Engine glow plug disconnection detection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486344-B2
Application number	US-202117165634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2020
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

An engine glow plug disconnection detection method may include: increasing, by a controller, temperature of a plurality of glow plugs by performing a rapid temperature increase mode when an engine start signal of a vehicle is recognized by the controller; determining whether the glow plugs are disconnected and the number of disconnections using an engine start early-stage voltage of the vehicle and a voltage of the vehicle when the rapid temperature increase mode is performed, by the controller; recognizing, by the controller, cylinders of an engine with at least a disconnected glow plug upon determining that one or more glow plugs are disconnected: and storing, by the controller, a number of disconnected glow plugs and information related to corresponding cylinders.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engine glow plug disconnection detection method comprising:
increasing, by a controller, temperature of a plurality of glow plugs by performing a rapid temperature increase mode when an engine start signal of a vehicle is recognized by the controller;
determining, by the controller, whether the plurality of glow plugs is disconnected and a number of disconnections using an engine start early-stage voltage of the vehicle and a voltage of the vehicle when the rapid temperature increase mode is performed;
recognizing, by the controller, cylinders of an engine with at least a glow plug upon determining that the at least a glow plug among the plurality of glow plugs is disconnected: and
storing, by the controller, a number of the at least a disconnected glow plug and information related to corresponding cylinders,
wherein the controller is configured to determine a cylinder at which a revolutions per minute (RPM) deviation of an engine RPM sensor signal is out of a predetermined range as a cylinder having a disconnected glow plug,
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug is a same as a number of cylinders at which the RPM deviation is out of the predetermined range, and is configured to store the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug and information related to corresponding cylinders when the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug and the number of cylinders are a same, and
wherein when the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug is not the same as the number of cylinders at which the RPM deviation is out of the predetermined range, the controller is configured to store information indicating that the at least a glow plug of all cylinders in the engine has been disconnected.

2. The engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 1 , wherein when the engine start signal of the vehicle is recognized, the controller is configured:
to store a voltage of a battery in the vehicle as the engine start early-stage voltage,
to measure the voltage of the battery while performing the rapid temperature increase mode,
to determine a voltage drop of the battery from the engine start early-stage voltage when the rapid temperature increase mode is performed, and
to determine whether the at least a glow plug has been disconnected and the number of disconnections of the at least a glow plug according to the voltage drop.

3. The engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 2 ,
wherein the controller is configured to determine the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug by comparing the voltage drop with a predetermined disconnection map, and
wherein the disconnection map is configured to show that the larger the voltage drop, the smaller the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug.

4. The engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 1 ,
wherein when the number of cylinders at which the RPM deviation is out of the predetermined range is greater than the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug, the controller is configured to store information indicating that the at least a glow plug of all cylinders in the engine has been disconnected.

5. The engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 1 ,
wherein the controller further considers a signal of a vibration sensor that is configured to measure vibration of a cylinder block of the engine upon determining cylinders of which the at least a glow plug has been disconnected.

6. The engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes:
a processor; and
a non-transitory storage medium on which a program for performing the engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 1 is recorded and executed by the processor.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which a program for performing the engine glow plug disconnection detection method of claim 1 is recorded.

8. An engine glow plug disconnection detection system comprising:
a crank speed sensor configured to detect a revolution per minute (RPM) of a crankshaft in an engine; and
a controller including a processor and connected to the crank speed sensor and configured of receiving a signal of the RPM from the crank speed sensor,
wherein the controller is configured:
to increase temperature of a plurality of glow plugs by performing a rapid temperature increase mode when an engine start signal of a vehicle is recognized by the controller;
to determine whether the plurality of glow plugs are disconnected and a number of disconnections using an engine start early-stage voltage of the vehicle and a voltage of the vehicle when the rapid temperature increase mode is performed;
to recognize cylinders of an engine with at least a glow plug upon determining that the at least a glow plug among the plurality of glow plugs is disconnected: and
storing a number of the at least a disconnected glow plug and information related to corresponding cylinders,

wherein the controller is configured to determine a cylinder at which a revolutions per minute (RPM) deviation of the signal is out of a predetermined range as a cylinder having a disconnected glow plug,
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug is a same as a number of cylinders at which the RPM deviation is out of the predetermined range, and is configured to store the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug and information related to corresponding cylinders when the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug and the number of cylinders are a same, and
wherein when the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug is not the same as the number of cylinders at which the RPM deviation is out of the predetermined range, the controller is configured to store information indicating that the at least a glow plug of all cylinders in the engine has been disconnected.

9. The engine glow plug disconnection detection system of claim 8 , wherein when the engine start signal of the vehicle is recognized, the controller is configured:
to store a voltage of a battery in the vehicle as the engine start early-stage voltage,
to measure the voltage of the battery while performing the rapid temperature increase mode,
to determine a voltage drop of the battery from the engine start early-stage voltage when the rapid temperature increase mode is performed, and
to determine whether the at least a glow plug has been disconnected and the number of disconnections of the at least a glow plug according to the voltage drop.

10. The engine glow plug disconnection detection system of claim 9 ,
wherein the controller is configured to determine the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug by comparing the voltage drop with a predetermined disconnection map, and
wherein the disconnection map is configured to show that the larger the voltage drop, the smaller the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug.

11. The engine glow plug disconnection detection system of claim 8 ,
wherein when the number of cylinders at which the RPM deviation is out of the predetermined range is greater than the number of the at least a disconnected glow plug, the controller is configured to store information indicating that the at least a glow plug of all cylinders in the engine has been disconnected.

12. The engine glow plug disconnection detection system of claim 8 , further including a vibration sensor,
wherein the controller further considers a signal of the vibration sensor that is configured to measure vibration of a cylinder block of the engin

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Oh Jeong Sang
• Kim Jin Ho
• Kim Jang Su

Classifications

• G01R31/55

  Testing for incorrect line connections · CPC title

• F02M31/125

  Fuel · CPC title

• G01R31/52 Primary

  Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults · CPC title

• F02D41/068 Primary

  for warming-up · CPC title

• G01R19/16566

  Circuits and arrangements for comparing voltage or current with one or several thresholds and for indicating the result not covered by subgroups G01R19/16504, G01R19/16528, G01R19/16533 · CPC title