Engine control unit

Internal-combustion engines – High tension ignition system – Having a specific mounting of system component

Reexamination Certificate

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Reexamination Certificate

active

06712052

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine control unit mounted on an engine and a wire harness for an engine of an automobile, and particularly to a mount position of the engine control unit and rationalization of wiring of the wire harness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, ignition timing, fuel injection amount, etc. of an engine in an automobile are controlled in high-level and high-speed, and reliability and durability are required therefor. In response to such a requirement, electronic control is generally used and an engine control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) for performing the various kinds of control integrally is employed.
FIG. 4
is a view showing arrangement of components in an engine room of an automobile in the related-art.
Provided in
FIG. 4
are a lateral disposed engine
10
, an engine room
11
, an engine room harness
13
, and an engine harness
12
.
The engine room harness
13
is divided broadly into a right side harness
13
-
1
, a left side harness
13
-
2
, and a front harness
13
-
3
. The right and left side harnesses
13
-
1
and
13
-
2
branch off to be connected to a wiper component
20
, a brake component
30
, a relay box
40
, etc.
Further, the front harness
13
-
3
branches off so as to be connected to a lamp component
50
; a component
60
of a cooling system such as a radiator fan; and a component
65
of an air conditioner system such as a compressor of an air conditioner.
Broadly, the engine harness
12
includes: paths
12
-
1
and
12
-
2
wired from an ECU
110
disposed on an assistant seat side in a cabin to engine injectors
100
; a path
12
-
3
connected to a water temperature sensor
80
; paths
12
-
4
and
12
-
5
branching off from the middle of the path
12
-
1
so as to be connected to ignition coils
90
; and paths
12
-
6
and
12
-
7
extended from the paths
12
-
4
and
12
-
5
so as to be connected to a battery
120
through a fusible link holder
70
.
FIG. 5
is an example of a block diagram of the ECU in the related-art example. The ECU
110
includes electronic components such as a CPU, an ROM, and an RAM, and various circuits. The ECU
110
is supplied with signals from various sensors such as an intake air temperature sensor, and a water temperature sensor, controls and processes these signals, and then outputs these processed signals to a coil, an injector, and so on.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the wire harnesses
12
-
1
and
12
-
3
make connection between the ECU
110
and the water temperature sensor
80
, the wire harnesses
12
-
1
,
12
-
4
and
12
-
5
make connection between the ECU
110
and the coils
90
, and the wire harnesses
12
-
1
and
12
-
2
make connection between the ECU
110
and the injectors
100
.
In the related-art, however, the ECU
110
is disposed on the assistant seat side in the cabin, while the injectors
100
and the ignition coils
90
are mounted on the engine
10
. Accordingly, it is required to wire a long harness from the ECU
110
in the cabin to the injectors
100
and the ignition coils
90
in the engine room
11
. Working area for this wire harness connection is required to extend over two places, that is, in the cabin and the engine room
11
. There is therefore a problem in performing such work smoothly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made in consideration of the problem. It is an object of the invention to provide an ECU mounted on the engine body to simplify wiring of a wire harness to thereby make the assembly work smooth and make cost of the components lower.
In order to achieve the object, according to a first configuration, there is provided an engine control unit having electronic components and various circuits for controlling an engine, the engine control unit being mounted on a portion substantially just above an intake manifold of the engine.
According to a second configuration, in the engine control unit defined in the first configuration, an ignition coil circuit and an injector circuit are formed integrally in a case of the engine control unit so that control circuits of a control board are connected to an ignition coil and an injector by slot-in-connectors respectively.
According to a third configuration, in the engine control unit defined in the first or second configuration, a connector for connecting a sensor circuit to the engine control unit and a harness connecting connector are formed on a peripheral wall surface of the case of the engine control unit.
According to a fourth configuration, in the engine control unit defined in any one of the first through third configurations, a fuel flow channel is formed in a lower surface of the case of the engine control unit.


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