Method and system for validating the phase of a vehicle engine

1. A method for determining the configuration of a combustion engine ( 10 ) of a motor vehicle, where the engine ( 10 ) has a plurality of cylinders ( 11 ) in connection with a crankshaft ( 13 ), a camshaft ( 15 ), a fuel injection rail ( 22 ) for injecting fuel into said cylinders ( 11 ), a high pressure hydraulic injection pump ( 21 ) that pumps fuel into said injection rail ( 22 ), a control valve ( 24 ) that controls opening and closing of said injection pump ( 21 ), a pressure sensor ( 25 ) that measures pressure of fuel flowing in said injection rail ( 22 ), and a control module ( 30 ), said crankshaft ( 13 ) having an angular position from a reference position (D 0 ), said camshaft ( 15 ) being rigidly connected to the crankshaft ( 13 ) such that the crankshaft ( 13 ) performs two full revolutions when the camshaft ( 15 ) performs one full revolution, and said injection pump ( 21 ) equipped with a fuel pumping piston ( 210 ) that operates synchronously with said crankshaft ( 13 ) such that said fuel pumping piston ( 210 ) pumps fuel an odd number of times during one revolution of said camshaft ( 15 ), said method comprising:

detecting (E 1 A ) the reference position (D 0 ) of the crankshaft ( 13 );

causing (E 2 A ), by the control module ( 30 ), the control valve ( 24 ) of the injection pump ( 21 ) to close;

after a first predetermined time interval, of measuring (E 4 A ) by the pressure sensor ( 25 ) a first fuel pressure value (P) in the injection rail ( 22 );

comparing the first fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) with a predetermined initial pressure value (P i ), the engine ( 10 ) determined to be in a first configuration when the fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is greater than or equal to a first predetermined pressure threshold (S 1 ), and in a second configuration when the fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is between a second predetermined pressure threshold (S 2 ) and a third predetermined pressure threshold (S 3 );

measuring (E 4 B ), when the first fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is between the second predetermined pressure threshold (S 2 ) and the third predetermined pressure threshold (S 3 ) by the pressure sensor ( 25 ), a second fuel pressure value (P B ) in the injection rail ( 22 ) after a second predetermined time interval; and

determining the engine to be in the first configuration of the engine ( 10 ) when the second fuel pressure value (P B ) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is greater than or equal to said first predetermined pressure threshold (S 1 ), and detecting an engine anomaly when the second pressure value (P B ) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is lower than the first predetermined pressure threshold (S 1 ).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first predetermined threshold (S 1 ) corresponds to the predetermined initial pressure (P i ) plus at least 3 MPa.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second predetermined threshold (S 2 ) and the third predetermined threshold (S 3 ) correspond to the predetermined initial pressure (P i ) minus 1 MPa and to the predetermined initial pressure (P i ) plus 1 MPa, respectively.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the step of detecting the reference position (Do) of the crankshaft ( 13 ):

measuring said initial pressure value (P i ) in said injection rail ( 22 ).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, as said at least one piston ( 210 ) of the injection pump ( 21 ) pumps fuel an odd number of times during one revolution of said at least one camshaft ( 15 ), each cam of said camshaft ( 15 ) comprises an odd number of lobes.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first time interval is between 20 and 500 ms.

7. A system ( 1 ) for determining a position of a crankshaft ( 13 ) of a combustion engine ( 10 ) of a motor vehicle, where the combustion engine ( 10 ) includes a plurality of cylinders ( 11 ), a crankshaft ( 13 ) having an angular position from a reference position (D 0 ), a camshaft ( 15 ) rigidly connected to said crankshaft ( 13 ) such that the crankshaft ( 13 ) performs two full revolutions when said at least one camshaft ( 15 ) performs one full revolution, and a position sensor ( 16 ) that determines an angular position of said crankshaft ( 13 ), the system comprising:

an injection module ( 20 ), comprised of:

a high pressure fuel injection pump ( 21 ) with at least one fuel pumping piston ( 210 ) being mounted synchronously with said crankshaft ( 13 ) such that said at least one piston ( 210 ) pumps fuel an odd number of times during one revolution of said at least one camshaft ( 15 ),

a control valve ( 24 ) configured to control opening and closing of said injection pump ( 21 ),

a fuel injection rail ( 22 ) connected both to said injection pump ( 21 ) and to a plurality of injectors ( 23 ) for injecting the fuel into the cylinders ( 11 ) of the engine ( 10 ), and

a pressure sensor ( 25 ), configured to measure a pressure value (P) in said injection rail ( 22 ); and

a control module ( 30 ) configured to control the opening and closing of said control valve ( 24 ) and to determine the position of the crankshaft ( 13 ) by means of the position sensor ( 16 ) and the pressure sensor ( 25 ) in order to determine the configuration of the engine ( 10 ), the control module configured to:

detect the reference position (D 0 ) of the crankshaft ( 13 ),

cause the control valve ( 24 ) of the injection pump ( 21 ) to close,

after a first predetermined time interval, measure by the pressure sensor ( 25 ) a first fuel pressure value (P) in the injection rail ( 22 );

compare the first fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) with a predetermined initial pressure value (P i ), the engine ( 10 ) determined to be in a first configuration when the fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is greater than or equal to a first predetermined pressure threshold (S 1 ), and in a second configuration when the fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is between a second predetermined pressure threshold (S 2 ) and a third predetermined pressure threshold (S 3 ),

measure, when the first fuel pressure value (P) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is between the second predetermined pressure threshold (S 2 ) and the third predetermined pressure threshold (S 3 ) by the pressure sensor ( 25 ), a second fuel pressure value (P B ) in the injection rail ( 22 ) after a second predetermined time interval, and

determine the engine to be in first configuration of the engine ( 10 ) when the second fuel pressure value (P B ) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is greater than or equal to said first predetermined pressure threshold (S 1 ), and detecting an engine anomaly when the second pressure value (P B ) measured in the injection rail ( 22 ) is lower than the first predetermined pressure threshold (S 1 ).

8. A motor vehicle, comprising the system ( 1 ) for determining a position of a crankshaft ( 13 ) of a combustion engine ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 7 .

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first predetermined threshold (S i ) corresponds to the predetermined initial pressure (P i ) plus 10 MPa.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first time interval is 70 ms.

11. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second predetermined threshold (S 2 ) and the third predetermined threshold (S 3 ) correspond to the predetermined initial pressure (P i ) minus 1 MPa and to the predetermined initial pressure (P i ) plus 1 MPa, respectively.

12. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising, prior to the step of detecting the reference position (D 0 ) of the crankshaft ( 13 ):

measuring said initial pressure value (P i ) in said injection rail ( 22 ).

13. The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising, prior to the step of detecting the reference position (D 0 ) of the crankshaft ( 13 ):

measuring said initial pressure value (P i ) in said injection rail ( 22 ).

14. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, as said at least one piston ( 210 ) of the injection pump ( 21 ) pumps fuel an odd number of times during one revolution of said at least one camshaft ( 15 ), each cam of said camshaft ( 15 ) comprises an odd number of lobes.

15. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein, as said at least one piston ( 210 ) of the injection pump ( 21 ) pumps fuel an odd number of times during one revolution of said at least one camshaft ( 15 ), each cam of said camshaft ( 15 ) comprises an odd number of lobes.