Method of detecting misfires in a multicylinder internal combustion engine

US5726352A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Robert Bosch GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Manfred Mezger · Markgröningen, DE
• Asmus Volkart · Bietigheim-Bissingen, DE
• Klaus Ries-Muller · Bad Rappenau, DE
• Rainer Frank · Sachsenheim, DE
• Sigrid Hafner · Stuttgart, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 17, 1996
• Grant date: Mar 10, 1998
• Expiry date: May 17, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01M15/11
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method for detecting combustion misfires in a multicylinder internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of: detecting the time span ts(i) in which the crankshaft of the engine passes through a pregiven angular range (.phi.) for each ignition of the engine; computing a vector element Lut(i) for the rough running of the engine based on at least one detected time span ts(i) for each ignition (i) of the engine; forming a vector LUT(i) from at least two vector elements Lut(i), Lut(j) with the two vector elements Lut(i), Lut(j) being for each ignition (i); computing the spacing between the vector LUT(i) and at least one predetermined reference vector Rn and Ra; and, detecting a combustion misfire when the spacing satisfies a predetermined condition.