# US 10,871,120 B2 · Method, system and apparatus for detecting injector closing time

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- Number: US 10,871,120 B2
- Document ID: US10871120B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/979,344
- Filed: 2018-05-14
- Published: 2018-09-13
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2015-04-17
- Assignees: Vitesco Technologies USA, LLC
- Applicants: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
- Inventors: Ningsheng Qiao; Donald Kultgen; Pascal Barbier
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871120B2

## CPC

- F02D 41/2467: {for injectors}
- B64C 3/44: Varying camber
- B64C 13/16: actuated automatically, e.g. responsive to gust detectors
- B64C 13/26: without power amplification or where power amplification is irrelevant
- F01N 3/208: {Control of selective catalytic reduction [SCR], e.g. by adjusting the dosing of reducing agent}
- F02D 41/20: Output circuits, e.g. for controlling currents in command coils
- F02D 41/221: {relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements}
- B64C 2003/445: {by changing shape according to the speed, e.g. by morphing}
- F01N 2610/146: Control thereof, e.g. control of injectors or injection valves
- F02D 2041/2055: {with means for determining actual opening or closing time}
- F02D 2041/2058: {using information of the actual current value}
- F02D 2041/286: {comprising means for signal processing}
- Y02A 50/20: Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
- Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies
- Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A control unit, controller and non-transitory machine-readable medium for detecting a closing time of an injector valve are disclosed. The control unit is configured to receive a valve current profile of the injector valve, process the valve current profile using at least a slope discriminator, and determine a stuck status and a closing time (if applicable) of the injector valve based on an output of the slope discriminator.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for a vehicle system having at least one injector and a least one sensor therefor, comprising:
a controller connected to the at least one sensor, the controller being operable to receive a profile of the current draw of the injector, the controller being operable to process the profile using a slope discriminator and to determine a stuck status and a closing time of the injector based on an output of the slope discriminator,
wherein the controller is further operable to determine the output of the slope discriminator based on the valve current profile, and wherein the controller is further operable to compare the output to a predetermined closing time detection threshold,
wherein the controller is further operable to determine whether a maximum output value of the slope discriminator is below the predetermined closing detection time detection threshold; and if the maximum output value is below the predetermined closing time detection threshold, the controller is operable to determine that the stuck status is stuck; and if the maximum output value is above the predetermined closing time detection threshold, the controller is operable to determine that the stuck status is not stuck, and
wherein the controller is further operable to determine the closing time of the injector valve based on a location of the maximum output value, if the stuck status is that the injector valve is not stuck.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, the controller being further operable to start a delay timer at an end of an injector current clamp, to cause delay for a predetermined period of time starting at the end of the injector current clamp prior to receiving the valve current profile of the injector valve, and to collect valve current data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, the controller being further operable to filter the valve current data to remove high frequency noise, to report the injector status and closing time, and to process the valve current profile using a nonlinear digital filtering technique.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, the controller being further operable to determine median values within a median window and mean values within a mean window, and to calculate a series of mean output data points and a series of median output data points,
wherein each median output data point in the median window is a median value of data points within the median window at a corresponding time;
wherein the data points within the median window are sorted in increasing value;
wherein each mean output data point in the mean window is a mean value of data points within the mean window at a corresponding time;
wherein the mean window encompasses fewer data points than the median window; and
wherein the mean window begins at a predefined offset from the median window start point.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a slope discriminator output according the relationship Output=median term times gain factor for median term minus (mean term times gain factor for mean term minus offset term), where Output is the slope discriminator output at a given time, median term is the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time, mean term is the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time, and the gain factors are variable amplification factors, wherein
the gain factor for the median term is one plus the absolute value of the difference between the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time and the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time; and
the gain factor for the mean term is one minus the absolute value of the difference between the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time and the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the injector is one of a selective catalytic reduction injector and a fuel injector.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further operable to report the closing time and/or the stuck status to an on-board diagnostic system.

### Claim 8

A non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a control unit for a vehicle having an injector valve, cause the control unit to perform operations comprising:
receiving a valve current profile of the injector valve;
processing the valve current profile using at least a slope discriminator;
determining a stuck status of the injector valve based on an output of the slope discriminator; and
if the injector valve is not stuck, determining the closing time of the injector valve based on the output of the slope discriminator,
wherein processing the valve current profile includes determining an output of the slope discriminator based on the valve current profile, and determining the stuck status and the closing time of the injector valve includes comparing the output to a predetermined closing time detection threshold, wherein
processing the valve current profile comprises determining median values within a median window and mean values within a mean window,
processing the valve current profile comprises calculating a series of mean output data points and a series of median output data points,
each median output data point in the median window is a median value of data points within the median window at a corresponding time,
the data points within the median window are sorted in increasing value,
each mean output data point in the mean window is a mean value of data points within the mean window at a corresponding time,
the mean window encompasses fewer data points than the median window, and
the mean window begins at a predefined offset from the median window start point.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the control unit, causes the control unit to perform operations comprising:
determining whether a maximum output value of the slope discriminator is below the predetermined closing detection time detection threshold;
if the maximum output value is below the predetermined closing time detection threshold, determining that the stuck status is stuck; and
if the maximum output value is above the predetermined closing time detection threshold, determining that the stuck status is not stuck.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein
processing the valve current profile comprises generating a slope discriminator output according the relationship Output=median term times gain factor for median term minus (mean term times gain factor for mean term minus offset term), where Output is the slope discriminator output at a given time, median term is the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time, mean term is the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time, and the gain factors are variable amplification factors,
the gain factor for the median term is one plus the absolute value of the difference between the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time and the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time, and
the gain factor for the mean term is one minus the absolute value of the difference between the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time and the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the control unit, cause the control unit to report the closing time and/or the stuck status to an on-board diagnostic system of the vehicle.

### Claim 12

An apparatus for a vehicle system, the vehicle system having at least one injector and a least one sensor therefor, comprising:
a controller connected to the at least one sensor, the controller being operable to receive a profile of the current draw of the injector, the controller being operable to process the profile using a slope discriminator and to determine a stuck status and a closing time of the injector based on an output of the slope discriminator,
wherein the controller is further operable to determine the output of the slope discriminator based on the valve current profile, and wherein the controller is further operable to compare the output to a predetermined closing time detection threshold,
the controller being further operable to determine median values within a median window and mean values within a mean window, and to calculate a series of mean output data points and a series of median output data points,
wherein each median output data point in the median window is a median value of data points within the median window at a corresponding time;
wherein the data points within the median window are sorted in increasing value;
wherein each mean output data point in the mean window is a mean value of data points within the mean window at a corresponding time;
wherein the mean window encompasses fewer data points than the median window; and
wherein the mean window begins at a predefined offset from the median window start point.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a slope discriminator output according the relationship Output=median term times gain factor for median term minus (mean term times gain factor for mean term minus offset term), where Output is the slope discriminator output at a given time, median term is the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time, mean term is the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time, and the gain factors are variable amplification factors, wherein
the gain factor for the median term is one plus the absolute value of the difference between the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time and the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time; and
the gain factor for the mean term is one minus the absolute value of the difference between the median value of the sorted data points in the median window at the given time and the mean value of the data points in the mean window at the given time.

### Claim 14

A non-transitory machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a control unit for a vehicle having an injector valve, cause the control unit to perform operations comprising:
receiving a valve current profile of the injector valve;
processing the valve current profile using at least a slope discriminator;
determining a stuck status of the injector valve based on an output of the slope discriminator;
if the injector valve is not stuck, determining the closing time of the injector valve based on the output of the slope discriminator,
wherein processing the valve current profile includes determining an output of the slope discriminator based on the valve current profile, and determining the stuck status and the closing time of the injector valve includes comparing the output to a predetermined closing time detection threshold,
determining whether a maximum output value of the slope discriminator is below the predetermined closing detection time detection threshold; and if the maximum output value is below the predetermined closing time detection threshold, the controller is operable to determine that the stuck status is stuck; and if the maximum output value is above the predetermined closing time detection threshold, the controller is operable to determine that the stuck status is not stuck, and
determining the closing time of the injector valve based on a location of the maximum output value, if the stuck status is that the injector valve is not stuck.