Combustion-pressure-data acquisition system of multi-cylinder engine

• US 7,062,955 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Hiroshi, Watanabe, Hiromichi, Kashiwase, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/249,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20060032291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• Field of Search: 731/12, 731/15, 731/16, 731/172, 731/173, 731/181
• US Class Current: 73/114.16
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/281 between sensors and control unit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/023 by determining the cylinder pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/28 Interface circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 23/222 using piezoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/085 with temperature compensating means non electric temperature compensating means G01L19/04

Abstract

A combustion-pressure-data acquisition system of a multi-cylinder engine according to the present invention includes an in-cylinder pressure sensor CPS#n for directly detecting combustion pressure in each cylinder; an amplifier unit AP#n to which the in-cylinder pressure sensor CPS#n for each cylinder is connected; and a channel switching unit MUX to which the amplifier unit AP#n for each cylinder is connected. It selects a system to be measured from among a plurality of systems of signals from the amplifier units AP#n with a channel selection signal outputted from an engine-controlling electronic control unit and outputs combustion pressure data to the ECU. Further, it outputs to an amplifier unit AP#n with which measurement ends a reset signal for discharging the electric charge between the in-cylinder pressure sensor CPS#n and the amplifier circuit to efficiently acquire combustion pressure data of each cylinder with a simple structure without complicated processing.

Claims

1. A combustion-pressure-data acquisition system of a multi-cylinder engine, comprising:

an in-cylinder pressure sensor, provided for each cylinder, for outputting an electric-charge signal according to pressure in the cylinder;

an amplifier circuit, provided for each cylinder, being connected to the in-cylinder pressure sensor, converting the electric-charge signal from the in-cylinder pressure sensor into a voltage signal and outputting the voltage signal, having a reset function for discharging an electric charge with an externally input reset signal; and

a switching circuit for selecting a system to be measured from among output signals of the amplifier circuits for the cylinders with a signal based on an engine cylinder determination result to output combustion pressure data and for outputting the reset signal to an amplifier circuit of a system with which measurement ends.

2. The combustion-pressure-data acquisition system of a multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein the amplifier circuit includes an automatic correcting function for detecting an amount of leak of an electric charge generated in a signal transmission system and for automatically correcting such that an output level of the. amplifier circuit is the same level between start and end of generation of an electric charge in the in-cylinder pressure sensor.