Measuring and testing – Simulating operating condition – Marine
Patent
1995-06-22
1997-06-03
Chilcot, Richard
Measuring and testing
Simulating operating condition
Marine
732025, 7320411, 7320418, G01F 168, G01F 137
Patent
active
056356358
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting the intake air quantity of an engine.
BACKGROUND ART
With an automotive engine, in order to control for example, the fuel supply quantity, an air flow meter such as a hot wire type flow meter is provided upstream of the intake passage throttle valve to detect the intake air quantity.
With such a conventional engine intake air quantity detection apparatus however, when the throttle valve opening is large in the low speed or high speed range of the engine so that pulsations inside the cylinder, which include reverse flow components, can be transmitted as far as the air flow meter portion, then since the hot wire type air flow meter cannot discriminate between the air flow direction, the intake air flow quantity will be detected as being greater than the true value.
More specifically, since the output of the air flow meter is the same irrespective of whether the air flow direction relative to the air flow meter element is normal or reverse, then considering the case where there is a reverse flow portion in the true intake air quantity Q, the computed average Q will be greater than the true average Q, since in the detection value of the intake air quantity Q, the reverse flow component is also detected as being in the normal direction.
If the computed average Q is greater than the true average Q, this can lead to a richer mixture, deterioration in exhaust conditions, and poorer fuel consumption.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of such problems with the conventional technology it is an object of the present invention to be able to detect intake air quantity including the flow direction.
It is a further object of the invention to be able to process detection values for the intake air quantity including the flow direction, and thereby accurately detect an average value for intake air quantity in the normal flow direction.
Another object is to be able to accurately set the engine fuel supply quantity using this average value.
A further object is to be able to make a compact intake air quantity detection apparatus.
To achieve the above objectives, the engine intake air quantity detection method, and intake air quantity detection apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, comprise; of the flow direction of the intake air, respective intake air quantities at two locations separated in the flow direction of the intake air in the engine intake air passage, of the intake air, based on the intake air quantity detected at the two locations, an intake air quantity detection signal output step or device for each flow direction for outputting a detection signal for an intake air quantity in which the flow direction has been discriminated, based on an intake air quantity detected at at least one of said two locations, and on said detected flow direction.
With the intake air quantities detected at the two locations, since a phase difference is produced which is dependant on the flow direction of the intake air, then the flow direction of the intake air can be detected based on this phase difference. Therefore, normal flow and reverse flow can be discriminated so that a true intake air quantity can be detected.
The flow direction detection step or device may include, detecting as normal flow when the phase of the pulsations of the intake air quantity detected at the upstream location of the two locations is ahead of the phase of the pulsations of the intake air quantity detected at the downstream location, and detecting as reverse flow when this is behind.
More specifically, since the pulsations of the intake air quantity are advancing waves, then if the flow is normal, the upstream side phase will be ahead of that of the downstream side, while when reverse flow occurs, since this results in an advancing wave in the opposite direction, then upstream side phase will be behind that of the downstream side. Normal flow and reverse flow can thus be discriminated.
The intake air quantity detection step or d
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Aoi Hiroshi
Tomisawa Naoki
Tsukada Masao
Yokota Syoichiro
Chilcot Richard
Dombroske George M.
Unisia Jecs Corporation
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