Fuel Injector Diagnostic Voltage Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel injector control systems struggle to accurately determine if a fuel injector has injected fuel in response to power application due to variations in opening and closing characteristics among different fuel injectors, leading to inconsistent fuel delivery and potential engine performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A fuel control system that measures voltage differences at the fuel injector's electrical connectors to determine parameters such as maximum and minimum values, derivatives, and sums, allowing the diagnostic module to assess whether fuel was injected and adjust pulse widths to compensate for injector-specific characteristics, ensuring consistent fuel injection across different fuel injectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fuel injector control system uses standard power application to activate fuel injectors, then the fuel injection process can be initiated, but variations in opening and closing characteristics among different fuel injectors lead to inconsistent fuel delivery and potential engine performance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by measuring voltage parameters specific to each individual fuel injector and determining opening/closing characteristics unique to each injector. The control module then applies injector-specific compensation values to each fuel injector's pulse width, rather than using a uniform control approach, thereby accounting for local variations in injector performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by measuring voltage differences and determining opening/closing characteristics for each injector, then modifying the pulse width parameter by adding compensation values. This parameter adjustment compensates for variations in injector characteristics, ensuring consistent fuel delivery across all injectors despite manufacturing tolerances and wear differences
2Measurement precision
If the system measures voltage differences and determines multiple parameters (maximum, minimum, derivatives, sums) to assess fuel injection, then accurate determination of fuel injection status is achieved, but the complexity of the diagnostic system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the fuel injector's own electrical characteristics (voltage differences across its terminals) as the measurement basis. By monitoring the voltage parameters inherent to the injector's operation during normal fuel injection events, the system achieves accurate detection without requiring external sensors or additional measurement hardware, thereby maintaining measurement precision while limiting complexity increase
Data Source
AI summary
An injector driver module applies power to a fuel injector of an engine for a fuel injection event. A voltage measuring module measures first and second voltages at first and second electrical connectors of the fuel injector. A parameter determination module determines a maximum value based on a first difference between the first and second voltages, determines a minimum value based on the first difference between the first and second voltages, and determines a second difference between the maximum and minimum values. A diagnostic module, based on the second difference between the maximum and minimum values, indicates whether the fuel injector injected fuel in response to the application of power.