Fluidic control apparatus for fuel injection systems

Claim 2

Apparatus for controlling a fuel injection valve in a fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine, said apparatus comprising, in combination: A. an engine speed sensor for deriving a first fluidic output indicative of engine speed; B. a mass air flow sensor for deriving a second fluidic output indicative of the mass of air flow into the intake manifold of the engine, said second fluidic output comprising a plurality Of discrete digitized second fluidic output signals, each of said digitized output signals corresponding to a different rate of mass of air flow into the intake manifold of the engine; and C. fluidic circuitry for processing said first and second fluidic outputs to derive a fluidic load signal for controlling the injection valve to admit a determined amount of fuel for mixture with air and ultimate combustion in a cylinder of the engine.

Claim 3

The system defined in claim 1, wherein said engine speed sensor includes means for generating said first fluidic output as a succession of first fluidic output signals at rate proportional to engine speed.

Claim 4

The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said load signal is in the form of a pulse to effect the opening of the injection valve to admit fuel for the duration of the pulse interval, said fluidic circuitry including first means for processing said first fluidic output to synchronize the leading edge of said load signal pulse to the operating cycle of the engine and second means for processing said first fluidic output in conjunction with said second fluidic output to terminate said load signal pulse on the basis of the instantaneous engine load.

Claim 5

The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said engine speed sensor includes means for generating said first fluidic output as a synchronizing output signal followed by a succession of first digitized output signals generated at a rate proportional to engine speed, and said fluidic circuitry includes first logic means responsive to said synchronizing output signal for synchronizing the leading edge of said load signal to the engine operating cycle and second logic means responsive to said first digitized output signals and said second digitized output signals to terminate said load signal, whereby said load signal is in the form of a pulse of a pulse length proportional to engine load for effecting the opening of the injection valve to admit fuel for the duration of said pulse.

Claim 6

The apparatus defined in claim 4, wherein said first logic means includes a fluidic pulse generator for generating said load signal pulse, said pulse generator being triggered on in response to said synchronizing output signal, and said second logic means includes an array of fluidic coincident gating elements, each connected to receive a different one of said second digitized output signals and connected to be sampled in predetermined sequence by said succession of said first digitized output signals, the first of said elements sampled in sequence by said first digitized output signals found to be qualified by one of said second digitized output signals deriving a fluidic output signal for triggering said pulse generator off, thereby to define said fluidic load signal pulse interval.

Claim 7

The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein said pulse generator includes means for automatically triggering itself off after a predetermined time interval in the event it is not triggered off by said fluidic output derived from one of said gating elements.

Claim 8

The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein said pulse generator includes a first fluidic gating element having a first input connected to respond to said synchronizing output signal, a second input and an output on which said load signal pulse appears; a second fluidic gating element having a first input connected to the output of said first gating element, a second input connected to receive said output signal derived by said coincident gating element array, a third input, and an output connected to said second input of said first gating element; a third fluidic gating element for complementing the output of said first gating element; and a fluidic delay line element connecting said third gating element to said third input of said second gating element.

Claim 9

The apparatus defined in claim 7, wherein said fluidic circuitry further includes a fluidic monostable multivibrator circuit connected to be triggered to generate a fluidic pulse of fixed Length by said synchronizing output signal, said fluidic pulse being coupled to said first input of said first gating element.

Claim 10

The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein said engine speed sensor comprises an array of first fluidic sensors and means operating in synchronism with the engine to actuate said first fluidic sensors in sequence to generate said synchronizing output signal and said succession of first digitized output signals.

Claim 11

The apparatus defined in claim 9, wherein said mass air flow sensor comprises an array of second fluidic sensors and means positionable in accordance with the mass of air flow into the intake manifold to actuate a selected number of said second fluidic sensors, whereby to generate said second digitized output signals.

Claim 12

Apparatus for contolling the various fuel injection valves in a fuel injection system for a multicylinder internal combustion engine, said apparatus comprising, in combination: A. an engine speed sensor for deriving a plurality of phased first fluidic outputs, each indicative of engine speed; B. a mass air flow sensor for deriving a second fluidic output indicative of the mass of air flow into the intake manifold of the engine, said second fluidic output comprising a plurality of discrete digitized second fluidic output signals, each of said digitized output signals corresponding to a different rate of mass of air flow into the intake manifold of the engine; and C. plural fluidic circuits for processing different ones of said first fluidic outputs in conjunction with said second fluidic output to derive phased fluidic load signals for separately controlling the various fuel injection valves.

Claim 13

Apparatus for contolling the various fuel injection valves in a fuel injection system for a multicylinder internal combustion engine, said apparatus comprising, in combination: A. an engine speed sensor for deriving a plurality of phased first fluidic outputs, each indicative of engine speed; B. a mass air flow sensor for deriving a second fluidic output indicative of the mass of air flow into the intake manifold of the engine, said second fluidic output comprising a plurality of discrete digitized second fluidic output signals, each of said digitized output signals corresponding to a different rate of mass of air flow into the intake manifold of the engine; and C. plural fluidic circuits for processing different ones of said first fluidic outputs in conjunction with said second fluidic output to derive phased fluidic load signals for separately controlling the various fuel injection valves.

Claim 14

The apparatus defined in claim 11, wherein said load signals are each in the form of a pulse to effect the opening of different ones of the injection valves to admit fuel for the durations of the various load signal pulse intervals, said fluidic circuits each including first means for processing a different one of said first fluidic outputs to synchronize the leading edge of a different one of said load signal pulses to the operating cycle of the engine and second means for processing said one first fluidic output in conjunction with said second fluidic output to terminate said one load signal pulse on the basis of the instantaneous engine load.

Claim 15

The apparatus defined in claim 11, wherein said engine speed sensor includes means for generating each of said first fluidic outputs as a synchronizing output signal followed by a succession of first digitized output signals generated at a rate proportional to engine speed, said synchronizing output signals being phased relative to each other, and each said fluidic circuit includes first logic means responsive to a different one of said synchronizing output signals for synchronizing the leading edge of a different one of said load signals to the engine operating cycle and second logic means responsive to the succession of first digitized output signals succeeding said one synchronizing output signal and said second digitized output signals to terminate said one load signal, whereby each of said load signals is in the form of a pulse of a pulse length proportional to engine load for effecting the opening of the various injection valves to admit fuel for the durations of said load signal pulses.

Claim 16

The apparatus defined in claim 13, wherein said first logic means of each said fluidic circuit includes a fluidic pulse generator for generating one of said load signals, said pulse generator of each said fluidic circuit being triggered on in response to a different one of said synchronizing output signals to define the leading edge of a different one of said load signal pulses, and said second logic means of each said fluidic circuit includes an array of fluidic coincident gating elements, each connected to receive a different one of said second digitized output signals and connected to be sampled in predetermined sequence by the succession of said fiRst digitized output signals immediately succeeding said one synchronizing output signal, the first of said elements sampled in sequence by said first digitized output signals found to be qualified by one of said second digitized output signals deriving a fluidic output signal for triggering said pulse generator off, thereby to define the pulse interval of said one fluidic load signal pulse.

Claim 17

The apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein each said pulse generator includes means for automatically triggering itself off to terminate said one load signal pulse in the event it is not triggered off by said fluidic output derived from one of said gating elements.

Claim 18

The apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein said engine speed sensor comprises an array of first fluidic sensors and means operating in synchronism with the engine speed to actuate said first fluidic sensors in sequence to generate said relative phased synchronizing output signals and said successions of first digitized output signals.

Claim 19

The apparatus defined in claim 16, wherein certain ones of said first fluidic sensors are connected to supply said synchronizing output signal to one of said fluidic circuits and a first digitized output signal to a different one of said fluidic circuits.

Claim 20

The apparatus defined in claim 17, wherein others of said first fluidic sensors are connected to supply first digitized output signals to two different fluidic circuits.

Claim 21

The apparatus defined in claim 16, wherein said mass air flow sensor comprises an array of second fluidic sensors and means positionable in accordance with the mass of air flow into the intake manifold to actuate a selected number of said second fluidic sensors, whereby to generate said second digitized output signals.