Patent ID: 8011351

Claim:
A method for driving a solenoid actuated fuel injector of an internal combustion engine for causing a fuel injection to occur, a nominal start time (te) for an injection and a nominal energizing time (ET) for an injector are predetermined as a function of prefixed parameters, and a voltage (V) having an initial predetermined nominal value (Vpull-in) is applied to said solenoid actuated fuel injector at the nominal start time (te) to cause in the solenoid actuated fuel injector a flow of an energizing current (I) which increases from zero to a predetermined peak value (Ipull-in), the method comprising the steps of: monitoring an actual value of at least one selected parameter that is related to a time period needed for a solenoid current (I) to pass from zero to a peak value (Ipull-in); and when the actual value is lower than a corresponding nominal value for the selected parameter, anticipating an injection start time with respect to the nominal start time (te) by an amount of time that is determined based on functional relationships between the selected parameter and the injection start time, which functional relationships are obtained and mapped in memory beforehand, so as to at least partially compensate deviations of the actual value of said at least one selected parameter with respect to a predetermined nominal value.