SENSOR WHEEL FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Abstract

An encoder wheel for an internal combustion engine, having six indicator elements, which are arranged spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction with respect to a rotational axis of the encoder wheel on a main body of the encoder wheel. Flanks arranged in the same direction of the indicator elements are arranged equidistantly to one another in the circumferential direction. The indicator elements each have one of three different indicator element extensions in the circumferential direction.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. An encoder wheel for an internal combustion engine, comprising six indicator elements, which are arranged spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction with respect to a rotational axis of the encoder wheel on a main body of the encoder wheel, wherein flanks arranged in the same direction of the indicator elements are arranged equidistantly to one another in the circumferential direction, wherein the indicator elements each have one of three different indicator element extensions in the circumferential direction.

12. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least two directly adjacent ones of the indicator elements form an indicator element pair and have the same indicator element extensions.

13. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 11, wherein intermediate spaces are present in the circumferential direction between the indicator elements, which each have one of three different intermediate space extensions in the circumferential direction.

14. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the intermediate spaces has an intermediate space extension in the circumferential direction which is in a ratio fixed for all intermediate spaces to the respective indicator element extension of the indicator element bordering the corresponding intermediate space.

15. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the indicator elements includes a leading flank leading in the rotational direction and a trailing flank trailing in the rotational direction and the equidistantly arranged flanks are the leading flanks.

16. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the indicator elements their respective leading flank in the circumferential direction at the following angular positions: 0, 60, 120, 180, to 240, and 300, and that the indicator elements have the following indicator element extensions viewed in the circumferential direction: 40, 40, 30, 20, 20, 30.

17. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the indicator element extensions of the indicator elements are each reduced by the same offset angle.

18. An internal combustion engine, comprising: a crankshaft and a camshaft connected to the crankshaft in terms of drive, wherein a crankshaft encoder wheel including multiple indicator elements is coupled in a rotationally-fixed manner to the crankshaft and an encoder wheel including six indicator elements and designed as a camshaft encoder wheel, in particular an encoder wheel as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, is coupled in a rotationally-fixed manner to the camshaft, and wherein the internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft encoder sensor for sensing the indicator elements of the crankshaft encoder wheel and a camshaft encoder sensor for sensing the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel, wherein flanks arranged in the same direction of the indicator elements are arranged equidistantly to one another in the circumferential direction, wherein the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel each have one of three different extensions in the circumferential direction.

19. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 18, wherein the camshaft encoder sensor is provided and designed to generate a first signal level upon overlap with one of the indicator elements and to generate a second signal level different from the first signal level upon overlap with one of the intermediate spaces present between the indicator elements.

20. A method for operating an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine has a crankshaft and a camshaft connected in terms of drive to the crankshaft, wherein a crankshaft encoder wheel including multiple indicator elements is coupled in a rotationally-fixed manner to the crankshaft and an encoder wheel, which includes six indicator elements and is designed as a camshaft encoder wheel, is coupled in a rotationally-fixed manner to the camshaft, and wherein the internal combustion engine senses the indicator elements of the crankshaft encoder wheel by means of a crankshaft encoder sensor and senses the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel by means of a camshaft encoder sensor, wherein flanks arranged in the same direction of the indicator elements are arranged equidistantly to one another in the circumferential direction, wherein the indicator elements of the camshaft encoder wheel each have one of three different extensions in the circumferential direction.

21. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 11, wherein intermediate spaces are present in the circumferential direction between the indicator elements, which each have one of three different intermediate space extensions in the circumferential direction.

22. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the indicator elements includes a leading flank leading in the rotational direction and a trailing flank trailing in the rotational direction and the equidistantly arranged flanks are the leading flanks.

23. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of the indicator elements includes a leading flank leading in the rotational direction and a trailing flank trailing in the rotational direction and the equidistantly arranged flanks are the leading flanks.

24. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of the indicator elements includes a leading flank leading in the rotational direction and a trailing flank trailing in the rotational direction and the equidistantly arranged flanks are the leading flanks.

25. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the indicator elements have their respective leading flank in the circumferential direction at the following angular positions: 0, 60, 120, 180, to 240, and 300, and that the indicator elements have the following indicator element extensions viewed in the circumferential direction: 40, 40, 30, 20, 20, 30.

26. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indicator elements have their respective leading flank in the circumferential direction at the following angular positions: 0, 60, 120, 180, to 240, and 300, and that the indicator elements have the following indicator element extensions viewed in the circumferential direction: 40, 40, 30, 20, 20, 30.

27. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the indicator elements have their respective leading flank in the circumferential direction at the following angular positions: 0, 60, 120, 180, to 240, and 300, and that the indicator elements have the following indicator element extensions viewed in the circumferential direction: 40, 40, 30, 20, 20, 30.

28. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 15, wherein the indicator elements have their respective leading flank in the circumferential direction at the following angular positions: 0, 60, 120, 180, to 240, and 300, and that the indicator elements have the following indicator element extensions viewed in the circumferential direction: 40, 40, 30, 20, 20, 30.

29. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the indicator element extensions of the indicator elements are each reduced by the same offset angle.

30. The encoder wheel as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indicator element extensions of the indicator elements are each reduced by the same offset angle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0038] The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, without the invention being restricted. In the figures:

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an area of an internal combustion engine which has a camshaft and an encoder wheel coupled thereto, and

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a diagram in which a signal of a sensor is plotted by way of example, which is provided and designed for sensing indicator elements of the encoder wheel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an area of an internal combustion engine 1, namely an encoder wheel 2 designed as a camshaft encoder wheel, which is seated on a camshaft 3 (only indicated here) of the internal combustion engine 1. The encoder wheel 2 cooperates with a camshaft encoder sensor 4 in order to ascertain a rotational angle position of the camshaft 3. A rotational direction of the camshaft 3 and therefore of the encoder wheel 2 is indicated by the arrow 5. It is to be noted that the camshaft encoder sensor 4 and its arrangement are only shown very schematically. Preferably, notwithstanding the illustration, the camshaft encoder sensor 4 is arranged farther outward in the radial direction with respect to a rotational axis of the encoder wheel 2 than the encoder wheel 2 and is provided in overlap therewith in the axial direction.

[0042] The encoder wheel 2 has a main body 6, from which six indicator elements 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 originate. Each of the indicator elements 7 to 12 has two flanks 13 and 14, wherein the flank 13 is provided as the leading flank leading in the rotational direction and the flank 14 is provided as the trailing flank trailing the leading flank 13 in the rotational direction. The flanks 13 and 14 are only shown by way of example for some of the indicator elements 7 to 12. Intermediate spaces 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 are present in the circumferential direction between the indicator elements 7 to 12.

[0043] The indicator elements 7 to 12 are arranged such that their leading flanks 13 are arranged uniformly on the main body 6 in the circumferential direction. The leading flanks 13 thus have identical distances from one another in the circumferential direction. The indicator elements 7 to 12 each have an indicator element extension in the circumferential direction. Three different values for the indicator element extensions are present in this case. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the indicator elements 7 and 8 are designed having the same indicator element extensions. Furthermore, the indicator elements 9 and 12 have the same indicator element extensions and the indicator elements 10 and 11 do likewise. The indicator elements 7 and 8 form in this case an indicator element pair 21 made up of indicator elements directly successive in the circumferential direction having the same indicator element extensions. The indicator elements 10 and 11 form a further indicator element pair 22, for which the same applies.

[0044] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, starting values are provided for the three different indicator element extensions, which have the same distance from one another. For example, the starting values are 20, 30, and 40. The starting values insofar result by incrementing a starting value, 20 here, by a difference value, 10 here. The indicator element extensions are less than the starting values, however, namely in each case by the same offset angle, which is, for example, at least 1.6, at least 1.7, or at least 1.8. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the indicator element extensions have the following values: 18.3, 28.3, and 38.3. Alternatively, the indicator element extensions could also be greater than the starting values, in particular by the same offset angle, which can have one of the above-mentioned values. The indicator element extensions can also correspond to the starting values. The deviation is selected so as to take into consideration the difference of a sensor value from the design.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a diagram in which a sensor value of the camshaft encoder sensor 4 is plotted over a crankshaft angle of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. The crankshaft rotates at twice the speed of the camshaft 3, so that two revolutions of the crankshaft result for a single revolution of the camshaft 3 and therefore of the encoder wheel 2. The encoder wheel 2 is shown in the present case for the rotational angle position 0. It is apparent that in case of an overlap of one of the indicator elements 7 to 12 and the camshaft encoder sensor 4, a first signal level is present and, in the case of an overlap between one of the intermediate spaces 15 to 20 and the camshaft encoder sensor 4, a second signal level is present, wherein the first signal level is less than the second signal level.

[0046] For an entire revolution of the encoder wheel 2, a large number of signal flanks 23 and 24 are available, wherein the signal flanks 23 are rising signal flanks and the signal flanks 24 are falling signal flanks. These are indicated here solely by way of example. It is apparent that with the aid of the signal of the camshaft encoder sensor 4, an absolute rotational angle position of the encoder wheel 2 of the camshaft 3 can be rapidly ascertained. At the same time, due to the uniform arrangement of the following flanks 24, a continuous and uniform ascertainment of the rotational angle position is implemented. A direct determination of the absolute rotational angle position of the encoder wheel 2 is possible in particular starting from 0 and starting from 360. Likewise during a passage from 360 and 720. The described design of the internal combustion engine 1 or the encoder wheel 2 insofar enables a rapid and accurate ascertainment of the absolute rotational angle position of the camshaft 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0047] 1 internal combustion engine [0048] 2 encoder wheel [0049] 3 camshaft [0050] 4 camshaft encoder sensor [0051] 5 arrow [0052] 6 main body [0053] 7 indicator element [0054] 8 indicator element [0055] 9 indicator element [0056] 10 indicator element [0057] 11 indicator element [0058] 12 indicator element [0059] 13 flank [0060] 14 flank [0061] 15 intermediate space [0062] 16 intermediate space [0063] 17 intermediate space [0064] 18 intermediate space [0065] 19 intermediate space [0066] 20 intermediate space [0067] 21 indicator element pair [0068] 22 indicator element pair [0069] 23 flank [0070] 24 flank