Method and device for analyzing the combustion noise in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine

• US 7,559,230 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Zimmer, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gissel; Gunnar J
• Application Number:
  US10/595,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20080190185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 73/350.1, 73/350.3, 73/350.4, 73/350.5
• US Class Current: 73/35.04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/1432 the system including a filter, e.g. a low pass or high pass filter
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/025 Engine noise, e.g. determined by using an acoustic sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0614 Actual fuel mass or fuel injection amount
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/14 Timing of measurement, e.g. synchronisation of measurements to the engine cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/02 on interior conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/403 with pilot injections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

When detecting the combustion noise on a combustion engine (10) by using a knock sensor (14), the problem arises in that prior art methods cannot determine with sufficient accuracy how much fuel reaches the cylinder (11) of the combustion engine (10) during a specified injection pulse. For different reasons, e.g. for minimizing the fuel consumption or for optimizing exhaust emissions, a multiple injection with, in part, the smallest quantities of fuel is commonly used in today'"'"'s combustion engines (10) that require a precise fuel metering. To this end, the measuring window (M) for detecting the combustion noises of an individual injection pulse with regard to its starting and/or ending position is variably formed according to operating parameters so that only the combustion noises taken into consideration are detected that serve as a measure for the injected quantity of fuel.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in a measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine,

wherein an algorithm is formed by means of which a start and/or end position of the measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters is determined for the measuring window in order to register the combustion noise of an individual injection pulse, wherein the start position of the measuring window is predefined by a fixed length in time or a fixed rotation angle which is counted back from the end position of the measuring window.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the end position of the measuring window is placed immediately before a start of combustion of a following injection pulse.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a length of the measuring window is determined by analysis of an envelope which is formed from the received combustion noise.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein at least one local minimum value is determined by low pass filtering from the envelope which is established over two adjacent injection pulses, a position of said local minimum value being used as the start position for the measuring window.

5. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in a measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine,

wherein an algorithm is formed by means of which a start and/or end position of the measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters is determined for the measuring window in order to register the combustion noise of an individual injection pulse, wherein the start position and/or a length of the measuring window is determined by analysis of an envelope which is formed from the received combustion noise, and wherein at least one local minimum value is determined by low pass filtering from the envelope which is established over a pre-injection and a main injection, a position of said local minimum value being used as the start position for the measuring window.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the control device is embodied to quantify an injected amount of fuel from the amplitude or the intensity of the combustion noise.

7. A device according to claim 5, wherein the control device records the combustion noise on a directly injecting diesel or petrol engine.

8. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

determining a start and/or end position of a measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters for the measuring window,

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in the measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine,

wherein the start position of the measuring window is predefined by a fixed length in time or a fixed rotation angle which is counted back from the end position of the measuring window.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the end position of the measuring window is placed immediately before a start of combustion of a following injection pulse.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein a length of the measuring window is determined by analysis of an envelope which is formed from the received combustion noise.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein at least one local minimum value is determined by low pass filtering from the envelope which is established over two adjacent injection pulses, a position of said local minimum value being used as the start position for the measuring window.

12. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in a measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine,

wherein an algorithm is formed by means of which a start and/or end position of the measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters is determined for the measuring window in order to register the combustion noise of an individual injection pulse, wherein the start position and/or a length of the measuring window is determined by analysis of an envelope which is formed from the received combustion noise, and wherein if there are a number of local minimum values a smallest minimum value is used as the start position for the measuring window.

13. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in a measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine,

wherein an algorithm is formed by means of which a start and/or end position of the measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters is determined for the measuring window in order to register the combustion noise of an individual injection pulse, wherein, taking into account an ignition delay and/or an engine type, the measuring window is positioned in an interval ±

4°

crankshaft angle with regard to the start of the combustion noise.

14. A device for analyzing the combustion noise during an injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine comprising:

a knock sensor for recording the combustion noise having an angle sensor for recording the rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, and

a control device comprising a software program with an algorithm, the software program when executed specifying a start and/or end position of a measuring window for an individual combustion noise that is to be recorded, said start and/or end position being variable as a function of operating conditions, wherein the start position of the measuring window is predefined by a fixed length in time or a fixed rotation angle which is counted back from the end position of the measuring window.

15. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

determining a start and/or end position of a measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters for the measuring window,

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in the measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, wherein the start position and/or a length of the measuring window is determined by analysis of an envelope which is formed from the received combustion noise, wherein if there are a number of local minimum values a smallest minimum value is used as the start position for the measuring window.

16. A method for analyzing a combustion noise during the injection of fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

determining a start and/or end position of a measuring window that is variable as a function of operating parameters for the measuring window, and

detecting the combustion noise within an injection cycle in the measuring window which corresponds to a rotation angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, wherein, taking into account an ignition delay and/or an engine type, the measuring window is positioned in an interval ±

4°

crankshaft angle with regard to the start of the combustion noise.