EP0704621B1 - Synchronisation device without a cam-position sensor for an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Synchronisation device without a cam-position sensor for an internal combustion engine Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0704621B1
EP0704621B1 EP95115292A EP95115292A EP0704621B1 EP 0704621 B1 EP0704621 B1 EP 0704621B1 EP 95115292 A EP95115292 A EP 95115292A EP 95115292 A EP95115292 A EP 95115292A EP 0704621 B1 EP0704621 B1 EP 0704621B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
engine
reference signal
throttle valve
cylinder
angle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP95115292A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0704621A3 (en
EP0704621A2 (en
Inventor
Piero De La Pierre
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Marelli Europe SpA
Original Assignee
Magneti Marelli Powertrain SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Magneti Marelli Powertrain SpA filed Critical Magneti Marelli Powertrain SpA
Publication of EP0704621A2 publication Critical patent/EP0704621A2/en
Publication of EP0704621A3 publication Critical patent/EP0704621A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0704621B1 publication Critical patent/EP0704621B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D41/00—Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents
    • F02D41/009—Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents using means for generating position or synchronisation signals
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
    • F02P15/00—Electric spark ignition having characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F02P1/00 - F02P13/00 and combined with layout of ignition circuits
    • F02P15/08—Electric spark ignition having characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F02P1/00 - F02P13/00 and combined with layout of ignition circuits having multiple-spark ignition, i.e. ignition occurring simultaneously at different places in one engine cylinder or in two or more separate engine cylinders
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
    • F02P17/00—Testing of ignition installations, e.g. in combination with adjusting; Testing of ignition timing in compression-ignition engines
    • F02P17/12—Testing characteristics of the spark, ignition voltage or current
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
    • F02P7/00—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices
    • F02P7/02—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices of distributors
    • F02P7/03—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices of distributors with electrical means
    • F02P7/035—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices of distributors with electrical means without mechanical switching means
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B1/00—Engines characterised by fuel-air mixture compression
    • F02B1/02—Engines characterised by fuel-air mixture compression with positive ignition
    • F02B1/04—Engines characterised by fuel-air mixture compression with positive ignition with fuel-air mixture admission into cylinder
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
    • F02P17/00—Testing of ignition installations, e.g. in combination with adjusting; Testing of ignition timing in compression-ignition engines
    • F02P17/12—Testing characteristics of the spark, ignition voltage or current
    • F02P2017/125—Measuring ionisation of combustion gas, e.g. by using ignition circuits

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a synchronisation method for synchronising an Otto-cycle internal combustion engine of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1.
  • DE-4 229 773-A and DE-4 242 419-A disclose methods of synchronisation of the initially-defined kind wherein it is detected whether the ignitions based on a first assumed engine phase lead to an acceleration; if not, the assumed engine phase is shifted by 360°.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide an improved synchronisation method of the afore-mentioned kind.
  • the essential idea on which the present invention is based is that of using an engine reference angle of 360° as the precise reference and of discriminating between odd and even 360° phases of a reference cylinder (which may be any one of the engine's cylinders) by using signals already available to the electronic engine management unit.
  • Ionisation detection circuits supply a signal proportional (in duration or amplitude) to the duration of the spark.
  • the voltage for triggering and maintaining the combustion varies widely according to the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder (approximately proportional to this) while the arc current of the spark is about constant. This means that, for a given energy supplied to the primary winding of the coil (for a given coil efficiency) the duration of the spark varies considerably.
  • the spark lasts for a normal period of time if the cylinder is in compression while it lasts much longer if the cylinder is in the exhaust stroke.
  • the strategy explained above may be improved to increase the certainty of discrimination by using several different cylinders as successive references (still during the first revolution of the engine and possibly fractions of the next revolution).
  • the additional information thus obtained may confirm the first result or indicate the need for further monitoring if the results do not agree.
  • the strategy may be carried out by using other signals which may be available to the engine's electronic management unit.
  • one signal which is always available, or can be deduced is typically the correlation of the engine acceleration (positive or negative) with the throttle valve angle.
  • This information can well be used in symmetrical engines instead of the said signal indicative of ionisation.
  • a four- or six-cylinder engine with pairs of cylinders out of phase by 360° (or even by 370-380°) is considered.
  • the engine may be started with two half-injections of fuel into almost opposed cylinders and with almost simultaneous firing of their ignitions.
  • ignitions are lost in the cylinder on the exhaust stroke but these ignitions (with the valve timing overlap typical of engines in current production) are not harmful. In these conditions the engine starts effectively.
  • throttle valve angle greater than ⁇ O which corresponds, in practice, to a specific required torque, with the engine already started (rotational speed greater than Y revolutions/sec for given ⁇ O and Y)
  • a search strategy may be undertaken to effect discrimination between even and odd 360° angles.
  • This strategy may comprise effecting ignition every 720° for all cylinders, with a random choice of association with the 720° reference, that is, a random choice between even 360° angles and odd 360° angles. If the engine decelerates beyond a predetermined limit, the opposite association is tested, that is the choice between even 360° angles and odd 360° angles is reversed. At the end of this test, the correct reference is thus identified.
  • This strategy may cause a gap in the engine operation but this situation is not dangerous and is scarcely perceptible to the driver since the engine is being started.
  • a strategy for recognising the even 360° angles and odd 360° angles may be carried out independently of the position of the throttle valve when the engine is in the transitional stage between the disconnection of the starter motor and the attainment of idling conditions (about 400-600 revolutions per minute).
  • both the injection and the ignition are controlled with the use of all this information (thus injection may be phased). Even then, one of the above-mentioned strategies may possibly be repeated with the engine running should the engine speed drop inexplicably.
  • Another source of information which can be used to determine the 720° phase reference is provided by pressure sensors in the cylinder, if these are present, since these enable direct determination of whether the reference cylinder is in compression or exhaust.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combined Controls Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Electrical Control Of Air Or Fuel Supplied To Internal-Combustion Engine (AREA)
  • Ignition Installations For Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)

Description

  • The present invention relates to a synchronisation method for synchronising an Otto-cycle internal combustion engine of the kind defined in the preamble of Claim 1.
  • Most internal combustion engines for vehicles are currently supplied by a fuel-injection system controlled by an electronic engine management unit which almost always also controls the ignition. Many of the current systems have a precise angular reference over 360° of the engine crankshaft and not over 720° of the entire engine cycle (in the specific case of a four-cylinder, four-stroke engine, the most widely available model in current production).
  • However, in the case of engines which use individual ignition coils for each cylinder, of the so-called top-plug type, or for engines in which the cylinder phases are not symmetrical (for example, engines with five cylinders and V-engines with six cylinders of the so-called galloping type) it is essential to retain a precise reference at 720°.
  • In order to obtain this reference it is known to use sensors, for example, cam sensors, but these have the disadvantage of increasing the cost of the electronic engine management system.
  • DE-4 229 773-A and DE-4 242 419-A disclose methods of synchronisation of the initially-defined kind wherein it is detected whether the ignitions based on a first assumed engine phase lead to an acceleration; if not, the assumed engine phase is shifted by 360°.
  • The object of the present invention is to provide an improved synchronisation method of the afore-mentioned kind.
  • According to the present invention this object is achieved by a synchronisation method having the features defined in claim 1.
  • Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description provided as non-limitative example.
  • The essential idea on which the present invention is based is that of using an engine reference angle of 360° as the precise reference and of discriminating between odd and even 360° phases of a reference cylinder (which may be any one of the engine's cylinders) by using signals already available to the electronic engine management unit.
  • For this purpose a signal from circuits which supply information regarding the duration of the spark (or ionisation detection circuits) is used. These circuits, although known in the art, will become ever more necessary in the future to enable recent anti-pollution regulations to be complied with and to carry out diagnostic functions relating to the operation of the engine.
  • Ionisation detection circuits supply a signal proportional (in duration or amplitude) to the duration of the spark. However, the voltage for triggering and maintaining the combustion varies widely according to the pressure in the combustion chamber of the cylinder (approximately proportional to this) while the arc current of the spark is about constant. This means that, for a given energy supplied to the primary winding of the coil (for a given coil efficiency) the duration of the spark varies considerably. In practice, the spark lasts for a normal period of time if the cylinder is in compression while it lasts much longer if the cylinder is in the exhaust stroke.
  • In order to synchronise the engine, it thus suffices to cause ignition in one cylinder, selected as the reference cylinder, when this is in compression (or in exhaust given that this information is not known a priori) and to repeat the ignition after 360° so as to enable the two data relating to the spark duration to be compared. The spark of shorter duration is obtained when the stroke is, effectively, a compression stroke. Typically this procedure may be carried out on starting, and hence with the internal combustion engine being rotated by the starter motor, in a very short space of time since two full revolutions of the engine suffice for it to be completed. Moreover, the procedure may be carried out before the commencement of fuel injection into the cylinders. It is thus possible to initiate fuel injection (also phased) and to initiate the subsequent ignitions to start the engine after the synchronising procedure has been completed.
  • The strategy explained above may be improved to increase the certainty of discrimination by using several different cylinders as successive references (still during the first revolution of the engine and possibly fractions of the next revolution). The additional information thus obtained may confirm the first result or indicate the need for further monitoring if the results do not agree.
  • This same strategy may also be repeated with the engine running should there be an inexplicable drop in the engine speed (throttle valve angle greater than αO and engine deceleration greater than X revolutions/sec for a given αO and X).
  • In the absence of an ionisation circuit, the strategy may be carried out by using other signals which may be available to the engine's electronic management unit.
  • one signal which is always available, or can be deduced, is typically the correlation of the engine acceleration (positive or negative) with the throttle valve angle. This information can well be used in symmetrical engines instead of the said signal indicative of ionisation. By way of example, a four- or six-cylinder engine with pairs of cylinders out of phase by 360° (or even by 370-380°) is considered. In this case the engine may be started with two half-injections of fuel into almost opposed cylinders and with almost simultaneous firing of their ignitions. Thus ignitions are lost in the cylinder on the exhaust stroke but these ignitions (with the valve timing overlap typical of engines in current production) are not harmful. In these conditions the engine starts effectively.
  • At this point, immediately the throttle valve angle exceeds a predetermined threshold (for example, throttle valve angle greater than βO, which corresponds, in practice, to a specific required torque, with the engine already started (rotational speed greater than Y revolutions/sec for given βO and Y), a search strategy may be undertaken to effect discrimination between even and odd 360° angles.
  • This strategy may comprise effecting ignition every 720° for all cylinders, with a random choice of association with the 720° reference, that is, a random choice between even 360° angles and odd 360° angles. If the engine decelerates beyond a predetermined limit, the opposite association is tested, that is the choice between even 360° angles and odd 360° angles is reversed. At the end of this test, the correct reference is thus identified. This strategy may cause a gap in the engine operation but this situation is not dangerous and is scarcely perceptible to the driver since the engine is being started.
  • Alternatively, a strategy for recognising the even 360° angles and odd 360° angles may be carried out independently of the position of the throttle valve when the engine is in the transitional stage between the disconnection of the starter motor and the attainment of idling conditions (about 400-600 revolutions per minute).
  • Once the 720° phase angles have been recognised by means of one of the said strategies, both the injection and the ignition are controlled with the use of all this information (thus injection may be phased). Even then, one of the above-mentioned strategies may possibly be repeated with the engine running should the engine speed drop inexplicably.
  • The strategies explained above may be used alone, in combination (for example to increase reliability should the ionisation detection circuit fail) or even in association with a cam-position sensor in order to considerably increase the general reliability of the engine control system.
  • Another source of information which can be used to determine the 720° phase reference is provided by pressure sensors in the cylinder, if these are present, since these enable direct determination of whether the reference cylinder is in compression or exhaust.
  • Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the constructional details and embodiments may be varied widely with respect to that described and illustrated without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (2)

  1. A method for synchronising an Otto-cycle internal combustion engine,
    the said engine having a throttle valve, and an ignition system and a fuel supply system controlled by at least one electronic engine management unit, and sensor means for providing said electronic unit with a first reference signal indicative of the angular position of the engine crankshaft over 360°,
    the method being adapted to generate a second reference signal indicative of the actual phase angle of at least one cylinder of the said engine so as to allow, in combination with the first reference signal, the angular position of the engine crankshaft to be determined over 720°;
    characterised in that it includes the steps of:
    generating, a priori, a test reference signal, assumed to be indicative of the angular position of the engine crankshaft over 720°, and corresponding to a first one of the two possible ways of association of odd and even intervals of 360°;
    causing an ignition every 720° in each cylinder of the engine on the basis of said test reference signal generated a priori;
    checking the consistency of the engine acceleration (positive or negative) with the angle of opening of the engine throttle valve;
    when the engine acceleration is consistent with the angle of opening of said throttle valve, adopting said test reference signal as the said second reference signal, and
    when the engine acceleration is inconsistent with the throttle valve angle, adopting as the said second reference signal a signal corresponding to the second way of association of odd and even intervals of 360°.
  2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein said test reference signal, generated a priori, is generated in a random manner.
EP95115292A 1994-09-30 1995-09-28 Synchronisation device without a cam-position sensor for an internal combustion engine Expired - Lifetime EP0704621B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO940766 1994-09-30
IT94TO000766A IT1268605B1 (en) 1994-09-30 1994-09-30 SYNCHRONIZATION DEVICE FOR AN ICE ENGINE WITHOUT CAM POSITION SENSOR.

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0704621A2 EP0704621A2 (en) 1996-04-03
EP0704621A3 EP0704621A3 (en) 1996-05-15
EP0704621B1 true EP0704621B1 (en) 2004-01-28

Family

ID=11412795

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP95115292A Expired - Lifetime EP0704621B1 (en) 1994-09-30 1995-09-28 Synchronisation device without a cam-position sensor for an internal combustion engine

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0704621B1 (en)
DE (1) DE69532493T2 (en)
ES (1) ES2211891T3 (en)
IT (1) IT1268605B1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6874473B2 (en) 2003-08-11 2005-04-05 Tecumseh Products Company Engine cycle recognition for fuel delivery

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19817447A1 (en) * 1998-04-20 1999-10-21 Bosch Gmbh Robert Method of phase detection for a 4-stroke internal combustion engine using ion current measurement
JP3766244B2 (en) * 1999-11-02 2006-04-12 株式会社日立製作所 Engine cylinder identification device
DE10208942A1 (en) * 2002-02-28 2003-09-11 Siemens Ag Method for determining the injection timing and system for carrying it out
EP1736656A1 (en) * 2005-06-24 2006-12-27 Ford Global Technologies, LLC Method for determining and regulating the crank angle position of a crankshaft of a four-stroke internal combustion engine
FR2919670A3 (en) * 2007-07-31 2009-02-06 Renault Sas Engine`s cylinder identifying method, involves realizing identification by comparison of energy transfer with spark plug of cylinders in position of high dead point between starting and end of conduction of plug
FR2925593B1 (en) * 2007-12-20 2014-05-16 Renault Sas METHOD FOR GENERATING A SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL OF THE OPERATING CYCLE OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2591008B2 (en) * 1988-01-31 1997-03-19 三菱自動車工業株式会社 Electronic distribution ignition system with fail-safe function
JPH03134247A (en) * 1989-10-19 1991-06-07 Mitsubishi Electric Corp Device and method for controlling internal combustion engine
DE4026723A1 (en) * 1990-08-24 1992-02-27 Bosch Gmbh Robert IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
US5174267A (en) * 1991-07-22 1992-12-29 Ford Motor Company Cylinder identification by spark discharge analysis for internal combustion engines
DE4229773C2 (en) * 1992-09-05 2000-07-27 Bosch Gmbh Robert Process for cylinder recognition of internal combustion engines
DE4242419A1 (en) * 1992-12-16 1994-06-23 Bosch Gmbh Robert Process for identifying cylinders while the engine is idling

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6874473B2 (en) 2003-08-11 2005-04-05 Tecumseh Products Company Engine cycle recognition for fuel delivery

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITTO940766A1 (en) 1996-03-30
ES2211891T3 (en) 2004-07-16
DE69532493D1 (en) 2004-03-04
IT1268605B1 (en) 1997-03-06
EP0704621A3 (en) 1996-05-15
EP0704621A2 (en) 1996-04-03
DE69532493T2 (en) 2004-12-02
ITTO940766A0 (en) 1994-09-30

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