Apparatus for detecting trouble states in engine

• US 5,848,372 A
• Filed: 11/09/1995
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kuraray Company Limited, TOHO Gas Company Limited
• Original Assignee: TOHO Gas Company Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Yoshiharu, Asano, Keishi
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US08/555,405
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 364/431.04, 364/431.11, 364/431.061, 364/551.01, 364/431.01, 364/423.098, 123/670, 123/481, 123/676, 123/571, 123/316, 123/90.1, 123/569, 123/436, 123/90.15, 123/90.17, 73/117.3, 73/115, 73/118.1, 73/116, 73/117.2, 73/119 R, 73/112, 60/293, 60/278, 701/100, 701/101, 701/102, 701/103, 701/107, 701/110, 701/111
• US Class Current: 701/111
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/10 by monitoring exhaust gases or combustion flame
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/11 by detecting misfire

Abstract

An apparatus detects trouble states in a gas engine in which the exhaust gas pressure after combustion in each cylinder is measured by a pressure sensor installed on a collecting exhaust pipe. An average value of the exhaust pressure, a standard deviation and a fluctuation values of the average value in each cylinder is calculated. Based on the calculated data, it is specified whether the trouble occurring in the gas engine corresponds to a misfire, a leakage in the inlet value or a leakage in the outlet valve, as well as which cylinder is the cause of the problem.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting trouble states in an engine including a plurality of cylinders, the apparatus comprising:

pressure sensing means for measuring exhaust pressure values exhausted from the engine;

sampling means for sampling the exhaust pressure values measured by the pressure sensing means during a predetermined time interval;

first calculation means for calculating a representative value of the exhaust pressure values of every cylinder based on the exhaust pressure values sampled by the sampling means;

second calculation means for calculating a standard deviation of the representative values calculated by the first calculation means;

third calculation means for calculating a fluctuation value between representative values obtained in the cylinders an ignition order thereof being neighbored;

first judgement means for judging whether the trouble state occurs in the engine by comparing the standard deviation with a first value;

second judgement means for judging whether the trouble state occurring in the engine is misfire by comparing the standard deviation with a second value when judged that the trouble state occurs in the engine by the first judgement means; and

third judgement means for judging whether the trouble state occurring in the engine is inlet valve leakage or exhaust valve leakage by comparing a maximum fluctuation value with a third value when judged that the trouble state occurring in the engine is not the misfire.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the representative value corresponds to an average value of the exhaust pressure.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the standard deviation calculated by the second calculation means corresponds to the standard deviation of the representative values.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first value is determined based on the standard deviation of the exhaust pressure obtained in the engine without trouble and a trouble judging threshold value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first value is determined by multiplying the standard deviation of the exhaust pressure obtained in the engine without trouble by the trouble judging threshold value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first judgement means judges that the trouble occurs in the engine when the standard deviation is larger than the first value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second value is determined based on the the standard deviation of the exhaust pressure obtained in the engine without trouble and a misfire judging threshold value.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second value is determined by multiplying the standard deviation of the exhaust pressure obtained in the engine without trouble by the misfire judging threshold value.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second judgement means judges that the trouble occurring in the engine is misfire when the standard deviation is larger than the second value.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second judgement means specifies that a cylinder having the maximum fluctuation value is a misfire cylinder based on the fluctuation values calculated by the third calculation means when it is judged that the trouble occurring in the engine is the misfire.

11. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the third value is determined based on the standard deviation of the exhaust pressure obtained in the engine without trouble and an inlet valve leakage judging threshold value.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the third value is determined by multiplying the standard deviation of the exhaust pressure obtained in the engine without trouble by the inlet valve leakage judging threshold value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the third judgement means judges that the trouble occurring in the engine is inlet valve leakage when the maximum fluctuation value is smaller than the third value.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the third judgement means specifies that a cylinder ignited continuously to the cylinder having a maximum average value of the exhaust pressure is an inlet valve leakage cylinder in which the inlet valve leakage occurs based on the average values calculated by the second calculation means when it is judged that the trouble occurring in the engine is the inlet valve leakage.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the third judgement means judges the trouble state based on whether both the maximum fluctuation value and the minimum fluctuation value appear between the cylinders continuously ignited each other.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the third judgement means judges that the trouble occurring in the engine is an an exhaust valve leakage when it is judged that both the maximum fluctuation value and the minimum fluctuation value appear between the cylinders continuously ignited each other.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the judgement means specifies that a cylinder having a maximum fluctuation value is an exhaust valve leakage cylinder based on the fluctuation values calculated by the third calculation means when it is judged that the trouble occurring in the engine is the exhaust valve leakage.

18. An apparatus for detecting trouble states in a gas engine utilized in a gas cogeneration system, the gas engine including a plurality of cylinders, the apparatus comprising:

pressure sensing means for measuring exhaust pressure values exhausted from the gas engine;

sampling means for sampling the exhaust pressure values measured by the pressure sensing means during a predetermined time interval;

first calculation means for calculating an average value of the exhaust pressure values of every cylinder based on the exhaust pressure values sampled by the sampling means;

second calculation means for calculating a standard deviation of the average values calculated by the first calculation means;

third calculation means for calculating a fluctuation value between values of the standard deviation obtained in the cylinders, an ignition order thereof being neighbored;

first judgement means for judging whether the trouble state occurs in the engine by comparing the standard deviation with a first value;

second judgement means for judging whether the trouble state occurring in the engine is misfire by comparing the standard deviation with a second value when judged that the trouble state occurs in the engine by the first judgement means; and

third judgement means for judging whether the trouble state occurring in the engine is inlet valve leakage or exhaust valve leakage by comparing a maximum fluctuation value with a third value when judged that the trouble state occurring in the engine is not the misfire.