Methods and apparatus for controlling spark duration in an internal combustion engine
AssigneeWoodward Governor Company
InventorGary R. Hoeflich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ignition system, of the type having ignition coils supplying energy to spark plugs in an internal combustion engine, includes apparatus to measure an electrical characteristic indicative of spark duration and generate a representative spark duration signal therefrom, or alternately to directly measure spark duration and generate a representative spark duration signal. Computational circuitry receives the spark duration signal and a spark duration setpoint signal, computes the error between the setpoint and the actual spark duration on a real-time basis, and modulates the energy in the high energy power supply to the ignition coils for maintaining a constant spark duration.
Claims20
A capacitance discharge ignition system of the type comprising a spark plug;
- an ignition coil having a primary winding, and having a secondary winding connected to the spark plug;
- an energy storage capacitance element connected to the primary winding of the coil;
- a power supply connected to the energy storage capacitance element;
- and timing means for controlling the timing of the discharge of the energy storage capacitance element to the primary winding to effect generation of a spark in the spark plug;
- the ignition system being characterized by further comprising:
- means for setting a first signal indicative of a desired setpoint for spark duration in the spark plug;
- means for providing a second signal indicative of the actual spark duration based on current flowing through the primary winding;
- means for determining an error signal between said first and second indicative signals;
- and
- means for modulating the energy delivered to the energy storage capacitance element as a function of said error signal so as to adjust the actual spark duration toward the desired spark duration.
A capacitance discharge ignition system of the type comprising a spark plug;
- an ignition coil having a primary winding, and having a secondary winding connected to the spark plug;
- an energy storage capacitance element connected to the primary winding of the coil;
- a power source connected to the energy storage capacitance element;
- and timing means for controlling the timing of the discharge of the energy storage capacitance element to the primary winding to effect generation of a spark in the spark plug;
- the ignition system being characterized by further comprising:
- means for establishing a setpoint signal indicative of the desired spark duration;
- electrical sensing means operatively connected for sensing an ignition system electrical characteristic indicative of the actual spark duration and operative to provide an output signal indicative thereof;
- processor means receiving said setpoint signal and the output signal from said electrical sensing means, said processor means being adapted to (i) determine the difference between the setpoint signal and said output signal, and (ii) modulate the energy delivered to the energy storage capacitance element as a function of said difference to adjust the actual spark duration toward the desired spark duration.
A controller to control the spark duration of at least one spark plug in a capacitance discharge ignition system having an ignition coil connected to the spark plug, the ignition coil having a primary winding, the primary winding connected to an energy storage element, the controller comprising:
- a first module that outputs a desired spark duration of the spark plug based upon parameters received from an external source;
- a second module that outputs a spark duration based on a current flowing through the primary winding of the ignition coil;
- a calculation module that receives the desired spark duration and the spark duration and that outputs an error signal from a difference between the desired spark duration and the spark duration;
- a first output module that receives the error signal and modulates energy delivered to the energy storage element as a function of the error signal to adjust the spark duration;
- and
- a second output module that controls the timing of the discharge of the energy storage element to the primary winding to effect generation of a spark in the spark plug.
A controller for controlling spark duration in at least one spark plug in a capacitance discharge ignition system, the ignition system having an ignition coil having a primary winding and a secondary winding, an energy storage element and a power source connected to the primary winding, the secondary winding connected to the spark plug, the controller comprising:
- an input setpoint module that receives parameters for determining a spark duration setpoint of the spark plug;
- a spark duration module that determines the spark duration;
- a calculation module that receives a first input from the input setpoint and a second input from the spark duration module and computes an energy level setpoint based on a difference between the spark duration setpoint and the spark duration;
- an output module that receives the energy level setpoint and delivers an amount of energy equivalent to the energy level setpoint module to the primary winding from one of the energy storage element and the power source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.