Injection valve for an accumulator injection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280867-B2
Application number	US-201515120680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Feb 25, 2014
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of electromechanics. The teachings may be applied to high-pressure valves, including methods for operating a valve and with devices which are used for activating the valves. Some embodiments include methods for operating a pressure reduction valve for an accumulator injection system, wherein the valve is driven, against a return spring, with an energizable coil and armature, between a closed position and an open position. The method may include: supplying the coil with a defined electrical signal to move the armature, sensing the current intensity profile over time, and determining a movement profile for the defined current signal, including an opening or closing time, based at least in part on the current intensity profile over time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a pressure reduction valve for an accumulator injection system, wherein the valve has a valve opening and a closure element driven, against the force of a return spring element, by means of an electromagnetic drive with an energizable coil and a magnetically drivable armature, between a closed position, in which the magnetically drivable armature effects closure of the valve opening, and an open position, in which the magnetically drivable armature at least partially unblocks the valve opening, the method comprising: supplying the coil with a defined electrical signal to move the armature against the force of the return spring element, sensing a current intensity profile over time in the coil with a current sensor, determining a movement profile of the closure element for the defined electrical signal, including an opening or closing time, based at least in part on the current intensity profile over time; supplying the coil successively with electrical signals of different intensities; acquiring respective movement data of the armature for each electrical signal; comparing respective pairs of electrical signals immediately adjacent in the series of electrical signal intensities with one another with respect to the achieved movements of the armature; identifying time periods for which the current signal passes through a first current minimum; determining the respective pair of electrical signals exhibiting the greatest difference in the armature movements; and selecting one of the two electrical signals from the respective pair leading to a shorter time period elapsed before reaching the current minimum.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
supplying the coil successively with multiple different electrical signals; and
determining the differences in the current time profiles and the movement data of the armature therefrom.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising determining a chronologically first minimum of the current intensity of the current flowing through the coil.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising determining a time period between the start of the supply of the coil with an electrical signal and the occurrence of the first minimum of the current intensity of the current flowing through the coil.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the intensity of the electrical signals from signal supply to signal supply either rises or falls monotonically; and further comprising:
measuring the time periods in each case from the start of the signal supply until the passage through the first minimum of the current intensity of the current flowing through the coil are measured; and
comparing the measured time periods with one another.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: comparing respective pairs of electrical signals immediately adjacent in the series of signal intensities with one another with respect to the achieved movements of the armature; identifying the time periods to pass through the first current minimum; determining the pair exhibiting the greatest difference in the armature movements; and selecting one of the two electrical signals which leads to the chronologically shorter time period before reaching the current minimum.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: holding the valve in a closed position with a spring; and opening the valve with an armature driven by an energizable coil; wherein the coil is supplied successively with various electrical signals, the intensities of which decrease from signal to signal, in that for each signal, by means of a measurement of the current flowing through the coil; determining a time period until the impact of the closure element in the open position; and determining, by using a significant increase in the time period, the first signal which leads to a delayed opening operation of the valve on account of the first signal's inadequate intensity.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising determining the weakest signal which, with respect to the time period achieved until the impact of the closure element, is adequate; and
reproducing the determined weakest adequate signal for further actuating operations.

9. An accumulator injection system comprising: a high-pressure pump delivering an injection liquid under high pressure into a high-pressure accumulator; a pressure reduction valve connected to the high-pressure accumulator; an energizable electromagnet configured to open or close the pressure reduction valve against the force of a return spring element; a signal generating device generating different electrical signals with different intensities; and a current sensor for sensing the current intensity profile of the current flowing through a coil of the electromagnet; and a processor configured to analyze an output from the current sensor; wherein the signal generating device supplies the coil successively with electrical signals of different intensity; the current sensor configured to acquire respective movement data of the pressure reduction valve for each electrical signal; the processor configured to compare respective pairs of signals immediately adjacent in the series of signal intensities with one another with respect to the achieved movements of the armature, to identify time periods for which the current signal passes through a first current minimum, to determine the respective pair of signals exhibiting the greatest difference in the armature movements, and to select selects one of the two electrical signals from the respective pair leading to a shorter time period elapsed before reaching the current minimum.

10. The accumulator injection system as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising an evaluation device configured to:
determine the chronological position of current intensity minima of the current flowing through the coil of the electromagnet; and
compare the closing times or opening times of the valve for electrical signals of different intensity with one another.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Anetsberger Daniel
• Chia Tet Kong Brian
• Sassler Walter

Classifications

• F02D2041/2055

  with means for determining actual opening or closing time · CPC title

• F02D2041/2034

  Control of the current gradient · CPC title

• F02M63/0052 Primary

  with means for adjusting the opening pressure, e.g. electrically controlled · CPC title

• F02D2041/2051

  using voltage control · CPC title

• F02D41/20

  Output circuits, e.g. for controlling currents in command coils · CPC title