Interface and control unit for a diesel engine electronic controller and glow plug circuits, and method of glow plug operation
First Claim
1. In combination with a Diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) electronic control unit (MS) which processes operating parameter data and generates data words containing generalized non-engine-specific glow plug control signals.a glow plug control system (1) forming an interface between the engine control unit (MS) and glow plug circuits (P),wherein said control system (1) controls current in the glow plug circuits,monitoring and indicating means (3, 4, 14, 15) are provided, said control system (1) additionally controlling said monitoring and indicating means to provide for indication and supervision of operation of said glow plug circuits,said glow plug control system comprising, in accordance with the invention,a microprocessor (MP) coupled to, and receiving said data words from, said engine control unit (MS),said data words each comprising a plurality of pulses in which both signal level and pulse duration are modulated, thereby simultaneously transmitting numeric information and synchronization information;
- said microprocessor (MP) decoding said data words and being coupled to said glow plug circuits (P) and to said monitoring and indicating means (3, 4, 14,
15) and generating engine-specific current control signals to glow plug driver and monitoring circuits (2, 3, P) and providing monitoring and indicating signals to said monitoring and indicating means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
To permit ready matching of a Diesel engine operating circuit to a glow plug system, an interface-and-control unit (1) is provided which includes a microprocessor (MP) which decodes data words received from an engine control unit (MS). The data words are in the form of serially transmitted bits which define, by time duration of the bits. respectively logic "0" and logic "1" values to provide, inherently, simultaneously data information and synchronizing information. For example, the logic "0" bits may be 1/8 of a predetermined clock period (T) whereas the logic "1" bits may be 1/2 of the clock period (T). The microprocessor, thus, can be easily matched to engines of different types and can carry out, on its own, diagnostic routines and indicator functions under command of respective bits being transmitted thereto. Preferably, glow plug current is provided in pulsed form, the duty cycle of which is controlled by four data bits (D0-D4) transmitted to the microprocessor (MP).
42 Citations
20 Claims
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1. In combination with a Diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) electronic control unit (MS) which processes operating parameter data and generates data words containing generalized non-engine-specific glow plug control signals.
a glow plug control system (1) forming an interface between the engine control unit (MS) and glow plug circuits (P), wherein said control system (1) controls current in the glow plug circuits, monitoring and indicating means (3, 4, 14, 15) are provided, said control system (1) additionally controlling said monitoring and indicating means to provide for indication and supervision of operation of said glow plug circuits, said glow plug control system comprising, in accordance with the invention, a microprocessor (MP) coupled to, and receiving said data words from, said engine control unit (MS), said data words each comprising a plurality of pulses in which both signal level and pulse duration are modulated, thereby simultaneously transmitting numeric information and synchronization information; said microprocessor (MP) decoding said data words and being coupled to said glow plug circuits (P) and to said monitoring and indicating means (3, 4, 14,
15) and generating engine-specific current control signals to glow plug driver and monitoring circuits (2, 3, P) and providing monitoring and indicating signals to said monitoring and indicating means.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of controlling and supervising the operation of glow plug circuits (2, P) as a function of non-engine specific control signals generated by an electronic Diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) control unit (MS) based upon operating parameter data,
comprising, in accordance with the invention, the steps of providing a glow plug control unit (1) having a microprocessor (MP); -
circulating between the engine control unit (MS) and the microprocessor (MP) control signals which are characterized by a plurality of serially transmitted bits (D0-D7) defining a data word and in which each bit is represented by a signal whose level and duration are both modulated, thereby permitting simultaneous transmission of synchronization information and numeric information; decoding said data bits in said microprocessor (MP); and generating, in said microprocessor, engine-specific control output signals to said glow plug circuits (2, P) and additionally controlling monitoring and indicating means (3, 4, 14,
15) and commanding, under control of said control signals, diagnostic subroutines including testing of whether resistance in each glow plug circuit falls within a predetermined normal range. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification