GB2162645A - Detecting top dead centre of i.c. engine pistons - Google Patents

Detecting top dead centre of i.c. engine pistons Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2162645A
GB2162645A GB08516565A GB8516565A GB2162645A GB 2162645 A GB2162645 A GB 2162645A GB 08516565 A GB08516565 A GB 08516565A GB 8516565 A GB8516565 A GB 8516565A GB 2162645 A GB2162645 A GB 2162645A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
pistons
sensor
top dead
rotary member
dead centre
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB08516565A
Other versions
GB8516565D0 (en
Inventor
Giuseppe Cotignoli
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
MARELLI AUTRONICA
Marelli Europe SpA
Original Assignee
MARELLI AUTRONICA
Marelli Autronica SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by MARELLI AUTRONICA, Marelli Autronica SpA filed Critical MARELLI AUTRONICA
Publication of GB8516565D0 publication Critical patent/GB8516565D0/en
Publication of GB2162645A publication Critical patent/GB2162645A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01M15/00—Testing of engines
    • G01M15/04—Testing internal-combustion engines
    • G01M15/06—Testing internal-combustion engines by monitoring positions of pistons or cranks
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B77/00—Component parts, details or accessories, not otherwise provided for
    • F02B77/08—Safety, indicating, or supervising devices
    • F02B77/087—Safety, indicating, or supervising devices determining top dead centre or ignition-timing
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
    • F02P7/00—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices
    • F02P7/06—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices of circuit-makers or -breakers, or pick-up devices adapted to sense particular points of the timing cycle
    • F02P7/067—Electromagnetic pick-up devices, e.g. providing induced current in a coil
    • F02P7/0677—Mechanical arrangements

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Length, Angles, Or The Like Using Electric Or Magnetic Means (AREA)
  • Combined Controls Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Ignition Installations For Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Transmission And Conversion Of Sensor Element Output (AREA)
  • Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
  • Electrical Control Of Ignition Timing (AREA)
  • Medicines Containing Antibodies Or Antigens For Use As Internal Diagnostic Agents (AREA)
  • Testing Of Engines (AREA)
  • Electrical Control Of Air Or Fuel Supplied To Internal-Combustion Engine (AREA)

Abstract

The sensor comprises a rotary member (10) rotatable in synchronism with the drive shaft and having a plurality of detectable references (12, 13), each associated with a respective piston or group of pistons (1, 4; 2, 3), and a fixed end sensor (11) associated with the rotary member (10) for detecting the passage of each of the references (12, 13) and providing a corresponding predetermined signals, to the rotary member (10) having a further detectable reference (14) located adjacent a reference (12) associated with a predetermined piston or group of pistons (1, 4). The references can be teeth, gaps of magnetic inserts. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion engine through the top dead centre position The present invention relates to a sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion engine through the top dead centre position.
In particular, the invention concerns a sensor of the type comprising a rotary member rotatable in synchronism with the drive shaft and having a plurality of detectable references, each associated with a respective piston or group of pistons, and a fixed end instrument associated with the rotary member for detecting the passage of each of the references and providing a corresponding predetermined electrical signal.
A conventional sensor of this type used in connection with a four-stroke, four-cylinder internal combustion engine is illustrated schematically in Figure 1. In this drawing, the rotary member is indicated 10 and the end instrument is indicated 11.
The detectable references are constituted by diametrally-opposed teeth 12, 13. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the tooth 12 is associated with the pistons 1 and 4, while the tooth 13 is associated with the pistons 2 and 3. The rotary member 10 is mounted so that the tooth 12 passes in front of the end instrument 11 when the pistons 1 and 4 are at top dead centre (or at a predetermined advance or retard angle relative to the movement into top dead centre).
Figure 2 illustrates as a function of time t the typical trend of a signal obtainable at the output of the end instrument 11: this signal S comprises a succession of pulses, each of which is associated with the passage of a tooth 12 or 13 in front of the instrument 11. In this signal, it is impossible to distinguish the pulses associated with the movement of the pistons 1,4 into top dead centre from the pulses associated with the movement of the pistons 2, 3 into top dead centre. In other words, the conventional sensor illustrated in Figure 1 does not allow differentiation within the "row" of cylinders in which the pistons are moving into top dead centre. This is a problem in electronic ignition systems with static distribution.
The object of the present invention is to provide a sensor of the type specified at the beginning, which is arranged so as to allow supplementary information to be obtained very simply and easily about the "row" in which the pistons are moving into top dead centre at a certain moment.
This object is achieved according to the invention by a sensor characterised in that the rotary member has a further detectable reference located adjacent the reference associated with a pre-determined piston or group of pistons.
Further characteristics and advantages of the sensor according to the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figures 1 and 2, already described, illustrate a sensor according to the prior art and the electrical signal obtainable from this sensor, and Figures 3 and 4, which will be described below, illustrate respectively an embodiment of the sensor according to the invention and the trend of the electrical signal obtainable from this sensor as a function of time.
Figure 3 shows a sensor according to the invention associated, by way of example, with the shaft of a four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. According to the invention, the rotary member 10 has a further reference, that is an additional tooth 14, for exam ple, adjacent the tooth 12. Preferably, the additional tooth 14 is located so as to be angularly staggered behind the reference tooth 12 in operation.
Figure 4 illustrates the signal SS obtainable from the end instrument 11 of Figure 3: this signal has respective pulse cycles A, C and B generated by the passage of the teeth 12, 14 and 13 in front of the end instrument 11, in the sense of rotation of the arrow F of Figure 3.
The time T1 between a pulse A and the subsequent pulse C and the time T2 between a pulse C and the subsequent pulse B should always be different from each other. Consequently, the pulse A (relating to the pair of cylinders 1, 4) is distinguishable from a pulse B (relating to the pair of cylinders 2, 3) by a simple comparison of the times T, and T2.
As stated above, in general, these times should be different from each other. Their ratio is constant when the drive shaft of the engine rotates at a constant angular velocity. The ratio between these times may vary when the drive shaft (and hence the rotary member 10) is subject to angular acceleration or deceleration. the position of the tooth 14 must therefore be such that, at the maximum angular acceleration foreseen, the time T1 is in any case different from (and in the example illustrated less than) the time T2.
Although reference has been made to a fourstroke, four-cylinder engine in the embodiments explained above, an expert in the art will immediately understand that the application of the sensor according to the invention is not limited to such an engine but allows generally the discrimination of the piston or group of pistons of an engine moving into top dead centre.
Moreover, the detectable references may be of a very different nature from the teeth illustrated by way of non-limiting example. Thus, they could by constituted, for example, by notches, by inserts of a material having different magnetic character- istics from the material constituting the rotary member 10, etc.
Furthermore, each piston or group of pistons may have several angularly equidistant references associated therewith.
1. Sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion en
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion engine through the top dead centre position The present invention relates to a sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion engine through the top dead centre position. In particular, the invention concerns a sensor of the type comprising a rotary member rotatable in synchronism with the drive shaft and having a plurality of detectable references, each associated with a respective piston or group of pistons, and a fixed end instrument associated with the rotary member for detecting the passage of each of the references and providing a corresponding predetermined electrical signal. A conventional sensor of this type used in connection with a four-stroke, four-cylinder internal combustion engine is illustrated schematically in Figure 1. In this drawing, the rotary member is indicated 10 and the end instrument is indicated 11. The detectable references are constituted by diametrally-opposed teeth 12, 13. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the tooth 12 is associated with the pistons 1 and 4, while the tooth 13 is associated with the pistons 2 and 3. The rotary member 10 is mounted so that the tooth 12 passes in front of the end instrument 11 when the pistons 1 and 4 are at top dead centre (or at a predetermined advance or retard angle relative to the movement into top dead centre). Figure 2 illustrates as a function of time t the typical trend of a signal obtainable at the output of the end instrument 11: this signal S comprises a succession of pulses, each of which is associated with the passage of a tooth 12 or 13 in front of the instrument 11. In this signal, it is impossible to distinguish the pulses associated with the movement of the pistons 1,4 into top dead centre from the pulses associated with the movement of the pistons 2, 3 into top dead centre. In other words, the conventional sensor illustrated in Figure 1 does not allow differentiation within the "row" of cylinders in which the pistons are moving into top dead centre. This is a problem in electronic ignition systems with static distribution. The object of the present invention is to provide a sensor of the type specified at the beginning, which is arranged so as to allow supplementary information to be obtained very simply and easily about the "row" in which the pistons are moving into top dead centre at a certain moment. This object is achieved according to the invention by a sensor characterised in that the rotary member has a further detectable reference located adjacent the reference associated with a pre-determined piston or group of pistons. Further characteristics and advantages of the sensor according to the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figures 1 and 2, already described, illustrate a sensor according to the prior art and the electrical signal obtainable from this sensor, and Figures 3 and 4, which will be described below, illustrate respectively an embodiment of the sensor according to the invention and the trend of the electrical signal obtainable from this sensor as a function of time. Figure 3 shows a sensor according to the invention associated, by way of example, with the shaft of a four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. According to the invention, the rotary member 10 has a further reference, that is an additional tooth 14, for exam ple, adjacent the tooth 12. Preferably, the additional tooth 14 is located so as to be angularly staggered behind the reference tooth 12 in operation. Figure 4 illustrates the signal SS obtainable from the end instrument 11 of Figure 3: this signal has respective pulse cycles A, C and B generated by the passage of the teeth 12, 14 and 13 in front of the end instrument 11, in the sense of rotation of the arrow F of Figure 3. The time T1 between a pulse A and the subsequent pulse C and the time T2 between a pulse C and the subsequent pulse B should always be different from each other. Consequently, the pulse A (relating to the pair of cylinders 1, 4) is distinguishable from a pulse B (relating to the pair of cylinders 2, 3) by a simple comparison of the times T, and T2. As stated above, in general, these times should be different from each other. Their ratio is constant when the drive shaft of the engine rotates at a constant angular velocity. The ratio between these times may vary when the drive shaft (and hence the rotary member 10) is subject to angular acceleration or deceleration. the position of the tooth 14 must therefore be such that, at the maximum angular acceleration foreseen, the time T1 is in any case different from (and in the example illustrated less than) the time T2. Although reference has been made to a fourstroke, four-cylinder engine in the embodiments explained above, an expert in the art will immediately understand that the application of the sensor according to the invention is not limited to such an engine but allows generally the discrimination of the piston or group of pistons of an engine moving into top dead centre. Moreover, the detectable references may be of a very different nature from the teeth illustrated by way of non-limiting example. Thus, they could by constituted, for example, by notches, by inserts of a material having different magnetic character- istics from the material constituting the rotary member 10, etc. Furthermore, each piston or group of pistons may have several angularly equidistant references associated therewith. CLAIMS
1. Sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion en gine through the top dead centre position comprising: - a rotary member rotatable in synchronism with the drive shaft and having a plurality of detectable references, each associated with a respective piston or group of pistons, and - a fixed end instrument associated with the rotary member for detecting the passage of each of the references and providing a corresponding predetermined signal, in which the rotary member has a further detectable reference located adjacent a reference associated with a predetermined piston or group of pistons.
2. Sensor according to Claim 1, in which the further detectable reference is located so as to be staggered angularly relative to the said reference associated with the predetermined piston or group of pistons in use.
3. Sensor for detecting the passage of a piston or group of pistons of an internal combustion engine through the top dead centre position, substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
GB08516565A 1984-06-29 1985-07-01 Detecting top dead centre of i.c. engine pistons Withdrawn GB2162645A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT8467667A IT8467667A0 (en) 1984-06-29 1984-06-29 SENSOR TO DETECT THE PASSAGE OF A PISTON OR A GROUP OF PISTONS OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTO THE TOP DEAD CENTER POSITION

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8516565D0 GB8516565D0 (en) 1985-08-07
GB2162645A true GB2162645A (en) 1986-02-05

Family

ID=11304346

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08516565A Withdrawn GB2162645A (en) 1984-06-29 1985-07-01 Detecting top dead centre of i.c. engine pistons

Country Status (10)

Country Link
BE (1) BE902775A (en)
DE (1) DE3523250A1 (en)
ES (1) ES8608105A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2566839A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2162645A (en)
IT (1) IT8467667A0 (en)
LU (1) LU85979A1 (en)
NL (1) NL8501873A (en)
NO (1) NO852608L (en)
SE (1) SE8503192L (en)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3611262A1 (en) * 1986-04-04 1987-10-08 Bosch Gmbh Robert METHOD FOR DETECTING THE WORKING STATE OF A CYLINDER OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
DE3829390A1 (en) * 1988-08-30 1990-03-01 Rexroth Mannesmann Gmbh METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MEASURING SPEED
FR2676092B1 (en) * 1991-04-30 1993-09-17 Sagem Allumage FIRST CYLINDER DETECTOR OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION AND GASOLINE ENGINE.
DE4335805A1 (en) * 1993-10-20 1995-04-27 Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag Circuit arrangement for detecting at least one marking assigned to an angle of rotation (angle of revolution) position of a shaft
DE19735720A1 (en) * 1997-08-18 1999-02-25 Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag Method for recognizing the combustion stroke of a specific cylinder when starting an internal combustion engine
DE102005002356A1 (en) * 2005-01-18 2006-07-27 Siemens Ag Crankshaft`s angle position detecting device for internal combustion engine, has two sensor units and pick-up wheel arranged together such that reference gap passes sensor units shortly after piston crosses top dead center
DE102017214166A1 (en) * 2017-08-14 2019-02-14 Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Speed sensor assembly

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1382626A (en) * 1971-07-30 1975-02-05 Delmoran Ag Control devices
GB1482797A (en) * 1973-11-15 1977-08-17 Bosch Gmbh Robert Pulse generators
GB2009420A (en) * 1977-12-02 1979-06-13 Renault Methods of and apparatus for locating the angular positionof rotatable objects
GB2024433A (en) * 1978-06-30 1980-01-09 Ford Motor Co Genrating pulses
GB1567027A (en) * 1976-10-06 1980-05-08 Magneti Marelli Spa System for locating a plurality of angular positions of a rotating member
GB2059598A (en) * 1979-09-29 1981-04-23 Bosch Gmbh Robert Inductive rotational speed or position transducers
GB2065310A (en) * 1979-11-24 1981-06-24 Bosch Gmbh Robert Rotational speed or angle sensor and evaluation circuit
WO1983004283A1 (en) * 1982-06-03 1983-12-08 Robert Bosch Gmbh Sensor

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL7215676A (en) * 1971-12-04 1973-06-06
US4204811A (en) * 1977-08-19 1980-05-27 The Garrett Corporation Fluid pumping system
JPS57137627A (en) * 1981-02-17 1982-08-25 Honda Motor Co Ltd Rotary sensor and its output processor
DE3146185C2 (en) * 1981-11-21 1987-08-20 Daimler-Benz Ag, 7000 Stuttgart Method for setting a specific angular position of the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine and device for carrying out this method
JPS58107871A (en) * 1981-12-22 1983-06-27 Nissan Motor Co Ltd Fuel injection device of internal-combustion engine

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1382626A (en) * 1971-07-30 1975-02-05 Delmoran Ag Control devices
GB1482797A (en) * 1973-11-15 1977-08-17 Bosch Gmbh Robert Pulse generators
GB1567027A (en) * 1976-10-06 1980-05-08 Magneti Marelli Spa System for locating a plurality of angular positions of a rotating member
GB2009420A (en) * 1977-12-02 1979-06-13 Renault Methods of and apparatus for locating the angular positionof rotatable objects
GB2024433A (en) * 1978-06-30 1980-01-09 Ford Motor Co Genrating pulses
GB2059598A (en) * 1979-09-29 1981-04-23 Bosch Gmbh Robert Inductive rotational speed or position transducers
GB2065310A (en) * 1979-11-24 1981-06-24 Bosch Gmbh Robert Rotational speed or angle sensor and evaluation circuit
WO1983004283A1 (en) * 1982-06-03 1983-12-08 Robert Bosch Gmbh Sensor

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NO852608L (en) 1985-12-30
SE8503192L (en) 1985-12-30
BE902775A (en) 1985-10-16
SE8503192D0 (en) 1985-06-26
IT8467667A0 (en) 1984-06-29
DE3523250A1 (en) 1986-01-09
LU85979A1 (en) 1986-01-24
ES8608105A1 (en) 1986-06-16
GB8516565D0 (en) 1985-08-07
NL8501873A (en) 1986-01-16
ES545016A0 (en) 1986-06-16
FR2566839A1 (en) 1986-01-03

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)