Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Ford Motor Company Limited

James John Klocinski

Shawn Harold Swales

Ning Liu

Gurinder Singh Kahlon

Robert C Bauman

William Douglas Walker

Carl R Morganti

Rick S Burchett

Michael T Nation

William Charles Mammen, Jr

Robert Charles Borregard

Adam Peter Shepperson

Sameer Prabhu

A circuit for controlling an ignition coil that attenuates the feed forward voltage by slowing the initial turn-on of the coil driver is disclosed. The turn-on circuit includes a control signal input node, a capacitor, a resistor, a diode, and a coil driver. The control signal input node receives a coil control signal from an ignition control system. The capacitor begins charging as the control signal is received by the turn-on circuit. As the capacitor charges it gradually increases the voltage provided to the coil driver. The rate of the increase in voltage is controlled by the selection of the resistor and capacitor. The slowing of the initial turn-on of the coil driver has the effect of attenuating the feed forward voltage. The attenuating of the feed forward voltage minimizes degradation of the spark gap while allowing the elimination of the high voltage zener diode.

Turn-on coil driver for eliminating secondary diode in coil-per-plug ignition coils

An ignition coil for an internal combustion engine minimizes the propagation of cracks in the encapsulate material surrounding the components of the ignition coil and provides a supplemental dielectric barrier. In one embodiment, the ignition coil comprises a housing, an outer core, an inner coil, and a coil assembly. The housing includes a bottom wall connected to an outer wall extending around the periphery of the housing. The outer core is positioned inside the outer wall, while the inner core is positioned inside the outer core. The coil assembly includes a primary winding and a secondary winding concentrically positioned relative to each other. The coil assembly is mounted to the inner core and positioned inside the outer core. The housing further includes an inner wall extending along the inner periphery of the outer core and positioned between the outer core and the coil assembly to prevent propagation of cracks.

Ignition coil with separating wall

There is provided a method for automatic operation of a vehicle comprising an engine, a starter motor, an engine clutch, and a plurality of vehicle systems. After detecting that the engine is running, the vehicle systems are checked to ensure an acceptable status for shutting down the engine. A negative torque is applied to the engine to shut it down. Vehicle systems are monitored until they indicate that the engine should be restarted. The engine is restarted, and a successful start of the engine is then confirmed. Similarly, there is provided a method for the cold start of a vehicle as above. The starter motor is powered up with an initial torque and vehicle systems are monitored to determine whether the engine should be started. The engine is started from the torque of the starter motor, and a successful start of the engine is then confirmed.

ISA engine start-up strategy

A circuit board for an ignition coil in an internal combustion engine is provided. The ignition coil is in electrical connection with a control module and a spark plug having a pair of gap posts. The ignition coil includes a primary winding having an electrical current, a secondary winding in electrical connection with the spark plug and configured to induce a second electrical current between the gap posts, and an ionization current sensing integrated circuit configured to generate an ionization signal based on the secondary current between the gap posts. The ignition coil also includes a circuit board having an ionization connection in electrical connection with the secondary winding and with the ionization current sensing integrated circuit.

Using a circuit board for ignition coil internal connections

ISA engine start-stop strategy

An apparatus for providing electrical power for a hybrid vehicle includes an integrated starter-generator and an inverter connected to an electrical energy storage device such as a capacitor and a battery by first and second switches respectively. A control turns the switches on and off in accordance with selected modes of operation to provide power from the capacitor to the integrated starter-generator and the battery and to provide power from the integrated starter-generator to the capacitor and the battery.

Method and apparatus for maximizing hybrid vehicle energy management

A control system is provided for the drive system of automotive vehicles. A control determines a combination of torque to be applied from an integrated starter-generator and compression torque to be applied from an engine. The combination of the integrated starter-generator torque and engine compression torque results in a desired deceleration torque. The control preferentially applies torque from the integrated starter-generator over the compression torque, thus maximizing regeneration.

Regenerative deceleration for a hybrid drive system

A method and system for distributing electrical energy from an integrated starter-alternator during a deceleration or overrun vehicle condition to an electrically heated catalyst in order to maintain the temperature of the electrically heated catalyst within an operating temperature range during the deceleration or overrun vehicle condition.

Method and system for providing electricity from an integrated starter-alternator to an electrically heated catalyst

The present invention discloses an ignition coil assembly comprising a housing of molded plastic material. A coil assembly in the housing includes a primary coil member and a secondary coil member, the secondary coil member includes a high voltage output lead. The housing includes a base wall, and an integral cylindrical stem portion which extends outwardly from the base wall along an axis. A secondary coil output lead terminal member extends in the general direction of the axis through the base wall, and is connected to the high voltage output lead at one end and terminates in a clasp portion at its other end. The clasp portion is received within the annular stem portion. The annular stem portion includes an interior annular wall and an exterior annular wall. The clasp is concentrically located within the stem portion and is spaced therefrom to thereby provide an annular clearance cavity. A coil-type retaining spring is slidingly received at one end within the stem portion and is slidably secured to the clasp portion. The other end of the spring is adapted to grip a spark plug to establish electrical contact between the coil assembly and the spark plug.

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Saline, MI, United States of America

James John Klocinski