Method to detect and control detonation phenomena in an internal combustion engine

1. A method to detect and control detonation phenomena in an internal combustion engine provided with a number of cylinders and with at least two detonation sensors, in particular two accelerometers; the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring the signal coming from each detonation sensor;

processing the signal coming from each detonation sensor so as to determine a detonation energy for each detonation sensor;

determining a first indicator (α) for each detonation sensor as a function of the cylinder and of the engine point that is being explored, univocally identified by the revolutions per minute and by the load; wherein the first indicator (α) is variable as a function of the observability of the detonation phenomena for each detonation sensor;

defining a second global indicator (β) of observability of the combustion at a given engine point for a cylinder, in which the combustion can be fully observable by both detonation sensors or by a predetermined detonation sensor, or partially observable by the two detonation sensors or not observable by any of the detonation sensors; and

controlling the ignition advance implemented for the cylinder in the next combustion cycle, as a function of the second global indicator (β) of observability of the combustion at the given engine point for the cylinder.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first indicator (α) is calculated as a function of a comparison between a threshold value and the detonation energy for each detonation sensor; and wherein the threshold value is determined as a function of the cylinder and of the engine point that is being explored, univocally identified by the revolutions per minute (rpm) and by the load.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 and comprising the further step of determining, for each detonation sensor, angular windows associated with each cylinder in which to detect possible detonation phenomena; in particular, determining, for each detonation sensor, the beginning instant and the duration of the angular windows associated with each cylinder in order to detect possible detonation phenomena.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 and comprising the further step of determining, for each detonation sensor, frequency bands associated with each cylinder in which to detect possible detonation phenomena; in particular, determining, for each detonation sensor, the minimum frequency value and the maximum frequency value associated with each cylinder in which to detect possible detonation phenomena.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the step of processing the signal coming from each detonation sensor so as to determine a detonation energy for each detonation sensor comprises, in sequence, the sub-steps of:

filtering, the signal coming from each detonation sensor;

rectifying the filtered signal coming from each detonation sensor; and

integrating the filtered and rectified signal coming from each detonation sensor so as to determine the detonation energy for each detonation sensor.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 and, in case the combustion cycle, as a function of the cylinder and of the engine point that is being explored, is completely observable by at least two detonation sensors, the method comprises the further steps of:

comparing the values of the detonation energy for each detonation sensor; and

diagnosing a failure of a detonation sensor as a function of the comparison between the values of the detonation energy for each detonation sensor.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 and, in case of a failure of a detonation sensor, comprising the further steps of:

comparing the values of the detonation energy for each detonation sensor with respective threshold values;

calculating the difference, in absolute value, between the values of the detonation energy for each detonation sensor and the respective threshold values; and

diagnosing a failure of the detonation sensor having the greatest difference, in absolute value, between the value of the detonation energy and the respective threshold value.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first indicator (α) is calculated through the difference between the detonation energy for each detonation sensor and the relative threshold value.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein each detonation sensor is an accelerometer, which is close to and faces the cylinders.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first indicator (α) of each detonation sensor, able to observe the detonation as a function of the cylinder and of the engine point that is being explored, is greater than zero in case of a detonating combustion cycle and equal to zero in case of a non-detonating combustion cycle.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the second global indicator (β) of observability is calculated as a function of the first indicator (α) of each detonation sensor; in particular the second global indicator (β) of observability is determined by adding said first indicators (α) of the detonation sensors.

12. An electronic control unit, which is designed to implement a method to detect and control detonation phenomena in an internal combustion engine made according to claim 1 .