Method and apparatus for creating a profile of operating conditions of an engine

• US 6,115,666 A
• Filed: 11/23/1998
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BRP US Incorporated (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Outboard Marine Corporation (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ng, Paul T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolinar, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US09/199,008
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/102, 701/115, 73/116
• US Class Current: 701/115
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 61/045 for outboard marine engines
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0097 using means for generating speed signals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring and recording various conditions of engine performance and in particular provides a useful record of the speeds at which the engine has been operated over the life of the engine.

Claims

1. A method of operating an internal combustion engine, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a sensor for generating a signal corresponding to an engine operating condition;

providing an on-board data recording system having temporary and permanent memory for recording ranges of values of the signal;

periodically sampling the sensor generated signal to obtain the signal values;

quantifying the sampled signal values as being within one of several possible ranges of values;

maintaining short-term arithmetic totals of the ranges in the temporary memory in the on-board data recording system; and

periodically adding the short-term arithmetic totals of the ranges stored in the temporary memory to long-term arithmetic totals of the ranges of values stored in the permanent memory in the on-board data recording system.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

sensing engine RPM as said engine operating condition; and

generating a corresponding signal value.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the steps of:

establishing a plurality of predetermined ranges of engine RPM;

comparing said sampled signal value with each of said plurality of predetermined ranges of engine RPM;

providing a signal value data storage area for each of said predetermined ranges of engine RPM; and

storing said sampled signal value in the data storage area that has the RPM range that includes said sampled signal value.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of:

providing a first data storage area for temporarily storing said sampled signal values; and

transferring said stored, sampled, signal values from said first data storage area to a second data storage area to update the totals of the ranges of values for relatively permanent data storage.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

updating the first data storage area with sampled signal values at various intervals only during continuous engine operation; and

transferring the updated sampled signal values in the first data storage area to said second data storage area for said relative permanent storage only after the engine operation has ceased.

6. The method of claim 4 further including the steps of:

using a random access memory as said first data storage area; and

using a read only memory as said second data storage area.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the steps of:

providing a unit for time sampling said sensor generated signal to obtain said signal value; and

using a computer to record a running total of engine operating times such that data stored in said read only memory is correlated with said time sampling unit to generate a profile of said engine operating condition.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of using a data compression technique to store the range totals in the permanent memory of the on-board data recording system.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the step of varying lengths of intervals for periodic sampling of the sensor generated signal.

10. An engine assembly comprising:

an internal combustion engine having an engine operating condition;

a sensor for generating a data signal value corresponding to said condition over a selected time interval;

a computer for quantifying the data signal value as being within one of several possible ranges of values, and for maintaining an arithmetic total of the intervals in which the signal value falls within each of the several possible ranges of values; and

an on-board data storage device for permanently recording the arithmetic total of the intervals in which the signal value falls within each of the several possible ranges of values.

11. The engine assembly of claim 10 further including:

a timing unit for periodically sampling for said selected time interval said data signal value generated by said sensor during engine operation; and

the computer being coupled to said timing unit and said data storage device for determining engine operating time and for selectively generating a profile of said engine operating condition versus total engine operating time.

12. The engine assembly of claim 10 wherein said sensor generates a signal value corresponding to engine RPM as said engine operating condition.

13. The engine assembly of claim 12 wherein said data storage device comprises:

a random access memory for temporary storage of said RPM data signal generated by said sensor; and

a read only memory associated with said random access memory for relatively permanent storage of said RPM data signal such that said computer correlates data values stored in said read only memory with said running total of engine operating time to generate said engine profile of RPM values versus said total engine operating time.

14. The engine assembly of claim 10 wherein the computer is further configured to compress data representative of the range totals.

15. The engine assembly of claim 10 wherein the computer is further configured to vary the selected time intervals.

16. An outboard motor comprising:

a rotatable crankshaft;

a sensor for generating a data signal corresponding to rotation of said crankshaft;

an on-board electronic control unit for receiving said data signal and storing counts for ranges of values of the data signal at sampling intervals, said electronic control unit including;

an interval timer;

random access memory and a non-volatile memory; and

a microprocessor;

said electronic control unit being configured to sample said data signal at a first predetermined interval, to classify said data signal values as being within one of the ranges of values, to maintain a running total in the random access memory of counts of intervals in which the data signal values fall within each of the ranges of values, and to transfer said counts of intervals from said random access memory into said non-volatile memory at a variable interval.

17. An outboard motor as in claim 16 wherein said electronic control unit transfers said sampled data signal from said random access memory to said non-volatile memory each time said outboard motor ceases operation.

18. An outboard motor as in claim 16 wherein said electronic control unit is configured to compress data stored in said non-volatile memory.

19. An outboard motor as in claim 16 wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to vary the interval timer intervals.