Engine diagnostic system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054499-B2
Application number	US-201615134059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2016
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A system may include at least one engine bank including a plurality of fuel injectors. At least one exhaust temperature sensor is coupled to the engine bank(s). The exhaust temperature sensor(s) is configured to output at least one temperature signal regarding an exhaust temperature of the engine bank(s). A traction system is configured to output at least one electrical signal related to a power output of a vehicle. A control unit is coupled to the exhaust temperature sensor(s) and the traction system. The control unit is configured to receive the temperature signal(s) and the electrical signal(s). The control unit is configured to determine a mechanical and electrical health of the plurality of the fuel injectors by determining a temperature differential value of the temperature signal(s) and a power differential value related to the electrical signal(s), and analyzing a combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
at least one engine bank including a plurality of fuel injectors;
at least one exhaust temperature sensor coupled to the at least one engine bank, wherein the at least one exhaust temperature sensor is configured to output at least one temperature signal regarding an exhaust temperature of the at least one engine bank;
a traction system that is configured to output at least one electrical signal related to a power output of a vehicle; and
a control unit coupled to the at least one exhaust temperature sensor and the traction system, wherein the control unit is configured to receive the at least one temperature signal and the at least one electrical signal, and wherein the control unit is configured to determine a mechanical and electrical health of the plurality of fuel injectors based on a combination of a determined temperature differential value of the at least one temperature signal and a determined power differential value related to the at least one electrical signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one engine bank comprises first and second engine banks, wherein the at least one exhaust temperature sensor comprises first and second exhaust temperature sensors coupled to the first and second engine banks, wherein the at least one temperature signal comprises a first temperature signal of a first exhaust temperature of the first engine bank, and a second temperature signal of a second exhaust temperature of the second engine bank, and wherein the temperature differential value is a difference between the first and second temperature signals.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrical signal comprises one or both of voltage and current of an alternator of the traction system that relates to a horsepower output of the vehicle, and wherein the power differential value comprises a comparison between the horsepower output of the vehicle and a stored estimated horsepower based on current fuel consumption of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine a healthy balanced injection among all of the fuel injectors when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is between upper and lower temperature thresholds related to the temperature differential value and upper and lower power error thresholds related to the power differential value.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine an electrical fault of at least one of the fuel injectors when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is above the upper temperature threshold or below the lower temperature threshold, and between the upper and lower power error thresholds.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine a mechanical fault of at least one of the fuel injectors when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is above the upper temperature threshold or below the lower temperature threshold, and above the upper power error threshold or below the lower power error threshold.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine a number of mechanical faults of the fuel injectors based on a position of the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value in relation to the upper or lower power error thresholds and at least one faulty sensor threshold.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine a balanced mechanical fault between first and second engine banks when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is between the upper and lower temperature thresholds, and above the upper power error threshold or below the lower power error threshold.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine a fault in the at least one exhaust temperature sensor when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is beyond one or more faulty sensor thresholds.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises an engine control unit onboard the vehicle.

11. A method, comprising:
injecting fuel into at least one engine bank with a plurality of fuel injectors;
outputting at least one temperature signal regarding an exhaust temperature of the at least one engine bank by at least one exhaust temperature sensor that is coupled to the at least one engine bank;
outputting at least one electrical signal related to a power output of a vehicle;
receiving the at least one temperature signal and the at least one electrical signal with a control unit; and
determining a mechanical and electrical health of the plurality of fuel injectors, using the control unit, based on a combination of a determined temperature differential value of the at least one temperature signal and a determined power differential value related to the at least one electrical signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one engine bank comprises first and second engine banks, wherein the at least one exhaust temperature sensor comprises first and second exhaust temperature sensors coupled to the first and second engine banks, wherein the at least one temperature signal comprises a first temperature signal of a first exhaust temperature of the first engine bank, and a second temperature signal of a second exhaust temperature of the second engine bank, and wherein the temperature differential value is determined by determining a difference between the first and second temperature signals.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one electrical signal comprises one or both of voltage and current of an alternator of a traction system that relates to a horsepower output of the vehicle, and wherein the power differential value is determined by comparing the horsepower output of the vehicle and a stored estimated horsepower based on current fuel consumption of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the mechanical and electrical health operation comprises determining a healthy balanced injection among all of the fuel injectors when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is between upper and lower temperature thresholds related to the temperature differential value and upper and lower power error thresholds related to the power differential value.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining the mechanical and electrical health operation comprises determining an electrical fault of at least one of the fuel injectors when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is above the upper temperature threshold or below the lower temperature threshold, and between the upper and lower power error thresholds.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining the mechanical and electrical health operation comprises determining a mechanical fault of at least one of the fuel injectors when the combination of the temperature differential value and the power differential value is above the upper temperature threshold or below the lower temperature threshold, and above the upper power error threshold or below the lower power error threshold.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the determining the mechanical and electrical health operation comprises determining a number of mechanical faults of the fuel injectors based on a position

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Karunaratne Milan Palinda
• Lander Benedict George

Classifications

• G01K2205/04

  for measuring exhaust gas temperature · CPC title

• G01K2013/024

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01K13/02

  for measuring temperature of moving fluids or granular materials capable of flow · CPC title

• F02D41/1446 Primary

  the characteristics being exhaust temperatures · CPC title

• F02D41/221

  relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements · CPC title