Device for camshaft control

Claim 1

A device for the angular positional adjustment of the camshaft of an internal combustion engine with respect to the crankshaft of that engine, according to measured speed and load conditions and predetermined correctional data for optimizing engine torque, including: (a) a toothed ring coupled to the crankshaft of said internal combustion engine where said ring contains one reference tooth which is fixed and permanently associated with one position of the crankshaft; (b) a transducer cooperating with said toothed ring and therewith functioning as a pulse generator producing tooth, or counting, pulses corresponding to every sensed tooth and one reference pulse corresponding to the sensed reference tooth; (c) a transducer arranged to sense the dynamic load on said engine; (d) an ignition circuit which controls said engine and which (1) receives all inputs and/or pulses from said transducers, (2) receives normal ignition trigger signals, (3) outputs spark or equivalent signals, (4) contains an independent outpulsing time base device, or clock, synchronized with the beginning of each operation cycle of the engine, (5) serves to outpulse counting and reference pulses as received by an appropriate transducer or pulse generator connected thereto, and (6) serves to outpulse digital signals derived from the engine-load input transducer; (e) an address counter which is connected to said ignition circuit and which is incremented by its counting pulses and reset by its reference pulses so that the digital output of said address counter consists of address signals corresponding to the actual angular position of said crankshaft; (f) a correction processor connected to said address counter for receiving said digital address signals and further connected to the ignition circuit's digital engine-load output whereby a digital camshaft correction signal is produced and output; (g) a temporary storage buffer which is connected to and arranged to receive the digital output signal of the correction processor and which is further clocked by the ignition circuit via connection to the counting, or tooth, pulse output line of said ignition circuit in such a way as to release the stored camshaft correction signal toward the end of each engine operational cycle as given by said counting pulses; (h) a delay memory connected to receive said output correction signal of the storage buffer and further connected to said independent clock output line of the ignition circuit whereby said correction signal is not released until the expiration of each engine operational period as determined by said independent time base; and (i) an electromechanical servo-type camshaft control device including a digital-to-analog converter connected to the output of the delay memory and a camshaft-adjustment mechanism including means to first effect a feedback-sensed llinear adjustment motion and then a feedback-sensed angular adjustment motion according to the information provided in said digital camshaft correction signal.

Claim 2

A device for the angular positional adjustment of the camshaft of an internal combustion engine with respect to the crankshaft of that engine, according to measured speed and load conditions and predetermined correctional data for optimizing engine torque, including: (a) a toothed ring coupled to the crankshaft of said internal combustion engine where said ring contains one reference tooth which is fixed and permanently associated with one position of the crankshaft; (b) a transducer cooperating with said toothed ring and therewith functioning as a pulse generator producing tooth, or counting, pulses corresponding to every sensed tooth and one reference pulse corresponding to the sensed reference tooth; (c) a transducer arranged to sense the dynamic load on said engine; (d) an ignition circuit which controls said engine and which (1) receives all inputs and/or pulses from said transducers, (2) receives normal ignition trigger signals, (3) outputs spark or equivalent signals, (4) contains an independent outpulsing time base device, or clock, synchronized with the beginning of each operation cycle of the engine, (5) serves to outpulse counting and reference pulses as received by an appropriate transducer or pulse generator connected thereto, and (6) serves to outpulse digital signals derived from the engine-load input transducer; (e) an address counter which is connected to said ignition circuit and which is incremented by its counting pulses and reset by its reference pulses so that the digital output of said address counter consists of address signals corresponding to the actual angular position of said crankshaft; (f) a correction processor connected to said address counter for receiving said digital address signals and further connected to the ignition circuit's digital engine-load output whereby a digital camshaft correction signal is produced and output; (g) a temporary storage buffer which is connected to and arranged to receive the digital output signal of the correction processor and which is further clocked by the ignition circuit via connection to the counting, or tooth, pulse output line of said ignition circuit in such a way as to release the stored camshaft correction signal toward the end of each engine operational cycle as given by said counting pulses; (h) a delay memory connected to receive said output correction signal of the storage buffer and further connected to said independent clock output line of the ignition circuit whereby said correction signal is not released until the expiration of each engine operational period as determined by said independent time base; and (i) an electromechanical servo-type camshaft control device including a digital-to-analog converter connected to the output of the delay memory and a camshaft-adjustment mechanism including means to first effect a feedback-sensed llinear adjustment motion and then a feedback-sensed angular adjustment motion according to the information provided in said digital camshaft correction signal.