Method and apparatus for controlling the fuel injection/ignition timing of internal combustion engines, and a crank angle sensor using same
AssigneesHitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Eng. Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoshinori Murao, Masami Nagano, Shigenori Hosowari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ignition timing controller for an automobile in which at least two reference ignition point signals are established for each cylinder, and the ignition timing is set according to the reference ignition point signal that is closer to the target ignition timing.
Claims20
Method of controlling ignition timing of an internal combustion engine by means of an ignition timing control apparatus of the type wherein an ignition spark advance angle is determined based on engine operating parameters, and is used to calculate an ignition time, which is measured from a cylinder reference point for each cylinder, to establish an ignition point for each such cylinder, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a reference signal having a plurality of alternative reference points for each cylinder;
- determining said ignition spark advance angle based on angular speed of said engine a quantity of air flow thereto;
- comparing said ignition spark advance angle with said plurality of alternative reference points;
- and
- for each firing cycle of each cylinder, selecting one of said alternative reference points which most closely precedes said ignition spark advance angle, for use as the reference point for said firing cycle.
Method of controlling ignition timing of an internal combustion engine comprising, for each cylinder of said engine, the steps of:
- generating a reference signal having a plurality of designated reference points which occur at predetermined angular points in an operating cycle of said cylinder;
- determining an ignition spark advance angle for said cylinder based on operating parameters of said engine;
- comparing said ignition spark advance angle with said plurality of designated reference points;
- selecting one of said reference points which most closely precedes said ignition spark advance angle;
- calculating an ignition timing value relative to said selected reference point based on said ignition spark advance angle;
- measuring said calculated ignition timing value from said selected reference point;
- and
- generating an ignition spark at end of said measured ignition timing value.
Apparatus for controlling ignition timing of an internal combustion engine, said apparatus comprising:
- a reference signal generator which provides a reference signal having a plurality of designated reference points which occur at predetermined angular points relative to an operating cycle of each cylinder of said internal combustion engine;
- a memory containing a look up table of ignition spark advance angle values;
- means for reading an ignition spark advance angle value from said look up table;
- means for selecting one of said reference points which most closely precedes said advance angle;
- means for calculating an ignition timing value relative to said selected reference point, based on said ignition spark advance angle;
- means for measuring said calculated ignition timing value from said selected reference point;
- and
- means for generating an ignition spark at end of said measured ignition timing value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.