Glow plug controller

• US 5,507,255 A
• Filed: 03/17/1994
• Issued: 04/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uusi LLC (Nartron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nartron Corporation
• Inventors: Kienitz, Thomas P., Zoerner, Marty M., Boisvert, Mario P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolinar, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US08/210,247
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 123/145 A, 123/179.6, 123/179.21, 361/264, 361/265, 361/752, 361/757
• US Class Current: 123/145.00A
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 2007/0092 Transparent materials
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/02 electric, e.g. layout of circuits of apparatus having glowing plugs

Abstract

An improved glow plug controller for a diesel engine is disclosed. The glow plug controller has a novel packaging, and means for facilitating rapid and inexpensive assembly. A novel two-chamber tubular housing includes a smaller first chamber having a threaded exterior surface for engagement with a threaded hole in an engine block. This first chamber communicates with a larger second chamber also defined by the housing. A connector bearing conductive connector pins is provided for sealing the open end of the larger chamber. The connector includes a pair of support rails for engaging a piece of circuit board on which glow plug circuitry resides. In assembly, the circuit board is first mounted on the support rails which are subsequently inserted into the larger second chamber when the connector is affixed to the open end of the second chamber. The connector pins are conductively coupled to glow plug circuitry on the circuit board via portions of conductive foil on a surface of the circuit board. Each area of foil is aligned with a respective one of the connector pins, and the connector pins are directly conductively coupled to the foil areas by soldering. A unique short circuit cutoff is provided wherein a short circuit in the glow plug relay control disables application of power to the relay control circuit, and the power is re-enabled if the short circuit condition is remedied and the power to the glow plug controller is toggled.

Claims

1. A glow plug controller for a diesel engine having a block, said glow plug controller comprising:

a) a housing having a portion bearing external threads for mounting within a threaded recess of said block;

b) circuitry, including a temperature sensor and glow plug control circuitry for controlling glow plug operation as a function of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, said glow plug control circuitry and said temperature sensor disposed on a printed circuit board positioned within the housing and the temperature sensor being located within said threaded portion of said housing; and

c) means for conductively coupling said glow plug control circuitry to other circuitry external to said housing.

2. The glow plug controller of claim 1, wherein:

glow plug controller circuitry is spaced apart from the temperature sensor on the printed circuit board.

3. The glow plug controller of claim 1, wherein:

said threaded portion is located proximate an end of said housing.

4. A glow plug controller for use in connection with a diesel engine having a block defining a recess, said glow plug controller comprising:

a) a generally tubular housing having an outer wall surface defining threads adapted for engaging said housing in said recess of said engine block;

b) a temperature sensor within said housing;

c) glow plug controller circuitry within said housing and being coupled to said temperature sensor for controlling glow plug operation as a function of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor;

d) conductive coupling circuitry for conductively coupling said glow plug controller circuitry to circuitry external to said housing; and

e) said temperature sensor and the glow plug controller circuitry mounted on a printed circuit board, the board supported within the tubular housing and configured such that the temperature sensor is located within a portion of said housing which is located within said recess when said housing is engaged in said recess by said threads.

5. A glow plug controller for a diesel engine, the glow plug controller comprising:

a) a housing having a portion adapted for fixed mounting within a recess in a block of the diesel engine;

b) circuitry, including a temperature sensor and glow plug controller circuitry for controlling glow plug operation as a function of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, said glow plug controller circuitry and the temperature sensor disposed on a printed circuit board positioned within the housing, the temperature sensor being located within said housing portion extending into the recess of said engine block; and

c) means for conductively coupling said glow plug controller circuitry to other circuitry external to said housing.

6. The glow plug controller of claim 5, wherein:

said glow plug controller circuitry is spaced apart from the temperature sensor on the printed circuit board.

7. A glow plug controller comprising:

a) a housing comprising first and second interfitting parts and having a threaded portion adapted for mounting in a threaded recess of a diesel engine;

b) one of said parts defining structure including a pair of U-shaped channels for mounting thereon a printed circuit board and for holding said printed circuit board substantially fixed with respect to said one of said housing parts, and for maintaining said circuit board rigidly fixed within the housing formed by the interfitting of said two parts together; and

c) circuitry, including a temperature sensor and glow plug controller circuitry for controlling glow plug operation as a function of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, said glow plug controller circuitry and the temperature sensor disposed on the printed circuit board, the temperature sensor being located within the threaded portion of the housing.

8. A glow plug controller for use in connection with a diesel engine having a block defining a jacket for engine coolant, said glow plug controller comprising:

a) a housing adapted for mounting in a recess of the engine block;

b) circuitry, including a temperature sensor and glow plug controller circuitry for controlling glow plug operation as a function of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, said glow plug controller circuitry and the temperature sensor being mounted on a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board configured such that the temperature sensor is located within a portion of the housing extending into the recess of the engine block, the temperature sensor being thermally coupled to the exterior of said housing by a path of low thermal resistance; and

c) means for coupling said glow plug controller circuitry to circuitry external to said housing.