Fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine

Claim 2

A fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine having a fuel injector connected to a discharge port of a fuel supply pump, via a fuel passage, said device comprising: a calculating means for calculating a target amount of fuel to be injected, based on an engine speed and an engine load; a fuel pressure detecting means for detecting a fuel pressure in the fuel passage; a fuel supply stopping means for stopping a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage; a fuel pressure drop detecting means for detecting a drop in the fuel pressure in the fuel passage caused by a plurality of a fuel injection, on the basis of an output of said fuel pressure detecting means, while a supply of fuel by said fuel supply stopping means is stopped; an actual total amount of a fuel injection determining means for determining an actual total amount of fuel to be injected, based on the fuel pressure drop detected by said fuel pressure drop detecting means; a correction means for correcting an amount of fuel to be injected to make said actual total amount of fuel injection identical to a total of said target amount of fuel to be injected, based on a result of a determination of said actual total amount of a fuel injection by said determining means; and a fuel supply starting means for starting a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage when said fuel pressure drop detecting means detects a drop in the fuel pressure.

Claim 3

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein said engine load corresponds to a degree of opening of an accelerator pedal.

Claim 4

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein said fuel supply stopping means stops the supply of fuel when an engine coolant temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature and an engine running state is an idling engine running state.

Claim 5

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein said fuel supply stopping means stops the supply of fuel only once, each time the engine is started.

Claim 6

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein said fuel supply starting means starts a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage when the fuel pressure in the fuel passage becomes lower than a predetermined pressure.

Claim 7

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein said fuel pressure drop is represented by a difference between a pressure immediately after said fuel supply stopping means has stopped the supply of fuel and a pressure immediately before said fuel supply starting means has started to supply fuel.

Claim 8

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein said actual total amount of a fuel injection determining means determines said actual total amount of fuel to be injected by multiplying said fuel pressure drop by a predetermined constant coefficient.

Claim 9

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, further comprising an additional correction means for correcting an amount of fuel to be injected, based on said fuel pressure detected by said fuel pressure detecting means.

Claim 10

A fuel injection devices according to claim 1, wherein said correction means corrects the amount of fuel to be injected by multiplying the amount of fuel to be injected by a correction coefficient, said correction coefficient being calculated on the basis of said actual total amount of fuel to be injected.

Claim 11

A fuel injection device according to claim 9, wherein said correction coefficient is increased as a ratio of said total of the target amount of fuel to be injected to said actual total amount of fuel to be injected is increased.

Claim 12

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein the engine has a plurality of fuel injectors corresponding to a plurality of engine cylinders, further comprising: a second fuel supply stopping means for stopping a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage when said fuel pressure in the fuel passage detected by said fuel pressure detecting means becomes higher than a predetermined pressure after said fuel supply starting means has started a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage; an amount of fuel increasing or reducing means for increasing or reducing the amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to one fuel injector of the plurality of fuel injectors, by a predetermined increase or reduction in the amount of fuel while said second fuel supply stopping means has stopped the supply of fuel; a fuel pressure drop second detecting means for detecting the fuel pressure drop caused by fuel injections, based on an output of said fuel pressure detecting means while said second fuel supply stopping means has stopped the supply of fuel; an actual increase or reduction amount calculating means for calculating an actual increase or reduction in an amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector, on the basis of the fuel pressure drop detected by said fuel pressure drop second detecting means; a second correction means for correcting an amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector, to thereby make the actual amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector identical to said target amount of fuel to be injected, on the basis of a result obtained by said actual increase or reduction amount calculating means and said predetermined increase or reduction in the amount of fuel; and a second fuel supply starting means for starting a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage when said fuel pressure drop second detecting means has detected said fuel pressure drop.

Claim 13

A fuel injection device according to claim 11, wherein said second fuel supply stopping means stops the supply of fuel when an engine coolant temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature.

Claim 14

A fuel injection device according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined increase or deduction in an amount of fuel is a half of said target amount of fuel to be injected.

Claim 15

A fuel injection device according to claim 11, wherein said fuel pressure drop detected by said fuel pressure drop second detecting means is represented by a difference between a pressure immediately after said second fuel supply stopping means has stopped the supply of fuel and a pressure immediately after a predetermined number of fuel injections have been carried out.

Claim 16

A fuel injection device according to claim 11, wherein said actual increase or reduction amount calculating means calculates said actual increase or reduction in an amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector by multiplying said fuel pressure drop detected by said fuel pressure drop second detecting means by a predetermined constant coefficient.

Claim 17

A fuel injection device according to claim 11, wherein said second fuel supply stopping means stops said supply of fuel when said fuel pressure in the fuel passage detected by said fuel pressure detecting means becomes higher than a predetermined pressure after said second fuel supply starting means has started a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage.

Claim 18

A fuel injection device according to claim 16, wherein said second correction means corrects the amount of fuel to be injected by multiplying the amount of fuel to be injected by a correction coefficient of each fuel injector, said correction coefficient being calculated on the basis of a result obtained by said actual increase or reduction amount calculating means and said predetermined increase or reduction in an amount of fuel.

Claim 19

A fuel injection device according to claim 17, wherein said correction coefficient of each fuel injector is increased as a ratio of said actual increase or reduction in an amount of fuel to be injected to said predetermined increase or reduction in an amount of fuel.

Claim 20

A fuel injection device according to claim 17, wherein all of said correction coefficients corresponding to each fuel injector are calculated.

Claim 21

A fuel injection device according to claim 19, wherein all of said correction coefficients are renewed at one time.

Claim 22

A fuel injection device according to claim 1, wherein the engine has a plurality of fuel injectors corresponding to a plurality of engine cylinders, further comprising: a second fuel supply stopping means for stopping a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage when said fuel pressure in the fuel passage detected by said fuel pressure detecting means becomes higher than a predetermined pressure after said fuel supply starting means has started a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage; a fuel injection stopping means for stopping a fuel injection by one fuel injector among said plurality of fuel injectors while said second fuel supply stopping means has stopped the supply of fuel; a fuel pressure drop second detecting means for detecting a fuel pressure drop caused by fuel injections, based on an output of said fuel pressure detecting means while said second fuel supply stopping means has stopped the supply of fuel; an actual amount of fuel injection determining means for determining an actual amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector on the basis of the fuel pressure drop detected by said fuel pressure drop second detecting means; a second correction means for correcting an amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector to thereby make the actual amount of fuel to be injected corresponding to said one fuel injector identical to said target amount of fuel to be injected, on the basis of a result obtained by said actual amount of fuel injection determining means; and a second fuel supply starting means for starting a supply of fuel from the fuel supply pump to the fuel passage when said fuel pressure drop second detecting means has detected said fuel pressure drop.