# US 7,743,748 B2 · Method of controlling the operation of a solenoid

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- Number: US 7,743,748 B2
- Document ID: US7743748B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/555,481
- Filed: 2004-05-06
- Published: 2007-06-21
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2003-05-13
- Assignees: WäRtsilä Finland Oy
- Inventors: Fredrik Östman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7743748B2

## CPC

- F02D 41/20: Output circuits, e.g. for controlling currents in command coils
- F02D 2041/2055: {with means for determining actual opening or closing time}
- F02D 2041/2058: {using information of the actual current value}
- 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)

## Abstract

A method for controlling the operation of a solenoid (14), in which solenoid the movement of the plunger is caused by bringing electric energy to the solenoid, whereby an electric current flows through the solenoid, the method comprising the following steps. defining a model (6) for describing the current signal of the solenoid at certain time intervals from the activation moment of the solenoid onwards, measuring the true current signal (7) of the solenoid at time intervals corresponding with the model, defining a residual signal (8), which is the remainder between the signal of the model (6) and the true current signal (7), and performing a threshold analysis (25) for the residual signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for determining the beginning of movement of a plunger of a solenoid, in which solenoid the movement of the plunger is caused by bringing electric energy to the solenoid, whereby an electric current flows through the solenoid, characterized by the following steps:
defining a model for describing the current signal of the solenoid at certain time intervals from the activation moment of the solenoid onwards, the model value changing sequentially and linearly from zero value of the activation moment of the solenoid,
measuring the true current signal of the solenoid at time intervals corresponding with the model,
defining a residual signal, which is the remainder between the signal of the model and the true current signal, and
performing a threshold analysis for the residual signal for determining a deviation of the residual signal from zero.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein the time window for determining the model corresponds to the desired control time of the solenoid of the method, such as the retraction time.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein in the threshold analysis the value of the residual signal is compared to a certain pre-determined limit value.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid controls the operation of the injector nozzle of the engine and that at least the point in time when the value of the residual signal exceeds the said limit value is forwarded further in the control unit to be used in the operation control of the engine.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid controls the operation of the injector nozzle of the engine and that the method is used for determining the beginning of the opening time of the injector nozzles.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine, the system comprising at least one electrically controllable injector nozzle, characterized in that it is arranged to carry out the method according to claim 1.