Vibration sensors for internal combustion engines
First Claim
1. For an internal combustion engine having a liquid coolant supply for cooling said engine, a combustion condition sensing system comprising:
- passage means communicating with said engine for containing said coolant, said passage means extending away from said engine to provide a portion which is remote from said engine and being at least in part elastomeric to isolate said remote portion from substantial direct vibrations of said engine,a vibration sensor which is responsive to vibrations indicative of said combustion condition; and
mounting means for mounting said vibration sensor on said remote portion of said passage means so that said vibration sensor is in vibration communication with said coolant for sensing vibrations transmitted through said coolant from said engine but is isolated from substantial direct vibration of said engine.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Several embodiments and mountings of a vibration sensor are disclosed, all of which are suitable for detecting vibrations diagnostic of a combustion in a combustion chamber of a liquid cooled internal combustion engine. The channel for collection and transmission of these vibrations from the combustion chamber to the sensor in each embodiment includes the liquid engine coolant. In some of the embodiments, the sensor detects flexure of portions of the walls of the existing structure of the engine cooling system apart from the primary rigid structure of the engine. Dimensions of coolant system passages may be modified to tune or emphasize certain frequencies delivered to a sensor. To improve signal to noise ratio of the dignostic vibrations seen by the sensor, portions or extensions of the cooling system may be damped or silenced, or alternatively, damping or silencing may be applied to the entire cooling system. To the extent damping is applied, it additionally may result in reduced noise coupled to the atmosphere as occurs particularly via the large areas of the liquid to air heat exchanger surfaces.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. For an internal combustion engine having a liquid coolant supply for cooling said engine, a combustion condition sensing system comprising:
-
passage means communicating with said engine for containing said coolant, said passage means extending away from said engine to provide a portion which is remote from said engine and being at least in part elastomeric to isolate said remote portion from substantial direct vibrations of said engine, a vibration sensor which is responsive to vibrations indicative of said combustion condition; and mounting means for mounting said vibration sensor on said remote portion of said passage means so that said vibration sensor is in vibration communication with said coolant for sensing vibrations transmitted through said coolant from said engine but is isolated from substantial direct vibration of said engine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. For an internal combustion engine having a liquid coolant supply for cooling said engine, a combustion condition sensing system comprising:
-
passage means communicating with said internal combustion engine containing said coolant and having a closed end, said passage means having a length which is predetermined in accordance with the frequency of vibrations which are indicative of a detonation of a charge in said engine; a vibration sensor which is responsive to vibrations indicative of said combustion condition; and mounting means for mounting said vibration sensor on said passage means remote from said engine but in vibration communication with said coolant for sensing vibrations transmitted through said coolant from said engine.
-
-
11. For an internal combustion engine having a supply of a liquid coolant for cooling said engine, a combustion condition sensing system comprising:
-
an elastomeric hose providing a coolant passage communicating with said internal combustion engine for containing said coolant and having a portion which is remote from said engine; a vibration sensor which is responsive to vibrations indicative of said combustion condition; and mounting means mounting said vibration sensor on said remote portion of elastomeric hose so that said vibration sensor is in vibration communication with said coolant for sensing vibrations transmitted through said coolant and so that said elastomeric hose isolates said vibration sensor from direct vibrations of said engine. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. For an internal combustion engine having a supply of a liquid collant for cooling said engine, a combustion condition sensing system comprising:
-
an elastomeric hose providing a coolant passage communicating with said internal combustion engine for containing said coolant and having a portion with a closed end; a vibration sensor which is responsive to vibrations indicative of said combustion condition; and mounting means mounting said vibration sensor on said closed end portion of said elastomeric hose so that said vibration sensor is in vibration communication with said coolant for sensing vibrations transmitted through said coolant and so that said elastomeric hose isolates said vibration sensor from said engine. - View Dependent Claims (18)
-
-
19. For an internal combustion engine, a combustion condition sensing system capable of sensing a vibration condition comprising:
-
a vibration sensor which is responsive to vibrations indicative of said vibration condition; and passage means interposed between said vibration sensor and said engine and containing a liquid for transmitting vibrations from said engine to said vibration sensor, said passage means including attenuating means for attenuating vibrations of at least one predetermined frequency and for transmitting vibrations of at least another predetermined frequency.
-
-
20. For an internal combustion engine having a coolant supply passage communicating with said internal combustion engine for containing a liquid coolant for cooling said engine, the improvement comprising:
-
attenuating means in said coolant passage for attenuating vibrations of at least one predetermined frequency to a greater extent than vibrations of at least another predetermined frequency; vibration sensing means which is responsive to vibrations of said at least another predetermined frequency for indicating a combustion condition; and mounting means for mounting said vibration sensor or said coolant passage in communication with said attenuating means for sensing said vibrations of said at least another frequency.
-
-
21. A method for testing an internal combustion engine having a sensor for detecting a vibration characteristic of the combustion of a charge in a combustion chamber of said engine comprising the steps of:
-
generating a pressure impulse in a combustion chamber of said engine while the engine is not operating; and evaluating the vibrations received by said sensor as a result of said pressure impulse in the absence of the normal vibrations created by said engine when said engine is operating. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
-
Specification