104, and the control unit 80 sends a drive command to advance the valve opening period of the intake valve 25 to the intake side valve drive mechanism 28. Output. As a result, the intake valve closing timing is advanced by the intake side valve drive mechanism 28, and the intake valve closing timing approaches the intake bottom dead center. In step S105, fuel injection control (subroutine in FIG. 8) for injecting gaseous fuel and liquid fuel is performed.

Here, when the inventors conducted an experiment, in the fuel injection control for injecting the gaseous fuel and the liquid fuel when the intake valve closing timing is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center, the fuel supply ratio It was confirmed that the torque changed according to

FIG. 6 is an experimental result showing a transition of change in the shaft torque [Nm] when the supply ratio (mass ratio) [%] of the gaseous fuel with respect to the total supply amount of fuel in one combustion cycle is changed. FIG. 6 shows the result of an experiment under the conditions of WOT (Wide Open Throttle) using CNG as the gaseous fuel and gasoline as the liquid fuel. In the experiment shown in FIG. 6, the gaseous fuel is injected with the vicinity of the intake top dead center as the injection end timing, and the liquid fuel is injected after the valve overlap period and the intake valve is opened (see FIG. 3). . According to the experiment shown in FIG. 6, the axial torque gradually increases as the gaseous fuel supply ratio is decreased from 100 mass%, and the axial torque becomes maximum when the gaseous fuel supply ratio is about 50 mass%. However, if the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel is further decreased, the shaft torque tends to decrease with the decrease of the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel.

In view of the experimental results of FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, when liquid fuel and gaseous fuel are used as the engine effective compression ratio increases, the gaseous fuel relative to the total amount of fuel supplied in one combustion cycle of the engine 10. Is set within a predetermined range (in this embodiment, within a range of 40% by mass or more) in which the shaft torque tends to increase as the gaseous fuel supply rate increases. Further, based on the experimental result, in the present embodiment, the total supply amount of fuel in one combustion cycle of the engine 10 based on the valve overlap amount after the advance of the intake valve closing timing for increasing the compression ratio. The supply ratio αg of the gaseous fuel relative to is variably controlled. As shown in FIG. 7, the larger the valve overlap amount, the lower the gaseous fuel supply ratio αg (the higher the liquid fuel supply ratio). Specifically, when the valve overlap amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the gaseous fuel is 100%, and when the valve overlap amount is larger than the predetermined amount, both gaseous fuel and liquid fuel are injected. The supply ratio of the gaseous fuel is set between the lower limit value RC2 (40% by mass in the present embodiment) and the upper limit value RC1 (100% by mass in the present embodiment), and the valve overlap amount is large. Accordingly, the supply ratio αg of the gaseous fuel is converged to the lower limit value RC2.

In addition, it is necessary to realize a higher output as the demand for increasing the compression ratio is higher. However, as the valve overlap amount increases, the unburned fuel blows out more. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel is within a predetermined range (within a range of 40 to 100% by mass), the lower the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel, the more the intake air amount increases. Becomes larger. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the larger the valve overlap amount, that is, the higher the effective compression ratio of the engine 10, the lower the gaseous fuel supply ratio αg, thereby ensuring an engine output that meets the demand for increasing the compression ratio. It becomes possible. Moreover, since the injection time of gaseous fuel is shortened, it becomes possible to suppress the blowout of unburned fuel during the valve overlap period.

Next, fuel injection control using a combination of gaseous fuel and liquid fuel will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S201, the control unit 80 calculates the valve overlap amount VOL after the compression ratio is increased based on the engine operating state. Here, the higher the engine rotation speed or the higher the engine load, the more the engine effective compression ratio is set to the increasing side, thereby setting the valve overlap amount VOL to a larger value. In subsequent step S202, based on the calculated valve overlap amount VOL, the control unit 80 calculates the supply ratio αg of gaseous fuel with respect to the total supply amount of fuel in one combustion cycle. In the present embodiment, the map of FIG. 7 is stored in the ROM 82 in advance, and the controller 80 calculates the supply ratio αg corresponding to the valve overlap amount VOL using the map.

In step S203, the control unit 80 calculates the injection times of the first injection valve 21 and the second injection valve 22 based on the calculated supply ratio αg of the gaseous fuel, and based on the calculated injection time, The injection start timing and the injection end timing of the first injection valve 21 and the second injection valve 22 are respectively calculated. In the liquid fuel injection control by the second injection valve 22, the injection end timing corresponding to each fuel injection amount is calculated with reference to a predetermined injection start timing. At this time, in this embodiment, the liquid fuel injection start timing is set behind the gaseous fuel injection end timing and is set after the end of the valve overlap period. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, in one combustion cycle, the first fuel injection is first performed by the first injection valve 21, and after the end of the valve overlap period after the end of the injection of the gaseous fuel, the second Liquid fuel is injected by the injection valve 22.

In step S204, the control unit 80 outputs a gaseous fuel injection command at the timing when the first injection valve 21 starts to be injected. In step S <b> 205, the control unit 80 outputs a liquid fuel injection command at the timing when the injection timing of the second injection valve 22 comes.

According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

When the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center to increase the engine compression ratio, the fuel is supplied within one combustion cycle of the engine 10 by the injection of gaseous fuel and the injection of liquid fuel. It was set as the structure implemented. When the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced to approach the intake bottom dead center, thereby increasing the effective compression ratio of the engine 10, the intake valve opening timing IVO is advanced in accordance with the advance of the intake valve closing timing IVC. In the configuration, the valve overlap period TVL increases when trying to increase the effective compression ratio. In such a case, there is a concern that unburnt fuel blow-through increases, leading to deterioration in emissions and engine output. Considering this point, the above configuration can reduce unburned fuel blow-through during the valve overlap period. As a result, it is possible to achieve both high engine output and improved emissions. .

According to the experimental results of the present inventors, when the supply ratio αg of the gaseous fuel is set within a predetermined range (within a range of 40 to 100% by mass), the larger the valve overlap amount after the advancement of the intake valve closing timing, the greater the shaft. It has been found that there is a characteristic that the torque Tq is increased. In view of the experimental results, the gaseous fuel supply ratio αg is made variable based on the valve overlap amount. As the compression ratio of the engine 10 is increased, the valve overlap amount is increased, and the output is likely to decrease due to an increase in the fuel blow-through. With such a configuration, the fuel injection is more likely to occur in the fuel blow-through state. Time is shortened. Therefore, it is possible to suitably suppress blowout of unburned fuel during the valve overlap period. As a result, it is possible to ensure an engine output that meets the demand for increasing the compression ratio. Further, the use of liquid fuel can be minimized, which is also preferable in terms of fuel cost and emission.

In the present embodiment, the liquid fuel is injected during the intake valve opening period after the overlap period between the intake valve 25 and the exhaust valve 26 ends. According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of fuel injected during the valve overlap period, and to avoid blowout of unburned fuel as much as possible. In addition, since the liquid fuel is injected directly, the fuel and air are sufficiently mixed even if the injection timing is set after the valve overlap period ends, and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of emissions.

When operating the engine using gaseous fuel, there is a request to increase the compression ratio of the engine 10, and when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center according to the request, as shown in FIG. When the valve overlap amount after advance is larger than a predetermined amount, both gaseous fuel and liquid fuel are injected. Otherwise, the configuration is such that single injection of gaseous fuel is performed. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to carry out an operation using a gaseous fuel alone as much as possible while suppressing inconveniences such as emission deterioration due to fuel blow-through.

In the present embodiment, even when it is determined that there is a request to increase the compression ratio, when the gaseous fuel injection by the first injection valve 21 and the liquid fuel injection by the second injection valve 22 cannot be performed, the intake valve closing timing The advance angle is limited. According to this configuration, when the injection control corresponding to the valve overlap cannot be performed, it is possible to avoid the unburned fuel blow-through during the valve overlap period as much as possible by controlling the valve operating system. it can.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiment, and may be implemented as follows, for example.

Implementation of the intake end timing when the intake valve closing timing is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center and the compression ratio of the engine 10 is increased during high load operation using gaseous fuel. It is good also as a structure changed to the retard side with respect to the injection end timing in the case of not doing. With such a configuration, the amount of fuel injected during the valve overlap period can be reduced as much as possible. At this time, injection of gaseous fuel by the first injection valve 21 is performed after the end of the valve overlap period or after the intake top dead center in that the effect of suppressing blowout of unburned fuel during the valve overlap period can be further enhanced. It is desirable to do.

FIG. 9 shows a specific aspect of the configuration in which the injection timing is retarded when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center. In the figure, broken lines (b) and (c) indicate a case where the intake valve closing timing is not changed to the advance side, and a solid line indicates a case where the intake valve closing timing is advanced. In FIG. 9, when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center to increase the compression ratio, the injection end timing of the gaseous fuel is set to a predetermined reference end timing (in FIG. 9, the intake top dead center). Or the vicinity thereof). At that time, it is desirable that the gaseous fuel injection start timing be after the end of the valve overlap period or after the intake top dead center.

An injection rate adjusting means for adjusting the injection rate of the gaseous fuel by the first injection valve 21 is provided, and when the compression ratio is increased during high load operation using the gaseous fuel, the injection is performed as compared with the case where the control is not performed. It is good also as a structure which changes the injection rate to the increase side by a rate adjustment means, and implements gaseous fuel injection. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to shorten the injection time of the gaseous fuel, and it is possible to reduce the period in which the valve overlap period and the fuel injection period overlap. In addition, since the overlapping period can be shortened, blowout of unburned fuel can be suppressed. In this system, an electromagnetic drive type pressure adjustment mechanism (regulator 43) is provided as an injection rate adjustment means, and gas in a high pressure state (for example, 20 MPa at maximum) is stored in the gas tank 42 by energization control to the electromagnetic drive unit of the regulator 43. The fuel is depressurized and the injection pressure of the first injection valve 21 is variably adjusted.

FIG. 10 shows a specific mode of the gaseous fuel injection mode when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center. In the figure, the broken line (c) indicates the injection timing when the gaseous fuel is injected at the first injection rate β1, which is the injection rate during normal travel (when the compression ratio is not changed to the increasing side), and is a solid line Indicates the injection timing when the gaseous fuel is injected at a second injection rate β2 higher than the first injection rate β1. In FIG. 10, when the compression ratio is increased by advancing the intake valve closing timing IVC toward the intake bottom dead center, the gaseous fuel injection end timing is set to a predetermined reference end timing (for example, intake top dead center or The gas fuel is injected at the second injection rate β2 while being changed to the retard side from the vicinity thereof. Liquid fuel is injected after the end of the valve overlap period during the intake valve opening period. This makes it possible to avoid fuel injection during the valve overlap period.

In the above embodiment, the liquid fuel injection start timing is set to the retard side of the gaseous fuel injection end timing, and the gaseous fuel injection period and the liquid fuel injection period are not overlapped. The injection period and the liquid fuel injection period may overlap. Specifically, the liquid fuel injection start timing may be an advance side of the gaseous fuel injection end timing, or the gaseous fuel injection end timing may be the same as the liquid fuel injection end timing. Alternatively, the liquid fuel injection end timing may be on the more advanced side than the gaseous fuel injection end timing. In consideration of improvement in mixing of fuel and air and delay in transportation of the fuel, it is preferable to set the gas fuel injection start timing to the advance side of the liquid fuel injection start timing.

In the above embodiment, the gaseous fuel supply rate αg is made variable according to the valve overlap amount, but the gaseous fuel supply rate αg may be constant regardless of the valve overlap amount. Also in this case, it is desirable that the gaseous fuel supply ratio αg be in the range of 40 to 100% by mass.

In a system for injecting gaseous fuel and liquid fuel when the intake valve closing timing IVC is brought close to the intake bottom dead center and the compression ratio is increased, the fuel supply ratio may be made variable based on the engine speed. . Specifically, the higher the engine speed, the higher the liquid fuel supply ratio relative to the total fuel supply amount within one combustion cycle of the engine. In general, knocking is likely to occur in a low rotation and high load region, and knocking is less likely to occur as the rotation speed increases. On the other hand, the higher the rotation speed, the longer the crank period required for injection, and the more difficult it is to avoid fuel blow-through. In consideration of these points, in this embodiment, in a low rotation range where knocking is likely to occur and fuel blow-off is easily avoided, the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel is set to be high, knocking is unlikely to occur, and the fuel In the high rotation range where it is difficult to avoid the blow-through of the fuel, the liquid fuel supply ratio is set high. According to such a configuration, it is possible to realize desirable operating conditions over the entire engine operating region. Specifically, instead of the map of FIG. 7, for example, the map of FIG. 11 is stored in the ROM. Then, using the map, the gas fuel supply ratio αg and the liquid fuel supply ratio are calculated based on the valve overlap amount and the engine speed when the intake valve closing timing IVC is close to the intake bottom dead center. The configuration.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the valve overlap amount after advance is larger than a predetermined amount, injection of two fuels, gaseous fuel and liquid fuel, is performed, otherwise, single injection of gaseous fuel is performed. However, both fuels may be injected even when the valve overlap amount is a predetermined amount or less.

In a system including the exhaust side valve drive mechanism 29, when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center, the exhaust side valve drive mechanism 29 causes the valve closing timing EVC of the exhaust valve 26 to be advanced. While changing, it is good also as a structure which injects both fuel of gaseous fuel and liquid fuel. The valve overlap amount can be reduced by the advance angle of the exhaust valve closing timing EVC, and blowout of unburned fuel can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the intake side valve drive mechanism 28 is configured to adjust the intake valve closing timing by variably controlling the phase angle of the opening / closing timing of the intake valve 25. The intake valve closing timing may be adjusted by variably controlling the operating angle (lift amount) of the intake valve 25. Further, in a system including an exhaust side valve drive mechanism 29 that variably controls the working angle (lift amount) of the exhaust valve 26, when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center, the exhaust valve 26 The valve overlap amount may be reduced by changing the lift amount. FIG. 12 shows a timing chart when the valve overlap amount is reduced by changing the lift amount of the exhaust valve 26. In the figure, the broken line in (a) indicates the valve opening period before the lift amount change, and the solid line indicates the valve opening period after the lift amount change. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, when the intake valve closing timing IVC is advanced toward the intake bottom dead center, the exhaust valve closing timing is advanced by changing the lift amount of the exhaust valve 26. As a result, the amount of valve overlap is reduced, and blowout of unburned fuel can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the second injection valve 22 is a direct injection type, but may be a port injection type.

In the above embodiment, the gas fuel is CNG, but other gas fuels that are gaseous in the standard state can also be used. For example, a configuration using a fuel mainly composed of methane, ethane, propane, butane, hydrogen, dimethyl ether, or the like. It is good. The liquid fuel may be any fuel that has a lower knock resistance than the gaseous fuel, and examples thereof include alcohol in addition to gasoline.

Claims (10)

The opening period of the first injection means (21) for injecting gaseous fuel, the second injection means (22) for injecting liquid fuel having a knock resistance lower than that of the gaseous fuel, and the intake valve (25) are made variable. And a variable valve mechanism (28) that advances the intake valve opening timing in accordance with the intake valve closing timing, and is applied to an engine (10).
Request determination means (S102) for determining whether there is a compression ratio increase request for changing the compression ratio of the engine to the increase side based on the operating state of the engine;
Intake air advance means (S104) for advancing the closing timing of the intake valve toward the intake bottom dead center of the engine when it is determined by the request determination means that the compression ratio increase is requested;
In the case where an overlap between the valve opening period of the intake valve and the valve opening period of the exhaust valve occurs due to the advance of the intake valve closing timing by the intake advance angle means, the fuel is supplied within one combustion cycle of the engine. Injection control means (80) implemented by injection of the gaseous fuel by the first injection means and injection of the liquid fuel by the second injection means;
An engine control device comprising: The injection control means performs one combustion of the engine based on an overlap amount between the valve opening period of the intake valve and the valve opening period of the exhaust valve after the intake valve closing timing is advanced by the intake advance means. The engine control device according to claim 1, wherein the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel with respect to the total supply amount of fuel in the cycle is variably controlled. 3. The engine control device according to claim 2, wherein the injection control means lowers the supply ratio of the gaseous fuel with respect to the total supply amount of fuel in one combustion cycle of the engine as the overlap amount increases. 4. The injection control unit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid fuel is injected by the second injection unit after the overlap period is over and during the intake valve opening period. The engine control device described in 1. An injection rate adjusting means (43) for adjusting an injection rate of the gaseous fuel by the first injection means;
When the overlap occurs due to the advance of the intake valve closing timing by the intake advance angle means, the injection control means changes the injection rate to the increasing side by the injection rate adjustment means and causes the first injection means to The engine control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gaseous fuel is injected. The injection control means performs the injection of the gaseous fuel by the first injection means after the end of the overlapping period or after the intake top dead center of the engine and during the opening period of the intake valve. The engine control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The injection control means variably controls a supply ratio of the gaseous fuel with respect to a total supply amount of fuel in one combustion cycle of the engine based on an engine rotation speed. The engine control device described. Even if it is determined by the request determination means that the compression ratio increase is requested, if the injection of the gaseous fuel and the injection of the liquid fuel cannot be performed by the injection control means, the intake air closing means by the intake advance means is closed. The engine control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an advance angle of the valve timing is limited. The engine control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a supply ratio of the gaseous fuel by the first injection means is in a range of 40 to 100 mass%. The first injection means is a port injection type in which fuel is injected into an intake port of the engine;
The engine control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the second injection unit is a direct injection type in which fuel is directly injected into a cylinder of the engine.

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