Robert Boschgmbh

Peter Jurgen Schmidt

Josef Wahl

Ernst Linder

Reinhard Latsch

Bernd Przybyla

Valerio Bianchi

Manfred Schmitt

Hartmut Bauer

Horst Neidhard

Peter A Schoeck

Franz Rieger

Bernd Bodig

Hartmut Michel

Gerhard Sohner

Herman Roozenbeek

Rolf Kohler

Gerd Hohne

Bernhard Bonse

Helmut Roth

Norbert Miller

Richard Zechnall

Harald Kizler

Bernd Peter

Gert Strelow

Erwin Elser

Gotz Bundschuh

Erich Droll

Helmut Worz

Herbert Stocker

Hans Linstedt

Martin Reinold

An end shield and bearing assembly for an electric starter motor for internal combustion engines comprises a bearing extension and a bearing for supporting a drive shaft and received in the bearing extension. A cover cap is fitted over the bearing extension of the commutator end shield and encloses the end of the drive shaft and an armature longitudinal play compensator mounted on the above shaft end. A member is located lubricant-tight in the cover cap between the end face of the bearing extension and the cover cap and defines a lubricant space surrounding the compensator.

Electric starter motor for internal combustion engines

In a method and an apparatus for open-loop and closed-loop control of operating characteristic quantities of an internal combustion engine, it is proposed that the anticipatory or pilot control area, which is variable by means of learning, be embodied such that in a factor characteristic field associated with a basic characteristic field, not only the particular support point but with decreasing influence outward the area surrounding it as well are changed by the carry-over of an averaged regulating factor value. Alternatively, or preferably combined therewith, the factor characteristic field is replaced by at least two correcting characteristic fields, which have larger inclusion areas, overlapping one another, for each support point, so that even in the event of fluctuations of input quantities about a border of an area, at least one of the correcting characteristic fields will be addressed.

Method and apparatus for controlling the operating characteristic

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling operating characteristic quantities of an internal combustion engine. For issuing an uncorrected anticipatory control value, a characteristic field is addressed by directing pregiven operating characteristic quantities as addresses and, with a simultaneously superposed control, an averaged value of the control factor is applied to the anticipatory control region for effecting an adaptive learning procedure. From the averaged control factor, a global factor is defined which works multiplicatively on the entire basic characteristic field. This considers especially multiplicative disturbance influences. Also, by means of a dividing of the self-adaptive characteristic field into a non-changeable basic characteristic field and into at least one further changeable factor characteristic field corresponding thereto, each basic value is multiplied within a pregiven influence region by means of the associated factor of the factor characteristic field whereby mostly additive disturbing influences are considered. Global factor and the particular factor from the factor characteristic field can conjointly work upon the control value issued by the basic characteristic field.

Electrical energy being supplied to an electrical heater, typically a glow plug within an internal combustion engine (ICE), is easily and simply controlled by controlling the duty cycle or ON/OFF duration of a switch (10) serially connected between the glow plug (11) and a supply voltage source, for example a vehicular battery (U.sub.Batt). An operational amplifier (15) controls the duty cycle of the switch (10) by comparing a periodically varying voltage (37a) derived from a stabilized frequency or pulse generator (30) with battery voltage (U.sub.Batt) and, at the cross-over points, respectively changing the switching condition of the switch. Upon drop in battery voltage, the switch will be longer in an ON position than at a higher battery voltage, so that the average voltage, over a plurality of cycles, across the glow plug (11), will have a value (U.sub.KEM) which will result in a predetermined temperature thereof.

System and method to control energy supply to an electrically heated zone

A method and apparatus for optimizing operational variables of an internal combustion engine, such as the output, or the fuel consumption, by means of the variation of engine variables and the detection of the relative variations thus resulting in the operational variables and a corresponding follow-up of the engine variables which includes a control device, with which the engine variables are preset and are variable at selectable times and/or upon the appearance of certain operational variables or changes in operational variables and the corresponding reactions serve for determining the optimum output and/or the minimum specific fuel consumption. Thus, on the basis of the most precise possible presetting of the various values, a change in the engine variables and a corresponding change in the individual variables in accordance with the particular reaction at that time take place only at fixed times or at fixed combinations of operational variables. A change in the mixture is attained by way of the valve in a bypass channel bypassing the engine throttle valve and the fuel quantity is varied in accordance with the reaction.

Method and apparatus for optimizing the operational variables of an

A control system for internal combustion engines with externally supplied ignition and having a throttle valve in the air intake tube, a controllable bypass around the throttle valve and a fuel metering system, in which at least at predetermined operating states, a special fuel metering signal is formed in accordance with the control signal for the bypass opening and preferably also in accordance with the rpm. It is thereby possible to establish a supplementary air quantity and a supplementary fuel quantity independently of one another in individual operating ranges; this provides a great deal of freedom and makes it possible to attain quite various possible kinds of regulation, such as idling-rpm regulation, lambda regulation, engine smoothness regulation and fuel consumption regulations. For generating the special fuel metering signal, a performance graph is efficaciously used, by way of which various operating parameters, such as temperature, can be taken into account.

Control system for an internal combustion engine with externally

A device is proposed for determining a fuel metering signal for an internal combustion engine comprising a tachometer, a load detector, as well as a storage element and a summing member. The load signal is preferably selected at certain times and then stored temporarily, wherafter the load signal is optionally corrected, multiplied with a time interval, and the sum total of the multiplication results represent a value with respect to the metering signal. Preferably, the signals are processed in a digital fashion, and the load signal is corrected after having been digitized. This is done because for example, in case of a hot-wire air flowmeter, there is no linearity between air flow (air mass flow) and the output signal of the air flowmeter.

Device for determining a fuel metering signal for an internal combustion

A principal operational variable of an internal combustion engine, for example the fuel-air mixture ratio, is controlled by superposition of three separate control steps. The basic setting of a control variable is obtained with a relatively coarse forward control, for example a carburetor in the case of fuel-air mixture control. Superimposed on this basic control is a refined forward control step which is based on the prevailing magnitudes of at least one operational variable, preferably the engine speed and the throttle valve position, and which applies a multiplicative correction to the basic setting of the fuel-air mixture. The third superimposed control step is a feedback control of the fuel-air mixture within the range of correction applied by the second control steps but based on still another engine variable, in particular the exhaust gas composition as sensed by an oxygen sensor (.lambda.-sensor). After comparison with the reference signal, the .lambda.-sensor signal is multiplied with the sum of the values of the basic air factor setting and the first corrective air factor setting. The data required for applying the first correction are preferably stored in a digital memory.

Method and apparatus for controlling operational variables of an

Omission of a pulse in an otherwise regular pulse sequence, such as may be produced by omission of a tooth of a rotating gear that is used to generate a pulse sequence through a pick-up, is utilized after the manner of a special framing pulse, saving the complications of providing a framing pulse, especially in gasoline engine ignition timing. A counter is started with the beginning of every pulse of the sequence and is operated at a multiple of the sequence frequency. If the frequency varies, the count status when the next pulse arrives will vary slightly and this variation may be caused to change the initial condition for the beginning of each count cycle to keep the repetitive counting generally in step with the varying frequency. When a pulse of the sequence is skipped, however, the repetitive counter goes into a range of content states well beyond those produced by frequency variation and a decoding stage with an appropriate threshold value stored therein gives an indication that a pulse has been missed, which prepares a response to the next pulse which will produce a timing reference signal instead of a correction to the circuits following the frequency of the observed pulse sequence. The latter and also an engine load sensor address an ROM to provide the timing angle signal.

Electrical apparatus for recognizing missing pulses in an otherwise

A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine includes an electronic fuel controller which accepts signals representative of the air flow rate through the engine's induction tube as well as data relating to rpm and other parameters. The air flow rate data is derived from an electrically heated wire, located in the induction tube, which is connected in one branch of a bridge circuit. Changes in the air flow rate result in changes of heat transfer and hence of the temperature of the heated wire whose impedence changes accordingly. A control loop senses the imbalance of the currents in the two branches and acts to restore equilibrium, e.g. by increasing the total bridge current until a higher heat loss from the wire has been compensated. The increased bridge current is provided by periodic current pulses delivered by transistors under the control of a multivibrator. The multivibrator is triggered at a frequency which is a function of the imbalance signal voltage.

Electrically controlled fuel injection system

A fuel metering system of an internal combustion engine is controlled by a digital computer circuit which delivers injection pulses to actuate the fuel injection valve of the engine. The duration of these pulses is directly related to the amount of injected fuel and depends on the inherent characteristics of the engine as well as on the engine r.p.m. and the degree of throttle opening. A set of data points each of which correlates a fuel datum with a pair of numbers related to engine speed and throttle valve opening, respectively, is stored in a digital memory and can be addressed by digital signals from transducers associated with engine speed and throttle valve position. An arithmetic unit then performs an interpolation process by weighted addition of nearest neighbor values of the datum stored in the memory. The final, interpolated datum is counted down at constant or variable frequency and represents an output signal related to the fuel injection period.

Apparatus for determining the fuel injection quantity in mixture

The operation of an internal combustion engine in the region of its lean-running limit is controlled on the basis of engine roughness as measured by an inductive crankshaft transducer. Its periodic signal gates the counting in a digital down-counter, from a pre-set number, at a frequency proportional to r.p.m. The content of the down counter is counted up or down in a subsequent up-down counter depending on the value of its own most significant bit which indicates the algebraic sign of the phase comparison between the transducer frequency and the r.p.m.-proportional frequency. Two digital integrating stages eliminate effects due to constant engine acceleration. A decoder supplies a control signal to a final control element for fuel, air or exhaust control.

Method and apparatus for controlling the operation of an internal

Certain intervals are determined in which output signals from an exhaust gas sensing device are sensed, and then applied to a control circuit, to control the fuel supply system (carburetor, or fuel injection system) in such a direction that a predetermined ratio of fuel and air is being supplied to the engine to provide exhaust gases of predetermined composition. The intervals are determined by a logic circuit which has applied thereto engine operating parameters such as operating time of the engine after having been started, engine speed, engine power condition (idling, or supplying power), engine temperature, or the like.

Apparatus repetitively controlling the composition of exhaust emissions

An oscillator is connected to a backward counter to set the backward counter to a count number representative of its frequency of oscillation, the backward counter being stepped down by clock pulses recurring at a frequency high with respect to the cycling rate of the oscillator until it reaches a reference value, for example zero. The difference between the reference value and the count state of the counter when a predetermined counting period has elapsed, as determined by the duration of one cycle of the input signal, forms an error signal which is transmitted over a bi-directional counter to an integrator which, in turn, controls the oscillator. The system is particularly applicable for use in connection with vehicle wheel brake anti-lock arrangements, and permits determination of wheel speed by oscillation of the oscillator as well as acceleration and deceleration by sensing the error signal.

Frequency control, and sensing circuit

An internal combustion engine which is provided with an exhaust gas treatment system, such as thermal or catalytic reactors, includes a primary regulating system for admitting fresh air to the exhaust system for the chemical processes taking place in the reactors. This fresh air regulation depends on the engine rpm and on the induction tube pressure. There is also provided a secondary air control system, including a three-way valve and an electronic controller and an oxygen probe, located in the exhaust manifold. The probe supplies the controller with a signal related to the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas and the controller uses this signal to actuate the three-way valve which admits either induction tube pressure or, alternatively, exhaust system pressure, to a control chamber in the primary regulating system, thereby influencing the quantity of fresh air supplied to the exhaust manifold of the engine.

Growing community of inventors

Schwieberdingen, Germany

Peter Jurgen Schmidt