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 method for recognizing an error in a sensor signal during operation of a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine. In the method, a switch valve of the fuel injector is activated with the aid of an activation signal, and the sensor signal is detected as a signal of a sensor, which is provided for the purpose of detecting characteristic operating points of the fuel injector, in a respectively predefined time window of the sensor signal, which includes a point in time of a characteristic operating point of the fuel injector. At least one property of the sensor signal is determined, which includes a signal level and/or a rise time. It is determined, based on the at least one property of the sensor signal, whether an error is present.

An injection control device includes: a booster circuit that boosts a battery voltage; a boosting control unit that performs boosting control on the booster circuit; a charge control setting unit that sets a charge prohibition time of the booster circuit for the boosting control unit; and a maximum time specification unit that specifies a maximum valve-closing detection time based on a valve-closing detection time.

Provided is a solenoid valve control device capable of detecting a motion of a valve body in response to a drive command without adding a special circuit.

According to the present invention, a solenoid valve control device controls opening and closing of a solenoid valve in an internal combustion engine system including: a fuel pump including a plunger that that increases or decreases a volume of a pressurizing chamber by moving up and down with rotation of a pump drive cam, a solenoid valve for sucking fuel into the pressurizing chamber, and a discharge valve for discharging fuel in the pressurizing chamber; and a fuel rail (common rail) that accumulates fuel discharged by the fuel pump. The solenoid valve control device includes a control unit that determines whether or not closing of the solenoid valve has succeeded based on fuel pressure 604 of the fuel rail, or calculates a discharge amount by closing the solenoid valve based on the fuel pressure of the fuel rail.

Controlling a fuel injector in a fuel system for an engine includes switching between a boosted voltage power supply and a lower voltage power supply during energizing a solenoid actuator in a fuel injector, and generating a solenoid energizing waveform including a pull-in tier produced by a boosted voltage incipient current, a boosted voltage second current, and a lower voltage later current, based on the switching between a boosted voltage power supply and a lower voltage power supply. Controlling a fuel injector further includes detecting an arrival timing of the valve based on a property of the lower voltage later current, and electronically trimming the fuel injector based on the detecting an arrival timing. Related control system logic is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for determining a characteristic value of a magnetic switch valve. The magnetic switch valve can be switched from a closed switch state into an open switch state, via the movement of a rotor by means of a switching magnet applied with current against a conservative restoring force. According to the invention, during the switching of the switch valve from the open state into the closed state, the time course of the current flowing through the switching magnet and/or of the voltage at the switching magnet is measured. The characteristic value to be measured is evaluated from this time course. It was recognised that every movement of the rotor against the switching magnet induced a voltage in same. Now the voltage at the switching magnet is regulated at a constant value, for one, the voltage induced by the movement can be observed as a control deviation in the short term. For another, the induced voltage causes a current flow through the switching magnets. Based on this, the kinematics of the rotor can be deduced. Given that the switching magnet has an ohmic resistance, energy is also dissipated via the current flow. This energy is the key to determining the switching path covered by the rotor when switching between the closed and the open state. The invention also relates to a measuring device that is particularly suitable for the method.

An injector, for injecting a fuel fluid into an intake manifold or into a combustion chamber of a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, includes an electromagnetic actuator that includes a magnetic circuit. The magnetic circuit includes a solenoid, an internal pole, and a magnet armature that cooperates with the solenoid and the internal pole, and is configured to generate a controlled force action between the internal pole and the magnet armature when the electromagnetic actuator is activated with the aid of an activating current and/or an activating voltage. The injector includes a gap in the area between the internal pole and the magnet armature, and includes a valve sleeve that has either paramagnetic material properties in and outside the area of the gap or paramagnetic material properties in the area of the gap and ferromagnetic material properties outside of this area.

Methods and systems are provided for detection of a closing time for a solenoid valve. In one example, a method may include monitoring a current of the solenoid valve, filtering the current, and determining the closing time of the solenoid valve based on each of the current and the filtered current. In some examples, the solenoid valve may be an electrically-actuated fuel injection valve. In some examples, determining the closing time may include using the filtered current to determine an inflection point of the current.

Method for controlling a fuel injector with a piezoelectric actuator acting on a valve element, including the following steps, in the normal operation of the vehicle: (200): Estimating an engine parameter (Pj.sub.EST), representative of an actual play (J.sub.REEL) between the piezoelectric actuator and the valve element, (300): Comparing the engine parameter with the equivalent parameter (Pj.sub.ECU) representative of the original play (J.sub.INIT): if the engine parameter differs from the equivalent parameter in such a way that the actual play is greater than the original play: Applying an electrical polarization charge to the piezoelectric actuator, in order to polarize the piezoelectric actuator during the injection of the fuel, Commanding the closure of the injector.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fuel injection valve control device with which. variability in the injection amount with respect to drive pulse width can be kept to a satisfactory level in each of a plurality of fuel injection devices. The present invention provides a fuel injection valve control device for controlling a plurality of fuel injection devices each equipped with a valve body and a solenoid for opening the valve body, characterized in that the device is configured such that, a prescribed time after voltage has been applied to the solenoid, a holding current is applied, the prescribed time and the holding current being corrected for each of the fuel injection devices, on the basis of the operating characteristics of the fuel injection device.