阅读说明：本技术 基于位置管理催化剂温度的系统和方法 (System and method for managing catalyst temperature based on location ) 是由 J·K·莱特-霍利斯 J·S·科尔豪斯 G·科塔达拉曼 C·A·拉娜 于 2021-05-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：系统和装置包括控制器,所述控制器包括至少一个耦合到存储器的处理器,所述存储器存储指令,当所述指令由所述至少一个处理器执行时,所述指令使所述控制器：基于车辆的位置确定一套排放法规；响应于所确定的一套排放法规来确定所述车辆的后处理系统的催化剂的目标温度；将所述催化剂的当前温度与确定的目标温度进行比较；以及响应于催化剂的当前温度低于所述确定的目标温度,提供热管理命令以将催化剂温度朝向所述确定的目标温度升高。(Systems and apparatus include a controller including at least one processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to: determining a set of emission regulations based on a location of the vehicle; determining a target temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations; comparing a current temperature of the catalyst to the determined target temperature; and in response to the current temperature of the catalyst being below the determined target temperature, providing a thermal management command to increase the catalyst temperature towards the determined target temperature.)

1. A system, comprising:

a controller comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:

determining a set of emission regulations based on a location of the vehicle;

determining a target temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations;

comparing a current temperature of the catalyst to the determined target temperature; and

in response to the current temperature of the catalyst being below the determined target temperature, providing a thermal management command to increase the catalyst temperature toward the determined target temperature.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the catalyst is a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst, and

wherein the set of emission regulations controls an amount or rate of nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise dynamically determining a geo-fenced area, the geo-fenced area comprising a geo-area that is constrained by the same set of emission regulations.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein a first geo-fenced area and a second geo-fenced area are controlled by at least one same emission regulation, and wherein the operations further comprise providing a same thermal management command in each of the first geo-fenced area and the second geo-fenced area in response to a location of the vehicle in the first geo-fenced area or the second geo-fenced area.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the dynamic determination of the geo-fenced area is based on a set of multiple geo-fenced areas stored in the memory of the controller, the memory further storing at least one associated emissions legislation for each geo-fenced area.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the dynamic determination of the geo-fenced area is based on telematics data received from a remote computing system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal management command comprises at least one of: in response to a state of charge (SOC) of a battery of the vehicle being below a predefined SOC value, deactivating an electric heater, commanding a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser, increasing a fuel injection amount or rate from a fuel injector, or engaging a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal management command comprises activating an electric heater in response to receiving a driver preference to reduce fuel consumption and a state of charge (SOC) of a battery of the vehicle being at or above a predefined SOC threshold level.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal management command comprises at least one of: in response to driver preference for avoiding use of a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) system, an electric heater is activated, a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser is commanded, or the amount or rate of fuel injection from the fuel injectors is increased.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal management command comprises activating an electric heater, commanding a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser, increasing a fuel injection amount or rate from a fuel injector, and engaging a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) system in response to the temperature of the catalyst being below a predetermined temperature threshold.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: disabling the thermal management command in response to the detected or determined amount of emissions meeting an associated emission regulation in the set of emission regulations.

12. A method, comprising:

determining, by the controller, a set of emission regulations based on the location of the vehicle;

determining, by a controller, a target temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations;

comparing, by a controller, a current temperature of the catalyst to a determined target temperature; and

in response to the current temperature of the catalyst being below the determined target temperature, providing, by a controller, a thermal management command to increase the catalyst temperature toward the determined target temperature.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising dynamically determining, by the controller, the geo-fenced area including a geo-area that is constrained by the same set of emissions regulations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a first geo-fenced area and a second geo-fenced area are controlled by at least one set of identical emission regulations, and wherein the method further comprises providing, by a controller, identical thermal management commands in each of the first geo-fenced area and the second geo-fenced area in response to the location of the vehicle in the first geo-fenced area or the second geo-fenced area.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal management command comprises at least one of: in response to a state of charge (SOC) of a battery of the vehicle being below a predefined SOC value, deactivating an electric heater, commanding a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser, increasing a fuel injection amount or rate from a fuel injector, or engaging a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) system.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal management command comprises activating an electric heater in response to receiving a driver preference to reduce fuel consumption and a state of charge (SOC) of a battery of the vehicle being at or above a predefined SOC level.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal management command comprises activating an electric heater, commanding a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser, increasing a fuel injection amount or rate from a fuel injector, and engaging a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) system in response to the temperature of the catalyst being below a predetermined temperature threshold.

18. A system, comprising:

a controller comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform operations comprising:

determining a set of emission regulations based on a location of the vehicle;

determining a target temperature of exhaust of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations;

comparing the current temperature of the exhaust gas to a determined target temperature; and

in response to the current temperature of the exhaust gas being below the determined target temperature, providing a thermal management command to increase the temperature of the exhaust gas toward the determined target temperature.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the target temperature is further based on at least one of a mass flow rate of exhaust gas or an ambient temperature.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the thermal management command comprises activating an electric heater, commanding a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser, increasing a fuel injection amount or rate from a fuel injector, and a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) system in response to the temperature of the exhaust gas being below a predetermined temperature threshold.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system for an engine system based on a location of the aftertreatment system.

Background

Emissions regulations for internal combustion engines have become more stringent in recent years. Environmental concerns have driven stricter emissions requirements to be imposed on internal combustion engines around the world. Government agencies such as the united states Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carefully monitor the emission quality of engines and set emission standards that the engines must comply with. Accordingly, exhaust aftertreatment systems are increasingly being used on engines to reduce emissions. Exhaust aftertreatment systems are typically designed to reduce the emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and other environmentally harmful pollutants.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment relates to a system, comprising: a controller comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform operations comprising: determining a set of emission regulations based on a location of the vehicle; determining a target temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations; comparing a current temperature of the catalyst to the determined target temperature; and in response to the current temperature of the catalyst being below the determined target temperature, providing a thermal management command to increase the catalyst temperature towards the determined target temperature.

Another embodiment relates to a method comprising: determining, by the controller, a set of emission regulations based on the location of the vehicle; determining, by a controller, a target temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations; comparing, by a controller, a current temperature of the catalyst to a determined target temperature; and providing, by the controller, thermal management in response to the current temperature of the catalyst being less than the determined target temperature.

Another embodiment relates to a system, comprising: a controller comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to perform operations comprising: determining a set of emission regulations based on a location of the vehicle; determining a target temperature of exhaust of an aftertreatment system of the vehicle in response to the determined set of emission regulations; comparing a current temperature of the exhaust gas with the determined target temperature; and in response to the current temperature of the exhaust gas being below the determined target temperature, providing a thermal management command to increase the temperature of the exhaust gas towards the determined target temperature.

The summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the devices or processes described herein will become apparent in the detailed description set forth herein when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an engine and exhaust aftertreatment system for a vehicle according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a controller of the vehicle of FIG. 1, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of implementing a catalyst warmth keeping process in response to a physical location of a vehicle, according to an example embodiment.

Detailed Description

Following are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to methods, devices, and systems for implementing catalyst "keep warm" in response to a physical location of a vehicle, and implementation of related procedures. Before turning to the drawings, which illustrate certain example embodiments in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings in general, various embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems, apparatus, and methods for managing the temperature of a catalyst of an aftertreatment system, particularly a selective catalytic reduction ("SCR") system catalyst, based on the physical location of the vehicle. In operation, the systems, methods, and apparatus of the present disclosure change the temperature of the catalyst in accordance with local emission regulations based on the physical location of the vehicle. SCR systems are an important component in reducing emissions from diesel engines. SCR can utilize a two-step process: the doser injects a reductant into the exhaust stream, which then passes through an SCR catalyst, which converts the exhaust gas into less harmful particles (particularly NOx into less harmful compounds) that may be released into the atmosphere. However, if the SCR catalyst is not at a certain temperature, chemical reduction will not occur or will occur with much lower efficiency. For example, when the vehicle transitions from an off state to an on state, there is a period of time before the SCR catalyst operates as expected that coincides with the temperature of the catalyst being below a desired temperature threshold. During this preheating, a rise in contaminants may result. Such higher pollutant levels may be problematic in jurisdictions where regulations require ultra-low NOx levels. In addition, different jurisdictions may have different pollutant/emission requirements (e.g., NOx levels). As a result, the required operating temperature of the catalyst may vary depending on the jurisdiction. More stringent requirements (e.g., ultra-low NOx jurisdictions, such as requirements specified by the california air resources board) may require the catalyst to reach the desired operating temperature more quickly than less stringent jurisdictions.

According to the present disclosure, a controller of a vehicle is coupled to an engine and an aftertreatment system. The controller may track the location of the vehicle and determine a set of emission regulations based on the location of the vehicle (e.g., by storing a look-up table of regulations according to location, by sending the location of the vehicle to a remote operator, and then a telematics device where the regulations are provided by the operator, etc.). The controller may then determine a target temperature of at least one SCR catalyst of the aftertreatment system or a temperature of the exhaust gas flow. In some embodiments, the target temperature is a function of exhaust flow (e.g., temperature, mass flow) and ambient temperature, such that catalyst (e.g., SCR) temperature is estimated by one or more catalyst temperature models. In this embodiment, the target temperature is an estimated catalyst temperature based on a catalyst temperature model. After determining the target temperature and in response to a determined set of emission regulations, the controller may compare a current temperature of the SCR catalyst or exhaust stream to the determined target temperature and, in response to the current temperature being below the determined target temperature, provide a thermal management command to achieve the determined target temperature. Technically and advantageously, the present disclosure enables thermal management of components in an aftertreatment system in response to location information. In operation and as described herein, the present disclosure enables preheating or maintaining catalyst(s) in an aftertreatment system to an operating temperature of the catalyst(s) in order to meet various emission regulations that may vary as the vehicle travels along a route. By proactively and proactively adjusting components based on local emission regulations (which may be determined by binding location data with a database of emission regulations), the present disclosure may help meet changing emission regulations while also avoiding wasted resources from unnecessary catalyst warming without legal requirements.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 having an engine 12, an aftertreatment system 70, a positioning system 42, and a controller 26 is shown according to an example embodiment. The vehicle 10 may be any type of on-or off-highway vehicle, including but not limited to: long haul trucks, medium trucks (e.g., pick-up trucks, etc.), cars, vans, tanks, and the like. In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 may be an aircraft, a boat, a locomotive, and/or other types of vehicles. Based on these configurations, various additional components may also be included in the vehicle, such as a transmission, one or more gearboxes, pumps, actuators, and so forth.

The engine 12 is configured as a compression ignition internal combustion engine using diesel fuel. However, in various alternative embodiments, the engine 12 may be configured as any other type of engine (e.g., spark-ignition, hybrid engine using a combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor) that utilizes any type of fuel (e.g., gasoline). Within the internal combustion engine 12, air from the atmosphere is combined with fuel and combusted to power the engine. Fuel is injected into each cylinder by one or more fuel injectors coupled to the engine. Combustion of fuel from the fuel injectors and air in the compression chambers (e.g., cylinders) of the engine 12 produces exhaust gases that are operatively discharged to an exhaust manifold and exhaust aftertreatment system 70.

The engine 12 may include a plurality of cylinders. In the illustrated example, the engine 12 includes a first cylinder 112, a second cylinder 114, a third cylinder 116, a fourth cylinder 118, a fifth cylinder 120, and a sixth cylinder 122 (collectively referred to herein as "cylinders 112-122"). It should be understood that although six cylinders are shown in FIG. 1, the number of cylinders may vary depending on system configuration and requirements. The cylinders 112 and 122 may be any type of cylinder suitable for use in an engine in which the cylinder is disposed (e.g., appropriately sized and shaped to receive a piston).

The engine 12 includes a cylinder deactivation ("CDA") system 44 that is structured or configured to receive a signal from the controller to selectively activate and deactivate (i.e., no combustion occurs) one or more of the cylinders 112 and 122 during operation of the engine 12. Dynamic skip fire ("DSF") systems are one type of cylinder deactivation ("CDA") system. The CDA system is used to deactivate individual cylinders of the engine (i.e., no combustion occurs) so that power from the engine is provided by less than all of the cylinders. CDA system 44 may include components for implementing CDA operating modes (e.g., intake valves, exhaust valves, solenoid valves (solenoids) that control valve opening/closing, etc.). In some cases, one or more intake valves may be closed to disallow combustion air to the cylinder, thereby preventing combustion. In other cases, air may be allowed to flow through the cylinders, but combustion is prevented by the absence of spark or diesel fuel injection. The DSF system operates the engine in a DSF mode in which one or more cylinders are deactivated/deactivated (e.g., no combustion occurs) on a cycle-by-cycle and cylinder-by-cylinder basis such that power from the engine is not provided by all cylinders. Thus, the cylinders may be inactive in the first engine cycle and active in the second engine cycle. Another type of CDA operating mode is referred to as "fixed cylinder CDA". In a fixed cylinder CDA, one or more identical cylinders are in an activated/deactivated state during each engine cycle during a fixed cylinder CDA mode of operation, such that the cylinders are scheduled to be deactivated under predetermined operating conditions. An "activated" cylinder means that combustion is allowed to occur in that cylinder. Operating the engine in the DSF mode may increase the temperature of the exhaust gas by reducing the total flow of exhaust gas and/or requiring the activated cylinders to produce the same total amount of work as the engine produced before entering the DSF mode. The CDA system 44 is configured or constructed to operate in a DSF mode or a fixed cylinder CDA operating mode.

Using less than the maximum number of cylinders 112-122 (in this example embodiment, the maximum value is 6) may result in improved fuel economy because operating the reduced number of cylinders requires a reduced amount of fuel. However, using less than 6 cylinders 112-122 may also result in reduced power output, which may make certain road and hill driving difficult. As described above, using less than 6 cylinders 112-122 may also result in higher exhaust temperatures than those generated during operation using all 6 cylinders 112-122, since the activated cylinders 112-122 are operated at higher combustion pressures to compensate for any deactivated cylinders 112-122, which results in higher combustion temperatures. Accordingly, the CDA system 44 may be employed to increase the exhaust temperature.

The aftertreatment system 70 is in exhaust receiving communication with the engine 12. The aftertreatment system includes a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC)72, a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)74, a reductant delivery system 78, a decomposition chamber 80 (e.g., reactor tube, etc.), an SCR catalyst 76, a catalyst sensor 82, a Hydrocarbon (HC) doser 46, and a heater 48. The DOC 72 is configured to receive exhaust gas from the engine 12 and oxidize hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas. To properly assist the reduction reaction, the DOC 72 may be required to be at a particular operating temperature. In some embodiments, the particular operating temperature is between 200 ℃ and 500 ℃. In other embodiments, the particular operating temperature is a temperature at which the conversion efficiency of the DOC 72 exceeds a predefined threshold (e.g., HC is oxidized to less harmful compounds, referred to as HC conversion efficiency).

DPF74 is disposed or located downstream of DOC 72 and is configured to remove particulates from the exhaust stream. The DPF74 includes an inlet that receives exhaust gas and an outlet from which the exhaust gas exits after causing the particulate matter to substantially filter and/or convert the particulate matter to carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas. In some embodiments, DPF74 may be omitted.

In some embodiments, the fuel injector is configured to inject an amount of fuel into one or more of the cylinders 112-122 after a combustion event occurs in the cylinders 112-122. This injection is also referred to as an in-cylinder post-injection event. By injecting fuel into the cylinders 112-122 after combustion, the post-injected fuel tends to evaporate rather than combust in the cylinders 112-122. However, the unburned post-injected fuel does react with one or more catalysts (e.g., SCR catalyst 76) in the aftertreatment system 70 to generate heat (e.g., an exothermic reaction), which increases the temperature of the exhaust gas in the SCR system. In other embodiments, the HC doser 46 is located upstream of the DPF74 and is configured to inject an amount of HC fuel (e.g., diesel fuel) into the exhaust stream. This injection is also referred to as a post-cylinder HC fuel injection event. When fuel is injected into the exhaust, the fuel combusts and raises the temperature of the exhaust, which then passes through SCR catalyst 76 and raises the temperature of SCR catalyst 76. The HC doser 46 is configured such that the in-cylinder and external post-cylinder HC fuel injection events can occur independently (i.e., only one or the other) or simultaneously. This may depend, for example, on the extent to which the catalyst temperature is below the threshold temperature. In-cylinder and out-of-cylinder injections may be commanded if the catalyst temperature exceeds a preset amount below the threshold temperature. If the catalyst temperature is below the threshold temperature but not more than a preset amount, only one of the in-cylinder and out-of-cylinder injections may be used. This strategy is beneficial because it limits the time to command two injections, thus saving fuel for injection.

Decomposition chamber 80 is configured to convert the reductant to ammonia. The reductant may be, for example, urea, Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF),Aqueous urea solution (UWS), aqueous urea solution (A)Such as AUS32, etc.) and other similar fluids. Decomposition chamber 80 includes a reductant delivery system 78, the reductant delivery system 78 having a doser configured to dose reductant into decomposition chamber 80 (e.g., via an injector). In some embodiments, the reductant is injected upstream of the SCR catalyst 76. The droplets of reductant then undergo processes of evaporation, pyrolysis and hydrolysis to form gaseous ammonia. Decomposition chamber 80 includes an inlet in fluid communication with DPF74 to receive exhaust gas containing NOx emissions, and an outlet for exhaust gas, NOx emissions, ammonia, and/or reductants to flow to SCR catalyst 76.

The SCR catalyst 76 is configured to reduce NOx emissions by accelerating the NOx reduction process between ammonia and NOx in the exhaust gas to diatomic nitrogen, water, and/or carbon dioxide. If the SCR catalyst 76 is not at or above a particular temperature, acceleration of the NOx reduction process is limited and the SCR system may not meet one or more regulations. In some embodiments, the particular temperature is 250-. SCR catalyst 76 includes an inlet in fluid communication with decomposition chamber 80, from which exhaust gas and reductant are received. The SCR catalyst 76 may be made of a combination of inert materials and active catalysts such that the inert materials (e.g., ceramic metals) direct exhaust gas to the active catalyst, which is any kind of material suitable for catalytic reduction (e.g., base metal oxides such as vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, etc., or noble metals such as platinum).

The heater 48 is located in the exhaust flow path before the SCR system and is constructed or configured to controllably heat the exhaust gas upstream of the SCR system. Heater 48 may be any kind of external heat source that may be constructed or configured to increase the temperature of the exhaust passing therethrough, which in turn increases the temperature of SCR catalyst 76. As such, the heater may be an electric heater, an induction heater, a microwave, or a fuel-fired (e.g., HC fuel) heater. As shown, the heater 48 is an electric heater powered by the battery of the vehicle 10. The heater may be of the convective type, in which heat is transferred to the flowing exhaust gas, or of the conductive type, in which the heater heats a component that transfers heat to the flowing exhaust gas.

The catalyst sensor 82 is constructed or arranged to sense at least one characteristic about the SCR catalyst 76. Thus, the catalyst sensor 82 may be one or more sensors arranged to measure or otherwise acquire data, values, or information regarding a characteristic or property of the SCR catalyst 76. The sensors may be all real sensors, all virtual sensors, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the catalyst sensor 82 is or includes a temperature sensor that is constructed or configured to send a signal indicative of the temperature of the SCR catalyst to the controller 26. For example, the catalyst sensor 82 may measure a temperature of a catalyst bed of the SCR catalyst 76. The controller 26 is configured to compare the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 to a target temperature range of the SCR catalyst 76 to determine (e.g., estimate, calculate, etc.) whether the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 is outside the target temperature range (e.g., the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 exceeds a target maximum temperature of the SCR catalyst 76, the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 does not exceed a target minimum temperature of the SCR catalyst 76, etc.). The target temperature range may be associated with a temperature at which the SCR catalyst 76 performs optimal NOx reduction or NOx reduction at a rate dictated by one or more regulations.

It should be understood that a plurality of sensors may be included in the aftertreatment system 70. For example, the system 70 includes NH₃Sensors, NOx sensors, temperature sensors, and Particulate Matter (PM) sensors. NH (NH)₃The sensor may be configured to obtain an indication of NH in the SCR₃Data of the amount. The temperature sensor may be configured to acquire data indicative of the temperature at its location. In particular, the aftertreatment system 70 may include one or more temperature sensors configured to acquire data indicative of the temperature of the exhaust flowing through the aftertreatment system 70. The NOx sensor may be configured to acquire data indicative of an amount of NOx at each location where the NOx sensor is located. The PM sensor may be configured to monitor particulate matter flowing through the exhaust aftertreatment system 70. The controller is communicatively coupled to each sensor in the aftertreatment system 70. Accordingly, the controller 100 is configured to receive data from one or more sensors. The controller 100 may use the received data to control one or more components in the aftertreatment system and/or forFor monitoring and diagnostic purposes.

Although the illustrated exhaust aftertreatment system 70 includes DOC, DPF, and SCR catalysts positioned at particular locations relative to one another along the exhaust flow path, in other embodiments, the exhaust aftertreatment system may include any more than one of a variety of catalysts positioned at any location relative to one another along the desired exhaust flow path. In addition, an AMOX catalyst may also be included. Further, while the DOC and Amox catalysts are non-selective catalysts, in some embodiments, the DOC and Amox catalysts may be selective catalysts. Accordingly, various architectures may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The positioning system 42 is configured to detect the position of the vehicle 10 at a certain point in time. In some embodiments, the point in time is a current time of day, while in other embodiments, the point in time is an upcoming and future point in time. In an example embodiment, positioning system 42 is a Global Positioning System (GPS), wherein positioning system 42 receives GPS data from satellite(s) and facilitates location-based communication with the satellite(s) and controller 26. In another example embodiment, the positioning system 42 is a communication system that connects the vehicle 10 to other vehicles in the fleet and receives the position of the vehicle 10 based on the relative position of the vehicle 10 with respect to the other vehicles in the fleet, such as by triangulation. In another example embodiment, the positioning system 42 is a communication system that communicates with a plurality of beacons, such that the position of the vehicle 10 is determined based on the position of the vehicle 10 relative to the plurality of beacons. The plurality of beacons may be towers built at certain points along the roadway, existing infrastructure that can collect tolls, or cellular towers, to name a few. Thus, location system 42 may include a telematics device for telematics communication with a teleattendant or operator.

Positioning system 42 is any combination of these embodiments such that one embodiment may be windward if another embodiment fails. For example, if GPS is off, positioning system 42 may rely on triangulation with other fleets of vehicles.

Controller 26 is coupled to engine 12, aftertreatment system 70, and positioning system 42, and is constructed or arranged to at least partially control aftertreatment system 70, and in some embodiments, engine 12. When the sensor is configured as a real sensor, the controller 26 receives signals from the catalyst sensor 82 and uses the signals received from the catalyst sensor 82 to analyze the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 in the aftertreatment system 70 and perform various operations or actions in response to the signals and information from the positioning system 42. The controller 26 also receives signals from the engine 12 regarding the performance and operation of the engine 12.

Since the components of fig. 1 are shown as being embodied in the vehicle 10, the controller 26 may be constructed or configured as one or more Electronic Control Units (ECUs), such as microcontrollers. The controller 26 may be separate from or included in at least one of a transmission control unit, an exhaust aftertreatment control unit, a powertrain control module, an engine control module, etc. The function and structure of the controller 26 is described in more detail in fig. 2.

The components of the vehicle 10 may communicate with each other or with external components (e.g., a remote operator) using any type and number of wired or wireless connections. Communication between and among the components of the vehicle 10 and the controller 26 may be through any number of wired or wireless connections (e.g., any standard under IEEE). For example, the wired connection may include a serial cable, a fiber optic cable, a CAT5 cable, or any other form of wired connection. The wireless connection may include the Internet, Wi-Fi, cellular, radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and the like. In some embodiments, a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus provides for the exchange of signals, information, and/or data. The CAN bus includes any number of wired and wireless connections that provide for the exchange of signals, information, and/or data. The CAN bus may include a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or may establish a connection with an external computer (e.g., through the internet using an internet service provider).

Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of the controller 26 of the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 is shown, according to an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 26 includes a processing circuit 30 having a processor 34 and a memory device 38, a control system 50 having a location circuit 52, a keep warm circuit 54, a CDA circuit 56, an HC dosing circuit 58, and an electric heater circuit 60, and a communication interface 66. Generally, the controller 26 is configured to receive information regarding the geographic location of the vehicle 10 from the positioning system 42 and information regarding the internal state of the vehicle 10 from the engine 12 and the aftertreatment system 70. Based on this information, the controller 26 is then configured to provide thermal management commands to the various components of the vehicle 10, prioritize the components based on this information to keep the SCRs warm and to meet the emissions of the vehicle 10 to the standards of the jurisdiction in which the vehicle 10 is located.

The thermal management commands may include, but are not limited to, enabling or disabling the CDA system 44, enabling fueling by the HC doser 46, increasing the amount or rate of fuel injection from the fuel injectors, and activating the electric heater 48. As used herein, prioritization refers to utilizing one or more components rather than another component to achieve that an SCR remains warm. In one example, if the state of charge (SOC) of the battery of the vehicle 10 is low (or another source of power for the heater), such as below a predetermined threshold (e.g., less than 50% state of charge), the controller may prioritize those components that do not use the battery (i.e., HC doser 46, fuel injectors, CDA system 44) rather than those components that do use the battery (i.e., heater 48). In a second example, if there is a driver preference to reduce fuel consumption and the SOC of the battery is above a predetermined threshold, the controller 26 may prioritize those components that use the battery (i.e., heater 48) over those components that use fuel (i.e., HC doser 46, fuel injectors). In a third example, if there is a driver preference to avoid using the CDA system 44, the controller 26 prioritizes components other than the CDA system 44 (i.e., heater 46, HC doser 46, fuel injectors). In a fourth example, if there are no restrictions (due to the state of the vehicle 10 or the preference of the driver), the controller 26 may not prioritize any component over another, but rather utilize any combination of the CDA system 44, HC doser 46, heater 48, and fuel injectors to increase the temperature of the aftertreatment system 70 components (or exhaust).

SCR "stays warm" refers to a state where the SCR catalyst 76 is at a desired level of operating capability corresponding to the ability to reduce pollutants (i.e., NOx) for given operating parameters of the vehicle (e.g., power output, ambient temperature and pressure, engine speed, vehicle speed, etc.). As described above, keeping the SCR catalyst (or another catalyst) warm may promote the intended catalytic activity of the SCR catalyst to reduce NOx to less harmful elements. "keep warm" may be defined and used in a variety of different ways. In one embodiment, SCR "warmth retention" may be defined as the temperature (or range of temperatures) of the SCR catalyst 76 (or a component proximate to the catalyst) at which the SCR catalyst 76 is able to react with the exhaust gas and the reductant to reduce NOx in the exhaust gas at a predetermined rate. This temperature may also be referred to as a target temperature for the SCR catalyst 76. In some embodiments, the temperature range is 250-300 ℃. In another embodiment, SCR "warmth retention" may also be defined as the efficiency of the SCR system, such that the SCR system reduces NOx at or above a predetermined rate (e.g., NOx conversion efficiency above a threshold, a low NOx standard of, for example, 0.02g/bhp-hr, etc.). In yet another embodiment, SCR keep-warm may be defined as the temperature of exhaust gas present in the aftertreatment system 70, which is immediately prior to entering the SCR system or at some other location in the aftertreatment system 70. In some embodiments, the temperature is 300 ℃. Thus, warmth retention may be defined in a variety of different ways, which may be applied at a variety of different times/arrangements (e.g., different engine system arrangements may utilize different warmth retention definitions, etc.).

Further, as noted above, while the present disclosure discusses maintaining warmth primarily with reference to the SCR catalyst 76, the principles discussed herein should be considered equally applicable to any component of the aftertreatment system 70 whose performance is related to the temperature of the component, such as an oxidation catalyst (e.g., DOC 72) or an ammonia oxidation catalyst (AMOX). For example, similar to the SCR catalyst 76, the DOC 72, which is configured to oxidize hydrocarbons in the exhaust, operates more efficiently (i.e., oxidizes more hydrocarbons) at a particular operating temperature. Thus, the principles discussed herein with respect to SCR warmth retention may also be applied to DOC warmth retention.

In one configuration, the location circuit 52, the warmth-keeping circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 are implemented as machine or computer readable media that are executable by a processor, such as the processor 34. As described herein and in other uses, a machine-readable medium facilitates the performance of certain operations to effectuate the reception and transmission of data. For example, a machine-readable medium may provide instructions (e.g., commands, etc.) to, for example, retrieve data. In this regard, the machine-readable medium may include programmable logic that defines a data acquisition frequency (or data transmission). The computer readable medium may include code that may be written in any programming language, including but not limited to Java, and the like, and any conventional procedural programming language, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program code may be executed on one processor or on multiple remote processors. In the latter case, the remote processors may be connected to each other through any type of network (e.g., CAN bus, etc.).

In another configuration, the location circuit 52, the warmth retention circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 are implemented as hardware units, such as electronic control units. As such, the location circuit 52, the warmth retention circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may be implemented with one or more circuit components including, but not limited to, processing circuits, network interfaces, peripherals, input devices, output devices, sensors, and the like. In some embodiments, the location circuit 52, the warmth-keeping circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may take the form of one or more analog circuits, electronic circuits (e.g., Integrated Circuits (ICs), discrete circuits, system-on-a-chip (SOC) circuits, microcontrollers, etc.), telecommunications circuits, hybrid circuits, and any other type of "circuit". In this regard, the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may include any type of components for accomplishing or facilitating the performance of the operations described herein. For example, the circuits described herein may include one OR more transistors, logic gates (e.g., NAND, AND, NOR, OR, XOR, NOT, XNOR, etc.), resistors, multiplexers, registers, capacitors, inductors, diodes, wiring, AND so forth). The location circuit 52, warmth retention circuit 54, CDA circuit 56, HC dosing circuit 58, and electric heater circuit 60 may also include programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, and the like. The location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may include one or more memory devices for storing instructions executable by the processor(s) of the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60. The one or more memory devices and the processor may have the same definitions as provided below with respect to the memory device 38 and the processor 34. In some hardware unit configurations, the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may be geographically dispersed at various individual locations in the vehicle. Alternatively, as shown, the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may be implemented within a single unit/housing (shown as the controller 26).

In the illustrated example, the controller 26 includes a processing circuit 30 having a processor 34 and a memory device 38. The processing circuitry 30 may be constructed or configured to execute or implement the instructions, commands, and/or control processes described herein with respect to the location circuitry 52, the warmth-keeping circuitry 54, the CDA circuitry 56, the HC dosing circuitry 58, and the electric heater circuitry 60. The depicted configuration represents the location circuit 52, the warmth-to-keep circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 as machine or computer readable media. However, as noted above, this illustration is not meant to be limiting as the present disclosure contemplates other embodiments in which at least one of the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60, or the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60, is configured as a hardware unit. All such combinations and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Processor 34 may be a single-or multi-chip processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. The processor may be a microprocessor, or any processor or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, one or more processors may be shared by multiple circuits (e.g., the location circuit 52, the warmth retention circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may include or otherwise share the same processor, which in some example embodiments may execute instructions stored or otherwise accessed via different regions of memory). Alternatively or additionally, one or more processors may be structured or configured to perform certain operations independently of, or otherwise perform operations in conjunction with, one or more co-processors. In other example embodiments, two or more processors may be coupled by a bus to enable independent, parallel, pipelined, or multithreaded instruction execution. All such variations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

The memory device 38 (e.g., memory unit, storage device) may include one or more devices for storing data and/or computer code (e.g., RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk storage) to complete or facilitate the various processes, layers, and modules described in this disclosure. The memory device 38 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 34 to provide computer code or instructions to the processor 34 to perform at least some of the processing described herein. Further, the memory device 38 may be or include tangible, non-transitory, volatile memory or non-volatile memory. Thus, the memory device 38 may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures described herein.

The location circuit 52 is constructed or configured to receive information from the positioning system 42 and determine emission regulations for the current location of the vehicle 10. The information may include an absolute position (e.g., coordinates of latitude and longitude), a relative position associated with another vehicle in the vehicle queue, or a binary value indicating whether the vehicle 10 is at a certain position. Based on this information, the location circuit 52 determines the location of the vehicle 10. The location circuit 52 then determines the emissions legislation for the vehicle at the location based on the source of the emissions legislation. In some embodiments, the source of such emission regulations is a cloud-based database. The remote database may be a continuously updated database by obtaining regulatory updates from the internet. In another embodiment, the controller 26 may be programmed with a map linked with emissions regulations (e.g., a map of the United states). In this way, the location circuit 52 may input the location information into, for example, a look-up table and then invoke or retrieve the emissions regulations for that location. The former embodiment may be advantageous in reducing on-board storage of the storage device. In yet another embodiment, the source of the emission legislation may be the operator of the vehicle or a remote attendant who may provide information by radio, telephone and/or signal from a remote system. For example, the controller 26 may receive telematics data from an external computing system that provides the set of emission regulations to the controller via the communication interface 66.

Further, the location circuit 52 may determine or predict an upcoming location of the vehicle 10 based on the travel history of the vehicle on the current trip and using predictive analysis to infer an upcoming travel, using the travel history of the vehicle on past trips to predict an upcoming travel or travel itinerary, wherein the travel itinerary is preprogrammed onto the controller 26 prior to travel or received in real time as telematics data via the communication interface 66. Based on the upcoming location data, the location circuit may determine an emission regulation for the upcoming location. For example, if the trip is programmed, the location circuit 52 may retrieve emission regulations for each location along the planned route. In another example, if the positioning system 42 fails (i.e., the location circuit 52 is no longer receiving updated location data), the location circuit 52 may estimate an upcoming location of the vehicle 10 based on the last detected location and operating parameters (e.g., vehicle speed, direction, etc.). This may be a temporary estimate until GPS information is available.

In one embodiment, if the location circuit 52 is unable to determine the emission legislation currently controlling the vehicle 10 due to an inability to determine the location of the vehicle or due to a lack of emission legislation information, the location circuit 52 sets the emission legislation of the vehicle 10 to the strictest emission legislation stored in the emission source. For example, if the vehicle 10 enters an area where the location circuit 52 does not have emission regulation information, the location circuit 52 sets the current emission regulation to the strictest set of emission regulations stored in the database. An advantage of this embodiment is that it avoids situations where the vehicle is over producing emissions (i.e., producing emissions above regulatory levels) by ensuring or attempting to ensure that the vehicle 10 meets the most stringent standards. Furthermore, this is an advantageous default when there is uncertainty in the system (e.g., uncertainty in vehicle position and thus corresponding uncertainty in emission regulations).

The location circuit 52 may also be configured as a geo-fenced area around the vehicle to define a constant set of emission legislation areas. A geo-fenced area refers to an area surrounding a vehicle where at least one emission legislation is constant (i.e., remains the same). With the geo-fenced area, the location circuit 52 may determine a constant emission regulatory region. Further, by utilizing geofences, the location circuit 52 may conserve processing power of the controller 26 by establishing boundaries at which the emission regulations may change, such that changes in the emission regulations for the vehicle 10 are only handled when the location circuit 52 determines the location of the vehicle or predicts that the upcoming location of the vehicle is at or near a geofence boundary (i.e., where the emission regulations change).

In some embodiments, a separate geo-fenced area is associated with the emissions of each regulation. For example, the location circuit 52 establishes a geo-fenced area that sets boundaries around areas having similar NOx regulations and a second geo-fenced area that sets boundaries around areas having similar HC regulations. In some cases, the two geo-fenced areas may be the same (i.e., the NOx and HC regulations are also the same for a particular area). However, in some cases, the two geo-fenced areas may not be the same, as is the case, for example, if a particular area prioritizes lower NOx emissions over HC emissions.

In those instances where the two geo-fenced areas are not the same, the location circuit 52 can define a transition region between the two geo-fenced areas. The transition zone is defined to allow the temperature of the catalyst to reach the desired operating temperature. For example, if the second geo-fenced area has stricter emissions regulations, thus requiring a higher catalyst temperature, the transition zone is defined by the amount of time required to warm the catalyst to a higher temperature. In this way, the location circuit 52 sets the emissions regulations for the transition region to the stricter emissions regulations of the set of emissions regulations governing the two geo-fenced regions. Defining the transition region is also used to account for any uncertainty between the data from the positioning system 42 and the clear boundary between the geo-fenced area.

The warmth retention circuit 54 is configured to receive location information from the location circuit 52, vehicle 10 information from the vehicle 10, and SCR catalyst 76 information from the catalyst sensor 82, and is configured to provide a heat management command in response to determining that the SCR catalyst 76 is to remain warm. In an example embodiment, the keep warm circuit 54 receives from the location circuit 52 that the vehicle 10 is in an ultra low NOx jurisdiction, and the keep warm circuit 54 provides the thermal management command in response. In some embodiments, warmth retention circuit 54 receives information from catalyst sensor 82 indicating that SCR catalyst 76 is at a target temperature (i.e., a temperature at which SCR catalyst 76 reduces NOx in the exhaust at a desired efficiency) and disables thermal management commands. In other embodiments, warmth retention circuit 54 receives information from one or more temperature sensors indicating that the exhaust gas temperature is at a target temperature (i.e., a temperature at which it is determined that the exhaust gas is heating SCR catalyst 76 to a predetermined operating temperature or temperature range) and disables thermal management commands. As such, in some embodiments, the thermal management command may serve as a flag or indicator from the warmth retention circuit 54 that emissions regulations for the current or upcoming location of the vehicle 10 require that the aftertreatment system 70 have a particular operating efficiency. To achieve and maintain this particular operating efficiency of the aftertreatment system 70, some components of the aftertreatment system 70, particularly the SCR catalyst 76, will achieve and maintain a particular operating or target temperature. Thus, the thermal management command may serve as a flag or indicator from the warmth keeping circuit 54 that the temperature of some component of the aftertreatment system 70 (or the exhaust gas passing therethrough) is to be raised to a particular target temperature.

Thus, in some embodiments, the thermal management command is directly linked to the target temperature. In some embodiments, the target temperature is a predefined value of the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76. In other embodiments, the target temperature correlates to a target conversion efficiency of the SCR catalyst 76, such that the target temperature is the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 at which the SCR catalyst 76 reduces a desired amount or percentage of NOx in the exhaust stream. In these embodiments, the value of the target temperature may then be dependent on the emission legislation in the region where the vehicle 10 is located, as local emission legislation determines the required amount of NOx which in turn determines the target temperature. In a further embodiment, the target temperature is associated with a modeled temperature of a catalyst (e.g., an SCR catalyst), which may be based on at least one of an exhaust temperature, an exhaust mass flow rate, or an ambient temperature. In this case, the catalyst model (stored by the controller) relates the temperature of the catalyst to the determined values of the ambient temperature, the exhaust gas temperature, and/or the ambient temperature. Thus, without a catalyst temperature sensor, the controller may estimate the catalyst temperature based on these determinations using a catalyst temperature model. In yet another embodiment, the target temperature is a predefined value for the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing through the aftertreatment system 70.

In those embodiments where the location circuit 52 is determining upcoming travel data, the warmth retention circuit 54 may include these upcoming emission regulations into the command. For example, if the location circuit 52 indicates that the vehicle 10 will soon be traveling in a geographic area where emissions regulations are stricter than the current location, the keep-warm circuit 54 may provide a thermal management command in anticipation of higher standards to warm the SCR catalyst 76 ahead of the stricter emissions regulations to a desired operating temperature. Conversely, if the location circuit 52 indicates that the vehicle 10 will soon be traveling in a geographic area where emissions regulations are less stringent than the current location, the keep warm circuit 54 may disable thermal management commands where lower standards are expected, thereby saving unnecessary expenditure of resources. Alternatively, circuitry 54 may provide thermal management commands corresponding to less stringent requirements (i.e., less catalyst heating is required since it is not subject to stringent emissions requirements). By adjusting the thermal management commands in these situations, circuitry 54 avoids consuming resources (e.g., battery power, fuel, etc.) when not otherwise required by local laws.

In embodiments where the location circuit 52 sets a different geo-fenced area for each emission regulation (i.e., one geo-fence for NOx regulations and one geo-fence for HC regulations), the warmth keeping circuit 54 provides a particular thermal management command accordingly. For example, if the location circuit 52 has established a geo-fenced area with relatively loose NOx emissions regulations and the location circuit 52 determines that the vehicle 10 is approaching the boundary of the geo-fenced area and entering a geo-fenced area with stricter NOx emissions regulations, then the keep warm circuit 54 may provide thermal management commands related to only those components affecting NOx emissions (e.g., the SCR catalyst 76).

However, in some embodiments, the warmth retention circuit 54 may not provide or may disable or provide a different thermal management command if the SCR catalyst 76 (or other relevant component of the aftertreatment system 70) and/or the exhaust gas reaches or is already at the desired operating (i.e., target) temperature. For example, in the event that the vehicle 10 will soon enter a geo-fenced area with stricter emissions regulations, the warmth retention circuit 54 may not provide a thermal management command that may otherwise be provided if the warmth retention circuit 54 receives an indication that the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 (e.g., from the catalyst sensor 82) or the exhaust gas (e.g., from one or more temperature sensors) is already at the target temperature. Similarly, if the NOx emissions output (i.e., the amount of NOx remaining in the exhaust after the exhaust passes through the aftertreatment system 70) is acceptable (e.g., at or below local regulations, below a predetermined target value, etc.) even if the catalyst or exhaust temperature is below a predefined temperature, the warmth-keeping circuit may not provide or may disable or provide different thermal management commands regardless of the temperature of the SCR catalyst or exhaust. In this regard, thermal management commands are bypassed because emissions are acceptable despite conditions below optimal catalyst activity (e.g., catalyst temperatures below a predefined target or threshold temperature).

The target temperature may be a predefined temperature (e.g., 250℃.), or may be a temperature at which the SCR catalyst reaches a predefined conversion efficiency, as evidenced by a relatively low value of NOx output of aftertreatment system 70 (e.g., 0.02 g/bhp-hr). In those embodiments where the target temperature is defined by the amount of NOx output from the aftertreatment system 70, the target temperature may be different in jurisdictions with different emission regulations, as stricter emission regulations may require different operating temperatures of the SCR catalyst 76. In this way, the target temperature may be determined in part by information from the particular location of the location circuit 52. Alternatively, if the vehicle has been operating for longer than a predefined period of time (e.g., 2 hours), the warmth retention circuit 54 may refuse to provide the thermal management command because the SCR catalyst 76 (or other related components of the aftertreatment system 70) has reached the desired operating temperature (and thus the desired operating efficiency) by standard operation of the engine 12 during that period of time. In other embodiments, the target temperature is defined as an exhaust temperature at which the exhaust is expected to heat the SCR catalyst (or other relevant components of the aftertreatment system 70) to a desired operating temperature, or may be defined by a catalyst model described herein as a function of at least one of exhaust temperature, exhaust mass flow rate, or ambient temperature.

In some embodiments, the warmth retention circuit 54 provides a thermal management command without input from the location circuit 52. In these embodiments, the warmth retention circuit 54 determines whether the SCR catalyst 76 (or other component of the aftertreatment system 70) remains warm throughout the period when the engine 12 is shut down based on the predictive capability. For example, if the engine 12 is shut down when the fuel level is low, the keep-warm circuit 54 predicts that the vehicle 10 is being refueled and provides a thermal management command when a brief stop is expected so that the SCR catalyst remains at a particular operating temperature throughout the brief stop.

In some embodiments, the warmth retention circuit 54 receives an indication from the location circuit 52 that the vehicle 10 is in a jurisdiction where the driver needs to rest. In response, the keep warm circuit 54 determines that the period of vehicle 10 inactivity (i.e., the period of time that the engine 12 is shut down) is a jurisdiction forced break, and the keep warm circuit 54 disables thermal management commands for a longer period of time (i.e., longer than the time to stop fueling) in which the jurisdiction forced break is expected, and then provides thermal management commands for a short time before the driver break ends in order to warm the SCR catalyst 76 in anticipation of the activity of the vehicle 10 in an effort to bring the SCR catalyst 76 to a particular operating efficiency before the activity of the vehicle 10, so that a peak (i.e., relatively sudden increase) emission condition does not occur when driving resumes. In another example embodiment, the warmth retention circuit 54 receives information about the driving schedule of the vehicle 10 and provides heat management commands based on the driving schedule to preemptively warm the SCR catalyst 76 during a scheduled break.

The CDA circuit 56 is configured to receive the thermal management command from the keep-warm circuit 54 and determine whether it is feasible to keep the SCR catalyst 76 warm with the CDA system 44. In making this determination, the CDA circuitry analyzes the CDA parameters. These CDA parameters may include driver preferences to avoid additional noise, vibration, and harshness associated with the operation of the CDA system 44, the durability of the overall CDA system 44, the lubricant level of the engine 12, and the expected power output of the engine 12. For example, if the CDA circuit 56 receives a thermal management command from the warmth retention circuit 54, and the vehicle 10 is going downhill for the next two miles and the power demand is reduced, the CDA circuit 56 sends a signal to the CDA system 44 to activate because the power demand reduction means that the engine 12 is able to meet demand even if the activated CDA system 44 is accompanied by a reduction in power output. Further, based on the thermal management command, the CDA circuit 56 may vary or adjust the amount of deactivated cylinders such that if the thermal management command indicates that the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 is to be increased by a large amount (i.e., the vehicle 10 is starting after a long break), the CDA circuit 56 will direct the CDA system to increase the number of deactivated cylinders in order to increase the temperature more significantly.

The HC dosing circuit 58 is configured to receive thermal management commands from the warmth retention circuit 54 and determine whether it is feasible to keep the SCR catalyst 76 warm using HC dosing by the HC doser 46 or the fuel injectors. In making such a determination, the HC dosing circuit 58 analyzes the HC parameters. As the HC dosing consumes fuel, these HC parameters may include the vehicle 10 fuel level. In this example embodiment, if the warmth retention circuit 54 provides a thermal management command but the fuel level of the vehicle 10 is low, the HC fueling circuit 58 sends a signal to the HC doser 46 and/or the fuel injectors to disable fueling. Further, based on the thermal management command, the HC dosing circuit 58 may vary or adjust the amount of fuel dosed, or may utilize a combination of an in-cylinder fuel injection event with the fuel injector and an external post-cylinder HC injection event with the HC doser 46, such that if the thermal management command indicates that the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 is to be increased by a significant amount (i.e., the vehicle 10 is starting after a long break), the HC dosing circuit will direct the HC doser 46 and/or the fuel injector to provide a significant amount of fuel, or utilize both the in-cylinder fuel injection event and the external post-cylinder HC injection event.

The electric heater circuit 60 is configured to receive thermal management commands from the warmth retention circuit 54 and determine whether it is feasible to use the electric heater 48 to keep the SCR catalyst 76 warm. In making such a determination, the electric heater circuit 60 analyzes the electric heater parameter. These electric heater parameters may include the vehicle 10 battery level. In the exemplary embodiment, if warmth retention circuit 54 provides a thermal management command but the battery level of vehicle 10 is low, electric heater circuit 60 sends a signal to electric heater 48 to disable heating. Further, based on the thermal management command, the electric heater circuit 60 may vary or adjust the amount of heating from the electric heater 48 such that if the thermal management command indicates that the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76 is to increase by a large amount (i.e., the vehicle 10 is starting up after a long break), the electric heater circuit 60 will direct the electric heater 48 to provide a large amount of heating. In some embodiments, engaging the electric heater 48 prioritizes other responses to thermal management commands (i.e., CDA and HC dosing) due to lack of fuel consumption.

Referring now to fig. 3, a method 200 for enabling and disabling SCR keep-warm and related processes based on physical location is shown, according to an example embodiment. The method 200 begins at step 202, where the controller 26 analyzes the position of the vehicle (via the position circuit 52). At step 204, the controller 26 determines (via the position circuit 52) whether an ultra-low NOx demand is present at the location of the vehicle 10. If not, normal engine 12 operation continues at step 206. If so, the controller 26 provides a heat management command (via the warmth retention circuit 54) at step 208.

The controller 26 then analyzes the viability of the CDA system (via the CDA circuitry 56) at step 210 by taking into account driver preferences, power requirements, oil level, and overall system status of the vehicle 10. If operation of the CDA system is possible based on the analysis of step 210, the controller 26 sends a signal (via the CDA circuitry 56) at step 212 to enable the CDA system 44 at step 214, and then proceeds to step 216. If operation of the CDA is not possible, the controller 26 analyzes the feasibility of HC dosing at step 216 based on the fuel level of the vehicle 10 (via the HC dosing circuit 58). If HC dosing is possible based on the analysis of step 216, the controller 26 sends a signal to the HC doser 46 (via the HC dosing circuit 58) at step 218 to be enabled at step 220, and then proceeds to step 222. If HC dosing is not feasible, the controller 26 analyzes the feasibility of operating the electric heater 48 (via the electric heater circuit 60) at step 222 based on the battery level of the vehicle 10. If it is feasible to operate the electric heater 48, the controller 26 sends a signal (via the electric heater circuit 60) to the electric heater 48 at step 224, thereby enabling the electric heater 48 at step 226. Otherwise, the controller 26 ends the method at step 228.

Thus, the controller 26 is configured or constructed to manage the HC doser 46, the CDA system 44, and the heater 48 based on the situation and location. For example, in the event that SCR catalyst 76 is to be heated as soon as possible due to an impending zone with stringent emissions regulations, controller 26 may issue a command to activate all three components to provide as much heating capacity as possible. In this way, each of the HC doser 46, the CDA system 44, and the heater 48 may be activated and operated simultaneously in response to a single thermal management command from the controller 26. Advantageously, utilizing all of these thermal management commands together may quickly facilitate a temperature increase when the catalyst temperature is below a predefined threshold. However, issuing these commands simultaneously may require analysis of the operating conditions of the vehicle (e.g., the battery of the vehicle 10 providing power to the heater 48 is below a predefined SOC (e.g., a predefined SOC threshold or level), so only the CDA system 44 and the HC doser 46 are engaged). In this way, the controller 26 analyzes the particular conditions (i.e., current location, local emissions regulations, operating conditions of the vehicle 10, component temperatures of the aftertreatment system 70, etc.) and issues commands to the various components in response to the analysis (if the temperature of the SCR catalyst is below 250 ℃, the vehicle 10 is approaching a region with stringent emissions regulations, and the SOC of the battery is above 50%, the controller 26 will issue a command to activate the heater 48 to increase the temperature of the SCR catalyst 76).

Further, in some embodiments, if the controller 26 determines that each of the HC doser 46, the CDA system 44, and the heater 48 is viable (i.e., capable of being engaged based on current operating conditions), the controller 26 prioritizes the heater 48 and, thus, the heater 48, rather than the HC doser 46 and the CDA system 44, so as to avoid excessive fuel consumption. By engaging the heater 48 instead of the CDA system 44 or the HC doser 46, the controller 26 avoids or substantially avoids additional fuel consumption while still adequately meeting thermal management commands, since engaging the heater 48 may not consume fuel directly when both the HC doser 46 and the CDA system 44 are involved in some level of fuel make-up.

As used herein, the terms "about," "approximately," "substantially," and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning, consistent with the ordinary and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. Those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will appreciate that these terms are intended to allow certain features to be described and claimed without limiting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the described and claimed subject matter are considered within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

It should be noted that the term "example" and variations thereof as used herein to describe various embodiments is intended to represent possible examples, representations or illustrations of possible embodiments of such embodiments (and such terms are not intended to imply that such embodiments must be extraordinary or optimal examples).

As used herein, the term "couple" and variations thereof mean that two members are directly or indirectly connected to each other. Such a connection may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or movable (e.g., movable or releasable). Such a connection may be made by coupling two members directly to each other, coupling two members to each other using one or more separate intermediate members, or coupling two members to each other using an intermediate member integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If "coupled" or variations thereof are modified by additional terms (e.g., directly coupled), the general definition of "coupled" provided above will be modified by the plain language meaning of the additional terms (e.g., "directly coupled" refers to the joining of two members without any separate intermediate members), resulting in a definition that is narrower than the general definition of "coupled" provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical or fluidic. For example, circuit a being communicatively "coupled" to circuit B may mean that circuit a is in direct communication with circuit B (i.e., without intermediaries) or in indirect communication with circuit B (e.g., through one or more intermediaries).

References herein to element positions (e.g., "top," "bottom," "above," "below") are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the figures. It should be noted that the orientation of the various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that these variations are intended to be covered by the present disclosure.

While various circuits having particular functionality are shown in fig. 2, it should be understood that controller 26 may include any number of circuits for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the activities and functions of the location circuit 52, the warmth-holding circuit 54, the CDA circuit 56, the HC dosing circuit 58, and the electric heater circuit 60 may be combined in multiple circuits or as a single circuit. Additional circuitry with additional functionality may also be included. In addition, the controller 26 may also control other activities beyond the scope of this disclosure.

As described above, in one configuration, "circuitry" may be implemented in a machine-readable medium for execution by various types of processors (e.g., processor 34 of FIG. 2). For example, circuitry of the identified executable code may comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified circuit need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the circuit and achieve the stated purpose for the circuit. Indeed, the circuitry of the computer readable program code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within circuitry, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

Although the term "processor" is briefly defined above, the terms "processor" and "processing circuitry" are intended to be broadly construed. In this regard and as described above, a "processor" may be implemented as one or more processors, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), or other suitable electronic data processing components constructed or configured to execute instructions provided by a memory. The one or more processors may take the form of single-core processors, multi-core processors (e.g., dual-core processors, three-core processors, four-core processors, etc.), microprocessors, and the like. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may be external to the apparatus, e.g., the one or more processors may be remote processors (e.g., cloud-based processors). Preferably or additionally, the one or more processors may be internal and/or local to the apparatus. In this regard, a given circuit or component thereof may be disposed locally (e.g., as part of a local server, local computing system, etc.) or remotely (e.g., as part of a remote server, such as a cloud-based server). To this end, a "circuit" as described herein may include components distributed over one or more locations.

Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include program products comprising machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. For example, machine-executable instructions comprise instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.

The computer readable medium may also be a computer readable signal medium. A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein (e.g., in baseband or as part of a carrier wave). Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electrical, electromagnetic, magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport computer readable program code for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Computer readable program code embodied on a computer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, Radio Frequency (RF), etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

In one embodiment, a computer-readable medium may comprise a combination of one or more computer-readable storage media and one or more computer-readable signal media. For example, the computer readable program code may be propagated as electromagnetic signals over optical fiber cables for execution by a processor and stored on a RAM storage device for execution by the processor.

Computer readable program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more other programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, SimalTalk, C + + or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone computer readable package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

Program code may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the schematic flowchart and/or schematic block diagram block or blocks.

Although the figures and descriptions may show a particular order of method steps, the order of the steps may differ from that depicted and described unless otherwise specified above. In addition, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence, unless specified otherwise above. Such variations may depend, for example, on the software and hardware systems selected and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the present disclosure. Likewise, software implementations of the described methods can be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps. It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the system as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. In addition, any element disclosed in one embodiment may be combined with or utilized by any other embodiment disclosed herein.

It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the devices and systems as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. In addition, any element disclosed in one embodiment may be combined with or utilized by any other embodiment disclosed herein.