Method and apparatus for engine abnormality detection

• US 6,067,498 A
• Filed: 11/10/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Akiyama, Sadachika
• Primary Examiner(s): DOMBROSKE, GEORGE M
• Application Number:
  US09/189,522
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 701/110, 701/111, 701/101, 701/102, 701/104, 73/116, 73/117.2, 73/117.3, 73/118.1, 73/118.2, 73/119 A, 73/47, 73/49.7, 73/115
• US Class Current: 701/110
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/222 relating to the failure of sensors or parameter detection devices

Abstract

In engine abnormality detection, the engine output is measured, and values of a specific operating variable of the fuel system, the lubrication system, the cooling system, the intake system, or the exhaust system of the engine, are measured and the specific values are converted to corrected data values at the equivalent rated power point, which are compared to corresponding threshold values in order to detect an abnormality in the respective system. The apparatus includes detection sensors (33-38) for detecting values of specific operating variables; an engine rotational speed sensor (31); a fuel injection volume sensor (32); storing means (45a), for storing in memory the values of the engine rotational speed and the volume of injected fuel at the rated power point; specific data selection means (45b, 45d), for storing in memory the rotational speed value and the fuel injection volume value for a point in time within a first period of time, for measuring the value of the specific operating variable at that point in time, and for selecting the largest value from among the measured values of the specific operating variable; specific data conversion means (45c, 45e), for converting the largest value to a corrected value at the equivalent rated power point of the engine, and for storing the results in memory; and alarm output means (46), for issuing an alarm if the corrected value is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

Claims

1. An engine abnormality detection apparatus which measures specific data from at least one system for an engine and which detects abnormality in a respective system, said apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing a value of an engine rotational speed and a value of a fuel injection volume at an equivalent rated power point;

a detection sensor for measuring a specific operating variable of a system of said engine;

an engine rotational speed sensor for measuring an engine rotational speed;

a fuel injection volume sensor for measuring a volume of injected fuel;

storing and selection means for storing in a memory a rotational speed value from said engine rotational speed sensor and a fuel injection volume value from said fuel injection volume sensor at each of a plurality of points in time during a first period of time, for inputting a measured value of said specific operating variable at each of said plurality of points in time from said detection sensor, and for selecting a largest value of the inputted measured values; and

conversion means for correcting said largest value to become a corrected value of the specific operating variable for the values of the engine rotational speed and the fuel injection volume at the equivalent rated power point, and for storing the corrected value in memory.

2. An engine abnormality detection apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an alarm means for outputting an alarm if the corrected value is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

3. An engine abnormality detection apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said storing and selection means determines a first corrected value at the equivalent rated power point by selecting the largest value within said first period of time, stores in a memory a rotational speed value from said engine rotational speed sensor and a fuel injection volume value from said fuel injection volume sensor at each of a plurality of points in time during a second period of time, inputs from said detection sensor a measured value of said specific operating variable at each of the plurality of points in time during said second period of time, selects a largest value of the measured values inputted during said second period of time, and selects and stores the larger of the largest value from said first period of time and the largest value from said second period of time.

4. An engine abnormality detection apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein upon selecting and storing the larger of the largest values, said storing and selection means deletes the smaller of the largest values.

5. An engine abnormality detection apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising an alarm output means for outputting an alarm if either a corrected value is larger than a corresponding threshold value or a larger of the largest values is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

6. An engine abnormality detection device for measuring an engine exhaust gas temperature to detect an abnormality in an engine system, said apparatus comprising:

an exhaust gas temperature sensor, that detects a temperature of exhaust gas from an engine;

an engine rotational speed sensor, that measures a rotational speed of the engine;

a fuel injection volume sensor, that measures a volume of injected fuel to the engine;

storing means for storing in memory a value of an engine rotational speed and a value of fuel injection volume at an equivalent rated power point;

exhaust gas temperature selection means for storing in memory a value of rotational speed from said engine rotational speed sensor and a value of fuel injection volume from said fuel injection volume sensor at each of a plurality of points in time during a first period of time, for measuring an engine exhaust gas temperature at each of said plurality of points in time, and for selecting a largest value of measured engine exhaust gas temperature from among thus measured engine exhaust gas temperatures;

exhaust gas temperature conversion means for correcting said largest value of measured engine exhaust gas temperature to a corrected exhaust gas temperature value for the engine rotational speed and the fuel injection volume at the equivalent rated power point, and for storing the corrected exhaust gas temperature value in memory; and

alarm output means for outputting an alarm if the corrected exhaust gas temperature value at the equivalent rated power point is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

7. An engine abnormality detection apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein said storing means stores a value of engine rotational speed and a value of the volume of injected fuel at the rated power point and an atmospheric pressure of 760 mmHg and an atmospheric temperature of 25°

C.;

said apparatus further comprising;

an atmospheric pressure sensor for detecting atmospheric pressure;

an atmospheric temperature sensor for detecting atmospheric temperature; and

atmospheric conversion means for converting said corrected exhaust gas temperature value to a further corrected exhaust gas temperature value at the equivalent rated power point, an atmospheric pressure of 760 mmHg, and an atmospheric temperature of 25°

C.; and

wherein said alarm output means outputs an alarm if said further corrected exhaust gas temperature value is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

8. An engine abnormality detection apparatus for measuring an engine blowby gas pressure to detect an abnormality in components of an engine, said apparatus comprising:

a blowby gas pressure sensor for measuring a blowby gas pressure of the engine;

an engine rotational speed sensor for measuring a rotational speed of the engine;

a fuel injection volume sensor for measuring a volume of injected fuel;

storing means for storing in memory a value of engine rotational speed and a value of fuel injection volume at an equivalent rated power point;

blowby gas pressure selecting means for selecting a largest blowby gas pressure value from values of the blowby gas pressure measured by said blowby gas pressure sensor at a plurality of points in time within a first period of time;

blowby gas pressure conversion means for converting said largest blowby gas pressure value to become a corrected blowby gas pressure value for the engine rotational speed and the fuel injection volume at the equivalent rated power point, and for storing the corrected blowby gas pressure value in memory; and

alarm means for outputting an alarm if the corrected blowby gas pressure value is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

9. A method for ascertaining an abnormality in a system related to an engine, said method comprising the steps of:

measuring a value of a specific operating variable of said engine at each of a plurality of points in time during a first period of time;

measuring a value of an engine rotational speed of said engine at each of said plurality of points in time during said first period of time;

measuring a value of a fuel injection volume for said engine at each of said plurality of points in time during said first period of time;

storing in a memory each thus measured engine rotational speed value and each thus measured fuel injection volume value;

selecting a largest value of the measured values of the specific operating variable during said first period of time; and

converting said largest value to become a corrected value of the specific operating variable at the equivalent rated power point; and

storing the corrected value in memory.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, further comprising the step of storing a value of an engine rotational speed and a value of a fuel injection volume at an equivalent rated power point;

and

wherein said step of converting comprises converting said largest value, based on the thus stored measured engine rotational speed value which was measured at a point in time at which said largest value was measured, the thus stored measured fuel injection volume value which was measured at the point in time at which said largest value was measured, the thus stored value of the engine rotational speed at the equivalent rated power point, and the thus stored value of the fuel injection volume at the equivalent rated power point, to become a corrected value of the specific operating variable for the equivalent rated power point.

11. A method in accordance with claim 9, further comprising the step of outputting an alarm if the corrected value is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

12. A method in accordance with claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

measuring a value of the specific operating variable of said engine at each of a plurality of points in time during a second period of time;

measuring a value of an engine rotational speed of said engine at each of said plurality of points in time during said second period of time;

measuring a value of a fuel injection volume for said engine at each of said plurality of points in time during said second period of time;

storing in a memory each thus measured engine rotational speed value and each thus measured fuel injection volume value which were measured during said second period of time;

selecting a largest value of the measured values of the specific operating variable during said second period of time;

converting said largest value for said second period of time to become a corrected value of the specific operating variable at the equivalent rated power point;

selecting a larger value of the corrected value for said first period of time and the corrected value for said second period of time; and

storing the larger value in memory.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising the step of outputting an alarm if the larger value is larger than a corresponding threshold value.

14. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the step of selecting a largest value comprises:

storing in memory a measured value of the specific operating variable measured at an earlier point in time during said first period of time;

storing in memory a measured value of the specific operating variable measured at a subsequent point in time during said first period of time;

selecting a larger value of (a) the measured value of the specific operating variable measured at the earlier point in time during said first period of time and (b) the measured value of the specific operating variable measured at the subsequent point in time during said first period of time;

storing in a memory the thus selected larger value of the measured values of the specific operating variable; and

deleting from memory a smaller of the measured values of the specific operating variable.

15. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein said specific operating variable is an engine exhaust gas temperature.

16. A method for ascertaining an abnormality in a system related to an engine, said method comprising the steps of:

measuring a value of an engine exhaust gas temperature at each of a plurality of points in time within a first period of time;

selecting a highest measured value of exhaust gas temperature from among the values measured within said first period of time;

converting said highest measured value of exhaust gas temperature to a corrected exhaust gas temperature value at an equivalent rated power point; and

issuing an alarm if said corrected exhaust gas temperature value is higher than a corresponding threshold value.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein said step of converting comprises:

storing in memory a value of engine rotational speed at the equivalent rated power point and a value of fuel injection volume at the equivalent rated power point; and

converting said highest measured value of exhaust gas temperature to the corrected exhaust gas temperature value based on the stored value of engine rotational speed at the equivalent rated power point and the stored value of fuel injection volume at the equivalent rated power point.

18. An engine abnormality detection method which measures a blowby gas pressure of an engine to detect an abnormality in engine pistons, piston rings and other components of the engine, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in memory a value of an engine rotational speed and a value of a fuel injection volume;

measuring a value of the blowby gas pressure of the engine at each of a plurality of points in time during a first period of time; and

selecting a largest value of the values of the blowby gas pressure from among those measured during said first period of time; and

issuing an alarm if said largest value is higher than a corresponding threshold value.