Woodward, Inc.
Auto-ignition control in a combustion engine

Abstract:

A method of controlling combustion in an internal combustion engine includes measuring parameters of combustion in a cylinder of the engine during a combustion phase of the cylinder, after igniting an air/fuel charge in the cylinder, and calculating the heat release of combustion in the cylinder based on the measured parameters. An auto-ignition event of the air/fuel charge is identified based on the calculated heat release, and, based at least in part on the identified auto-ignition event, at least one of ignition timing in the cylinder for the next combustion phase of the cylinder or an amount of exhaust gas supplied to the cylinder for the next combustion phase of the cylinder is controlled to cause an auto-ignition event of the air/fuel charge in the next combustion phase to shift toward a specified crank angle.