EP0081353A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Engine analyser with digital waveform display
Assignee: SPX Technologies Inc
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Filing: 1982-12-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-12-03
Abstract
Abstract An engine analyzer (10) for an internal combustion engine includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (132) which digitizes an analog electrical input waveform representing, for example, a secondary or primary voltage waveform of the Ignition coil (80) of the internal combustion engine. The digitized input waveform is stored in the form of digital data in a data memory (56). Upon request by the operator of the apparatus, a microprocessor (48) selects digital data stored, and supplies that digital data to a display (14), which displays a visual representation of the waveform based upon the selected digital data.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph A. Marino
- 👤 Michael J. Kling
- 👤 Sydney J. Roth
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 13:12
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02P; F02P17/00; F02P17/02; F02P17/04; F02P17/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
An engine analyser (10) comprising means (e.g. 24, 28, 32 , 36 , 40) for providing an analog input signal representative of operation of a system or component of an internal combustion engine under test and having a period which varies as a function of engine speed; characterised by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter ( 132) means for sampling the analog input signal periodically and converting each sample to a digital value; a data memory (56) for storing the digital values; control means (48) for providing display control signal ( at 60) based upon the stored digital values; and display means (14) for displaying a simulated visual representation of a waveform based upon the display control signals.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
An engine analyser (10) comprising means (e.g. 24, 28, 32 , 36 , 40) for providing an analog input signal representative of operation of a system or component of an internal combustion engine under test and having a period which varies as a function of engine speed; characterised by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter ( 132) means for sampling the analog input signal periodically and converting each sample to a digital value; a data memory (56) for storing the digital values; control means (48) for providing display control signal ( at 60) based upon the stored digital values; and display means (14) for displaying a simulated visual representation of a waveform based upon the display control signals.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
An analyser as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the means for providing an analog input signal includes respective means for deriving fros an engine ignition- system a primary and a secondary analog input waveform for each cylinder of the engine .
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
An analyser as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the control means provides display control signals which cause the display means to display both a visual representation of the primary analog input waveform for a selected cylinder and a visual representation of the second analog input waveform for the selected cylinder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
An analyser as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the control means provides display control signals which cause the display means to display simultaneously visual representations of primary analog input waveforms for selected cylinders, and/or of secondary analog input waveforms for selected cylinders.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
5 . An analyser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the control means provides display control signals which cause the display means to display a visual representation of an alphanumerical designation of the selected cylinder with which the displayed visual representation of an input waveform is associated.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
64 words
An analyser as claimed in any-of Claims 2-5 wherein the ignition system includes circuit interrupter means which periodically switches between a conductive state and a nonconductive state, and wherein the stored digital values derived from the primary and secondary analog input waveforms represent portions of the primary and secondary analog input waveforms corresponding to time intervals during which the circuit interrupter means switches state.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
An analyser as claimed in any preceding claim including means for supplying a signal to the A/D converter to initiate sampling of the analog input waveform by the A/D converter, and means for transferring the digital values representative of the input waveform from the A/D converter to selected locations in the data memory.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
68 words
An analyser as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the control means includes programmed digital computer means; wherein the means for transferring comprises a direct memory access (DMA) controller; and wherein the digital computer means provides to the DMA controller a signal indicative of an address of the data memory for storing the digital values and a signal indicative of a predetermined number of digital values to be transferred.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
An analyser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the control means provides display control signals which cause the display means to visually connect individual points representative of the digital values to produce a simulated continuous analog visual representation of the input waveform
Claim 11
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of engine analysis in which an analog input signal representative of operation of a system or component of an internal combustion engine and having a period which varies as a function of engine speed is periodically sampled and each sample is converted into a digital value which is stored in a data memory; and selected display control signals are used to derive selected ones of the stored digital values which are displayed to give a simulated waveform based upon the seletted digital values for analysis.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of engine analysis in which an analog input signal representative of operation of a system or component of an internal combustion engine and having a period which varies as a function of engine speed is periodically sampled and each sample is converted into a digital value which is stored in a data memory; and selected display control signals are used to derive selected ones of the stored digital values which are displayed to give a simulated waveform based upon the seletted digital values for analysis.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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