Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
271 words
A fuel-injection-control system for an internal-combustion engine having a plurality of piston cylinders provided with intakes for combustion air, respective fuel injectors feeding said cylinders, and a shaft driven by the thrust of an exploding air-fuel mixture ignited in each cylinder, comprising: electric actuating means for each of said fuel injectors; a generator of synchronizing pulses having a cadence proportional to engine speed; electric sensing means in said engine responsive to different combustion-determining parameters, said sensing means including a first pressure gauge positioned at a constriction of a common intake manifold for said cylinders, a second pressure gauge positioned at a location in said manifold downstream of said constriction, and a temperature-responsive resistor in close proximity to at least one of said cylinders; voltage-generating means connected to said generator and to said sensing means for synthesizing from their outputs an analog voltage as a function of said parameters and said engine speed; and timing means controlled by said voltage-generating means for energizing said actuating means for a recurrent period proportional to said analog voltage, said timing means including an analog/digital converter and electronic switch means responsive to binary output signals from said converter, said switch means being connected to said generator for establishing recurrent operating cycles for said injectors under the control of said synchronizing pulses; said voltage-generating means comprising a first operational amplifier having an input circuit including said first pressure gauge, a second operational amplifier in cascade with said first amplifier having an input circuit including said second pressure gauge, and a third operational amplifier in cascade with said second amplifier having an input circuit including said temperature-responsive resistor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
271 words
A fuel-injection-control system for an internal-combustion engine having a plurality of piston cylinders provided with intakes for combustion air, respective fuel injectors feeding said cylinders, and a shaft driven by the thrust of an exploding air-fuel mixture ignited in each cylinder, comprising: electric actuating means for each of said fuel injectors; a generator of synchronizing pulses having a cadence proportional to engine speed; electric sensing means in said engine responsive to different combustion-determining parameters, said sensing means including a first pressure gauge positioned at a constriction of a common intake manifold for said cylinders, a second pressure gauge positioned at a location in said manifold downstream of said constriction, and a temperature-responsive resistor in close proximity to at least one of said cylinders; voltage-generating means connected to said generator and to said sensing means for synthesizing from their outputs an analog voltage as a function of said parameters and said engine speed; and timing means controlled by said voltage-generating means for energizing said actuating means for a recurrent period proportional to said analog voltage, said timing means including an analog/digital converter and electronic switch means responsive to binary output signals from said converter, said switch means being connected to said generator for establishing recurrent operating cycles for said injectors under the control of said synchronizing pulses; said voltage-generating means comprising a first operational amplifier having an input circuit including said first pressure gauge, a second operational amplifier in cascade with said first amplifier having an input circuit including said second pressure gauge, and a third operational amplifier in cascade with said second amplifier having an input circuit including said temperature-responsive resistor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
84 words
A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising first summing means in the input circuit of said third amplifier for adding the output of said first amplifier to that of said second amplifier, second summing means for adding the outputs of said first, second and third amplifiers to generate a composite signal voltage, and integrating means connected to said second summing means and to said generator for multiplying said signal voltage by a speed factor dependent upon the cadence of said synchronizing pulses.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
66 words
A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said composite signal voltage is proportional to the product of a first parameter times a binomial of a second parameter multiplied by a binomial of the third parameter, further comprising third summing means connected to said second summing means and said integrating means for introducing a binomial of engine speed into said analog voltage as said speed factor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system as defined in claim 2 wherein at least said second and third amplifiers have fractional gains.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
81 words
A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said analog voltage is proportional to an injection period Tau Kp(1+ Alpha N) (1+ Beta P) (1+ gamma (T-To)), N being the engine speed, p being the air pressure at said constriction, P being the air pressure at said downstream location, K being a constant, Beta being the gain of said second amplifier, gamma being the thermal coefficient of said temperature-responsive resistor, Alpha being a function of impedance values of said integrating means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
225 words
A fuel-injection-control system for an internal-combustion engine having a plurality of piston cylinders provided with intakes for combustion air, respective fuel injectors feeding said cylinders, and a shaft driven by the thrust of an exploding air-fuel mixture ignited in each cylinder, comprising: electric actuating means for each of said fuel injectors; a generator of synchronizing pulses having a cadence proportional to engine speed; a first, a second and a third sensor in said engine responsive to different combustion-determining parameters; voltage-generating means connected to said generator and to said sensing means for synthesizing from their outputs an analog voltage as a function of said parameters and said engine speed; and timing means controlled by said voltage-generating means for energizing said actuating means for a recurrent period proportional to said analog voltage, said timing means including an analog/digital converter and electronic switch means responsive to binary output signals from said converter, said switch means being connected to said generator for establishing recurrent operating cycles for said injectors under the control of said synchronizing pulses; said voltage-generating means comprising a first operational amplifier having an input circuit including said first sensor, a second operational amplifier in cascade with said first amplifier having an input circuit including said second sensor, and a third operational amplifier in cascade with said second amplifier having an input circuit including said third sensor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
225 words
A fuel-injection-control system for an internal-combustion engine having a plurality of piston cylinders provided with intakes for combustion air, respective fuel injectors feeding said cylinders, and a shaft driven by the thrust of an exploding air-fuel mixture ignited in each cylinder, comprising: electric actuating means for each of said fuel injectors; a generator of synchronizing pulses having a cadence proportional to engine speed; a first, a second and a third sensor in said engine responsive to different combustion-determining parameters; voltage-generating means connected to said generator and to said sensing means for synthesizing from their outputs an analog voltage as a function of said parameters and said engine speed; and timing means controlled by said voltage-generating means for energizing said actuating means for a recurrent period proportional to said analog voltage, said timing means including an analog/digital converter and electronic switch means responsive to binary output signals from said converter, said switch means being connected to said generator for establishing recurrent operating cycles for said injectors under the control of said synchronizing pulses; said voltage-generating means comprising a first operational amplifier having an input circuit including said first sensor, a second operational amplifier in cascade with said first amplifier having an input circuit including said second sensor, and a third operational amplifier in cascade with said second amplifier having an input circuit including said third sensor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
84 words
A system as defined in claim 6, further comprising first summing means in the input circuit of said third amplifier for adding the output of said first amplifier to that of said second amplifier, second summing means for adding the outputs of said first, second and third amplifiers to generate a composite signal voltage, and integrating means connected to said second summing means and to said generator for multiplying said signal voltage by a speed factor dependent upon the cadence of said synchronizing pulses.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
77 words
A system as defined in claim 6 wherein the admission of combustion air to said cylinders is controlled by an accelerator pedal adapted to be depressed from a retracted position to indicate a demand for increased engine power, further comprising monitoring means connected to said switch means and responsive to the position of said pedal for inhibiting the energization of said actuating means under the control of said analog voltage in a state of reduced engine load.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system as defined in claim 8 wherein said monitoring means is connected to said generator and is effective in said retracted position of the pedal to establish a predetermined energization period for said actuating means at relativeLy low engine speeds and permanently de-energizing said actuating means at relatively high engine speeds.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system as defined in claim 9 wherein said timing means includes a source of constant voltage connectable by said monitoring means to said converter, in lieu of said analog voltage, at said relatively low engine speeds in said retracted pedal position.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
112 words
A system as defined in claim 6 wherein said actuating means comprises for each injector a pair of aidingly connected solenoid coils including a biasing coil and a working coil, said switch means being responsive to said synchronizing pulses for supplying a priming pulse or fixed duration to said biasing coil at the beginning of an operating cycle and for subsequently supplying a timing pulse of variable width, proportional to said analog voltage, to said working coil in staggered relationship with said priming pulse, said timing pulse being effective only in the presence of said priming pulse to actuate the injector and maintaining same actuated past the termination of said priming pulse.