The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 04, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 18, 1998
David R Schricker, Dunlap, IL (US);
Masoud K Zavarehi, Peoria, IL (US);
Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US);
Abstract
A method for detecting a power loss condition of an internal combustion engine, the engine having at least one cylinder and a crank shaft, the method including the steps of sensing rotational crank shaft speed for a plurality of designated crank shaft rotational positions over a predetermined number of cycles of rotation, determining an average crank shaft speed fluctuation for each crank shaft position, determining information representative of crank shaft kinetic energy variation due to each firing event in the cylinder, and determining information representative of an average fuel flow rate. Information representative of a power loss for the cylinder is determined as a function of the crank shaft kinetic energy variation, average crank shaft speed and average fuel flow rate and a representative power loss signal is responsively produced.