Control system for an operating event in a vehicular power train

Claim 1

For combination with a vehicular power train, a control system to control an operating event within said power train and having a rotating shaft, said control system having a microprocessor unit (10); an input/output (I/O) unit (13); a data bus system (10) interconnecting the microprocessor unit and the input/output unit; a plurality of input sensor elements (37, 310, 372, 374, 313, T, L, 38, 39, 29a) providing sensing signals representative of operating parameters of the power train, connected to and providing said sensing signals to the input/output unit, one of said input sensor elements (370, 372) forming a crankshaft angle increment transducer (37) providing a train of crankshaft increment signals; a plurality of output stages (49, 50, 54, 61) for carrying out operating commands connected to and controlled by the input/output unit; a crankshaft angle increment counter (71) connected to receive said crankshaft angle increment signal train and counting the pulses of said pulse train at a rate determined by the frequency of said pulse train; a first comparator (83) connected to the angle increment counter and to the data bus to receive a comparison signal from the data bus (14) and providing a first output signal when the count output from said angle increment counter (71) and from the data bus have a predetermined relationship, said output signal being connected to at least one of the output stages to control operation thereof; a second comparator (87) connected to the angle increment counter (71) and to the data bus (14) to receive a comparison signal from the data bus and providing a second output signal when the count output from the angle increment counter and from the data bus have a second predetermined relationship; a second counter (100) having its output connected to the data bus (14) to provide output signals thereto for processing in the microprocessor unit (10) in accordance with a selected parameter or value, as determined by the signal applied to the second comparator (87) from the data bus, and comprising, in accordance with the invention, a timing circuit (108) providing timing signals; and transfer switch means (99) having its switching state controlled by data from the data bus (14) and transferring to the second counter (100), selectively, and in accordance with the switching state thereof, (a) the output signals from said second comparator (87), or (b) the timing signals from the timing circuit (108), to control the counting cycle of the second counter (100) selectively by (a) the parameter-dependent pulse train derived from the second comparator (87), as counted by said angle increment counter (71), or (b) the timing interval of the timing circuit (108), and wherein the angle increment counter (71), the second counter (100), said first and second comparators (85, 87) and the timing circuit (108) form part of the input/output unit, to permit the input/output unit to provide data to the data bus, and hence to the microprocessor, selectively, based on signals processed by a single shaft angle increment counter (71) or, selectively, based on time intervals determined by said timing circuit (108).