Method and device for operating a pressure reservoir, in particular for common rail injection systems in automobile engineering

1. A method for operating a pressure accumulator, in which method a pump periodically, during a compression phase in a pump chamber, increases the pressure of a fluid situated therein, and fluid at high pressure is admitted from the pump chamber into the pressure accumulator by way of a differential-pressure-controlled discharge valve, and in which method, during a decompression phase following a compression phase, fluid is admitted from a fluid reservoir into the pump chamber by way of a controllable intake valve, the method comprising the steps of:

determining the fluid pressure in the pressure accumulator by way of a pressure determination in the pump chamber; and

measuring the pressure in the pump chamber at a time between the closure of the discharge valve and the subsequent admission of fluid into the pump chamber.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein measuring the pressure in the pump chamber comprises the steps of determining the pressure in the pump chamber at the time of the opening of the intake valve, in particular by way of a determination of a position of a pump piston at said time of the opening of the intake valve.

3. The method as claimed in one of claims 2 , further comprising the steps of determining the pressure in the pump chamber at the closing time of the discharge valve in the preceding compression phase from the time of the opening of the intake valve, in particular from the time difference between the opening time of the intake valve and the time of the maximum compression of the pump.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising the step of determining the position of the pump piston, which delimits the pump chamber, at the opening time of the intake valve, in particular taking into consideration the pump speed.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising the step of determining a compression ratio from the position of the pump piston at the opening time of the intake valve.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising the step of controlling the intake valve electromagnetically by way of a current flowing through a magnet coil and by way of an armature that is driven by the field of the magnet coil.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising the step of monitoring the current flowing through the magnet coil is with regard to the current intensity.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein monitoring the current flowing through the magnetic coil comprises detecting a current signal generated in the magnet coil by an opening movement of the intake valve and of the armature, wherein the method further comprises the step of assigning the opening time of the intake valve based on the current signal detected.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising the step of pushing the intake valve into the open position with a defined force by way of a preload spring.

10. A device for generating a fluid pressure in a pressure accumulator, comprising:

a pump which has a pump chamber delimited by a driveable pump piston, the pump chamber being connectable at one side to the pressure accumulator by way of a differential-pressure-controlled discharge valve and at the other side to a fluid reservoir by way of a controllable intake valve;

an actuating device which controls the intake valve by way of an energizable magnet coil and by way of an armature that can be driven by the field of the magnet coil; and

a measurement device which monitors the current flowing through the magnet coil with regard to the current intensity and which detects a current signal generated by a movement of the armature in the field of the magnet coil, the device assigning an opening time of the intake valve to a time of the detected current signal, determining pressure in the pump chamber at the opening time of the intake valve, and determining pressure in the pressure accumulator based upon the determined pressure in the pump chamber.

11. A method for operating a pressure accumulator, comprising:

periodically, during a compression phase in a pump chamber, increasing the pressure of a fluid situated therein;

admitting fluid at high pressure from the pump chamber into the pressure accumulator by way of a differential-pressure-controlled discharge valve;

during a decompression phase following a compression phase, providing fluid from a fluid reservoir to the pump chamber by way of a controllable intake valve; and

determining pressure in the pump chamber and determining fluid pressure in the pressure accumulator based upon the determined pressure in the pump chamber,

wherein the pump comprises a pump piston, and the method further comprises determining a position of the pump piston at a time of opening of the intake valve, and determining pressure in the pump chamber is based upon the determined position of the pump piston.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining the pressure in the pump chamber at a time of closing of the discharge valve in a preceding compression phase from a time difference between an opening time of the intake valve and a time of a maximum compression of the pump.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the pump piston delimits the pump chamber, and the method further comprises determining the position of the pump piston at an opening time of the intake valve, based in part upon a speed of the pump piston.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a compression ratio from the position of the pump piston at the opening time of the intake valve.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the intake valve comprises a magnetic coil and an armature that is driven by a field of the magnetic coil, and the method further comprises controlling the intake valve using a current flowing through the magnetic coil, detecting a current generated in the magnet coil as corresponding to an opening movement of the intake valve, and assigning an opening time of the intake valve to the detected current, wherein determining pressure in the pump chamber is performed at the opening time of the intake valve.