Method and device for detecting the exchange of sheathed-element glow plugs in a combustion engine

• US 20090193882A1
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Dressler, Wolfgang, Moritz, Rainer
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/114.62
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 17/00 Testing of ignition installations, e.g. in combination with adjusting testing fuel injection apparatus F02M65/00; testing ignition installations in general F23Q23/00; Testing of ignition timing in compression-ignition engines
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/025 with means for determining glow plug temperature or glow plug resistance
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/027 Safety devices, e.g. for diagnosing the glow plugs or the related circuits

Abstract

A method and a device for detecting the exchange of sheathed-element glow plugs (GPE) in a combustion engine, in which at least one electric characteristic quantity of at least one glow plug is measured at the beginning of a driving cycle, an instantaneous value of this characteristic quantity is determined and compared to at least one stored value of the same electric variable quantity of this glow plug, which was determined at the beginning of at least one preceding driving cycle, and if the deviation of the instantaneous value from the stored value exceeds a specifiable threshold value, an exchange of the glow plug (GPE) will be inferred.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an exchange of glow plugs (GPE) in a combustion engine, the method comprising:

measuring at least one electric characteristic quantity of at least one glow plug at a beginning of a driving cycle;

determining an instantaneous value of the characteristic quantity and comparing it to at least one stored value of the same electric characteristic quantity of the glow plug, which had been determined at a start of at least one preceding driving cycle; and

if a deviation of the instantaneous value from the stored value exceeds a specifiable threshold value, inferring an exchange of the glow plug.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, to determine a deviation of the instantaneous value from the stored value, the amount-wise change in the values is related to an absolute value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the value for the at least one electric characteristic quantity is formed from a glow plug vector, which includes the at least one electric characteristic quantity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein values of electric characteristic quantities are stored across driving cycles, and a glow plug exchange (GPE) is inferred from a discontinuity of the instantaneous value with respect to the stored value characteristic.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein temporal changes are derived from the stored values of electric characteristic quantities, and a glow plug exchange (GPE) is inferred from a discontinuity of an instantaneous value change and the historic change characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electric characteristic quantities include at least one of a cold resistance, a hot resistance, and a change in resistance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a comparison of values of electric characteristic quantities takes place only if identical operating states of the combustion engine are present.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operating states include at least one of a cooling water temperature, an injection quantity, a rotational speed, and an energy loading of the sheathed-element glow plugs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a glow plug exchange (GPE) of all glow plugs is inferred from the deviation of the measured value from the stored value of a sheathed-element glow plug.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the inferring of the exchange of the glow plug is used for at least one of aging compensation and temperature regulation of sheathed-element glow plugs in a combustion engine.

11. A device for detecting an exchange of sheathed-element glow plugs in a combustion engine, comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring at least one electric characteristic quantity of at least one sheathed-element glow plug;

a memory unit for storing at least one value of the at least one electric characteristic quantity; and

a detection unit to determine an instantaneous value of the electric characteristic quantities of a glow plug, and to compare the instantaneous value with at least one stored value of the same electric characteristic quantity of the glow plug, and to detect a glow plug exchange (GPE) if the deviation of the instantaneous value from the stored value exceeds a specifiable threshold value.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the memory unit is configured to store values of electric characteristic quantities across driving cycles, and the detection unit is configured to detect a discontinuity of the instantaneous value with respect to the stored value characteristic, upon which a glow plug exchange (GPE) is detected.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the detection unit is configured to derive variations over time from the stored values of electric characteristic quantities, and to detect a discontinuity of an instantaneous value change with respect to the historic change characteristic, upon which a glow plug exchange (GPE) is detected.

14. The device of claim 11, in which the detection unit is configured to detect operating states of the combustion engine and to compare instantaneous values of electric characteristic quantities with stored values of electric characteristic quantities under identical operating states of the engine.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the measuring unit, the memory unit, and the detection unit are one of (i) integrally arranged with one of an engine control unit and a sheathed-element glow plug control unit, and (ii) connected to one of the engine control unit and the sheathed-element glow plug control unit via an interface.