Glow plug driving control method and glow plug driving control device

• US 9,394,874 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2012
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Tomohiro, Tanaka, Yutaka, Fujishiro, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwon, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Johnny H
• Application Number:
  US14/118,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20140102396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 123/179.15, 123/179.21, 123/179.6, 123/143.R, 123/145.A, 123/169.R, 123594-597, 123/623, 701/102, 701/113, 219/200, 219/205, 219/206, 219/482, 219/490, 219/492, 219/497, 219/506
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2435 characterised by the writing medium, e.g. bar code
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/02 electric, e.g. layout of circuits of apparatus having glowing plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/023 Individual control of the glow plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 19/025 with means for determining glow plug temperature or glow plug resistance

Abstract

The accuracy in controlling the heating temperature of a glow plug and the reliability of the control operation are improved.

An electronic control unit 101 is configured such that a standard applied voltage for glow plugs 50-1 to 50-n is set according to the engine speed and the load conditions of the engine. In addition, a correction coefficient set in advance according to the temperature classification of the mounted glow plugs 50-1 to 50-n is readably stored in the electronic control unit 101 as a correction coefficient map. By multiplying the standard applied voltage by a correction coefficient K read from the correction coefficient map and applying a voltage of the multiplication result to the glow plugs 50-1 to 50-n as a driving voltage through the power circuit 102 to perform driving control, stable and reliable heating temperature control can be realized regardless of variations in the heating temperature characteristics.

Claims

1. A glow plug driving control method for controlling power application to a glow plug, comprising:

correcting a voltage applied to the glow plug, which is set according to operating conditions of an engine, using a correction coefficient, which is set in advance according to temperature characteristics of the glow plug by measuring a temperature under predetermined power application conditions for the glow plug to be used, classifying the measurement result into a plurality of temperature ranges, acquiring an applied voltage, which is required for obtaining a target temperature targeted at the time of driving after mounting into a vehicle for a central product of glow plugs belonging to the classification, as an actual applied voltage for each of the classifications, and calculating a ratio of the actual applied voltage for each of the classifications to a standard applied voltage, which is a voltage applied to the glow plug at the time of driving that is set on the basis of a central product of all of the glow plugs to be used, as each correction coefficient, and applying the corrected voltage to the glow plug to perform driving control,

wherein the correction coefficient set according to the temperature characteristics of the glow plug corresponds to the classification to which the glow plug to be used belongs.

2. A glow plug driving control device comprising:

an electronic control unit that performs driving control of a glow plug; and

a power circuit that performs power application to the glow plug according to the glow plug driving control performed by the electronic control unit,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured such that a standard applied voltage for the glow plug is set according to operating conditions of an engine, and is configured to correct the standard applied voltage using a correction coefficient set in advance according to a temperature classification of a mounted glow plug and to apply the corrected voltage to the glow plug to perform driving control,

wherein, in the electronic control unit, a group code corresponding to the temperature classification to which the mounted glow plug belongs is input in advance and a correction coefficient map that defines a correspondence of the group code and a correction coefficient is stored in advance, and

when the group code is input, a correction coefficient corresponding to the input group code is determined by the correction coefficient map,

wherein for the temperature classification of a glow plug, a temperature is measured under predetermined power application conditions for a glow plug to be used, and the measurement result is classified into a plurality of temperature ranges,

the group code is set to identify the classification, and the group code corresponding to the classification to which each glow plug belongs is given for each glow plug,

for the correction coefficient for each temperature classification, an applied voltage required for obtaining a target temperature targeted at the time of driving after mounting into a vehicle for a central product of glow plugs belonging to the classification is acquired as an actual applied voltage for each of the classifications,

a ratio of the actual applied voltage for each of the classifications to a standard applied voltage, which is a voltage applied to the glow plug at the time of driving that is set on the basis of a central product of all of the glow plugs to be used, is calculated as each correction coefficient, and

the correction coefficient map is configured such that the corresponding correction coefficient calculated is readable from the group code.