Method for determining the composition of the fuel used and operating an internal combustion engine

US10584650B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Tobias Braun · Undorf, DE
• Gerhard Haft · Munich, DE
• Rainer List · Renningen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 24, 2016
• Grant date: Mar 10, 2020
• Expiry date: Nov 24, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02T10/30
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An example method for operating an internal combustion engine may include: measuring pressure oscillations for a cylinder in the inlet tract at a defined operating point during normal operation; generating a corresponding oscillation signal; determining a crankshaft phase angle corresponding to the oscillation signal; and from the pressure oscillation signal, using discrete Fourier transformation to calculate the actual phase position of a selected signal frequency; determining a further comparison phase position in the same way from the selected signal frequency in the absence of fuel injection; calculating an actual phase position difference; on the basis of the difference, taking into consideration reference phase position differences of the same signal frequency for different fuel compositions, to identify a fuel composition of the presently used fuel; and adapting operating parameters of the engine based on the identified composition.