Patent ID: 7467619

Claim:
A system for detecting a closing of a fuel injection pump solenoid associated with a cylinder of a diesel engine, the system comprising: a current detector electrically coupled to the fuel injection pump solenoid associated with the cylinder of the locomotive diesel engine, said current detector detecting a current through the fuel injection pump solenoid; a capacitive charge circuit responsive to the current detector and electrically coupled to the fuel injection pump solenoid, said capacitive charge circuit for conditioning the current through the fuel injection pump solenoid as a function of a measurement, operating characteristic, or parameter of the engine and the current detected through the solenoid; and a processor responsive to the current detector for determining a current slope characteristic, wherein said current slope characteristic is a function of both a slope of the detected current with respect to time and a rate of change of the slope of the detected current with respect to time and wherein the current slope characteristic is indicative of a closing point of the solenoid when both the slope of the detected current with respect to time and the rate of change of the slope of the detected current with respect to time are positive.