Patent EP0034076A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0034076A2
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EP
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Solenoid driving system
Assignee: Bendix Corp
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Filing: 1981-01-23
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2001-01-23
Abstract
Abstract Selenoid driving system for electronically actuating in a predetermined sequence a plurality of solenoid coils (54), said driving system including: a single booster circuit (22) having an inductor (116) for receiving energy from a power supply and a capacitor (110) for storing a portion of this electrical energy prior to activation of a particular solenoid coil (54); a circuitry (40) associated with each solenoid coil (54) for energizing said solenoid coil (54) by causing the capacitor (110) to discharge therethrough and to regenerate the stored voltage potential prior to the time for energizing another solenoid coil (54); and a current regulator and mode control circuit (150, 170) to control the magnitude of current flowing through each solenoid coil (54).
Inventors
- 👤 Darryl Warren Busser
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 08:39
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01F; H01F7/00; H01F7/06; H01F7/08; H01F7/18; H01F7/1805; H01F7/1816; F; F02; F02D; F02D41/00; F02D41/20; H03; H03K; H03K17/00; H03K17/51; H03K17/56; H03K17/60; H03K17/64; F02D2041/2003; F02D2041/2006; F02D2041/201; F02D2041/2013; F02D2041/2017; F02D2041/202; F02D2041/2058
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
336 words
A solenoid driving system for energizing a plurality of electromagnetic devices, each device including a solenoid having a coil (54) having a first terminal (52) connected to a voltage source (+V) and a second terminal (56), said system being adapted to receive a plurality of electrical metering pulses, one pulse associated with each device, for activating particular devices and being characterized in that it comprises: regulating means (70), one associated with each said device, for selectively permitting current to flow through specified ones of said devices; current sensing means (64) connected to each of said regulating means (70) for sensing the level of current flowing through a specific one of said devices; driver means (60), one associated with each of said devices, connected in series with said coil (54) and said current sensing means (64) for establishing a current flow path therethrough in response to a particular metering signal; diode means (50) connected in series with said voltage source and the said coil (54) of each of said devices; boost generator means (22,26) connected to said voltage source-and to each of said devices for periodically generating, prior to each metering pulse, a boost voltage energization signal having a voltage potential greater than the voltage potential of said voltage source; signal generating means (80) for generating a pull-in signal in response to the initiation of each of the metering signals wherein the duration of each of said pull-in signals is a determinable fraction of the duration of a particular one of said metering pulses; boost control means (82,84,24) responsive to the plurality of said pull-in signals for causing said boost generator means (22,26) to regenerate said energization signal; gate means (30), one associated with each of said devices, having activation and deactivation states of operation, for controlling the application of said energization signal during the activation state to its associated one of said devices; and gate control means (40) responsive to a particular one of said pull-in signals for controlling the state of said gate means (30).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
336 words
A solenoid driving system for energizing a plurality of electromagnetic devices, each device including a solenoid having a coil (54) having a first terminal (52) connected to a voltage source (+V) and a second terminal (56), said system being adapted to receive a plurality of electrical metering pulses, one pulse associated with each device, for activating particular devices and being characterized in that it comprises: regulating means (70), one associated with each said device, for selectively permitting current to flow through specified ones of said devices; current sensing means (64) connected to each of said regulating means (70) for sensing the level of current flowing through a specific one of said devices; driver means (60), one associated with each of said devices, connected in series with said coil (54) and said current sensing means (64) for establishing a current flow path therethrough in response to a particular metering signal; diode means (50) connected in series with said voltage source and the said coil (54) of each of said devices; boost generator means (22,26) connected to said voltage source-and to each of said devices for periodically generating, prior to each metering pulse, a boost voltage energization signal having a voltage potential greater than the voltage potential of said voltage source; signal generating means (80) for generating a pull-in signal in response to the initiation of each of the metering signals wherein the duration of each of said pull-in signals is a determinable fraction of the duration of a particular one of said metering pulses; boost control means (82,84,24) responsive to the plurality of said pull-in signals for causing said boost generator means (22,26) to regenerate said energization signal; gate means (30), one associated with each of said devices, having activation and deactivation states of operation, for controlling the application of said energization signal during the activation state to its associated one of said devices; and gate control means (40) responsive to a particular one of said pull-in signals for controlling the state of said gate means (30).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of said pull-in signals is of a fixed duration.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said gate means (30) comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (30) having its anode terminal (32) connected to the output of said boost generator means (22,26), its cathode terminal (34) connected to the common point of said diode means (50) and said coil (54) and further having its gate terminal (36) connected to the output of an associated one of said gate control means (40).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
A system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said gate control means (40) comprises: level shifting means (132,134,136,138,140) for receiving and for buffering an associated one of said pull-in signals; switch means (142,148) interposed between said level shifting means (132-140) and the gate terminal (36) of said silicon controlled rectifier (30) for energizing said gate terminal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
158 words
A system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said switch means (142,148) includes a second silicon controlled rectifier (142) having cathode, anode and gate terminals wherein said gate terminal is connected to the output of said level shifting means (132-140), said cathode . terminal is coupled to said gate terminal (36) of an associated one of said silicon controlled rectifiers (30) of said gate means (30); and said gate control means (40) further includes a storage capacitor means (144) having a first terminal connected to said voltage source and further having a second terminal connected to the anode of said second silicon controlled rectifier (142) for storing a portion of said energization signal and a diode-resistor series combination (146) wherein the anode terminal of said diode is connected to the output of said boost control means (82,84,24) and one terminal of said resistor is connected to said second terminal ' of said storage capacitor means (144).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
129 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said regulating means (70) includes: current reference generator means (150), one associated with each said device, responsive to said pull-in signals for generating a first and a second reference current level wherein said first reference current level is greater than or equal to the value of current necessary to activate a particular one of said devices and wherein said second reference current level corresponds to a level of current necessary to hold said device in an open or activated state; and current regulator means (170) connected to said current reference generator means (150) and to said current sensing means (64) for regulating the current flowing .through said device in accordance with said first and said second reference current level.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said current sensing means (64) comprises a sense resistor (64) connected to the second terminal (56) of said coil (54).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
165 words
A system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said current reference generator means (150) includes: a hold current level adjust circuit (154) for establishing said second reference current level; a pull-in current level adjust circuit (152) for establishing said first reference current level; a peak current control circuit (156) for shaping the peak current level of the pull-in current to maintain said driver means (60) in a saturated state during the interval that energy is being dissipated through said coil (54) and said current sensing means (64); level shifter (160) adapted to receive the complement signal of said pull-in signal, the output of which is connected in common to said pull-in current level adjust circuit (152) and said peak current control circuit (156); and a diode (166) having its anode connected to the output of said peak current control circuit (156) and having its cathode connected to said hold current level adjust circuit (154) and also connected to said current regulator means (170).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
122 words
A system as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said boost control means (82,84,24) comprises: an OR gate (82) receiving each of said pull-in signals; inverting amplifier means (84) for inverting the output of said OR gate (82); level shifting means (100) receiving at an inverting input terminal the output of said inverting amplifier means (84) for buffering the received signal; NPN transistor (102) having its base terminal connected to the output of said level shifting means (100), and having its emitter terminal connected to a voltage source (+8V); and output driver means (104), having an output terminal (106) connected to said boost generator means (22,26) for applying a control signal to the input terminal of said boost generator means (22,26).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
178 words
A system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said current regulator means (170) comprises: an amplifier (172) responsive to the output of said current reference generator means (150) and to the voltage across said current sensing means (64); an on/off control circuit (190, 194) responsive to a particular metering pulse; an output transistor (174) of the NPN type having its base connected to the output of said amplifier (172) and the output of said on/off control circuit(190,194), the collector terminal of said output transistor (174) being connected to a voltage source (+8V) and the emitter terminal of said output transistor (174) being connected to the input of said driver means (60), and in that said on/off control circuit (190,194) includes: level switching comparator means (190) receiving at an inverting input terminal a particular metering pulse for buffering said metering pulse; a transistor (194) of the NPN type having its base terminal connected to the output of said level switching comparator means (190) and having its cathode terminal connected to the base of said output transistor (174).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
59 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said boost generator means (22,26) comprises: first means (116,118,120,122) for removing from said voltage source (+V) a first value of electrical energy in response to control signals input thereto; and second means (110) for receiving electrical energy from said first means (116-122) and for storing a voltage potential therein.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that there is provided means (90) for sequentially generating said plurality of metering pulses, each of said metering pulses being of a determinable duration.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
76 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of said devices is a fuel injector, adapted to receive fuel, of the type having means for generating a fuel metering mode initiated in response to a particular.one of said metering pulses for storing a determinable quantity of fuel therein and having means for generating an injection mode for ejecting said stored quantity of fuel therefrom in correspondence with the termination of said metering pulse.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
A system as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that said means (90) for sequentially generating said plurality of metering pulses is adapted to generate a train of pulses wherein a subsequently generated metering pulse overlaps the immediately preceding pulse.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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