Method for determining a functional state of a piezoelectric injector of an internal combustion engine

1. A method for determining the functional state of a piezoelectric injector of an internal combustion engine, wherein the input variables of a control loop for fuel injection are voltage and charge, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a plurality of capacitance values for the piezoelectric injector over time, each capacitance value measured during ambient conditions of the internal combustion engine,

calculating a capacitance profile or functional equation for the piezoelectric injector with the aid of a mathematical approximation method based on the plurality of capacitance value measurements over time, the capacitance profile or functional equation representing an approximation of the long-term change in capacitance of the piezoelectric injector due to aging of the piezoelectric injector,

measuring a current capacitance value for the piezoelectric injector,

determining a reference capacitance value based on the capacitance profile or functional equation representing the long-term change in capacitance due to aging of the piezoelectric injector, and

detecting an impending failure of the piezoelectric injector if the measured capacitance value lies outside a first upper and lower tolerance range around the reference capacitance profile.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an averaged capacitance value for all the piezoelectric injectors is calculated and a normalizing factor is determined based on specified average capacitance values and the measured capacitance value is multiplied by the normalizing factor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric injector is immediately de-energized if the measured capacitance value lies outside a second upper and lower threshold range around the reference capacitance profile, wherein the threshold range also includes the tolerance range.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped, at least one electrical pulse is transmitted for the purpose of measuring the capacitance of the piezoelectric injector.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a check is carried out to determine whether the measured capacitance value at least one of: corresponds to a capacitance value stored in an engine characteristic map and lies within a tolerance range around the stored capacitance value.

6. A system for determining the functional state of a piezoelectric injector of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a control loop wherein the input variables of the control loop for fuel injection are voltage and charge,

means for measuring a plurality of capacitance values for the piezoelectric injector over time, each capacitance value measured during ambient conditions of the internal combustion engine,

means for calculating a capacitance profile or functional equation for the piezoelectric injector with the aid of a mathematical approximation method based on the plurality of capacitance value measurements over time, the capacitance profile or functional equation representing an approximation of the long-term change in capacitance of the piezoelectric injector due to aging of the piezoelectric injector,

means for measuring a current capacitance value for the piezoelectric injector,

means for determining a reference capacitance value based on the capacitance profile or functional equation representing the long-term change in capacitance due to aging of the piezoelectric injector, and

means for detecting an impending failure of the piezoelectric injector if the measured capacitance value lies outside a first upper and lower tolerance range around the reference capacitance profile.

7. The system according to claim 6 , comprising means for calculating an averaged capacitance value for all the piezoelectric injectors and for determining a normalizing factor based on specified average capacitance values and for multiplying the measured capacitance value by the normalizing factor.

8. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the piezoelectric injector is operable to be immediately de-energized if the measured capacitance value lies outside a second upper and lower threshold range around the reference capacitance profile, wherein the threshold range also includes the tolerance range.

9. The system according to claim 6 , wherein when operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped, at least one electrical pulse is transmitted for the purpose of measuring the capacitance of the piezoelectric injector.

10. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the system is operable to determine whether the measured capacitance value at least one of: corresponds to a capacitance value stored in an engine characteristic map and lies within a tolerance range around the stored capacitance value.