1,721,020 research outputs found
Multiple misfire: Detection and cylinder isolation based on engine speed measurement
No full textThe diagnosis of misfire events (or missing combustions) is enforced by On-Board Diagnostics regulations (such as CARB OBD II or European OBD) over the whole engine operating range, for all vehicles equipped with spark ignition engines. Such regulations define both the minimum misfire frequency that is to be detected (related to catalyst damage and/or increased hydrocarbons emissions), and the various misfire patterns that the diagnostic algorithm should be able to detect. In particular, single (no more than one missing combustion per engine cycle) and multiple (more than one misfiring cylinder within the same engine cycle) misfire patterns are to be diagnosed, and the cylinder in which the misfire took place is to be isolated only when single misfires take place (cylinder identification is still not mandatory for multiple misfires). Various single misfire detection methodologies have been successfully developed in recent years (mostly based on the engine speed signal), and this type of misfire diagnosis is still challenging for engines with a high number of cylinders, especially during operating conditions characterized by high engine speed and low load. On the other hand, the detection of multiple misfires is still difficult even for the typical four cylinder engine, since their effects on the engine speed trend have not yet been clarified. In fact, a misfire occurrence is characterized by a sudden engine speed decrease and a subsequent damped torsional vibration. In case of multiple misfires, the engine speed oscillation induced by the first misfiring cylinder may still be present when the second missing combustion takes place, and the resulting engine speed waveform may be erroneously interpreted by the diagnostic algorithm, thus resulting in the improper cylinder being identified or missed detection of a misfiring cylinder. This paper deals with the identification of a specific pattern in the instantaneous engine speed trend, induced by a missing combustion and characteristic of the system under study, that allows performing the desired multiple misfire detection. The methodology has been designed in order to be run on-board, thus requiring low computational power and memory allocation. Its implementation has shown that false alarms can be avoided and correct cylinder isolation is possible, also in presence of multiple misfires. Experimental tests have been performed on a 1.2 liter spark ignition engine mounted in a test cell. Various multiple misfire patterns have been induced by controlling ignition and injection of the various cylinders. In-cylinder pressure signals have been acquired together with the instantaneous engine speed, in order to verify the capability of the methodology. Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Measurement of exhaust gas temperatures: Theoretical and experimental analysis
No full textThe optimal management of the three-way catalytic converter is today widely recognized as one of the means to further reduce Spark Ignition (SI) engine polluting emissions, and therefore to respect future emission regulations. Its conversion efficiency is strictly dependent on the operating temperature, and most engine control strategies are today either based on mathematical models that determine such temperature as a function of the engine operating conditions, or on its direct measurement. It is therefore useful to investigate the errors that could arise when measuring exhaust gas temperatures, either during model identification tests or on board the vehicle. The paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis on the phenomena that could lead to relevant measurement errors in such applications. A physical model of the heat transfer phenomena that take place in the exhaust manifold has been developed to estimate both the exhaust gas temperatures and the error that would arise while measuring them with typical sensors such as thermocouples. The exhaust manifold of a 1.2 liter SI engine was equipped with different types of sensors for the model identification and validation phases
Comparison between Formula 1 and CART Acoustic Emission Analysis
No full textThe paper presents the application of signal processing algorithms to racing engines acoustic emission signals. The proposed methodology has shown to be effective in extracting from such signals information related to the main powertrain performance parameters, such as engine speed, gear ratios and driver's strategy. The objective of the paper is to compare performance parameters of racing engines that have participated in two different Championships, FIA Formula One World Championship (Formula 1) and CART Champ Car Series (CART). The comparison is quite interesting, since the two formulas differ not only in terms of regulations (and therefore in terms of admissible powertrain layouts), but also in terms of circuits where the races take place. For example, ovals are quite common in CART, and that is not the case of Formula 1: This fact is reflected in the different way the engine and the gearbox are operated during the race. Copyright © 2002 SAE International
Engine torque non-uniformity evaluation using instantaneous crankshaft speed signal
No full textThe paper presents the development of a methodology for evaluating the torque non-uniformity between the various cylinders of an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). This non-uniformity can be due, for example, to pathological operating conditions such as misfires or misfuels, as well as to other abnormal operating conditions. Between the nominal torque production and the one corresponding to the absence of combustion there exist, in fact, a series of possible intermediate conditions. Each of them corresponds to a value of produced torque that lies between the nominal value and the one corresponding to the lack of combustion (due for example to statistical dispersion in manufacturing or aging in the injection system). The diagnosis of this type of non-uniformity is a very important issue in today's engine control strategies design. The use of the developed methodology should in fact allow the control strategy to adopt the appropriate interventions if the diagnosed non-uniformity is related to different behavior of the injectors. In order to evaluate this torque production variability between the various cylinders, information hidden in the instantaneous crankshaft speed fluctuations has been processed using a suitable methodology. The procedure has been validated running a supercharged 2.0 liters V6 engine, and a 1.2 liters L4 engine, in a test cell. During the tests, the in-cylinder pressure signal has been acquired together with the instantaneous engine speed, in order to determine a correlation between speed fluctuations and the indicated torque produced by each cylinder. The actual cylinder by cylinder torque non-uniformity can then be evaluated on-board by processing engine speed. The procedure is able to diagnose the absence of combustion (due for example to a misfire or a misfuel) as well as abnormal combustions that do not necessarily involve lack of combustion, with the accuracy needed for on-board use. Control interventions to injection and ignition time commands of one or more cylinders should in most cases be able to re-establish torque production uniformity
Air fuel ratio estimation using in-cylinder pressure frequency analysis
No full textThis paper presents an original approach to estimate the air-fuel ratio (AFR) of the mixture that burned inside a given cylinder of a spark-ignited (SI) internal combustion engine, using the information hidden in the corresponding in-cylinder pressure signal. In modern closed-loop fuel injection control strategies, the feedback signal is usually given by one (or more) heated exhaust gas oxygen (HEGO) sensor(s), mounted in the exhaust manifold(s). The information that such sensors give is related to the stoichiometry of the mixture that burned inside the cylinders. The HEGO sensor is not able to evaluate the AFR value precisely, being only able to determine whether the mixture was rich or lean. This information is sufficient to allow the implementation of a closed-loop strategy for injection time control. Generally speaking, such strategy could be improved in terms of readiness and precision by directly measuring (or by estimating) the actual AFR. Universal exhaust gas oxygen (UEGO) sensors are still considered expensive and their use is mostly limited to laboratory and racing applications, even if some automotive manufacturers have started installing such sensors on board passenger cars, as part of an effort to comply with ULEV (ultra low emission vehicles) regulations. For this reason the idea of estimating AFR values from other signals has received great attention in the past few years. A new approach based on in-cylinder pressure frequency analysis is presented here
Conceptual Design and Analytic Assessment of 48V Electric Hybrid Powertrain Architectures for Passenger Cars
No full textTo meet the requirements in relation to pollutants, CO2-emissions, performances, comfort and costs for 2025 timeframe, many technology options for the powertrain, that plays a key role in the vehicle, are possible. Beside the central aspect of reducing standard cycle consumption levels and emissions, consumer demands are also growing with respect to comfort and functionality. In addition, there is also the challenge of finding cost efficient ways of integrating technologies into a broad range of vehicles with different levels of hybridization. High degrees of electrification simultaneously provide opportunities to reduce the technology content of the internal combustion engines (ICE), resulting in a cost balancing compromise between combustion engine and hybrid technology. The design and optimization of powertrain topologies, functionalities, and components require a complex development process. To face the complexity of goal, in this work a methodology of powertrain conceptual definition has been proposed with the aim of the design, objective assessment and optimization of the key parameters of an hybridized powertrains. A methodology able to define ICE, Transmission and Electric Traction Drive specifications has been developed and used in this study. The focus is on Low Voltage 48V electric hybrid architectures, that represent attractive alternatives to High Voltage hybrid systems. The 48V systems offer on the one hand already attractive performance potential for different levels of hybridization, on the other hand, opportunities open up for the electrification of the internal combustion engine and its auxiliaries. The design methodology has been applied to two vehicles of different classes, C-Segment and SUV, with the aim to assess the capability of 48V hybridization to meet the new challenging requirements. The results confirm the potential of Low Voltage systems to implement cost effective full hybrid architectures
Fast algorithm for on-board torque estimation
No full textElectronic Throttle Control systems substitute the driver in commanding throttle position, with the driver acting on a potentiometer connected to the accelerator pedal. Such strategies allow precise control of air-fuel ratio and of other parameters, e.g. engine efficiency or vehicle driveability, but require detailed information about the engine operating conditions, in order to be implemented inside the Electronic Control Unit (ECU). In order to determine throttle position, an interpretation of the driver desire (revealed by the accelerator pedal position) is performed by the ECU. In our approach, such interpretation is carried out in terms of a torque request that can be appropriately addressed knowing the actual engine-vehicle operating conditions, which depend on the acting torques. Estimates of the torque due to in-cylinder pressure (indicated torque), as well as the torque required by the vehicle (load torque), must then be available to the control module. The estimation procedure should be at the same time sufficiently precise and fast in order to comply with the driver requests in real time. In this paper we present a signal processing procedure to estimate the cycle mean values of both the indicated and load torque, based on a frequency analysis of the engine block vibrations signal. The algorithm that has been developed tries to meet the precision and quickness requirements for on board implementation; this goal has been reached using only two frequency components of the engine block vibrations. The quality of the estimation methodology has been initially tested on an engine test cell, using a two cylinder small diesel engine and showing a good agreement between measurements and estimations, even under strong speed and load transients. The procedure is scheduled to be validated on-board a production vehicle. Copyright © 1999 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc
Implementation of fuel film compensation algorithm on the Lamborghini diablo 6.0 engine
No full textThis paper presents the experimental work and the results obtained from the implementation of a transient fuel compensation algorithm for the 6.0-liter V12 high-performance engine that equips the Lamborghini Diablo vehicles. This activity has been carried out as part of an effort aimed at the optimization of the entire fuel injection control system. In the first part of the paper the tests for fuel film compensator identification are presented and discussed. In this phase the experimental work has been conducted in the test cell. An automatic calibration algorithm was developed to identify the well-known fuel film model X and τ parameters, so as to define their maps as a function of engine speed and intake manifold pressure. The influence of engine coolant temperature has been investigated separately; it will be soon presented together with the air dynamics compensation algorithm. In the second part of the paper, the performance of the fuel dynamics compensation algorithm is analyzed. The measured Air-Fuel Ratio (AFR) distribution, especially during selected portions of the USA driving cycle, has been chosen as a yardstick to evaluate the performance improvement of the new injection control strategy. The experimental tests have been conducted using Lamborghini's chassis dynamometer laboratory. The comparison between the AFR values, measured before and after the introduction of the new strategy using a linear oxygen sensor, clearly shows the efficiency gain in terms of AFR control due to the transient fuel compensation algorithm. Copyright © 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc
A novel monoclonal antibody specific for lymphatic endothelium
No full textThe difficulty of identifying and differentiating lymphatic and blood microvessels in tissue sections can be overcome by a monoclonal antibody specific for lymphatic endothelium. Unfortunately, the only known antibody also reacts with the endothelium of some blood vessels. The technique of double immunization (passive, with an antiserum to blood endothelium, and active, with a suspension of lymphatic endothelial cells) was, therefore, used to increase the chances of recognizing specific lymphatic antigens by the mouse immune system. The monoclonal antibody obtained, LyMAb, a G1 immunoglobulin, reacted strongly with the endothelium of bovine thoracic duct, mesenteric collecting vessels and lymphatic vessels of gallbladder and lymph nodes and moderately with those of the intestinal wall. Blood vessels (intercostal arteries, azygos vein and blood microvessels of all organs tested) were consistently negative. The antibody was species-specific and did not react with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. Cross-reactivity was limited to some connective tissue fibres and scattered cells in the lymph node parenchyma, intestinal villi and hepatic lobule
Development of Adaptive-ECMS and predictive functions for Plug-in HEVs to Handle Zero-Emission Zones Using Navigation Data
No full textThe paper deals with the reduction of pollutant emissions in urban areas by considering a Zero-Emission Zone (ZEZ) in which hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are allowed to be driven without using the internal combustion engine, as several cities have planned to realize in the next decades. Moreover, since vehicle connectivity has spread more and more in the last years, a vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication system has been taken into account to retrieve real-time navigation data from a map service provider and thus reconstructing the so-called electronic horizon, which is a reconstruction of the future conditions of the vehicle on the road ahead. The speed profile and the road slope are used as input for an on-board predictive control strategy of a plug-in HEV (PHEV). In particular, a dedicated algorithm predicts the amount of necessary energy to complete the city event in full-electric mode, giving a state of charge (SoC) target value. With this aim, an adaptive equivalent consumption minimization strategy (A-ECMS) has been modified to use navigation data for approaching the ZEZ with the target SoC. The paper finally quantifies the benefits of such an approach in terms of CO2 emissions by comparing it with a heuristic, rule-based one, which represents the standard OEM solution
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