Method and systems for determining internal combustion engine cylinder condition
First Claim
1. A method of evaluating a contribution of a cylinder to an engine, the method comprising:
- measuring a first revolutions per minute of the engine during an enabled state;
determining a dwell period of the cylinder;
applying a direct current voltage signal into a negative terminal of an ignition coil of the engine during the dwell period to disable the cylinder and create a disabled state; and
measuring a second revolutions per minute of the engine during the disabled state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of evaluating a contribution of a cylinder to an engine includes measuring a first revolutions per minute of the engine during an enabled state; determining a dwell period of the cylinder; applying a direct current voltage signal into a negative terminal of an ignition coil of the engine during the dwell period to disable the cylinder and create a disabled state; and measuring a second revolutions per minute of the engine during the disabled state. A system for evaluating a contribution of a cylinder to an engine includes a first measure module, a determine module, an apply module, and a second measure module. The first measure module measures a first revolutions per minute of the engine during an enabled state. The determine module determines a dwell period of the cylinder. The apply module applies a direct current voltage signal into a negative terminal of an ignition coil of the engine during the dwell period to disable the cylinder and create a disabled state. The second measure module measures a second revolutions per minute of the engine during the disabled state.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of evaluating a contribution of a cylinder to an engine, the method comprising:
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measuring a first revolutions per minute of the engine during an enabled state; determining a dwell period of the cylinder; applying a direct current voltage signal into a negative terminal of an ignition coil of the engine during the dwell period to disable the cylinder and create a disabled state; and measuring a second revolutions per minute of the engine during the disabled state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for evaluating a contribution of a cylinder to an engine, the system comprising:
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a first measure module that measures a first revolutions per minute of the engine during an enabled state; a determine module that determines a dwell period of the cylinder; an apply module that applies a direct current voltage signal into a negative terminal of an ignition coil of the engine during the dwell period to disable the cylinder and create a disabled state; and a second measure module that measures a second revolutions per minute of the engine during the disabled state. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer program product readable by a computing system and encoding instructions for evaluating a contribution of a cylinder to an engine, the computer process comprising:
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measuring a first revolutions per minute of the engine during an enabled state; determining a dwell period of the cylinder; applying a direct current voltage signal into a negative terminal of an ignition coil of the engine during the dwell period to disable the cylinder and create a disabled state; and measuring a second revolutions per minute of the engine during the disabled state. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for diagnosing an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:
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a computing system that executes an algorithm for evaluating a contribution of a cylinder in the internal combustion engine; a clamping circuit that applies a direct current voltage to a negative terminal of an ignition coil in the internal combustion engine; and a plurality of devices that connects the computing system and the clamping circuit to the internal combustion engine.
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22. A graphical user interface used in conjunction with a diagnostic system for diagnosing an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, the graphical user interface comprising:
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a first field displaying the internal combustion engine'"'"'s revolutions per minute with all cylinders firing; a second field displaying the internal combustion engine'"'"'s revolutions per minute with a cylinder disabled; a third field displaying the difference between the first field and the second field; a graphical representation of the plurality of cylinders, including the cylinder number and a bar graph representing the third field; and a fourth field displaying the internal combustion engine'"'"'s revolutions per minute at any one time.
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Specification