Utilization of a rail pressure predictor model in controlling a common rail fuel injection system

A method of improving accuracy of fuel injection, comprising the steps of:

• determining injection characteristics for an injection sequence that includes at least one injection event;
• measuring a rail pressure previous to a start of the injection sequence;
• estimating a rail pressure at a timing associated with each injection event of the injection sequence based at least in part on a rail pressure predictor model that includes the measured rail pressure;
• determining control signal characteristics for the injection sequence based at least in part on the estimated rail pressure and the injection characteristics;
• wherein said estimating step includes the steps of:
• estimating a rail pressure increase between a timing associated with the rail pressure measurement and the timing associated with each injection event of the injection sequence;
• estimating a rail pressure drop between a timing associated with the rail pressure measurement and the timing associated with each injection event of the injection sequence;
• adding the measured rail pressure to the estimated rail pressure increase and the estimated rail pressure drop for each injection event.

A common rail fuel injection system comprising;

• a common rail containing a pressurized fluid;
• a supply pump with an outlet fluidly connected to said common rail;
• a plurality of fuel injectors with inlets fluidly connected to said common rail;
• an electronic control module operably coupled to said plurality of fuel injectors and including a rail pressure predictor model and an injector control signal determinator based at least in part on said rail pressure predictor model.

A common rail fuel injection system comprising;

• a common rail containing a pressurized fluid;
• a supply pump with an outlet fluidly connected to said common rail;
• a plurality of fuel injectors with inlets fluidly connected to said common rail;
• an electronic control module operably coupled to said plurality of fuel injectors and including a rail pressure predictor model that includes a pressure increase predictor and a pressure decrease predictor.

An article comprising:

• a computer readable data storage medium;
• a rail pressure predictor model recorded on the medium for predicting rail pressure in a common rail fuel injection system;
• and
• an injector control signal determination algorithm recorded on the medium for determining injector control signal characteristics based at least in part on a predicted rail pressure.