Measuring and testing – Internal combustion engine or related engine system or... – Compression
Patent
1981-03-03
1983-01-25
Myracle, Jerry W.
Measuring and testing
Internal combustion engine or related engine system or...
Compression
33 1N, G01M 1500
Patent
active
043696511
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to the measurement of angular rotation of shafts, and more particularly to apparatus for determining the amount of rotation of a shaft from a fixed reference point or the amount of rotational phase shift between two constantly rotating shafts.
2. Background Art
Basic control of the operation of an internal combustion engine is accomplished by varying the amount of fuel delivered to the engine cylinders by the fuel pump and by controlling the time that the fuel in the cylinders ignites as the pistons each approach top dead center on the compression stroke. In general, the amount of fuel delivered to the cylinders will control the speed of the engine while the timing of ignition will control the efficiency of fuel combustion.
In a typical four-stroke-cycle diesel engine, a timing shaft will be gear driven by the engine crank shaft at half engine speed, with the timing shaft being coupled to the fuel camshaft of a fuel pump by a timing mechanism so that the fuel pump will deliver fuel individually to half of the engine cylinders during an engine revolution and to the other half of the cylinders in the next engine revoution. A controllable and movable fuel rack will vary the amount of fuel that the fuel pump delivers to the cylinders and the timing mechanism will vary the angular phase relation between the timing shaft and the fuel camshaft so that fuel is injected into the cylinders at the proper time in engine operation relative to the pistons reaching top dead center in their compression strokes.
In order to provide an electronic engine control system which will function to maintain engine performance at maximum efficiency under varying operating conditions, it is necessary to obtain, repeatedly and rapidly, precise information as to the engine speed, magnitude of the timing advance angle, and the position of the fuel rack.
There are a number of problems involved in obtaining the desired information.
First of all, the apparatus should have a life which meets or exceeds engine overhaul time to prevent premature failure and loss of control during engine operation. To meet this requirement, the components utilized for detection of speed and angular displacement should be simple, rugged and non-contacting.
A provision of separate sensing systems for each particular function that is being monitored increases the cost of an overall control system. To overcome this problem, the functions of the sensing systems should be correlated so that the desired information as to the various functions is obtained with the least number of sensor devices.
Sensing systems which provide analog information as to the function being monitored are often inaccurate since age and varying temperature condition will often cause component values to change. To overcome this problem, it is desirable to provide a system in which digital information of the monitored conditions is obtained.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the invention, and in a system having first and second shafts and timing means for rotatably driving one shaft by the other at a desired and variable angular relationship between the shafts, a sensing system is provided having: first and second sensible members rotatable through circular paths at speeds proportional to the speeds of the first and second shafts, respectively; first and second signal generators which generate first and second signals, respectively, in response to movement of the first and second sensible members past a predetermined point in each path thereof; and, means for counting clock pulses during the period between a first and second signal. The number of clock pulses counted provides digital information as to the angular relationship between the two rotating shafts.
In another aspect of the invention, and in which there is a third shaft movable through a limited distance, the above-mentioned sensing system further includes: a third
REFERENCES:
patent: 3184668 (1965-05-01), Whitecar
patent: 4179922 (1979-12-01), Bouverie et al.
patent: 4188820 (1980-02-01), Moser et al.
patent: 4262526 (1981-04-01), Makita et al.
Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Myracle Jerry W.
Phillips Richard F.
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