With Cylinder Phase Identification Patents (Class 73/114.27)
  • Patent number: 11047323
    Abstract: An engine synchronisation arrangement of an internal combustion engine having a crank-shaft and a camshaft geared together with a fixed rotation ratio includes a crank-shaft wheel cooperating with a first sensor and, a camshaft wheel cooperating with a second sensor, both wheels being provided with peripheral features. Both sensors detect the features and communicate to an ECU binary signals. The features of the crank-shaft wheel are arranged in a sequential pattern, and a sliding window of a specific width covers a unique set of features corresponding to a unique string of consecutive bits mapping to a unique angular position of the crank-shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Inventor: Quenton M. Jones
  • Patent number: 10645880
    Abstract: An agricultural baler has a shaft, a flywheel connected to the shaft, a plunger connected to the flywheel via a crank, a brake system adapted for providing a brake force for decelerating the flywheel, at least one sensor for providing sensor data indicative for at least one moving part of the baler, and a brake control system comprising a processing system, e.g. a processor provided with an algorithm for stopping the crank in a predefined launch position range, based on a mathematical model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Xavier G. J. M. Bonte, Stefan De Rycke, Frederik Demon, Robrecht M. K. Dumarey, Pieter Vandevelde
  • Patent number: 9677528
    Abstract: A start control apparatus is provided with: a crank angle sensor configured to output a signal in association with rotation of an output shaft of an internal combustion engine; a resolver configured to detect a rotor angle, which is an angle position of a rotating shaft of a motor; and a controlling device configured to perform start control associated with the internal combustion engine on the basis of a temporary crank angle, from a start of the internal combustion engine until determination of a crank angle in starting of the internal combustion engine, wherein the temporary crank angle is an estimated value calculated by adding a value according to the outputted signal to a stop angle, which is an angle based on the rotor angle detected at a previous stop of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Miwa, Takashi Kawai
  • Patent number: 9488498
    Abstract: A sensor device is provided with a magnetic field sensitive element to be positioned in a magnetic field of a magnet. The magnet is positioned on an end face of a cam shaft of an engine. The magnetic field sensitive element is configured to sense an orientation angle of the magnetic field in the range between 0° and 360°. Further, the sensor device is provided with a memory. The memory stores a mapping of pulse edges to orientation angles. Further, the sensor device is provided with electronic circuitry. The electronic circuitry is configured to generate, depending on the sensed orientation angle and the stored mapping of pulse edges to orientation angles, a signal comprising a pattern of pulses with rising and falling pulse edges which are mapped to predefined orientation angles as sensed by the magnetic field sensitive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Peter Slama, Dirk Hammerschmidt, Tobias Werth
  • Patent number: 9488115
    Abstract: A device of an internal combustion engine, which has a multicore processor including a plurality of cores mounted thereon and is capable of calculating various calculations relating to an operation of the internal combustion engine in parallel by the plurality of cores, includes a calculation unit that assigns a task of the calculations to at least one of the plurality of cores and performs the calculation, an EGR unit that controls an EGR operation that recirculates a gas flowing in an exhaust system of the internal combustion engine to an intake system, and a control unit that decreases a number of cores that are used in the calculation unit to be smaller as compared with before stop, when the EGR operation is stopped. The calculation unit includes an assigning unit that assigns a task of a specific calculation relating to the EGR operation to one or a plurality of designated cores, and when the EGR operation is stopped, the control unit stops the designated core or cores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hayato Nakada
  • Publication number: 20150020581
    Abstract: A device for ascertaining a camshaft position and a phase of an internal-combustion engine having multiple cylinders, including a first position sensor wheel having multiple teeth on its circumference and rotatably and fixedly connected to an engine camshaft; a first position sensor for detecting a tooth flank position of the first wheel; a transmission connecting the camshaft to a crankshaft; a second position sensor wheel having at least one tooth on its circumference and being connected to the transmission so that it is synchronously driven with the camshaft, and a second position sensor for detecting a tooth flank position of the second wheel. For ascertaining a camshaft position and a phase of an engine with this device, a camshaft position is assigned to a position of a tooth flank of the first wheel and a phase of the engine is assigned to a tooth flank position of the second wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Paul STUCKERT, Ralf DRESCHER
  • Patent number: 8931332
    Abstract: There is provided an engine stroke determination apparatus. The engine stroke determination apparatus is for determining stroke of a single-cylinder four-stroke engine and includes a transistor igniter. The apparatus is configured to determine a compression stroke and an exhaust stroke by comparing voltages of ignition signals that are output in the compression stroke and the exhaust stroke by the transistor igniter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Suzuki, Hirofumi Kawauchi
  • Patent number: 8667937
    Abstract: A first target wheel has an opening and rotates about an axis of rotation to move the opening along a generally circular path. A second target wheel adjacent the first target wheel has a second projection projecting into the opening of the first target wheel with the second projection being movable along the generally circular path. A single sensor is positioned adjacent the generally circular path and senses movement of the opening and the second projection past the sensor. An electronic controller may be used to process signals from the sensor to determine the relative angular difference between the first target wheel and the second target wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Gallmeyer
  • Patent number: 8656762
    Abstract: A method for detecting a first rotation angle of a first shaft of an engine is provided, whereby a first marking carrier with sensor-readable markings is provided, whereby the markings form a first marking pattern that has marking sections having at least one first and a second marking section. The first marking carrier is scanned by a first sensor and a first sensor signal is generated. The first sensor signal is modulated by the markings on the marking carrier. A correlation between a time course of the first sensor signal and a time signal is made by a computing unit. A first marking section is recovered from the first sensor signal by the computing unit, and then, a first exclusion criterion for excluding the first stored marking section is determined from the recovered first marking section. The first stored marking section is then excluded by the first exclusion criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: dSPACE digital signal processing and control engineering GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Hoetzel
  • Patent number: 8596112
    Abstract: In an apparatus for discriminating a piston stroke of a general-purpose internal combustion engine connectable to an operating machine to be used as a prime mover of the machine and having a four-stroke operating cycle comprising intake, compression, expansion and exhaust, the operating cycle is discriminated based on intake air temperature detected by an intake air temperature sensor whether a stroke next to a predetermined crank angular position at which a crank angle sensor produces an output is the intake stroke or the expansion stroke, when operation of the engine is determined to be under a stable condition. With this, it becomes possible to discriminate the four-stroke operating cycle of the general-purpose engine without using an expensive pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Hashizume, Shigeru Saito
  • Patent number: 8302466
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting a cam phase of an engine provided with a variable valve timing mechanism able to vary a rotating phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft of the engine, which apparatus and method can detect the rotating phase in a short cycle. There is provided a cam angle sensor having a configuration of outputting a cam angle signal at each time when the camshaft rotates by a unit angle. At the same time, by lengthening an output cycle of the cam angle signal on a part thereof or by using a second cam angle sensor able to detect a reference cam angle position, a cam angle position to which individual cam angle signal corresponds is detected. Then, the rotating phase of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft can be detected, based on the detection result of the cam angle position based on the cam angle signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8100104
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine crankshaft assembly includes a crankshaft having an output device, such as a flywheel or crankshaft damper, fastened to the crankshaft. An electronic engine control device is positioned between the crankshaft and the output device. The electronic engine control device includes a generally planar base which contacts both the output device and the crankshaft. The planar base is coated with a pressure-responsive friction-promoting material which causes the output device to be torsionally locked with respect to the crankshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: Leon A. Widdall, Rick L. Williams, Patrick B. Morgan
  • Patent number: 8091412
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of method and devices therefore for identifying which cylinder is in the compression phase in a gasoline indirect electronic injection internal combustion engine. The present invention develops over various phases, measuring the signal of the ionisation current of each cylinder in which the piston is located at the top dead centre, registering the average value thereof and comparing it with a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Eldor Corporation, S.p.A.
    Inventors: Pasquale Forte, Stefano Bordegnoni, Andrea Gelmetti
  • Patent number: 7997245
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus includes: an internal combustion engine; a fuel injection unit provided in the internal combustion engine; an intake state detection unit that detects an intake state value indicating an intake state of the internal combustion engine, and that outputs an intake state signal; and a control unit to which the intake state signal is input, that determines based on the intake state signal whether or not the internal combustion engine is on an intake stroke, and that controls the fuel injection unit so that an initial fuel injection is performed in order to start up the engine when the control unit determines that the engine is on an intake stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Keihin Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Tokugawa, Shinichi Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20110162445
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting a cam phase of an engine provided with a variable valve timing mechanism able to vary a rotating phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft of the engine, which apparatus and method can detect the rotating phase in a short cycle. There is provided a cam angle sensor having a configuration of outputting a cam angle signal at each time when the camshaft rotates by a unit angle. At the same time, by lengthening an output cycle of the cam angle signal on a part thereof or by using a second cam angle sensor able to detect a reference cam angle position, a cam angle position to which individual cam angle signal corresponds is detected. Then, the rotating phase of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft can be detected, based on the detection result of the cam angle position based on the cam angle signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Inventor: Hirokazu SHIMIZU
  • Patent number: 7966869
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting a cam phase of an engine provided with a variable valve timing mechanism able to vary a rotating phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft of the engine, which apparatus and method can detect the rotating phase in a short cycle. There is provided a cam angle sensor having a configuration of outputting a cam angle signal at each time when the camshaft rotates by a unit angle. At the same time, by lengthening an output cycle of the cam angle signal on a part thereof or by using a second cam angle sensor able to detect a reference cam angle position, a cam angle position to which individual cam angle signal corresponds is detected. Then, the rotating phase of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft can be detected, based on the detection result of the cam angle position based on the cam angle signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7921700
    Abstract: A method for determining cylinder-specific combustion features of an internal combustion engine, the cylinder-specific combustion features being ascertained from a variable which represents the crankshaft speed, especially being ascertained from a signal of a crankshaft sensor or camshaft sensor. The cylinder-specific combustion features include a combustion position of at least one cylinder and/or a torque of the crankshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Raichle, Peter Skala, Andreas Rupp, Wolfgang Fischer, Michael Kessler, Mohamed Youssef, Joerg Breuninger, Haris Hamedovic, Axel Loeffler
  • Patent number: 7921699
    Abstract: The rotational position detecting apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a rotational angle sensor outputting a rotation angle signal indicative of a rotational angle of the internal combustion engine, an in-cylinder pressure sensor outputting an in-cylinder pressure signal indicative of an in-cylinder pressure of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, and a reference rotational position detecting section which detects a specific rotational angle of the internal combustion engine at which the in-cylinder pressure becomes a predetermined reference pressure under a predetermined running condition of the internal combustion engine, and determines the detected specific rotational angle as a reference rotational position of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Hoshi, Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 7886584
    Abstract: A stroke detection apparatus performs a stroke detection of 4-cycle engine based on a rotary engine speed when a throttle opening is large. A first crank-pulse time interval between a crank pulse inputted before a top dead center by 30°, and a crank pulse of the top dead center is measured by a pulse-interval calculation unit, and at the same time, a second crank-pulse time interval between a crank pulse inputted after the top dead center by 60° and a crank pulse inputted after the top dead center 90° is measured. An interval difference calculation unit calculates time-interval difference by subtracting the second crank-pulse time interval from the first crank-pulse time interval, for two continuous top dead centers. A stroke detection unit determines whether two top dead centers are a compression top dead center or an exhaust top dead center based on magnitudes of the time-interval differences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Machida, Katsuhiro Ouchi
  • Patent number: 7878048
    Abstract: A method for diagnosing combustion within an engine includes monitoring pressure cylinder pressure and generating a measured combustion phasing value for the cylinder at a predetermined metric selected to index the combustion cycle. The measured combustion phasing value is calculated through a Fast Fourier Transform and compared to an expected combustion phasing value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Ibrahim Haskara, Chol-Bum M Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Paul Anthony Battiston
  • Patent number: 7832259
    Abstract: Combustion within an internal combustion engine is diagnosed and includes monitoring crankshaft angular velocity and generating a combustion phasing value for a combustion chamber based on the crankshaft angular velocity. The combustion phasing value is compared to an expected combustion phasing value based on a predetermined start of injection crank angle and combustion phasing differences greater than an allowable combustion phasing difference are identified based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Ibrahim Haskara, Chol-Bum M Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Paul Anthony Battiston
  • Patent number: 7789068
    Abstract: A control method of a direct injection system of the common rail in an internal combustion engine; the control method contemplates the steps of: feeding the pressurized fuel to a common rail by means of a high-pressure pump presenting at least one pumping element mechanically operated by a drive shaft of the internal combustion engine; measuring the angular position of the drive shaft; measuring the fuel pressure in the common rail; analyzing the oscillations of the fuel pressure in the common rail; and determining the phase of the pumping element of the high-pressure pump with respect to the drive shaft according to the oscillations of the fuel pressure in the common rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A.
    Inventors: Gabriele Serra, Matteo De Cesare, Giovanni Prodi
  • Patent number: 7757547
    Abstract: A cylinder stroke position measurement device for enabling common use of a rotation sensor unit in measurement of a cylinder stroke position by detecting an amount of rotation of a rotary roller by means of a rotation sensor. A cylinder is provided at its head portion with a base member 300 having an opening accommodating at least a rotary roller and a rotation sensor section. A pressing member, the rotary roller, and the rotation sensor section are held on one side of a sensor holding member, while a coupling member for example is provided on the opposite side of the sensor holding member, thus constituting a rotation sensor unit. The sensor holding member is attached to the base member such that the rotary roller and the rotation sensor section are accommodated in the opening of the base member 300. The rotary roller is pressed by the pressing member against the surface of a rod. The rotation sensor section detects an amount of rotation of the rotary roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Kageyama, Nobuyuki Nagahashi
  • Patent number: 7661297
    Abstract: A method and system for making available an improved phase signal of a phase sensor on a camshaft of an internal combustion engine immediately after switching on the phase sensor and/or the internal combustion engine are provided. In this context, the phase sensor scans the angle marks of a signal-generating wheel that is connected to the camshaft in a torsionally fixed manner. In addition, a crankshaft sensor scans the angle marks of a signal-generating wheel that is connected to the crankshaft in a torsionally fixed manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Heinrich Steinruecken, Klaus Walter, Rasmus Rettig, Klemens Gintner
  • Publication number: 20090183559
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine in which a first rotation parameter is measured at a first end of a shaft of the internal combustion engine, and individual-cylinder rotation parameters are determined using the first rotation parameter. The method is characterized in that a second rotation parameter is measured at a second end of the shaft, and the individual-cylinder rotation parameters are determined using the first rotation parameter and the second rotation parameter. A control unit that controls the method is also presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Inventors: Manfred Birk, Peter Skala, Joachim Palmer, Wolfram Gerwing, Ruediger Fehrmann, Michael Kessler
  • Publication number: 20090158832
    Abstract: A stroke detection apparatus performs a stroke detection of 4-cycle engine based on a rotary engine speed when a throttle opening is large. A first crank-pulse time interval between a crank pulse inputted before a top dead center by 30°, and a crank pulse of the top dead center is measured by a pulse-interval calculation unit, and at the same time, a second crank-pulse time interval between a crank pulse inputted after the top dead center by 60° and a crank pulse inputted after the top dead center 90° is measured. An interval difference calculation unit calculates time-interval difference by subtracting the second crank-pulse time interval from the first crank-pulse time interval, for two continuous top dead centers. A stroke detection unit determines whether two top dead centers are a compression top dead center or an exhaust top dead center based on magnitudes of the time-interval differences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Kenichi Machida, Katsuhiro Ouchi
  • Publication number: 20090139316
    Abstract: A cylinder stroke position measurement device for enabling common use of a rotation sensor unit in measurement of a cylinder stroke position by detecting an amount of rotation of a rotary roller by means of a rotation sensor. A cylinder is provided at its head portion with a base member 300 having an opening accommodating at least a rotary roller and a rotation sensor section. A pressing member, the rotary roller, and the rotation sensor section are held on one side of a sensor holding member, while a coupling member for example is provided on the opposite side of the sensor holding member, thus constituting a rotation sensor unit. The sensor holding member is attached to the base member such that the rotary roller and the rotation sensor section rare accommodated in the opening of the base member 300. The rotary roller is pressed by the pressing member against the surface of a rod. The rotation sensor section detects an amount of rotation of the rotary roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masato Kageyama, Nobuyuki Nagahashi
  • Publication number: 20090007646
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting a cam phase of an engine provided with a variable valve timing mechanism able to vary a rotating phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft of the engine, which apparatus and method can detect the rotating phase in a short cycle. There is provided a cam angle sensor having a configuration of outputting a cam angle signal at each time when the camshaft rotates by a unit angle. At the same time, by lengthening an output cycle of the cam angle signal on a part thereof or by using a second cam angle sensor able to detect a reference cam angle position, a cam angle position to which individual cam angle signal corresponds is detected. Then, the rotating phase of the camshaft relative to the crankshaft can be detected, based on the detection result of the cam angle position based on the cam angle signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventor: Hirokazu SHIMIZU
  • Publication number: 20080148826
    Abstract: A method for determining cylinder-specific combustion features of an internal combustion engine, the cylinder-specific combustion features being ascertained from a variable which represents the crankshaft speed, especially being ascertained from a signal of a crankshaft sensor or camshaft sensor. The cylinder-specific combustion features include a combustion position of at least one cylinder and/or a torque of the crankshaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Franz Raichle, Peter Skala, Andreas Rupp, Wolfgang Fischer, Michael Kessler, Mohamed Youssef, Joerg Breuninger, Haris Hamedovic, Axel Loeffler