Engine-start discriminating apparatus for an internal combustion engine

• US 5,024,082 A
• Filed: 10/13/1989
• Issued: 06/18/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohkubo, Satoru, Washino, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MYRACLE, JERRY
• Application Number:
  US07/421,031
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 73/117.3, 73/116, 73/115, 123/435
• US Class Current: 73/114.16
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/023 by determining the cylinder pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/061 the corrections being time dependent
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0848 with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation

Abstract

An engine-start discriminating apparatus which comprises a cylinder pressure sensor for detecting a cylinder pressure in an internal combustion engine, a combustion parameter operating component for extracting for an arithmetic operation a parameter of combustion indicating a state of combustion in the engine on the basis of the output signal of the cylinder pressure sensor, and a start discriminating component for discriminating the starting of the engine on the basis of the output of the operating component.

Claims

1. An engine-start discriminating apparatus which comprises:

a cylinder pressure sensor for detecting a cylinder pressure in an internal combustion engine;

a combustion parameter operating means for extracting a parameter of combustion indicating a state of combustion in the engine on the basis of the output signal of said cylinder pressure sensor; and

a start discriminating means for discriminating the starting of the engine on the basis of the output of the operating means.

2. The engine-start discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said parameter of combustion is one selected from the group consisting of the maximum value of cylinder pressure (P_max), the position of the crank angle given at the maximum value (θ

P_max), the maximum rate of increase of cylinder pressure (dP/dθ

max) and a graphically represented average effective pressure (Pi).

3. The engine-start discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cylinder pressure sensor constitutes a seat for an ignition plug attached to said engine.

4. An engine-start discriminating apparatus which comprises:

a cylinder pressure sensor for detecting a cylinder pressure in an internal combustion engine;

a combustion parameter operating means for extracting a parameters of combustion indicating a state of combustion in the engine on the basis of the output signal of said cylinder pressure sensor, wherein said parameters are one of the groups of;

the maximum value of cylinder pressure (P_max) and the position of crank angle given at the maximum value (θ

P_max); and

, the effective pressure (Pi); and

a start discriminating means for discriminating the starting of the engine on the basis of the output of the operating means, by discriminating the starting of the engine when one of;

the maximum value of cylinder pressure (P_max) and position of crank angle (θ

P_max) occurs at at least a predetermined position after a Top Dead Center (TDC) position; and

, the effective pressure (Pi) exceeds a predetermined average effective pressure.

5. The engine-start discriminating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said cylinder pressure sensor constitutes a seat for an ignition plug attached to said engine.