US 7,475,682 B2
Method for determining the phasing of an internal combustion engine
Frédéric Galtier, Montpellier (France); Bruno Nicolas, Seysses (France); Cédric Vedel, Cugnaux (France); and Franz Dietl, Lappersdorf (Germany)
Assigned to Continental Automotive France, Toulouse (France)
Appl. No. 11/665,608
PCT Filed Oct. 19, 2005, PCT No. PCT/EP2005/011219
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date May 15, 2007,
PCT Pub. No. WO2006/042747, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 27, 2006.
Claims priority of application No. 04 11121 (FR), filed on Oct. 20, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2007/0292120 A1, Dec. 20, 2007
Int. Cl. F02P 9/00 (2006.01); G01L 3/26 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 123—612  [123/614; 73/114.01] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining, during a start-up phase, the timing of an indirect injection internal combustion engine comprising a crankshaft and a camshaft, in which the following steps are performed:
turning over the engine from a starting position (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6);
detecting a plurality of uniformly distributed marks (8) of a first target (6) of a first sensor (2), the first sensor comprising a first stationary part (4) and the first target (6) connected to the crankshaft;
detecting at least one of a plurality of fronts (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) of a second target (16) of a second sensor (12), the second sensor comprising a second stationary part (14) and the second target (16) connected to the camshaft, said second target having a more or less circular cross section and comprises:
a plurality of teeth (D1, D2, D3) extending over angular sectors of different magnitudes,
a plurality of gaps (C1, C2, C3) extending over angular sectors of different magnitudes, and
the plurality of fronts (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) separating the teeth (D1, D2, D3) and the gaps (C1, C2, C3),
the second stationary part (14) configured to detect the teeth (D1, D2, D3), the gaps (C1, C2, C3) and the fronts (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) on the second target (16);
detecting, on the first target (6), a reference index (10) detectable by the first stationary part (4);
counting the marks (8) detected on the first target (6) from the starting position (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6);
if the reference index (10) on the first target (6) is detected by the first stationary part (4) before a front (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6) is detected on the second target (16) by the second stationary part (14), then comparing a number of marks (8) counted between the starting position and the detection of the reference index (10) against a reference threshold; and
if the counted number of marks is greater than said reference threshold, then deducing the engine timing with the counted number of marks.