Internal Combustion Engine Controller Injector Current Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional internal combustion engine controllers face challenges in quickly dropping injector current while minimizing thermal energy generation in the drive circuit and enhancing fuel efficiency, as existing methods either convert energy into thermal energy or are limited by fixed boost voltage for energy regeneration.
Innovation Solution
The controller incorporates a drive circuit with a peak current path, holding current path, ground current path, and a regenerating circuit with a voltage regulating section, allowing the boost circuit to regenerate electric energy and quickly drop injector current, thereby reducing heat generation and improving fuel injection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the Zener diode voltage is increased to increase energy elimination amount per hour from the injector, then the energy elimination speed improves, but the thermal energy generated in the downstream side switch element becomes excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a current regenerating diode as an intermediary component that enables the boost circuit to regenerate current from the injector. This mediator transfers energy elimination function from the downstream side switch element to the boost circuit, reducing thermal generation in the switch element while maintaining fast energy elimination through the regenerating path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the voltage parameter of the regeneration destination from the fixed battery voltage to the variable boost voltage, which can reach higher values (e.g., 100V or more). This parameter change increases the energy elimination amount per hour and accelerates injector current drop without requiring high Zener diode voltage that would generate excessive heat.
2Device complexity
If the boost voltage is used as the fixed regeneration destination voltage, then the circuit structure is simple, but the energy elimination amount per hour and injector current drop time are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the regeneration destination voltage dynamic by connecting it to the boost circuit output rather than using a fixed voltage source. The boost voltage dynamically adjusts based on operating conditions and can reach higher values, enabling faster energy elimination and current drop while maintaining reasonable circuit complexity through the existing boost circuit infrastructure.
3Power
If high energy is accumulated in the injector during operation, then the injector can deliver high current for fuel injection, but the current cannot be cut off quickly without excessive thermal generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of accumulated energy in the injector (which prevents quick current cutoff) into a beneficial regenerating current that flows through the current regenerating diode to the boost circuit. The stored energy is not dissipated as heat but rather regenerated and stored in the boost capacitor, enabling fast current drop while preserving energy for subsequent injection cycles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively suppresses heat generation in the drive circuit, enables quick injector current drop, reduces fuel injection variations, and enhances fuel efficiency by accurately controlling the injector current.
Implementation Method 1
a boost circuit which boosts a battery voltage
Implementation Method 2
a regenerating circuit which allows the boost circuit to regenerate electric energy of the injector from the downstream side of the injector via a current regenerating diode
Implementation Method 3
the method which converts energy into thermal energy by using the Zener diode effect of the downstream side switch element (FET)
Data Source
AI summary
At the time of drop of an injector current of an internal combustion engine controller, the drop is performed quickly while heat generation of a drive circuit is suppressed, and valve closing response speed of the injector is enhanced. The internal combustion engine controller includes a drive circuit which drives an injector current, and a boost circuit which boosts a battery voltage, and includes a peak current path for guiding a boost voltage of the boost circuit to an upstream side of the injector via a boost side switching element and a boost side protection diode, a holding current path for guiding the battery voltage to the upstream side of the injector via a battery side switching element and a battery side protection diode, a ground current path which is connected to a power supply ground from a downstream side of the injector via a downstream side switching element, and a regenerating circuit which allows the boost circuit to regenerate electric energy of the injector from the downstream side of the injector via a current regenerating diode, wherein the regenerating path is provided with a voltage regulating section in series with the current regenerating diode, and the drive circuit controls drive of the switching element.