Circuit configuration and method for generating a control signal for an engine control unit designed to control fuel injectors

• US 7,305,970 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Augesky, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): KWON, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US10/587,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 123/478, 123/480
• US Class Current: 123/478
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2096 for controlling piezoelectric injectors drive and control circuit for piezoelectric devices in general H10N30/802
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2409 Addressing techniques specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3005 Details not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A circuit configuration for generating a control signal for an engine control unit, designed to control at least one fuel injector of an internal combustion engine, enables an improved control signal course during the control of the injectors. The configuration includes: a counter device, to which a predefined clock signal can be supplied, for providing a time-dependent digital counter signal, based on the counting of the clock signal; a memory unit, in which the digital counter signal is entered, for storing a series of digital control signal values and for the successive issue of individual control signal values from the series of control signal values, in accordance with the counter signal; and a digital-to-analog converter for converting the issued digital control signal values into the analog control signal for the engine control unit.

Claims

1. A circuit configuration for generating a control signal for an engine control unit controlling at least one fuel injector of an internal combustion engine, wherein operating parameters of at least one of the internal combustion engine and the fuel injector are used for generating a modification signal input to the circuit configuration for an operational variation of a course of the control signal, the circuit configuration comprising:

a counter device connected to receive a predefined clock signal for providing a time-dependent digital counter signal;

a memory device connected to receive the digital counter signal, said memory device being configuration to store a series of digital control signal values and to successively issue individual control signal values from the series of control signal values in dependence on the counter signal; and

a digital-to-analog converter for converting the digital control signal values issued from said memory device into analog control signals for the engine control unit.

2. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, which comprises a voltage-controlled oscillator connected to receive the modification signal as a time scaling signal and generating the clock signal with the selected frequency.

3. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, which comprises an oscillator with a fixed oscillation frequency and a divider connected to an output of said oscillator for generating the clock signal with the selected frequency, said divider having a division ratio determined by the modification signal input to said divider as a time scaling signal.

4. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein said memory device stores a series of at least 30 control signal values forming the series of control signal values.

5. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein said memory device stores a series of at least 50 control signal values forming the series of control signal values.

6. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein the series of control signal values stored in said memory device approaches a continuous function.

7. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein the digital control signal values are provided with a resolution of at least 8 bits.

8. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein said memory device is a read-only memory.

9. A method of generating a control signal for an engine control unit controlling at least one fuel injector of an internal combustion engine, wherein operating parameters of the internal combustion engine and/or of the fuel injector are used for generating a modification signal for an operational variation of a course of the control signal, the method which comprises:

counting a predefined clock signal and providing a time-dependent digital counter signal, wherein the clock signal is predefined with a frequency that is set in accordance with the modification signal;

successively issuing individual digital control signal values in accordance with the counter signal from a previously stored series of control signal value; and

converting the issued digital control signal values into an analog control signal for the engine control unit, and taking the modification signal into account as an amplitude scaling signal in converting the digital control signal values into the analog control signal.