DE202013007580U1 - Preheating arrangement for a diesel engine - Google Patents

Abstract

Glow plug arrangement for a diesel engine, comprising a control means (10) for controlling a heating means (5) of the diesel engine and an indication means (40) for issuing a notification to a driver, the control means (10) comprising monitoring means (11) for monitoring a preheating process the heating means (5) and is set up to actuate the notification means (40) on the basis of a preheating process monitored by the monitoring means (11) for outputting a notification.

Description

The present invention relates to the preheating of a diesel engine, in particular a preheating arrangement for a diesel engine and a computer program product for carrying out a method for preheating a diesel engine.

From the EP 2 535 556 A1 For example, there is known a starting control system for a diesel engine that varies a starting time of the engine according to a comparison of a required pre-glow time with an actual pre-glow time. In this way, the diesel engine can also be started if the driver does not wait for the required preheating time.

This can lead to an impairment of the starting process without the driver causally linking this with his fault condition.

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to improve the operation, in particular the starting process, of a diesel engine, in particular of a passenger car.

This object is achieved by a Vorglühanordnung with the features of claim 1. Claim 7 protects a computer program product for carrying out a corresponding method. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

In one aspect of the present invention, a preheater assembly for a diesel engine includes control means for controlling a heating means of the diesel engine.

The heating means is set up or provided in an embodiment for so-called preheating or preheating or heating of the diesel engine or individual parts and / or operating means thereof, in particular a coolant and / or lubricant such as, in particular, cooling water, engine oil or the like. In one embodiment, the heating means on one or more glow plugs or pins or the like, which are arranged in a further development of a combustion chamber of the diesel engine.

The control means is in one embodiment hardware and / or software technology as well as connection or communication technology set up or provided for controlling the heating means, in the present case for more compact representation also a rules, d. H. outputting a manipulated variable based on the comparison of an actual and a desired variable, generally referred to as taxes.

The control means may in particular in the in EP 2 535 556 A1 described manner be designed, in particular to detect a temperature of the diesel engine or individual parts and / or resources thereof, and / or actuation of an ignition switch and the heating means in response to actuate, in particular optionally, preferably variable, with energy to supply. In addition, this is also on the EP 2 535 556 A1 and their contents are included in the present disclosure.

A means in the sense of the present invention may be designed in terms of hardware and / or software, in particular a data or signal-connected, preferably digital, processing, in particular microprocessor unit (CPU) and / or a memory and / or bus system or multiple programs or program modules. The CPU may be configured to execute instructions implemented as a program stored in a memory system, to capture input signals from a data bus, and / or to output signals to a data bus. A storage system may comprise one or more, in particular different, storage media, in particular optical, magnetic, solid state and / or other non-volatile media. The program may be arranged to be capable of embodying the methods described herein so that the CPU may perform the steps of such methods.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a hinting means is provided for outputting a hint to a driver, the control means comprising monitoring means for monitoring a preheating operation by the heating means and being arranged to display the hinting means on the basis of a pre-glowing operation monitored by the monitoring means to output a hint in particular, when the monitoring means detects a faulty pre-glowing process.

In this way, attention can be drawn in an embodiment of the driver to incorrect operation, in particular premature actuation of a starter before expiration of a required, in particular fixed or variably predetermined, pre-glow time. As a result, according to one aspect, the risk of an erroneous assumption that a startup process or engine behavior which has deteriorated due to the incorrect operation is system-induced is reduced, and thus, in particular, an unnecessary search for system errors can be avoided. Additionally or alternatively, a future operation by the driver can be improved and in particular the life of the diesel engine can be increased and / or its environmental friendliness can be improved.

In one embodiment, the notification means can output a visual indication or be set up for this purpose, in particular a written warning such as "preheat the engine sufficiently before engine start!", An optical warning signal, in particular by a corresponding warning light, or the like. In particular for this purpose, at least a part of the indication means can be arranged in a dashboard of a motor vehicle with the diesel engine. In one development, the information means comprises an indication of an on-board computer or the like.

Additionally or alternatively, in one embodiment, the advisory means may issue an audible indication or be adapted thereto, in particular a spoken warning such as "preheat the engine sufficiently before engine start!", A warning tone or the like. Additionally or alternatively, in one embodiment, the hinting means can output or be adapted to a haptic indication, in particular a vibration of an operating element such as a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, gear selector lever, driver's seat or the like.

In one embodiment, the monitoring means may monitor or be pre-heated by the heating means, in particular an actual pre-glow time, in particular between switching on an ignition and starting the diesel engine, preferably in comparison with a required pre-glow time, in particular fixed or variable. Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring means may monitor other parameters of the preheating process, in particular an energy supplied to the heating means, an actual temperature of the diesel engine or individual parts and / or operating means thereof or the like.

In one embodiment, the monitoring means may actuate the notification means for outputting a notification if the monitoring means detects that the monitored preheating process is faulty, in particular a one-dimensional or multidimensional parameter of the preheating process lies outside a predetermined or permissible range, in particular , an actual preheating time falls below a required preheating time, in particular by at least one predetermined value, an actual energy, with which the heating medium has been supplied, falls below a required, in particular fixed or variably predetermined, preheating energy, in particular by at least one predetermined value, a temperature of Diesel engine or individual parts and / or operating means thereof, a required, in particular fixed or variable predetermined temperature, below, in particular by at least a predetermined value, or the like.

In one embodiment, the monitoring means may actuate the notification means for outputting an indication of a predetermined time and / or for outputting a predetermined number or repetitions of indications.

In one embodiment, the control means comprises an input means for disabling output of an indication by the indication means. The input means may in particular be an input means of an on-board computer of a motor vehicle with the diesel engine, for example a corresponding option of a menu or the like. Similarly, the input means may be formed by the hint itself, for example, by a touch screen on which the hint is visually output, the display of the hint being disabled by touching a corresponding operation field.

In this way, in one embodiment, the driver can deactivate a corresponding indication if the faulty preheating process, in particular the non-waiting of a required preheating time, has been carried out deliberately, for example to start the diesel engine immediately in a dangerous situation or the like.

In a further development, the control means can reactivate outputting of a hint by the notification means on the basis of a number of pre-glow processes after deactivation by the input means or is set up for this purpose. As a result, in particular a new driver after a driver change again be pointed to a faulty Vorglühvorgang after a previous driver has registered a notice and disabled for certain reasons. Additionally or alternatively, the automatic reactivation of the indication of a fixed or variably predetermined number of Vorglühvorgängen, in particular of faulty Vorglühvorgängen in which the monitoring means detects that a parameter of Vorglühvorgangs is outside of a predetermined or allowable range, reduce the risk of repeated incorrect operation ,

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for preheating a diesel engine, in particular a motor vehicle, preferably a passenger car, comprises monitoring a preheating process by a heating means of the diesel engine and outputting a message to a driver based on a monitored preheating operation in the manner explained above.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the indication is issued visually, acoustically and / or haptically. In one embodiment, outputting of the hint by the driver may be selectively disabled, wherein in a further embodiment outputting of the alert is automatically reactivated based on a number of pre-glow operations after deactivation.

In one aspect of the present invention, a computer program product comprises program code for performing such a method stored on a computer-readable medium.

Further advantageous developments of the present invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and the following description of preferred embodiments. This shows, partially schematized, the only:

1 a preheating arrangement for a diesel engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 shows a preheating arrangement for a diesel engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The diesel engine has in a conventional manner a plurality of cylinders, of which in 1 exemplarily a cylinder 1 is shown. These communicate with an air supply 2 and an exhaust gas removal 3 and have a combustion chamber 4 on.

A control means in the form of a motor control unit ("engine ECU") 10 controls a fuel injection means 6 and a power supply 30 a heating means in the form of a glow plug 5 to preheat the diesel engine attached to the combustion chamber 4 is arranged. By controlling the power supply 30 controls the ECU 10 thus the glow plug 5 ,

The ECU 10 receives signals from a water temperature sensor 20 for detecting a cooling water temperature of the engine, a crank angle sensor 21 for detecting a rotational speed of the engine and a motor switch 22 having at least one ignition position and a start (er) position. If the driver sets the engine switch to the ignition position, the ECU activates 10 the energy supply 30 to the engine through the glow plugs 5 preheat for a given preglow time required, the ECU 10 the required preheating time, especially based on the water temperature sensor 20 specified cooling water temperature.

In the ECU 10 is a monitoring device 11 implemented for monitoring the preheating by the heating means, for example in the in the EP 2 535 556 A1 described manner, to which reference is additionally made. In the embodiment, the monitoring means compares 11 an actual pre-glow time between turning on an ignition and starting the diesel engine by setting the engine switch 22 into the starting position with the necessary preheating time. If the actual pre-glow time falls below the predetermined required pre-glow time by at least a predetermined value, the monitoring means detects 11 a faulty preheating process. Nevertheless, the ECU starts 10 the engine, in particular by operating a starter (not shown) and / or injecting fuel through the injection means in the shortened Vorglühzeit adapted manner, in particular with extended premixing time, reduced common rail pressure, increased pilot injection quantity or the like as in EP 2 535 556 A1 described.

As a result of the detection of a faulty preheating by the monitoring means 11 actuates the ECU 10 an indicator in the form of an advertisement 40 of an on-board computer for issuing a visual warning in the form of a written warning "Please preheat the engine before starting the engine!" to a driver.

The ECU 10 has an input means in the form of an input menu 50 of the on-board computer, which is an input field 51 on whose operation the driver can deactivate an output of this hint. After a predetermined number of faulty Vorglühvorgängen, for example after three, five or ten faulty Vorglühvorgängen in which the actual pre-heat has fallen below the predetermined required pre-glow time by at least a predetermined value, the ECU reactivated 10 automatically outputting the hint.

Although exemplary embodiments have been explained in the foregoing description, it should be understood that a variety of modifications are possible. It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments are merely examples that are not intended to limit the scope, applications and construction in any way. Rather, the expert is given by the preceding description, a guide for the implementation of at least one exemplary embodiment, with various changes, in particular with regard to the function and arrangement of the components described, can be made without departing from the scope, as it turns out according to the claims and these equivalent combinations of features. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 1 cylinder 2 air supply 3 exhaust removal 4 combustion chamber 5 Glow plug (heating medium) 6 Injection means 10 ECU (control means) 11 monitoring means 30 power supply 20 Water Temperature Sensor 21 Crank angle sensor 22 motor switch 40 Display (hint) 50 On-board computer menu (input device) 51 Control panel

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• EP 2535556 A1 [0002, 0009, 0009, 0030, 0030]

Claims (10)

Vorglühanordnung for a diesel engine, with a control means ( 10 ) for controlling a heating means ( 5 ) of the diesel engine and a means of 40 ) for outputting a message to a driver, wherein the control means ( 10 ) a monitoring means ( 11 ) for monitoring a preheating operation by the heating means ( 5 ) and is adapted to provide the means ( 40 ) based on a by the monitoring means ( 11 ) to supervise preheating process to output a hint. Vorglühanordnung according to the preceding claim, wherein the hinting means ( 40 ) is set up to output a visual cue. Vorglühanordnung according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hinting means ( 40 ) is set up to output an audible indication. Vorglühanordnung according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hinting means ( 40 ) is set up to output a haptic hint. Vorglühanordnung according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control means ( 10 ) an input means ( 50 ) for disabling issuing of a hint by the clue means ( 40 ) having. Preheating arrangement according to the preceding claim, wherein the control means ( 10 ) for reactivating outputting of a hint by the hinting means ( 40 ) based on a number of pre-anneals after being deactivated by the input means ( 50 ) is set up. A computer program product having a program code stored on a computer-readable medium for performing a method of preheating a diesel engine, comprising the steps of: monitoring a preheating operation by a heating means ( 5 ) of a diesel engine; and outputting an indication to a driver based on a monitored preheat operation. Computer program product according to the preceding claim, wherein the hint is issued visually, acoustically and / or haptically. A computer program product according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the step of: selectively disabling an indication of an indication by the driver. The computer program product of the preceding claim, the method comprising the step of: reactivating issuing a hint based on a number of pre-glow operations after deactivation.

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