JPH1077878A - Internal combustion engine and fuel feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To indirectly measure the pressure of an engine having a number of cylinders to obtain continuously usable data to control an operation parameter with regard to a means to measure the cylinder pressure of an internal combustion engine. SOLUTION: A cylinder bolt 10 with a single strain gauge to measure the combustion pressures of a plurality of cylinders is used as one of bolts by which a number of cylinder heads are coupled to an engine block. A combustion pressure is transmitted to a bolt with a strain gauge by a head and a measurable strain is generated in the bolt. A fuel device to feed injection fuel or effect electronic control of a timing is provided with a function to automatically monitor and calibrate injection performance of fuel by information on a cylinder pressure by the bolt with a strain gauge. The information is used to calibrate a fuel injection parameter produced along with wear of an engine or calibrate a difference between engines to have need for being differed in fuel injection feed and a timing due to a difference in a manufacture allowable tolerance of an engine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to control and monitoring of an internal combustion engine, and more specifically, to an apparatus for controlling and monitoring an internal combustion engine by detecting a load on a cylinder head bolt. And methods.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has long been desirable for engineers to be able to obtain information about the pressure in cylinders of internal combustion engines for maintenance, fault repair and engine control purposes. Most traditional attempts to gather this information have
In order to directly measure the pressure, a piezoelectric strain gauge sensor physically communicating with the inside of the cylinder is used. However, due to carbonization and corrosion problems, a reliable sensor that works reliably in the combustion chamber and requires thousands of hours, as required when using data in engine control systems. It has not been possible to design a sensor that functions with the required accuracy during a long operating period. The prior art therefore proposes an intermittent monitoring system comprising a pressure sensor periodically arranged in communication with the inside of the cylinder by means of a manually or automatically operated valve. Such monitoring systems can provide extremely useful information during maintenance and repair of failures, but cannot be used as control systems due to the discontinuous nature of the data.

The prior art has also attempted to indirectly measure cylinder pressure by measuring the force generated within a single cylinder head cover as a result of a change in pressure within the cylinder. See, for example, US Pat. No. 5,179,857 to Sondregger and others (Kistler Instrument, Switzerland).
e) Assigned to AG) discloses a flat washer having an operable piezoelectric sensor for detecting the force generated between a cylinder cover stud and a nut used to secure the cylinder cover to the stud. Have been. Because of the dimensions of these washers and the need to minimize the force signals transmitted from adjacent cylinders, Kistler's patent
It is only recommended to use washers for very large engines (such as marine diesel engines) with individual cylinder heads and covers for each cylinder.

[0004]

Therefore, in the prior art, in order to obtain data which can be used continuously to control the operating parameters of the engine, the cylinder pressure in an internal combustion engine having a multi-cylinder head and a head cover is determined. There is still a need for an indirect measure. The present invention is directed to satisfying such a need.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the use of a single strain gauge cylinder bolt to measure cylinder combustion pressure in a plurality of internal combustion engine cylinders. This cylinder bolt with strain gauge is one of the bolts that connects many cylinder heads to the engine block.
Used as one. Since this cylinder head acts on a large number of cylinders, the combustion pressure in each cylinder is transmitted to the strain gauge bolt by the head each time each cylinder burns. As a result of such pressure, the bolt is distorted, and this distortion can be measured. For a fuel injection control device capable of electronically adjusting the fuel supply or the timing of the fuel injection, the information on the cylinder pressure provided by the cylinder head bolt with a strain gauge of the present invention includes information on the fuel pressure. Allows for automatic monitoring and calibration of injection performance. This information can be used to calibrate fuel injection parameters as engine wear increases over time. This information can also be used to calibrate differences between engines that require different fuel supplies and timings on the first fuel injection due to differences due to engine manufacturing tolerances. it can.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least a first plurality of cylinders for burning fuel, a fuel system for supplying fuel to the first plurality of cylinders in a controlled manner, and an engine block coupled to the engine block An engine block defining a cylinder head adapted to act on at least the first plurality of cylinders when actuated, and a plurality of operable connectors coupling the cylinder head to the engine block; At least one of the fittings includes an operable strain gauge for measuring strain in the at least one fitting due to pressure in the first plurality of cylinders (pressure transmitted through the cylinder head); The at least one fitting is communicatively coupled to a fuel supply, the fuel supply comprising:
An internal combustion engine is disclosed that controls the supply of fuel to a first plurality of cylinders based at least in part on information regarding strain measured by the at least one fitting.

In another aspect of the invention, a fuel supply for use with an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The fuel supply includes a fuel injection device for controlling the supply of fuel to the internal combustion engine, and a multi-cylinder head. A connector connected to the internal combustion engine, wherein the connector measures distortion of the connector caused by pressure in the plurality of cylinders (pressure transmitted from the plurality of cylinders to the connector by the multiple cylinder heads). A possible strain gauge, wherein the connection is connected to the fuel injector so as to enable the transmission of data, the fuel injection device at least partially providing information on the strain measured by the connection. The supply of fuel to the internal combustion engine is controlled based on this.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling the supply of fuel into an internal combustion engine is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: (a) controlling the pressure in a first plurality of cylinders of the internal combustion engine; Measuring the strain generated in the cylinder head; and (b) for each of the first plurality of cylinders,
Measuring the data on the combustion selected based at least in part on the strain measured in step (a); (c) comparing the measured data on the combustion with data on a predetermined desired combustion; d) for each of the first plurality of cylinders, controlling the supply of fuel to the cylinders based at least in part on the comparison result of step (c).

[0009]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For the purpose of better understanding the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used. However, this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Modifications, further applications, and further applications of the principles of the invention described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is understood that it is usually devised by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

The use of electronic engine control modules (ECMs) for closed-loop control of an internal combustion engine is based on feedback signals from various sensors in the engine, which provide data regarding the current operating condition of the engine. To accurately control the operation of the engine. According to the inventor, for an engine controller having the function of electronically adjusting the fuel injection supply and / or timing, it is necessary to calibrate the performance difference between the engines because the engine wears out during its useful life and It is desirable to use information about cylinder pressure in order to always optimize the injection of engine fuel. Since no sensor capable of providing this information exists in the prior art, the cylinder head bolt with the strain gauge of the present invention was developed.

Referring to FIG. 1, a strain gauge bolt according to a first embodiment of the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 10. The bolt 10 is a Cummins M11.6 cylinder diesel engine (Cummins Engine Company, Columbus, IN).
y, Inc. )) The shape and dimensions are such that a cylinder head cover can be connected to the cylinder head. However, the dimensions and shape of the cylinder head bolt are not critical to the invention. The bolt 10 has strain gauge sensors 12, 14 located inside the bolt 10, which are connected by wires 16 to an external full bridge strain gauge circuit. This full bridge strain gauge circuit is shown in FIG. These strain gauge sensors 12, 14 are formed as pins or plugs that are pushed into longitudinal holes drilled in the top of the bolt 10.

A second embodiment of a strain gauge cylinder bolt 50 is shown in FIG. The bolt 50 is provided with a strain gauge on the inside by a complete strain gauge circuit 20 which is glued and sealed in a 2 mm diameter, 5 mm deep hole drilled at the top of the bolt 50. A terminal 52 is provided on the top of the bolt to connect the strain measurement circuit to an external circuit such as an engine control module (ECM).

FIG. 4 illustrates a cylinder head bolt with a third strain gauge, generally designated 60, according to the present invention. The bolt 60 is internally provided with a strain gauge by a complete strain gauge circuit which is glued and sealed in a small shaft hole drilled at the top of the bolt. The internal strain gauge circuit of the bolt 60 is a quadrant bridge circuit 70 as shown in FIG. The bolt 60 is a threaded connection 62 that threadably engages an engagement connection at the top of the bolt 60 to couple the multi-conductor 64 to an internal strain gauge circuit.
have. Next, the multi-conductor 64 can be coupled to an external circuit such as the engine ECM.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a cylinder head for a Cummins M11 six-cylinder diesel engine. The positions of these cylinders are numbered 1-6. The bolt positions on all cylinder heads are
It is indicated by a small circle in the drawing. Cylinder head 8 in FIG.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that 0 is a single structure and is designed as a single head acting on multiple cylinders, specifically as heads for six separate cylinders. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the present invention is equally applicable to internal combustion engines having fewer or more cylinders than the six cylinder engine used in the exemplary embodiment.

All the experimental data described in the specification of this application are arranged at a position indicated by reference numeral 82 in FIG. 6 (a position generally referred to as a position 4 in the case of this type of Cummins engine). 1 is obtained by using the cylinder head bolt 10 of FIG. The data obtained for the bolt 50 of the second embodiment and the bolt 60 of the third embodiment of the present invention were similar to the results obtained using the bolt 10.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the cylinder No. measured by several different means. The state of combustion within 1 is illustrated graphically. The recording line 90 is obtained by a conventional sensor provided on the fuel injection rocker.
The recording line 92 was obtained from a prior art cylinder pressure transducer mounted in the engine cylinder. The recording line 94 is the cylinder head bolt 1 of the present invention.
Obtained using 0. The data in FIG. 7 was recorded when the engine speed was 1200 rpm and the engine was in a no-load state. Head bolt recording line 94
Is compared with the cylinder pressure transducer data 92 and the rocker recording line 90, the measurement of the combustion state in the cylinder can be correlated well. Therefore, the pressure in the cylinder related to the combustion state can be accurately detected by using one of the cylinder head bolts with the strain gauge of the present invention. By comparing the combustion data with predetermined desired combustion data, it can be determined whether or not the supply of fuel to the cylinder should be adjusted so as to obtain an optimum result. Since the fuel injection control device of many engines such as the control device of the Cummins TP fuel injection device has a function of electronically adjusting the supply of fuel by fuel injection or its timing, the cylinder head bolt with a strain gauge according to the present invention is used. The information on the cylinder pressure provided in the above realizes the function of automatically monitoring and calibrating the fuel injection performance. As engine wear increases,
Use this information to calibrate the fuel injection parameters and to determine differences between engines that require different fueling and timing of the first fuel injection due to differences due to engine manufacturing tolerances. Can be calibrated.

FIG. 8 shows a good correspondence between the pressure from the internal transducer of the prior art cylinder (solid line) and the pressure measurement obtained from the strain gauge cylinder head bolt 10 (dashed line). . It should be noted that in the graph of FIG. 8, both transducer measurements have been converted to cylinder pressure (PSI). The data in FIG. 8 is for a Cummins M11 six cylinder diesel engine rotating at 600 rpm at full load. FIG. 9 shows similar data of an engine rotating at 1000 rpm, FIG. 10 shows data at 1500 rpm, and FIG. 11 shows data at 1800 rpm. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the strain gauge cylinder head bolts of the present invention provide cylinder pressure measurements that correlate very well with prior art in-cylinder pressure transducer measurements.

Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown a graph of the output 100 of the prior art cylinder internal pressure transducer and the output 102 of the strain gauge cylinder head bolt 10 of the present invention. The internal pressure transducer of the prior art cylinder is the cylinder No. of a Cummins M11 six cylinder diesel engine. 1 and cylinder No. 1 During combustion within 1, it can be seen that there is a good correlation between the output of this prior art pressure transducer and the output of the cylinder head bolt 10 of the present invention. However, the cylinder head bolt of the present invention
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it provides cylinder pressure information for each of the six cylinders of the engine (and thus information about combustion in the cylinders), rather than just a single cylinder. The cylinder head bolt 10 used to obtain this information in FIG. 12 is located in the position 82 of the cylinder head cover 80 shown in FIG. No. Cylinder head cover 80 next to one cylinder
, The cylinder head bolt 10 of the present invention is also capable of measuring pressure rise due to combustion for each of the other five cylinders. For this reason, the cylinder head bolt with a strain gauge of the present invention has an advantage that each of the cylinder head bolts with a strain gauge can be used to obtain information on the cylinder pressure of a plurality of cylinders. Thus, the engine ECM can be coupled to a single strain gauge cylinder head bolt of the present invention to receive information about the combustion of each of the engine cylinders.

[0019] Additional configurations are also possible. For example, the cylinder head bolt with strain gauge of the present invention (FIG. 6) located at location 84 generates information about the cylinder pressure of each of the engine cylinders and at location 8
4 minimizes the distance between any cylinder and the cylinder head bolt with strain gauge. Also,
Further combinations are possible. For example, it may be desirable to position individual strain gauge cylinder head bolts at locations 84,86,88. The cylinder head bolt at position 88 provides accurate information for cylinders 1 and 2, while the cylinder head bolt at position 84 provides information for cylinders 3 and 4 and the cylinder head bolt at position 86 provides cylinder 5 , 6 are provided. In this way, the cylinder head bolts with strain gauges can provide information about the cylinder pressure of a large number of cylinders, but the distance between the cylinder head bolts with strain gauges and the cylinder being measured is minimal.

As a further possibility, it may be desirable to regulate the injection of fuel in the cylinder as a group. For example, in certain types of fuel injectors, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,027 and assigned to the assignee of the present application, the front and rear actuators are independently adjusted or diagnosed. It is desirable. For this reason, the front actuator is set so as to adjust the cylinders 1, 2, and 3, and the rear actuator is set so as to adjust the cylinders 4, 5, and 6. In this situation, it is desirable to position the cylinder head bolts with strain gauges at positions 82 and 89. The cylinder head bolt at position 82 provides information about the front group of cylinders, while the cylinder head bolt at position 89 provides information about the rear group of cylinders.

With reference to the above description, the cylinder head bolt with a strain gage gauge of the present invention can be used with a cylinder head cover for a plurality of engine cylinders to obtain information on the combustion pressure in a plurality of cylinders. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that This information can be used by the engine ECM in real time to adjust the engine's electronic fuel injection parameters for optimal performance and / or fuel economy. Further, the information provided by such a strain gauge cylinder head bolt can be used for maintenance, diagnostics and fault repair purposes to obtain an accurate picture of cylinder head pressure when the engine is running. .

While the invention has been described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, it is by way of example only and is not intended to limit the nature of the invention but to illustrate and describe only the preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that all modifications and applications that fall within the spirit of the invention are intended to be covered by protection. The cylinder may be provided in any manner known in the art, for example, by applying a thin acousto-electric coating on the top of the bolt, or transmitting ultrasonic signals through the bolt and measuring strain in the bolt from changes in the reflected signal. It is also possible to measure the strain applied to the head bolt. Further, in accordance with the present invention, means other than bolts may be used to couple the cylinder head to the engine block, for example, a nut or nut / washer combination attached to a bolt formed integrally with the engine block. Can also be used.
Any fitting can be used as long as the fitting measures strain due to cylinder pressure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a strain gauge bolt of the present invention having a strain measurement circuit outside the bolt.

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of the bolt strain measuring circuit of FIGS. 1 and 3;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of a strain gauge bolt having the strain measurement circuit of FIG. 2 incorporated therein.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a third embodiment of the strain measuring bolt of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic electrical diagram of the bolt strain measurement circuit of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a multiple cylinder head for an internal combustion engine embodying the apparatus and method of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a graph of sensor voltage versus time comparing the output of a first cylinder pressure transducer, the output of a strain gauge head bolt of the present invention, and the recording line of a rocker arm of a fuel injector.

FIG. 8 is a graph of cylinder pressure versus time comparing a direct cylinder pressure transducer in an internal combustion engine operating at 600 rpm and full load with the strain gauge bolt of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a direct cylinder pressure transducer in an internal combustion engine operating at 1,000 rpm and full load;
4 is a graph of cylinder pressure versus time comparing with a strain gauge bolt of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a graph of cylinder pressure versus time comparing a direct cylinder pressure transducer in an internal combustion engine operating at 1,500 rpm and full load with the strain gauge bolt of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a graph of cylinder pressure versus time comparing a direct cylinder pressure transducer in an internal combustion engine operating at 1,800 rpm and full load with the strain gauge bolt of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a graph of sensor voltage versus time comparing a direct cylinder pressure transducer with the strain gauge head bolt of the present invention showing the use of a single head bolt to sense pressure in multiple cylinders. is there.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 3 cylinder 4, 5, 6 cylinder 10 strain gauge cylinder bolt 12, 14 strain gauge sensor 16 wire 20 strain gauge gauge circuit 50 second strain gauge cylinder bolt 52 terminal 60 third strain gauge cylinder bolt 64 many Cord 70 Quadrant bridge circuit 80 Cylinder head cover 82, 84, 86, 88, 89 Position of cylinder head bolt 90, 92, 94 Recording line

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Thomas El Zavus, River Road, Columbus, Indiana, United States 4321 (72) Inventor Yul Jy Tar 47201, Indiana, Columbus, Pine Hill, United States・ Drive 1235 (72) Inventor Laszlo D. Tick 8701, Columbus, Countryside Lane, 47201, Indiana, USA

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. An engine block defining at least a first plurality of cylinders for burning fuel in an internal combustion engine, and a fuel device for supplying fuel to the first plurality of cylinders in a controlled state. A cylinder head adapted to act on at least the first plurality of cylinders when coupled to the engine block; and a plurality of operable connectors coupling the cylinder head to the engine block. At least one of the fittings comprises an operable strain gauge for measuring strain of the at least one fitting due to pressure in the first plurality of cylinders transmitted through the cylinder head; The at least one fitting is communicatively coupled to the fuel device, the fuel device comprising the at least one fitting. Based at least in part on information related to a more measured distortion and so as to control the supply of fuel to said first plurality of cylinders, the internal combustion engine. 2. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein said at least one connector is a bolt having an internally mounted strain gauge. 3. The internal combustion engine of claim 2, wherein said strain gauge includes a full bridge strain gauge circuit. 4. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the fuel device is a fuel injection device. 5. The internal combustion engine of claim 4, wherein the fuel injector is configured to determine the first plurality of cylinders based at least in part on information regarding strain measured by the at least one fitting. An internal combustion engine operable to electronically regulate the injection of fuel into the engine. 6. The internal combustion engine of claim 4, wherein the fuel injection device is configured to determine the first plurality of cylinders based at least in part on information regarding strain measured by the at least one fitting. An internal combustion engine operable to electronically adjust the injection tamping of fuel to the engine. 7. The internal combustion engine of claim 1, wherein the engine block generally defines a second plurality of cylinders, wherein the number of the second plurality of cylinders is equal to the number of the first plurality of cylinders. An internal combustion engine having more than the number of cylinders. 8. A fuel supply device for use with an internal combustion engine, comprising: a fuel injection device for supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine in a controlled manner; and a connector for connecting a multi-cylinder head to the internal combustion engine. Wherein the fitting includes an operable strain gauge that measures strain in the fitting due to pressure in a plurality of cylinders, wherein the pressure is applied to the fitting by the multi-cylinder head from the plurality of cylinders. And wherein the fitting is communicatively coupled to the fuel device, and wherein the fuel device is configured to communicate to the internal combustion engine based at least in part on information regarding strain measured by the fitting. A fuel supply device for controlling the supply of fuel. 9. The fuel supply device according to claim 8, wherein
The fuel supply device wherein the fitting is a bolt having a strain gauge mounted inside. 10. The fuel supply according to claim 9, wherein the strain gauge comprises a full bridge strain gauge circuit. 11. The fuel supply device according to claim 8, wherein the fuel injection device injects fuel to the internal combustion engine based at least in part on information on distortion measured by the connection device. A fuel supply device operable to regulate. 12. The fuel supply device according to claim 8, wherein the fuel injection device adjusts injection tamping to the internal combustion engine based at least in part on information regarding distortion measured by the connection device. Is capable of acting
Fuel supply device. 13. A method for controlling the supply of fuel into an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) measuring distortion in a multi-cylinder head fitting due to pressure in a first plurality of cylinders of the internal combustion engine. (B) measuring, for each of the first plurality of cylinders, data relating to the selected combustion based at least in part on the strain measured in step (a); c) comparing the measured combustion data with data relating to a predetermined desired combustion; and (d) for each of the first plurality of cylinders based at least in part on the comparison of step (c). Controlling the supply of fuel to the cylinder. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (a) is performed by a cylinder head bolt having a strain gauge mounted inside. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the strain gauge includes a full bridge strain gauge circuit. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein said step (b) comprises measuring cylinder pressure versus time for each of said first plurality of cylinders. How to control the supply. 17. The method of controlling a fuel supply according to claim 13, wherein said step (d) comprises adjusting fuel injection into each of said first plurality of cylinders. Control method. 18. The method of claim 13, wherein step (d) comprises adjusting fuel injection tamping to each of the first plurality of cylinders. Control method. 19. The fuel supply control method according to claim 13, wherein the internal combustion engine includes a second plurality of cylinders as a whole, and the number of the second plurality of cylinders is equal to the first plurality of cylinders. A fuel supply control method, wherein the number of cylinders is larger than the number of cylinders.