An internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes a control device, and at least one injector for liquid fuel. The injector(s) can be controlled by the control device via an actuator control signal. The injector(s) include an injector outlet opening for the liquid fuel which can be closed by a needle. A sensor is also provided for measuring a measurement variable of the injector(s). The sensor is or can be in a signal connection with the control device. An algorithm is stored in the control device, which algorithm calculates a state of the injector(s) based on input variables and an injector model, compares the state calculated via the injector model with a target state, and produces a state signal in accordance therewith. The state signal is characteristic of a change in the state of the injector(s) that occurs during intended use of the injector(s) and/or an unforeseen change in the state of the injector(s). The input variables include at least the actuator control signal and the measurement values of the sensor. A method for operating such an internal combustion engine and an injector is also provided.

An internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes a control device, and at least one injector for liquid fuel. The injector(s) can be controlled by the control device via an actuator control signal. The injector(s) include an injector outlet opening for the liquid fuel which can be closed by a needle. A sensor is also provided for measuring a measurement variable of the injector(s). The sensor is or can be in a signal connection with the control device. An algorithm is stored in the control device, which algorithm calculates a state of the injector(s) based on input variables and an injector model, compares the state calculated via the injector model with a target state, and produces a state signal in accordance therewith. The state signal is characteristic of a change in the state of the injector(s) that occurs during intended use of the injector(s) and/or an unforeseen change in the state of the injector(s). The input variables include at least the actuator control signal and the measurement values of the sensor. A method for operating such an internal combustion engine and an injector is also provided.

The present invention relates to an injector for injecting fuel, comprising an injector housing, a movable nozzle needle which is arranged in the injector housing and has a nozzle needle tip, a nozzle needle seat for receiving the nozzle needle tip, and a mechanical switch which upon contact of the nozzle needle tip with the nozzle needle seat assumes a closed state and upon interruption of the contact assumes an open state, wherein the injector is provided with an input line and an output line for actuating a movement of the nozzle needle, and the switch includes a first terminal and a second terminal. The injector is characterized in that the first terminal of the switch is connected to the input line and the second terminal of the switch is connected to the injector housing.

Various embodiments include a method for operating a fuel injector comprising: applying a first current to a solenoid to perform a first injection process and inject a predefined injection quantity; determining a value of a system parameter indicating the relationship between the actual fuel quantity and the predefined quantity; determining, on the basis of the value of the system parameter, whether the actually injected fuel quantity is smaller than the predefined fuel quantity by a predefined amount corresponding to a disparity between a magnetic force exerted on the armature in the direction of the pole piece and an opposite hydraulic force exerted on the armature by fuel; and if it was determined that the quantities differ by enough, applying a second current to the solenoid to perform a second injection; wherein the second current exerts a lower magnetic force on the armature in the direction of the pole piece.

[Problem to be Solved]

To provide a driving control device for a fuel pump that can properly control the fuel pump such that an operation state is maintained with a simple configuration without requiring a storage capacity for storing a 3D map and a high processing ability for map calculation.

[Solution]

A driving control device for a fuel pump is characterized by including a valve-opening-rate calculating unit 33 that calculates an injector valve opening rate, which is an injection time of an injector per unit time and a driving control unit 34 that sets a voltage duty ratio of a driving voltage that should be applied to the fuel pump that supplies fuel in a fuel tank to a fuel pipe communicating with the injector, in which the driving control unit 34 sets, as a voltage duty ratio of the driving voltage that should be applied to the fuel pump, a value proportional to the injector valve opening rate calculated by the valve-opening-rate calculating unit.

Various embodiments may include a method for actuating a fuel injector with a solenoid drive and a nozzle needle. The solenoid drive has a solenoid and a movable armature. The fuel injector has an idle stroke between the armature and the nozzle needle. An example method includes: applying a precharging current to the solenoid drive during a precharging phase to move the movable armature into mechanical contact with the nozzle needle; and applying a voltage pulse to the solenoid drive during a boost phase until the current intensity of the current flowing through the solenoid reaches a predetermined peak value.

To reduce collision noise caused when an electromagnetic valve of a high-pressure fuel supply pump is opened. Therefore, in a control device for controlling a high-pressure fuel supply pump including: an anchor; a fixed core configured to attract the anchor with an electromagnetic force; a suction valve configured to be opened or closed when the anchor is sucked by the fixed core; and an electromagnetic force generation unit configured to generate the electromagnetic force when applied with a driving voltage, it can be achieved by providing a control unit configured to perform control to lower a driving current from a peak current before a timing at which the anchor is sucked by the fixed core and collides in an operation state where an engine is under no load and an engine rotation speed is equal to or less than a set rotation speed.

A drive device capable of detecting individual variations of an injection quantity of a fuel injection device of each cylinder and adjusting a current waveform provided to an injection pulse width and a solenoid such that the individual variations of the fuel injection devices are reduced. The fuel injection device in the present invention includes a valve body that close a fuel passage by coming into contact with a valve seat and opens the fuel passage by separating from the valve seat and a magnetic circuit constructed of a solenoid, a fixed core, a nozzle holder a housing and a needle and when a current is supplied to the solenoid a magnetic suction force acts on the needle and the needle has a function to open the valve body by colliding against the valve body after performing a free running operation and changes of acceleration of the needle due to collision of the needle against the valve body are detected by a current flowing through the solenoid.

A method for determining a first time at which a fuel injector having a solenoid drive is in a first predetermined opening state. The method includes the following: (a) determining a second time at which the fuel injector is in a second predetermined state, (b) determining a stroke value of a moving component of the fuel injector, which stroke value corresponds to a movement path of the moving component which is covered when the fuel injector transitions between the first predetermined opening state and the second predetermined opening state, and (c) determining the first time at which the fuel injector is in the first predetermined opening state, on the basis of the second time and the stroke value. A method for actuating a fuel injector having a solenoid drive, an engine controller and a computer program.

An energization instruction switch switches energization instruction signals to instruct energization of fuel injection valves. A first cylinder designation switch designates one of the energization instruction signals to designate a valve closing detection cylinder. A valve closing detection unit monitors downstream voltage of the fuel injection valve to detect occurrence of an inflection point in change of the downstream voltage to detect a valve closing. A second cylinder designation switch designates one of the downstream voltages and designates the valve closing detection cylinder. A valve closing time measuring unit measures a valve closing time, which is from a switching timing of the energization instruction signal from ON to OFF to a valve closing detection timing, for injection of the valve closing detection cylinder. A valve closing time learning unit learns the valve closing time measured by the valve closing time measuring unit.