Engine control system

• US 5,111,405 A
• Filed: 06/08/1990
• Issued: 05/05/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kenichi, Maeda, Yuji, Nagano, Masami, Nakamura, Yozo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Auchterlonie, Thomas S.
• Application Number:
  US07/534,948
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 364/431.07, 364/431.08, 364/565, 364/551.01, 123/419, 123/436, 73/116, 73/119 A
• US Class Current: 701/110
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/04 with fuel-air mixture admission into cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/027 four
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/1015 Engines misfires
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0097 using means for generating speed signals
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1498 measuring engine roughness
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/045 combined with electronic control of other engine functions, e.g. fuel injection in general F02D37/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1512 with particular means concerning an individual cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1556 using a stepped control, dependent on speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

In an engine control system of the type in which engine control data is calculated for each of a plurality of cylinders, rotation angular speeds of the crank shaft are sequentially detected as individual pistons of the plurality of cylinders take an identical, predetermined stroke position, for example, top speed position and rotation speed data and control data are calculated on the basis of the detected rotation angular speed.

Claims

1. An engine control system of a type in which engine control data necessary for controlling at least one of ignition timing and fuel supply amount of an engine is calculated for each of a plurality of cylinders, said control system comprising:

rotation angular speed detection means for sequentially and independently detecting rotation angular speeds of the engine crankshaft during timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle having a duration within 720/2N which straddle the point of highest crankshaft rotation speed for each cylinder (N indicating the number of cylinders of the engine); and

data calculation means for calculating rotation speed data for each cylinder in response to angular speeds detected by said rotation angular speed detection means during said timing periods which straddle only said point of highest crankshaft rotation speed, said engine control data being calculated by using the rotation speed-dependent data for each cylinder.

2. An engine control system according to claim 1, wherein said timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle each are substantially centered on positions at which the torque of a cylinder inverts from positive to negative during the combustion stroke in the direction of rotation.

3. An engine control system according to claim 2 further comprising means for advancing ignition timing for a cylinder at a speed lower than a target rotation speed and retarding ignition timing for a cylinder at a speed higher than the target rotation speed, so as to minimize the uneveness in rotation speed among cylinders.

4. An engine control system according to claim 2, wherein said rotation angular speed detection means comprises means for generating an angle measuring section signal at a time spaced from the top dead center by a predetermined crank angle, said signal having a duration corresponding to said predetermined crankshaft rotation angle, and means for determining the time length of said duration so as to detect angular speed data.

5. An engine control system according to claim 2 further comprising means for measuring, after a predetermined number of pulses of a POS signal beginning with a REF signal are detected, an interval of time during which a predetermined number of pulses of the POS signal are counted, so as to detect angular speed data.

6. An engine control system according to claim 2, wherein said timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle have a duration within 720/2N (N indicating the number of cylinders of the engine).

7. An engine control system according to claim 6, wherein the duration of said timing periods is 40°

of angular rotation of the crankshaft.

8. An engine control system according to claim 1, wherein said timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle are substantially centered at a mid position between the top and bottom dead centers of the combustion stroke.

9. An engine control system of a type in which engine control data necessary for controlling at least one of ignition timing and fuel supply amount of an engine is calculated for each of a plurality of cylinders, said control system comprising:

rotation angular speed detection means for sequentially and independently detecting rotation angular speeds of the engine crankshaft during timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle;

data calculation means for calculating rotation speed data for each cylinder in response to angular speeds detected by said rotation angular speed detection means, said engine control data being calculated by using the rotation speed-dependent data for each cylinder; and

means for suspending data detection for a predetermined time when a difference Δ

N_i between angular speed data N_i detected for a current timing period i and angular speed data N_i-1 detected for an immediately preceding timing period i-1 exceeds a predetermined value and resuming data detection at a cylinder succeeding a cylinder at which the data N_i is detected.

10. An engine control system of a type in which engine control data necessary for controlling at least one of ignition timing and fuel supply amount of an engine is calculated for each of a plurality of cylinders, said control system comprising:

rotation angular speed detection means for sequentially and independently detecting rotation angular speeds of the engine crankshaft during timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle having a duration within 720/2N only in the vicinity of highest crankshaft rotation speed for each cylinder (N indicating the number of cylinders of the engine); and

data calculation means for calculating rotation speed data for each cylinder in response to angular speeds detected by said rotation angular speed detection means, said engine control data being calculated by using the rotation speed-dependent data for each cylinder.

11. An engine control system according to claim 10, wherein said timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle each are substantially centered on positions at which the torque of a cylinder inverts from positive to negative during the combustion stroke in the direction of rotation.

12. An engine control system according to claim 10, wherein said timing periods of substantially identical predetermined crankshaft rotation angle are substantially centered at a mid position between the top and bottom dead centers of the combustion stroke.