Caterpillar Inc.

Andrew O Marrack

Daniel Reese Puckett

Mitchell B Juchems

Scott F Shafer

Martin A Lehman

Eric Lee Schroeder

Lifeng Wang

Kaushik Krishnamurthy

Dustin K Fee

Dana Ray Coldren

Dennis Henderson Gibson

David Elliot Hackett

Satya Naga Deepak Pillarisetti

Kenneth Carroll Adams

Michael E Sattler

Kranti Kumar Nellutla

Bradley Scott Bashore

Brian V Tranel

Vincent John Neyens

Jeffrey E Ledford

Robert Graumueller

Bradley D Ferguson

Taylor Tang

A fuel injector drive system may include a fuel injector having a first electronically-controlled valve and a second electronically-controlled valve. The fuel injector drive system may include a fuel injector driver configured to supply current to the first electronically-controlled valve and the second electronically-controlled valve simultaneously to actuate the first electronically-controlled valve and the second electronically-controlled valve. The fuel injector drive system may also include an injection valve configured to inject fuel when the first electronically-controlled valve and the second electronically-controlled valve are actuated.

Fuel injector drive system

A multi-fuel injection system and method for generating combustion signals and metering signals for fuel injectors are provided. A first fuel and a second fuel may be received. A combustion signal may be generated to cause a fuel injector to perform fuel injection to inject at least one of the first fuel or the second fuel into a cylinder of an engine. A metering signal may be generated to cause the fuel injector to perform fuel metering to introduce the second fuel into a nozzle of the fuel injector while the fuel injector is not injecting either of the first fuel or the second fuel into the cylinder of the engine.

Waveform for metering fuel into a fuel injector

A fuel injector includes a nozzle, and a nozzle check including a closing hydraulic surface. The fuel injector also includes a high pressure passage, a low pressure drain, a control passage, a check control chamber, and a valve seat. A relief passage is formed by at least one of an injector housing or a control valve in a control valve assembly. The control valve is movable among a rest position, a lifted injection position, and a lifted relief position where the high pressure passage connects to the relief passage. The control valve can be operated to selectively connect the high pressure passage to the relief passage to bleed fuel pressure to prevent over-pressurization. Related apparatus and methodology is also disclosed.

Injection control valve in fuel injector configured for pressure relief

Operating an engine system includes cold starting an engine, closing spill valves to pressurize fuel in a plurality of plunger cavities, opening injection valves in some of a plurality of fuel injectors to inject fuel into firing cylinders in an engine cycle, and opening spill valves in some of the plurality of fuel injectors while injection valves therein remain closed to bleed fuel to a lower pressure space in the engine cycle. The pressurization of fuel in the fuel injectors remaining closed parasitically loads the engine to increase a fuel burned amount hastening warm up and limiting misfire. Related apparatus and control logic is also disclosed.

Engine parasitic loading strategy using fuel pressurization

Operating a fuel system for an engine includes moving a plunger during a pumping cycle between an advanced position and a retracted position, and pulsing a solenoid actuator in an electrical circuit during at least one off cycle of the plunger where the plunger is neither advancing nor retracting with a plurality of current pulses of varied duration. An electrical property such as a freewheeling response in the electrical circuit induced by moving a valve in response to each respective current pulse is monitored, and a valve timing of the valve determined based on the monitored electrical property. The fuel system including a fuel injector may be electronically trimmed based on the determined valve timing. Related apparatus and control logic is also disclosed.

Valve timing detection in fuel system using off cycle sweep

A fuel injection installation method includes detecting an actuation timing of a first valve of a fuel injector, detecting an actuation timing of a second valve of the fuel injector, detecting a return timing of the first valve of the fuel injector, and detecting a return timing of the second valve of the fuel injector. The method includes, for one or more fuel injection events, modifying at least one of: a maximum amplitude of solenoid current, an average amplitude of solenoid current, a start time of solenoid current, an end time of solenoid current, or a total time of solenoid current. The modification is based on the actuation timing of the first valve, the actuation timing of the second valve, the return timing of the first valve, and the return timing of the second valve, and may be performed for installation of the fuel injector.

Fuel injector control system and method

A fuel system for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel control system having a fueling control unit structured to determine a test point on a tip wear-sensitive region of a fuel injector delivery curve, and store measurements of pressure drops in a pressurized fuel reservoir caused by injections of fuel at the test point. The fueling control unit is further structured to produce an injector health signal based on the stored measurements of pressure drop. Related methodology and control logic for calculation of wear parameters for injection signal duration electronic trimming and prognostic health determinations are also disclosed.

Onboard diagnosis and compensation for tip wear in fuel injector

A fuel injection system includes a fuel supply passage configured to receive a pressurized fuel, a nozzle orifice downstream of the fuel supply passage, and an injection valve positionable to open the nozzle orifice and to close the nozzle orifice. The injection valve has a first configuration with a first lift and a second configuration with a second lift, the first lift being different than the second lift. The fuel injection system includes a fluid-actuated lift control valve configured to cause the injection valve to change from the first configuration to the second configuration.

Fuel injector lift control

A fuel injection system includes a first fuel injector having a first electronically-controlled valve and a first injection valve configured to inject fuel when the first electronically-controlled valve is actuated. A second fuel injector has a second electronically-controlled valve and a second injection valve configured to inject fuel when the second electronically-controlled valve is actuated. The fuel injection system also includes a single fuel injector driver configured to actuate the first electronically-controlled valve and the second electronically-controlled valve.

A fuel injection system includes a fuel injector, the fuel injector having an injection control valve, a solenoid that, when energized, is configured to modify a position of the injection control valve, and a controller. The controller is configured to generate a command for energizing the solenoid, identify variability in one or more injection events, and based on the identified variability, increase an amount of energy supplied to the solenoid.

Fuel injector variability reduction

Operating an engine system and fuel system includes energizing a solenoid actuator for a spill valve in a fuel injector in a first engine cycle via a standard waveform to inject a shot of fuel. Operating an engine system and fuel system further includes determining suitability for reduced energy operating of the fuel system, and energizing the solenoid actuator via a reduced energy waveform based on the determining suitability so as to inject one or more shots of fuel in a second engine cycle. The operating methodology and control logic can extend an engine speed range for multi-shot fuel injection in an engine.

Reduced energy waveform for energizing solenoid actuator in fuel injector valve

A multi-fuel injector includes a primary fuel inlet configured to receive a liquid primary fuel, a pilot fuel inlet configured to receive a liquid pilot fuel that is a different fuel than the primary fuel, and a spill valve in fluid communication with the primary fuel inlet. The fuel injector also includes a control valve configured to control a pressure of fluid within a hydraulic control chamber, and an injection valve abutting the hydraulic control chamber, the injection valve being configured to move to an injection position to inject both the primary fuel and the pilot fuel.

Multi-fuel injection system and injector

A fuel injector for a fuel system in an internal combustion engine includes an injector housing, a direct-operated nozzle check movable within the injector housing, a check biasing spring within a spring chamber and biasing the nozzle check toward the closed position. The injector housing defines a damping control space, an always-open vent from the spring chamber to the damping control space, and a second vent from the spring chamber to the damping control space. The fuel injector further includes a hydraulically actuated damping adjustment valve movable responsive to a pressure of fuel supplied to the fuel injector between a higher damping position blocking the second vent, and a lower damping position where the second vent is open.

Fuel injector for fuel system having damping adjustment valve

Operating a machine system includes triggering, based on activation of an on-board electronic control system, interrogation of electronically controlled components installed in a machine to read a plurality of electronic trim files each resident on a different one of the electronically controlled components. A data structure on an electronic storage medium in the control system is populated with the electronic trim files each time the control system is activated, such as by turning on an ignition switch. Operating the machine system also includes outputting control signals based on the electronic trim files to run the machine system based on operation of the electronically controlled components responsive to the outputted control signals.

Machine system and operating strategy using auto-population of trim files

A method for controlling a fuel injector includes applying a spill valve current, applying a control valve current, the control and spill valves including components in electrical communication with each other, and detecting a timing at which the spill valve returns to an open position based on induced spill valve current. The method includes detecting a timing at which the control valve returns to a resting position based on induced control valve current, the induced spill valve current and the induced control valve current being included in respective freewheeling currents that at least partially overlap each other, adjusting a spill valve current that is applied during an injection, based on the detected spill valve return timing, and adjusting a control valve current that is applied during the injection, based on the detected control valve return timing.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Andrew O Marrack