A nozzle assembly of a fuel injector includes a nozzle body in which a needle member is adapted to translate. The nozzle assembly is further provided with an electrical circuit so that an electrical signal enabling contact detection is measurable between the needle member and the nozzle body. The nozzle assembly also includes a piezoresistive device which continuously varies the electrical signal during the final closing displacements, or the initial opening displacements, of the needle, the variations of the signal being a function of a differential pressure.

A fuel injection control device for an internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit configured to execute division processing for learning for dividing a requested injection amount into an injection amount of partial lift injection of an in-cylinder injection valve and a port injection amount of injection of a port injection valve, detect, on the basis of at least one of a terminal electric potential of a coil and a current flowing through the coil, an inflection point of a change in induced electromotive force of the coil in time attributable to a decline in a relative speed of a mover with respect to the coil, and correct the energization processing at a time when the partial lift injection is executed based on a timing of the detection of the inflection point.

Multiple mode control system for a vehicle includes a vehicle control unit operatively configured with manual override switch, one or plurality of sensors, audio output means and electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicle control unit includes processor configured with Read Only Memory, random access memory, analog to digital converter, switch driver and an optional communication engine and hard disk drive. The engine of the vehicle is configured with electronic control unit.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method for characterizing a fluid injector that includes receiving a collection of waveform data, identifying a pull locus, determining a detection threshold level value, identifying a first subset of the collection of data representative of a selected first electrical waveform of the collection of electrical waveforms, identifying an opening value, identifying a representative closing value, identifying an anchor value, identifying a second subset of the collection of data based on the collection of data, the pull locus, the first subset, and the opening value, identifying a maximum electrical value, identifying an opening locus based the collection of data, the anchor value, and the maximum electrical value, identifying a hold value, and providing characteristics associated with the fluid injector comprising the pull locus, the opening locus, the hold value, the anchor value, and the representative closing value.

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.

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.

A dual-fuel internal combustion engine with a device for regulating the internal combustion engine, with at least two piston-cylinders, a fuel injector assigned to the piston-cylinder units for a liquid fuel, which has an injector needle. Each piston-cylinder unit has a gas supply device for fuel, wherein the regulating device controls the fuel injector and the at least one gas supply device individually for metering of the quantity of the liquid or gaseous fuel supplied to each piston-cylinder unit. At least one needle sensor is connected to the regulating device and assigned to the respective piston-cylinder unit, which detects a characteristic signal of the needle position in the ballistic range, so that the fuel injector can be operated with individual controllability for each of the at least two piston-cylinder units for the regulation of the supplied fuel quantity in the ballistic range.

An ECU as a valve body operation estimation device includes a sampling unit that obtains at least one of voltage and current of the electromagnetic coil as sample values at intervals of a predetermined time in a sampling period set based on a predetermined reference timing, a variation calculation unit that calculates a degree of variation of the sample values obtained in the sampling period, a variation waveform which represents a change of the degree of variation caused by shifting the reference timing including a point at which the degree of variation reduces and then rises as the reference timing is delayed, the point referred to as a rising start point, and a timing estimation unit that estimates an operation timing of a valve body based on the reference timing at the rising start point.

A fuel injection control device includes a valve closing detection unit (54) to detect a valve closing timing by using either of an electromotive force quantity detection mode and a timing detection mode, a selection unit (21) to select either of the electromotive force quantity detection mode and the timing detection mode for detecting the valve closing timing, and a correction unit (21) to calculate a correction coefficient for correcting a requested injection quantity so as to reduce the difference between an estimated injection quantity and the requested injection quantity, and the selection unit selects the electromotive force quantity detection mode regardless of the value of the requested injection quantity when the calculation of the correction coefficient is not completed.

A fuel injection control device includes a correction unit to calculate a correction coefficient for correcting a valve closing timing detected by an electromotive force quantity detection mode by using a valve closing timing detected by a timing detection mode. An estimation unit estimates an estimated injection quantity by using a valve closing timing after corrected by using a correction coefficient when the electromotive force quantity detection mode is selected by a selection unit and a valve closing timing is detected by the electromotive force quantity detection mode.