Engine Control System Single Line Triggering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control systems for internal combustion engines require a large number of control lines between the trigger circuit and the output stage to achieve precise timing for injection valves, which complicates the system and increases complexity.
Innovation Solution
A control system with a single control line for time-critical signals and a selection interface for encoding and decoding signal shape and channel selections, allowing for separate communication of time-critical and time-non-critical information, and utilizing a programmable microcontroller and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for flexible and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a large number of control lines are provided between the trigger circuit and the output stage to enable precise triggering of individual valves with minimum time delay, then the triggering precision and response time are improved, but the system complexity and number of control lines increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control interface into two distinct parts: a single control line for time-critical signals and a separate selection interface for channel and signal shape selection. This segmentation allows time-critical triggering signals to be transmitted with minimum delay through the dedicated control line, while the selection interface handles non-time-critical configuration separately, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining triggering precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The selection interface acts as an intermediary between the trigger circuit and the output stage. It receives selection signals that encode both channel selection and signal shape selection, and translates these into the appropriate output channel activations. This intermediary structure reduces the need for direct complex connections between the trigger circuit and all possible output channels, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining precise triggering capability.
2Device complexity
If a single control line is used for time control signals and a selection interface is used for encoding signal shape and channel selections, then the number of control lines is reduced and the system is simplified, but the information transmission capacity must be efficiently managed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two types of information (channel selection and signal shape selection) into a single selection signal that is transmitted through the selection interface. This merging allows the system to convey multiple pieces of control information efficiently without requiring separate lines for each parameter, thereby simplifying the system while maintaining full information transmission capacity needed for precise control.
Solution Approach 2:
The selection signal is prepared in advance with encoded information about both the desired output channel and the signal shape. This preliminary encoding allows the output stage to be pre-configured with the necessary parameters before the actual triggering occurs, ensuring that when the time control signal arrives, all configuration information is already in place and no information is lost during the time-critical triggering event.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system (and a method of operating the system for an internal combustion engine. The control system has a trigger circuit for supplying trigger signals and an output stage having a plurality of output channels which supply actuating signals. The trigger circuit and the output stage are connected to one another by a selection interface and a trigger interface that is a single control line which supplies a time control signal.