Electromagnetic actuator system and method for engine valves
AssigneeVisteon Global Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHarold Sean Hilbert, Stephen James Newton, Shawn Harold Swales, Youqing Xiang, Zeljko Popovic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for electromagnetically actuating engine valves to obtain soft seating. The magnitude and duration of current pulses applied to the armature attracting coils are determined based upon a total mechanical energy and a total energy loss of the armature obtained from the armature position.
Claims17
An apparatus for controlling an electromagnetic valve actuator having an armature positioned between open and close coils comprising:
- a position processor for generating an energy signal and open and close timer signals in response to a position signal representing a position of a valve actuator armature relative to open and close coils;
- a current controller for generating a final current command signal and a normalized energy signal in response to said energy signal;
- an event generator for generating event signals in response to said open and close timer signals and said normalized energy signal;
- and
- a supervision logic controller for generating initialization and transition signals in response to said final current command signal and said event signals, said initialization and transition signals defining current pulse magnitude and duration for soft seating of the armature on a seating surface of cores associated with the open and close coils.
A method for controlling an electromagnetic valve actuator having an armature positioned between open and close coils comprising the steps of:
- a. generating a final current command signal in response to a position signal representing a position of a valve actuator armature relative to open and close coils;
- b. generating a first signal in response to said final current command signal defining a higher magnitude current pulse of predetermined duration to draw the armature toward the one of the coils;
- c. generating a second signal in response to said final current command signal defining a predetermined period of no current pulse;
- and
- d. generating a third signal in response to said final current command signal defining a lower magnitude holding current pulse for soft seating of the armature on a seating surface of a core associated with the one coil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.