A fuel passage leads a fuel from a pressure-accumulation vessel to a nozzle hole of a fuel injection valve. A fuel pressure sensor detects a fuel pressure in a fuel passage. An estimation device is applicable to a combustion system, which includes these components, and includes a mixing acquisition unit and an injection amount estimation unit. The mixing acquisition unit acquires the mixing ratio of various components contained in the fuel used for combustion in the internal combustion engine. The injection amount estimation unit estimates an injection amount of the fuel from the nozzle hole according to a change mode of the fuel pressure, which is detected with the fuel pressure sensor and associated with injection of the fuel from a nozzle hole, and the mixing ratio acquired with the mixing acquisition unit.

A fuel injection controller includes a discharge switch that turns ON/OFF energization of a first energization path from a boost power source of a second booster circuit when a second control IC energizes a second solenoid, a first detection element that detects a value that depends on an energization state of the discharge switch, a constant current switch that turns ON/OFF energization of a second energization path from a power source voltage that outputs a lower voltage than a boost power source voltage when the second control IC energizes the second solenoid, a second element that detects a value that depends on an energization state of the constant current switch, and an energization path controller that switches energization to the second solenoid.

Disclosed is a method of alerting to the state of a high-pressure pump of an engine including a relief valve, a threshold pressure defining the opening pressure of the relief valve, the pump supplying fuel under pressure to a chamber equipped with a pressure sensor, including the following steps: initializing a computer when the engine is cut off during which cut-off a threshold pressure and a value of a first counter are collected in a memory associated with the computer; measuring the pressure of the fuel in the chamber; incrementing the first counter if the pressure of the fuel in the chamber is above or equal to the threshold pressure; and triggering an alert when the value of the first counter crosses a predetermined threshold.

A method for detecting continuous injection during the operation of an internal combustion engine with an injection system having a high-pressure accumulator for a fuel, whereina high pressure in the injection system is monitored as a function of time, whereinin order to detect continuous injection it is checked whether the high pressure has dropped by a predetermined continuous injection differential pressure value within a predetermined continuous injection time interval, whereinit is checked whether a reduction valve which connects the high-pressure accumulator to a fuel reservoir has been triggered, and whereincontinuous injection is detected ifa reduction valve has not been triggered in a predetermined checking time interval before the dropping of the high pressure, and ifthe high pressure has dropped by the predetermined continuous injection differential value amount within the predetermined continuous injection time interval.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine having an injection system which has a high-pressure accumulator, wherein a high pressure in the high-pressure accumulator is regulated via a suction throttle on the low-pressure side as a first pressure control member in a first high-pressure control loop, wherein in a normal operation a high-pressure disturbance variable is produced via a pressure control valve on the high-pressure side as a second pressure control member, via which fuel is redirected from the high-pressure accumulator to a fuel reservoir. For this purpose, the high pressure in a safety operation is regulated by the pressure control valve via a second high-pressure control loop, or, in the safety operation, a maximum fuel volume flow is continuously redirected from the high-pressure accumulator to the fuel reservoir via the pressure control valve.

Embodiments relate to an operating method for operating a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine, wherein, upon a detection of a fault in the fuel injection system, and wherein a predefined pressure is overshot in a high-pressure region of the fuel injection system, an overrun mode of the internal combustion engine is deactivated, such that the internal combustion engine is operated exclusively in an injection mode.

There is disclosed a method of de-icing a component of an engine assembly having a common-rail fuel injection system, including: pressurizing fuel to circulate the fuel through the common-rail injection system; drawing a portion of the fuel upstream of common-rail injectors of the common-rail injection system and directing a remainder of the fuel toward the common-rail injectors; and transferring heat from the drawn portion of the fuel to the component.

A fuel injection controller includes a discharge switch that turns ON/OFF energization of a first energization path from a boost power source of a second booster circuit when a second control IC energizes a second solenoid, a first detection element that detects a value that depends on an energization state of the discharge switch, a constant current switch that turns ON/OFF energization of a second energization path from a power source voltage that outputs a lower voltage than a boost power source voltage when the second control IC energizes the second solenoid, a second element that detects a value that depends on an energization state of the constant current switch, and an energization path controller that switches energization to the second solenoid.

Methods and systems are provided for improved injector balancing. In one example, fuel rail pressure samples collected during a noisy zone of injector operation are discarded while samples collected during a quiet zone are averaged to determine an injector pressure. The injector pressure is then used to infer injection volume, injector error, and update an injector transfer function.

There is disclosed a method of operating an engine assembly including a combustion engine and a common-rail injector. The method includes: injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of the combustion engine via the common-rail injector thereby generating a backflow of fuel; and powering an actuator using at least a portion of the backflow of fuel. An engine assembly including the combustion engine is disclosed; the engine assembly having a fuel circuit fluidly connecting a fuel source, the common-rail injector, and the second injector outlet together. The fuel circuit has an actuator sub-circuit operatively connected to an outlet of the common-rail injector and an actuator fluidly connected to the actuator sub-circuit.