Method for operating an internal combustion engine

• US 20080059048A1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kolbe, Michael, Kessler, Michael, Bossmeyer, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/103
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/227 Limping Home, i.e. taking specific engine control measures at abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/023 by determining the cylinder pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/009 using means for generating position or synchronisation signals
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/222 relating to the failure of sensors or parameter detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

To enable operation of an internal combustion engine even without the signals of a phase sensor while nonetheless enabling an emergency driving function in the case of a disturbance of a crankshaft signal acquired by a crankshaft sensor, a cylinder pressure is acquired using a cylinder pressure sensor and it is checked whether the cylinder pressure reaches a prespecifiable threshold value. When the threshold value is reached or exceeded, an angular position associated with the threshold value is inferred. The angular position is then made available for an operation of the internal combustion engine.

Claims

1. A method for operating an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a cylinder pressure sensor allocated to the cylinder, the method comprising:

acquiring a cylinder pressure by the cylinder pressure sensor;

checking whether the cylinder pressure reaches a prespecifiable threshold value;

when the threshold value is reached, inferring an angular position associated with the threshold value; and

making available the angular position for an operation of the internal combustion engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is prespecified so that at least one of the following is satisfied:

the threshold value is reached only once per work cycle;

the threshold value describes a pressure that occurs during the compression phase;

the threshold value describes a pressure that occurs during the compression phase before the beginning of a combustion;

the threshold value describes a pressure that occurs during the compression phase and that is sufficiently far removed from the low-pressure phase that a disturbance due to the transition from the low-pressure phase to the compression phase is as low as possible; and

the threshold value describes a pressure that occurs during the compression phase before the beginning of a fuel metering, so that a controlling of a fuel metering device is possible by taking into account the angular position that is determined when the threshold value is reached.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold value describes a maximum pressure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the internal combustion engine is operated with a late combustion so that the pressure curve has two maxima and the threshold value corresponds to a first maximum.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using at least one additional pressure sensor allocated to at least one additional cylinder, the cylinder pressure of the additional cylinder is acquired, and it is checked whether the cylinder pressure reaches a prespecifiable additional threshold value, and, when the additional threshold value is reached, an angular position associated with the threshold value is inferred.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the same threshold value is prespecified for all of the cylinders.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold values are selected so that angular positions associated with the threshold values of each pair of successive cylinders have the same angular difference.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the threshold value and the angular position is determined as a function of a charge pressure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the angular position is determined as a function of a prespecifiable, operating point-dependent loss angle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein intermediate values for a continuous position determination are determined by extrapolating values between each pair of angular positions determined as a function of the cylinder pressure.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein an angular speed is determined as a function of the determined angular values, and a current rotational speed is inferred therefrom.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

at least one cylinder pressure sensor is allocated to a first set of cylinder pressure sensors, and at least one additional cylinder pressure sensor is allocated to a second set of cylinder pressure sensors, the first and second set being disjoint, and a first angular speed is determined as a function of the acquired cylinder pressures of the first set of cylinders and a second angular speed is determined as a function of the acquired cylinder pressures of the second set of cylinders, and

one of the following is satisfied;

the angular speed is formed from a mean value of the first angular speed and the second angular speed, and

a plausibility test of the first angular speed is carried out and the angular speed is formed from the second angular speed if the first angular speed is not plausible.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein a time between a reaching of the threshold value and a subsequent reaching of the threshold value by the same or by another cylinder pressure sensor is determined, and a current rotational speed is inferred as a function of an angular difference and the determined time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

at least one cylinder pressure sensor is allocated to a first set and at least one cylinder pressure sensor is allocated to a second set, the first and the second set being disjoint, and a first rotational speed is determined as a function of the acquired cylinder pressures of the first set of cylinders and a second rotational speed is determined as a function of the acquired cylinder pressures of the second set of cylinders, and

one of the following is satisfied;

the rotational speed is formed from a mean value of the first rotational speed and the second rotational speed, and

a plausibility test of the first rotational speed is carried out and the rotational speed is formed from the second rotational speed if the first rotational speed is not plausible.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein an acceleration is determined and a rotational speed is determined as a function of the determined acceleration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the acceleration is determined by comparing a time difference and a previously measured time difference.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations are permanently executed at least after synchronization of the internal combustion engine has taken place during a startup, one of the following being satisfied:

performing a plausibility test of a crankshaft sensor,

performing a plausibility test of a phase sensor,

performing a plausibility test of the pressure sensor,

inferring an ignition misfiring, and

inferring a threat of an engine overload.

18. An internal combustion engine system, comprising:

an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder;

a cylinder pressure sensor allocated to the at least one cylinder; and

a control arrangement for operating the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a cylinder pressure sensor allocated to the cylinder, by performing the following;

acquiring a cylinder pressure by the cylinder pressure sensor,

checking whether the cylinder pressure reaches a prespecifiable threshold value,

when the threshold value is reached, inferring an angular position associated with the threshold value, and

making available the angular position for an operation of the internal combustion engine.

19. A control device system for controlling an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder, a cylinder pressure sensor being allocated to the at least one cylinder, comprising:

a control arrangement connectable to the cylinder pressure sensor, wherein a signal that describes a cylinder pressure from the cylinder pressure sensor may be communicated to the control arrangement;

a testing arrangement to test whether the cylinder pressure reaches a prespecified threshold value;

an angular position inferring arrangement to infer an angular position associated with the threshold value if the prespecifiable threshold value is reached.

20. The control device system of claim 19, wherein the control arrangement is for operating an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder and a cylinder pressure sensor allocated to the cylinder, by performing the following:

acquiring the cylinder pressure by the cylinder pressure sensor;

checking whether the cylinder pressure reaches the prespecifiable threshold value;

when the threshold value is reached, inferring the angular position associated with the threshold value; and

making available the angular position for an operation of the internal combustion engine.

21. A computer readable medium having a computer program that is executable by a computing device of a control device for controlling an internal combustion engine, comprising:

program code for performing the following;

acquiring the cylinder pressure by the cylinder pressure sensor;

checking whether the cylinder pressure reaches the prespecifiable threshold value;

when the threshold value is reached, inferring the angular position associated with the threshold value; and

making available the angular position for an operation of the internal combustion engine.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer program is stored on a storage element allocated to the computing device, the storage element including one of a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an optical storage medium, and a magnetic storage medium.