Engine timing apparatus and method of operating same

• US 5,860,406 A
• Filed: 04/10/1996
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Schmidt, Lawrence E., Stahl, Wendell D., Young, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, CARL STUART
• Application Number:
  US08/630,806
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 123/500, 123/501, 123/479, 123/359
• US Class Current: 123/501
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/009 using means for generating position or synchronisation signals
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0097 using means for generating speed signals

Abstract

An apparatus for determining the timing of an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft, a camshaft, and a plurality of cylinders each having an electronically controlled fuel injector is disclosed. A crankshaft sensing device monitors the rotation of the engine crankshaft and responsively produces a crankshaft pulsetrain. Additionally, a camshaft sensing device monitors the rotation of the engine camshaft and responsively produces a camshaft pulsetrain. An engine control receives the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrains, and responsively determines the period of each pulse, determines the rotational position of the crankshaft and camshaft, and produces an inject signal relative to one of the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrains to the fuel injector in order to initiate fuel injection.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining the timing of an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft, a camshaft, and a plurality of cylinders each having an electronically controlled fuel injector, comprising:

a crankshaft sensing means for monitoring the rotation of the engine crankshaft and responsively producing a crankshaft pulsetrain; and

an engine control means for receiving the crankshaft pulsetrain and responsively determining the period of each pulse, determining the rotational position of the crankshaft by determining which half of the engine cycle is represented by the crankshaft pulsetrain, and producing an inject signal relative to the crankshaft pulsetrain to the fuel injector in order to initiate fuel injection.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the crankshaft sensing means includes:

a crankshaft sensing wheel having a plurality of spaced apart teeth connected to the crankshaft; and

a first magnetic pick-up device located adjacent the crankshaft sensing wheel, the first magnetic pick-up device sensing each passing tooth of the crankshaft sensing wheel and responsively producing the crankshaft pulsetrain, wherein each pulse of the crankshaft pulsetrain is indicative of a crankshaft sensing wheel tooth.

3. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 2, including a camshaft sensing means for monitoring the rotation of the engine camshaft and responsively producing a camshaft pulsetrain.

4. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, where the camshaft sensing means includes:

a camshaft sensing wheel having a plurality of spaced apart teeth connected to the camshaft; and

a second magnetic pick-up device located adjacent the camshaft sensing wheel, the second magnetic pick-up device sensing each passing tooth of the camshaft sensing wheel and responsively producing the camshaft pulsetrain, wherein each pulse of the camshaft pulsetrain is indicative to a camshaft sensing wheel tooth.

9. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, including:

a digital logic circuit for receiving the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrain;

a microprocessor for determining which one of the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrains to use as a reference for fuel injection, and delivering a select signal to the digital logic circuit, wherein the digital logic circuit produces a clock signal having a frequency equal to the selected pulsetrain; and

a programmable timer circuit for receiving the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrains and the clock signal, sampling each pulse of each pulsetrain with a sampling rate provided by the clock signal, and producing a measured period signal indicative of the period of each pulse.

10. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the microprocessor receives the measured period of each pulse of the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrain from the programmable timer circuit and counts the receipt of each pulse, determines the rotational position of the crankshaft and camshaft sensing wheels, and delivers an injection request signal to the programmable timer circuit, wherein the programmable timer circuit delivers an inject signal to the appropriate injector in order to initiate fuel injection into the respective cylinder.

11. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 10, wherein the each of the crankshaft sensing wheel and the camshaft sensing wheel have 36 equally spaced teeth, the tooth to tooth spacing on the camshaft sensing wheel being 20 engine degrees and the tooth to tooth spacing on the crankshaft sensing wheel being 10 engine degrees, wherein the camshaft sensing wheel additionally includes three reference teeth placed about the 36 teeth in a predetermined pattern, and the crankshaft sensing wheel includes three additional slots placed at predetermined locations about the 36 teeth.

5. A method for determining the timing of an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft, a camshaft, and a plurality of cylinders each having an electronically controlled fuel injector, comprising the steps of:

monitoring the rotation of the engine crankshaft and responsively producing a crankshaft pulsetrain;

monitoring the rotation of the engine camshaft and responsively producing a camshaft pulsetrain; and

receiving the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrains, responsively determining the period of each pulse, determining the rotational position of the crankshaft and camshaft, determining whether the camshaft pulsetrain is indicative of reliable information and determining which half of the engine cycle is represented by the crankshaft pulsetrain and producing an inject signal relative to the crankshaft pulsetrain to the fuel injector in order to initiate fuel injection in response to the camshaft pulsetrain being unreliable.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, including the steps of:

determining the engine speed in response to one of the crankshaft and camshaft pulsetrains;

selecting the camshaft pulsetrain as a reference to determine the when to initiate fuel injection; and

thereafter, selecting the crankshaft pulsetrain as a reference to determine when to initiate fuel injection.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the step of selecting the crankshaft pulsetrain includes the steps of determining whether the crankshaft pulsetrain is indicative of reliable information, and selecting the camshaft pulsetrain in response to the crankshaft pulsetrain being unreliable.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the step of determining which half of the engine cycle is represented by the crankshaft pulsetrain, includes the following steps:

requesting half of the cylinders to operate in a 2-cycle mode;

determining the engine speed using the crankshaft pulsetrain during each injection request, calculating the engine acceleration corresponding to each injection request, and determining which half of the engine cylinders operation that the crankshaft pulsetrain is representing; and

thereafter,

requesting all of the engine cylinders to operate in 4-cycle mode.