Systems and methods for controlling fluid injections

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018128200-A1
Application number	US-201615348388-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2016
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	May 10, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle includes a combustion engine having at least one cylinder to burn a fuel and a fuel injector to selectively supply fuel to the cylinder. The vehicle also includes a controller programmed to issue a series of fuel pulse commands to actuate the fuel injector to supply a corresponding series of fuel pulses that sum to an aggregate target fuel mass. The controller also monitors a closed-loop feedback signal indicative of a change in an opening delay between an individual one of the series of fuel pulse commands and a responsive fuel pulse. The controller is further programmed to adjust a subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands to incorporate the change in opening delay.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle comprising:
a combustion engine having at least one cylinder to burn a fuel; a fuel injector to selectively supply fuel to the at least one cylinder; and a controller programmed to
issue a series of fuel pulse commands to actuate the fuel injector to supply a corresponding series of fuel pulses that sum to a predetermined aggregate target fuel mass,
monitor a closed-loop feedback signal indicative of a change in an opening delay between an individual one of the series of fuel pulse commands and a responsive fuel pulse, and
adjust a subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands to incorporate the change in opening delay.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust an initiation timing of the subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands.

3 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust a duration of the subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands.

4 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to sense the change in the opening delay based on monitoring a closing time duration between the individual one of the series of fuel pulse commands and the responsive fuel pulse.

5 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to sense the change in the opening delay based on monitoring an opening magnitude of the preceding pulse.

6 . The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the closing time duration is based on a rate of change of a voltage associated with the fuel injector.

7 . The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the closing time duration is referenced from an end of the FPW command.

8 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the change in the opening delay is based on a reference opening delay duration measured from a reference fuel injector.

9 . A method of providing closely-spaced fluid pulses through a solenoid-driven valve comprising:
providing a pressurized fluid at an inlet of the valve driven by a solenoid; issuing a series of fluid pulse commands to cause the valve to supply a corresponding series of fluid pulses that sum to an aggregate target fluid mass; measuring a voltage across the solenoid; determining a valve closing time of a preceding fluid pulse based on a rate of change of the voltage; determining an opening delay of a start of the preceding fluid pulse based upon the closing time; and adjusting at least one later fluid pulse command based on the determined opening delay of the preceding fluid pulse.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the closing time of the valve is further based on at least one of a fluid mass of the preceding pulse of the series of pulses and a dwell time following the preceding pulse.

11 . The method of claim 9 wherein adjusting the at least one later fluid pulse command comprises adjusting an initiation timing of the later fuel pulse command.

12 . The method of claim 9 wherein adjusting the at least one later fluid pulse command comprises adjusting a duration of the later fuel pulse command.

13 . The method of claim 9 further comprising determining a valve opening magnitude of a subsequent pulse of the series of fuel pulses based on the rate of change of the voltage.

14 . A fuel delivery system comprising:
a solenoid-driven fuel injector in fluid flow communication with a pressurized fuel source, the fuel injector configured to deliver fuel to at least one cylinder of a combustion engine; and a controller programmed to
issue a series of fuel pulse commands to cause the fuel injector to supply a corresponding series of pressurized fuel pulses that sum to an aggregate target fuel mass,
monitor for a change in an opening delay between an individual one of the series of fuel pulse commands and a responsive fuel pulse, and
adjust a subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands to incorporate the change in opening delay such that a subsequent one of the series of fuel pulses occurs after a predetermined opening delay following the preceding fuel pulse.

15 . The fluid delivery system of claim 14 the controller is further programmed to adjust an initiation timing of the subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands.

16 . The fluid delivery system of claim 14 the controller is further programmed to adjust a duration of the subsequent one of the series of fuel pulse commands.

17 . The fluid delivery system of claim 14 wherein the closing time duration is referenced from an end of the FPW command.

18 . The fluid delivery system of claim 14 wherein the change in the opening delay is based on a reference opening delay duration measured from a reference fuel injector.

19 . The fluid delivery system of claim 14 wherein the controller is further programmed to measure a valve opening magnitude of the subsequent one of the series of fuel pulses based on the rate of change of the voltage.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Hu Yiran
• Parrish Scott E
• Chang Chen-Fang

Classifications

• F02D2041/2055

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

• F02D41/401

  Controlling injection timing (F02D41/402 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02D2200/063

  Lift of the valve needle · CPC title

• F02D41/40 Primary

  with means for controlling injection timing or duration · CPC title

• F02D41/1477 Primary

  characterised by the regulation circuit or part of it,(e.g. comparator, PI regulator, output) · CPC title