Semiconductor Solutions for Piezo Injector Systems

Increasing fuel costs and emission regulations are driving the car manufacturers to develop powerful but efficient engines. The 3-liter car (3-liter/100 km fuel consumption → 80 miles/gallon) is one achievement of these developments. Beside the pure mechanics electronics for fuel and air management are getting the key element for further improvement.

Direct Injected (DI) engines are the standard for Diesel and are looking very promising for Gasoline. This SAE paper will discuss the differences of the operation principle of a solenoid and a Piezo based injector as well as the impact and the requirements for the semiconductors on the ECU especially under respect of future emission standards. A solution from Infineon Technologies will be presented.