Ignition coil integrated ion sense with combustion and knock outputs

Abstract

An ignition coil having ion sense capability with combustion and knock outputs features improved determination of when to open and close a combustion window during which a combustion signal indicative of the level of combustion is calculated. The system also includes a knock window during which a knock signal indicative of the level of knock is determined. A PWM combustion signal is multiplexed on the same physical line as a current flag signal, and, a PWM knock intensity signal is multiplexed on the same physical line as a knock window signal, which reduces system connections. Closed loop multicharge ignition is provided with combustion detection during multicharging to ensure the availability of knock detection, thereby providing a longer effective spark burn time while still allowing for knock detection.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.