Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

Hiroki Tsuchiya

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Takayuki Sakurai

Akimitsu Sassa

Takayuki Ohtani

A glow plug includes a housing having an axial hole extending in an axial line direction; a ceramic heater that is relatively displaceable with respect to the housing along the axial line direction and has at least outer surface made of ceramic; and a pressure sensor fixed to the housing and configured to output a signal based on the relative displacement of the ceramic heater. A fixed member fixed to the ceramic heater while the ceramic heater is arranged to an inner circumference of the fixed member. A welded member is welded to an outer circumference of the fixed member. An inner circumferential surface of a portion of the fixed member to which at least the welded member is welded is spaced apart from the outer surface of the ceramic heater.

Glow plug with pressure sensor

A heater energization control apparatus. When an engine is stopped, a microcomputer of a GCU enters a power save mode. When the microcomputer returns to a normal mode in response to an interruption signal periodically generated from an interruption timer, the microcomputer supplies electricity to a heating resistor for a short time and obtains its resistance (S). When the resistance is greater than a first reference value, the microcomputer determines that a glow plug is removed from the engine; that is, the glow plug is being exchanged (S). The microcomputer sets an exchange flag to '1' (S), and performs calibration for the heating resistor of a new glow plug after the engine is operated next time (S). When the current resistance becomes smaller than the past resistance, the microcomputer determines that the glow plug has been exchanged.

Growing community of inventors

Komaki, Japan

Hiroki Tsuchiya