Spark plug condition monitoring
AssigneeCaterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH
InventorsDarshit Shah, Heiko Lenhardt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for monitoring an ignition system including a spark plug of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The method comprises determining an operation value associated with an electrical parameter indicative of an operation of the ignition system during actuation of the spark plug. The method further comprises determining at least one parameter indicative of a current engine operation condition of the internal combustion engine, and determining a current spark plug state of the spark plug based on the at least one engine parameter and the operation value associated with the electrical parameter of the ignition system.
Claims20
A method for monitoring an ignition system including a spark plug of an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
- determining an operation value associated with an electrical parameter indicative of an operation of the ignition system during actuation of the spark plug;
- determining at least one engine parameter indicative of a current engine operation condition of the internal combustion engine;
- determining a current spark plug state of the spark plug based on the at least one engine parameter and the operation value associated with the electrical parameter of the ignition system;
- and
- performing a preset spark plug test procedure for testing operation of the spark plug.
An ignition system for an internal combustion engine, the ignition system comprising:
- at least one spark plug;
- an ignition coil for the at least one spark plug;
- and
- a control unit electronically connected to the ignition coil and configured to:
- determine an operation value associated with an electrical parameter indicative of an operation of the ignition system during actuation of the at least one spark plug;
- determine at least one engine parameter indicative of a current engine operation condition of the internal combustion engine;
- and
- determine a current spark plug state of the at least one spark plug based on the at least one engine parameter and the operation value associated with the electrical parameter of the ignition system, wherein the operation value is an actual risetime duration (CR) of a primary current of the ignition coil of the ignition system.
A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of:
- determining an operation value associated with an electrical parameter indicative of an operation of an ignition system of an internal combustion engine during actuation of a spark plug of the internal combustion engine;
- determining at least one engine parameter indicative of a current engine operation condition of the internal combustion engine;
- determining a current spark plug state of the spark plug based on the at least one engine parameter and the operation value associated with the electrical parameter of the ignition system;
- and
- performing a preset spark plug test procedure for testing operation of the spark plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.