摘要 |
A fuel injector employs at least one sensing device for sensing material deformations occurring in the injector components during usage to thereby monitor injector performance. The sensing device is preferably at least one of the many piezoelectric sensors available and is advantageously affixed within a cylinder of an injector to detect deformations of the injector cylinder within the needle valve/power piston column of an injector to detect deformations of the column which occurs when the high-pressure fuel in the control chamber is suddenly converted pressure and vice versa. Whereas the sensing devices of the invention can be placed at a variety of locations, they are advantageously arranged to detect material deformations within the injector cylinder or valve/piston column where such deformations are appreciably large during injector usage. Preferably, injectors of the invention are compatible with microprocessor-based fuel injection control systems of the type described above to maintain near-ideal control over the injector. |