Acoustic Optimization of Mechatronic Direct Injection Systems and Analysis of the Effects on Robustness in System Operation 2021-01-0671

The tightening of the emission legislation and political and social demands for sustainable mobility are forcing the automotive industry to develop complex, high precision mechatronic drive systems. The increasing precision of mechatronic components generally leads to an increase in structural excitation and thus to a rise in noise. The so-called ticking of the fuel injection system has a rather low sound pressure level compared to the residual engine noise. Nevertheless, the impulsive and high frequency noise character leads to a decline concerning the perception of comfort and sound quality. In order to identify the sound quality of fuel injection systems as a frontloading measure, a system test bench has been developed which represents the structure-borne and airborne sound radiation of the stand-alone injection system in a close to series configuration. In this paper, measures for the acoustic optimization of injection systems and their effects on the robustness of the system are discussed. The focus is on engine idling, since at this operating point the ticking of the injectors and high-pressure pump can be perceived most clearly due to the low masking effects of other noise sources. For this purpose, the injection parameters were measured during full engine operation and transferred to the system test bench. By using a special development control unit, it was possible to modify the parameters, quantify their influence on the acoustic behavior and, based on this, define NVH optimized control strategies. For the robustness evaluation of the NVH optimized control strategies, key functions of the injection system were analyzed under varying boundary conditions in system operation on an injection rate test bench.