Cummins Inc.

Other

David Michael Carey

Donald J Benson

Paul V Moonjelly

Sanjay Manglam

Tommy J Albing

Taner Tuken

John T Carroll, Iii

Yul J Tarr

Paul Peavler

Shailesh Nair

David Lee Baldwin

Srinivas Kumar Mulukutla

Mayur H Borate

Syed Shah Jalal

Steven M Bellinger

Richard E Reisinger

Eric A Benham

Shounak Mishra

Edward Nathan Linen

Jalal Syed

Richard J Dudek

Ulf Carlsson

Timothy J Viola

Zachary L Anslinger

Panendra Kumar Sahu

Sarah E Gnau

A pressure-based piston top-dead-center ('TDC') position measurement system is disclosed, comprising: a fuel injector configured to inject fuel into a combustion chamber bounded in part by the piston; and a controller configured to control the fuel injector to cause a fuel injection when the piston is at each of a plurality of different positions relative to TDC while ensuring fuel is provided to the fuel injector at a substantially constant pressure. The controller is further configured to estimate a pressure in the combustion chamber in response to each fuel injection, fit a curve to the estimated pressures, and determine a TDC position of the piston as correlating with a maximum pressure on the curve.

Systems and methods of using a fuel injector as a pressure sensor to detect top-dead-center for a cylinder

The present invention provides a method for analyzing and optimizing the injection of fluid into an internal combustion engine via a common rail system. Once various injection parameters are determined for a given injection system, these data may be used to model the effect of sequential injection events for the system. A processer can then be used to run the model and to adjust sequential fuel injection events to optimize engine performance and fuel usage.

Method and system for measuring fueling quantity variation during multipulse fuel injection event

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for measuring an injected fuel quantity during multipulse injection events in a common rail of a fuel system including a fuel pump to supply fuel to the common rail. The method, using a control unit, determines if each of the multipulse injection events in a normal operating condition includes a pilot pulse; in response to determining that the pilot pulse is included, obtaining an enforced separation value between the pilot pulse and the main pulse to emulate a single-pulse injection; while the fuel pump is temporarily shut off, performing a temporary enforced separation on a fraction of the multipulse injection events; measuring a pressure change in the common rail during the temporary enforced separation; and resuming the normal operating condition of the multipulse injection events after the pressure change is measured.

Methods for measuring fuel quantity during multipulse fuel injection events in a common rail fuel system

At least some embodiments of present disclosure direct to a fuel injection timing drift detection and/or compensation system. In some cases, the system collects or receives a series of fuel pressure data measured by one or more fuel pressure sensors. The system is configured to receive an indication of fuel flow cutout and a start-of-injection command signal. The system calculates a set of pressure drops using the series of fuel pressure data and identifies a selected pressure drop greater than a predetermined threshold to determine a measured start-of-injection timing based on the selected pressure drop. The system is further configured to evaluate whether a fuel injection drifting occurs based on received start-of-injection command signal and the measured start-of-injection timing. In some cases, the fuel injection drifting is used to either compensate fuel injection timing or raise a flag indicating the drifting.

Systems and methods of fuel injection timing drift detection and compensation

A method is disclosed of controlling operation of a fuel injector in response to measuring a quantity of fuel injected by the fuel injector from a fuel accumulator to an engine cylinder during operation of a fuel pump that delivers fuel to the accumulator, comprising: determining an average pressure of the fuel accumulator during a first time period before a fuel injection event; predicting a mass of fuel delivered to the fuel accumulator during a pumping event (Q); determining an average pressure of the fuel accumulator during a second time period after the fuel injection event; estimating a leakage of fuel; computing the injected fuel quantity by adding the average pressure during the first time period to Q, and subtracting the average pressure during the second time period and the leakage; and using the computed injected, fuel quantity to control operation of the fuel injector.

System and method for measuring fuel injection during pump operation

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling pressure of an engine, including a controller structured to implement the method and an engine system including the controller. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method based on a mass balance analysis of a fuel system to determine how much mass needs to be pumped to maintain or achieve a certain pressure for the engine. In some embodiments, the method analyzes how much mass can be pumped by each pumping event based on current engine conditions. The analysis is performed over the smallest repeatable pump events and cylinder events cycle, or 'subcycle,' based on the number of pump events and cylinder events for a given engine configuration.

Method for controlling pressure with a direct metered pump based on engine subcycle mass balance

A method is disclosed of controlling operation of a fuel injector in response to measuring a quantity of fuel injected by the fuel injector from a fuel accumulator to an engine cylinder during operation of a fuel pump that delivers fuel to the accumulator, comprising: determining an average pressure of the fuel accumulator during a first time period before a fuel injection event; predicting a mass of fuel delivered to the fuel accumulator during a pumping event (Q); determining an average pressure of the fuel accumulator during a second time period after the fuel injection event; estimating a leakage of fuel; computing the injected fuel quantity by adding the average pressure during the first time period to Q, and subtracting the average pressure during the second time period and the leakage; and using the computed injected fuel quantity to control operation of the fuel injector.

A method of adaptively predicting, during operation of a pump, a mass of fuel pumped by the pump during a pumping event to a fuel accumulator ('Q') to control operation of the pump is provided, comprising: generating an adaptive model of operation of the pump, including estimating a start of pumping ('SOP') position of a plunger of the pump, estimating Q, determining a converged value of the estimated SOP position, and determining a converged value of the estimated Q; using the adaptive model to predict Qby inputting to the model the converged value of the estimated SOP position, a measured pressure of fuel in the fuel accumulator and a measured temperature of fuel in the fuel accumulator; and controlling operation of the pump in response to the predicted Q.

Adaptive high pressure fuel pump system and method for predicting pumped mass

Methods and systems, using a controller (), for performing fuel pressure control operation of an engine () having at least one cylinder () is disclosed. The controller () includes a fuel system control unit () configured to control a fuel pressure applied to at least one injector () of the engine () during a motoring condition period () based on a commanded pulse train duration (). During the motoring condition period (), no combustion occurs in the at least one cylinder () of the engine (). The commanded pulse train duration is a time period during which the at least one injector () of the engine () is activated for a drain operation. The fuel system control unit () is configured to command the at least one injector (), for the commanded pulse train duration during the motoring condition period (), to release fuel from the at least one injector () without injecting the fuel into the at least one cylinder () of the engine ().

Systems and methods for reducing rail pressure in a common rail fuel system

A method for identifying a source of high pressure leakage of a fuel system of an engine comprising determining pressure decay values at a first pressure and at a second pressure and identifying the source of high pressure leakage based on the pressure decay values at each pressure.

System and method for identifying a source of high pressure leakage

Diagnostic systems including a pressure sensor, a determiner in communication with the pressure sensor, wherein the determiner is structured to estimate a sonic speed of a fuel based on identification of a fundamental oscillation frequency are disclosed. Also disclosed are diagnostic methods comprising receiving, by a pressure interpreter, a pressure signal, determining, by a determiner in communication with the pressure interpreter, a fundamental frequency of oscillation of the pressure signal, and determining, by the determiner, a sonic speed of a fuel based on the fundamental frequency of oscillation.

Systems and methods for estimating fuel type and fuel properties using sonic speed

A system and method for measuring fuel pressure decreases in a fuel accumulator caused by a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine is provided. The system includes the ability to stop a fuel flow to a fuel accumulator of the engine. Pressure signals are transmitted to a control system of the engine until the fuel pressure in the fuel accumulator drops by a predetermined amount, at which time fuel flow is re-enabled. The pressure signals are then analyzed to determine the amount or quantity of fuel delivered by each fuel injector. The system and method maintain engine and emissions performance by limiting the amount of fuel pressure decrease in the fuel accumulator.

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Greenwood, IN, United States of America

David Michael Carey