Various embodiments include a method for controlling a pressure dissipation valve comprising a closure element, a spring applying a spring force urging the closure element toward the closed position, and an electromagnetic actuator responding to an applied voltage to urge the closure element to an open position. The method may include: applying a constant voltage until the closure element begins motion counter to the spring force; immediately ending the voltage upon the beginning of motion; thereafter, applying a pulsed voltage to the actuator to induce a substantially constant holding-open current intensity; maintaining the pulsed voltage for a predetermined duration to hold the closure element open; and interrupting the application of voltage after the predetermined duration, wherein the closure element moves into the closed position as a result of the spring force.

The invention relates to a method for operating a piston pump, which is driven by means of a coil (1) of an electromagnet, wherein a piston (2) of the piston pump can be moved against a restoring force by means of the electromagnet, wherein a voltage (U) is applied to the coil (1) during a switch-on duration such that a current (I) flows through the coil (1) and the piston (2) is accelerated, wherein two different quenching methods are used for the current (I) in the coil (1).

There is obtained an inexpensive vehicle electronic control apparatus that is shared by a plurality of inductive loads and performs rapid cutoff of a driving current with low power consumption. On/off operation of a load current preliminarily charges a surge suppression capacitor, which is connected with each of the upstream points of individual opening/closing devices, that are connected in series with each corresponding one of a plurality of inductive loads, by way of discharging diodes, respectively, up to a predetermined limit voltage V0; when following on/off operation generates an increment voltage V in the charging voltage, a discharging transistor is closed and hence the surge suppression capacitor is discharge by way of a discharging resistor.

A method for actuating a fuel injector having a magnetic coil drive for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle is disclosed. The fuel injector has a first terminal and a second terminal, where the first terminal is connectable via a switch element to ground and the second terminal is connected to ground. The method includes the following: actuating the switch element to connect the first terminal to ground, acquiring a time curve of the current strength of a current flowing through the magnetic coil drive, and applying a voltage pulse to the magnetic coil drive to initiate an opening procedure of the fuel injection. A duration of the voltage pulse is established as a function of the acquired time curve of the current strength. Furthermore, an engine controller and a computer program are described.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a drive device that improves the precision of injection quantities by stabilizing the behavior of a valve body 214 under the condition that a valve body reaches a height position lower than a maximum height position and making the injection pulse width and the injection quantity gradient small. The present invention is a drive device for a fuel injection device for use in an internal combustion engine, wherein: the fuel injection device is provided with a valve body 214 that can open and close a fuel passage, a needle 202 that activates an opening and closing valve by transmitting power between itself and the valve body 214, and an electromagnet that comprises a solenoid 205 and a fixed core 207 provided as drive means for the needle 202, and a cylindrical nozzle holder 201 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the needle 202; and the drive device 150 controls a drive current flowing to the coil so as to decrease from the maximum drive current to a first drive current 610 that is lower than the maximum drive current before the valve body 214 reaches the maximum height position so that the valve body 214 reaches a height position lower than the maximum height position.

This fuel includes: a first switching element disposed between a booster circuit boosting a battery power and one end of a solenoid; a second switching element disposed between a battery and one end of the solenoid; a third switching element disposed between the other end of the solenoid and a ground; a fourth switching element disposed between one end of the solenoid and a ground; and a control unit configured to control open/closed states of the first switching element, the second switching element, the third switching element, and the fourth switching element. The control unit is configured to open the fourth switching element during a valve closing detection period of detecting closing of a fuel injection valve and to detect the closing of the fuel injection valve on the basis of a change in voltage of the other end of the solenoid.

A circuit arrangement for driving an inductive load is connectable to a load terminal. A first MOS field effect transistor is connected between a terminal for a high potential of a first supply voltage source and the load terminal. A series connection with a freewheeling diode and a second MOS field effect transistor has its freewheeling diode connected between the load terminal and a second terminal for a low potential of the first supply voltage source. The freewheeling diode has its cathode connected to the load terminal. A series connection with a reverse-biased zener diode and a forward-biased diode is connected between the drain and gate terminals of the first MOS field effect transistor. A first control signal terminal is connected to the gate terminal of the second MOS field effect transistor and via an AND circuit to the gate terminal of the first MOS field effect transistor.

There is obtained an inexpensive vehicle electronic control apparatus that is shared by a plurality of inductive loads and performs rapid cutoff of a driving current with low power consumption. On/off operation of a load current preliminarily charges a surge suppression capacitor, which is connected with each of the upstream points of individual opening/closing devices, that are connected in series with each corresponding one of a plurality of inductive loads, by way of discharging diodes, respectively, up to a predetermined limit voltage V0; when following on/off operation generates an increment voltage V in the charging voltage, a discharging transistor is closed and hence the surge suppression capacitor is discharge by way of a discharging resistor.

A method for determining a reference current value for actuating a fuel injector, comprising a solenoid drive, for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle is described. The method comprises the following: (a) acquiring a multiplicity of current profiles with repeated actuation of the fuel injector, wherein each current profile has a temporal progression of the current strength of a current flowing through the solenoid drive, and wherein each actuation of the fuel injector comprises the following steps: (aa) applying a boost voltage to the solenoid drive of the fuel injector until the current strength of the current flowing through the solenoid drive reaches a first predetermined value, (ab) waiting for the current strength to reach a second predetermined value during a first free-wheeling phase, (ac) applying the boost voltage to the solenoid drive again until the current strength reaches the first predetermined value, and (ad) waiting for the current strength to reach the second predetermined value during a second free-wheeling phase, wherein the first predetermined value is varied for each actuation, the method also comprising (b) determining a multiplicity of magnetic flux profiles, wherein each magnetic flux profile corresponds to one of the multiplicity of acquired current profiles, and (c) selecting the reference current value on the basis of an analysis of the associated current profiles and magnetic flux profiles.

Various embodiments include a method for controlling a pressure dissipation valve comprising a closure element, a spring applying a spring force urging the closure element toward the closed position, and an electromagnetic actuator responding to an applied voltage to urge the closure element to an open position. The method may include: applying a constant voltage until the closure element begins motion counter to the spring force; immediately ending the voltage upon the beginning of motion; thereafter, applying a pulsed voltage to the actuator to induce a substantially constant holding-open current intensity; maintaining the pulsed voltage for a predetermined duration to hold the closure element open; and interrupting the application of voltage after the predetermined duration, wherein the closure element moves into the closed position as a result of the spring force.