Denso Corporation

Satoru Nakayama

Makoto Toriyama

Akimitsu Sugiura

Masahiro Ishitani

Yuuki Kondou

Kanechiyo Terada

Shunichi Takeda

Naoto Hayashi

Kaori Doi

Takashi Oono

Hisaharu Morita

Kenta Kyouda

Yuuto Tamei

Hidekazu Fujimoto

Atsuya Mizutani

Daisuke Tanaka

Shota Kinoshita

Junichi Wada

Yasuomi Imanaka

Noriaki Nishio

Kouji Andoh

Naohisa Nakamura

Kenechiyo Terada

In an ignition control apparatus, a control unit controls switching elements so as to supply a primary current to the other end side of a primary winding opposite to one end thereof connected to a DC power source by discharging (which is performed by turning on a second switching element stored energy from a capacitor during ignition discharge (which is started by turning off a first switching element. In particular, the control unit controls the second switching element or the third switching element so as to provide variability to the amount of stored energy discharged from the capacitor according to an operating state of an internal combustion engine.

Ignition control apparatus for internal combustion engine

An ignition control apparatus applied to an internal combustion engine including a spark plug includes an in-cylinder pressure acquisition section, a frequency signal transmitting section which transmits a frequency signal having a predetermined frequency to a switching element, and a weak discharge generating section which causes the frequency signal to be transmitted during an intake stroke and controls the frequency signal such that a weak discharge is generated at the spark plug a plurality of times. The weak discharge generating section controls the frequency signal so as to cause a duty ratio of the switching element to be changed in accordance with the in-cylinder pressure, such that the frequency of generating weak discharges during a time period in which the frequency signal is transmitted becomes higher than a predetermined frequency.

Ignition control apparatus

An ignition apparatus inputs energy during a predetermined energy input period after the interruption of a primary electric current by an ignition switch and a discharge of an ignition plug caused by a secondary electric current. Moreover, the ignition apparatus includes a blow-off detection unit that detects, during the energy input period IGW after the start of the discharge by the ignition plug, occurrence of blow-off of the discharge. When the secondary electric current Idrops below a blow-off detection electric current threshold value Ibo at a time instant tbo in a 'second region' where it is impossible to perform a re-discharge after blow-off, the blow-off detection unit determines that blow-off has occurred and the ignition apparatus stops the energy input from an energy input unit to an ignition coil. By preventing unnecessary energy input, it is possible to suppress unnecessary electric power consumption and wear of electrodes of the ignition plug.

Ignition apparatus

An ignition apparatus includes a blow-off determining unit. The blow-off determining unit determines, when a secondary electric current drops below a predetermined threshold value Ia during a determination period, that blow-off has occurred; the determination period is a predetermined time period &#x394;T from the start of a spark discharge by a main ignition circuit. Further, when it is determined that blow-off has occurred during a main ignition (full-transistor ignition), it is controlled to perform a continuing spark discharge after the main ignition in a next cycle. Moreover, a secondary electric current command value Iin performing the continuing spark discharge is set to an electric current value that is obtained by adding a predetermined electric current value &#x3b1; to the predetermined threshold value Ia used in the blow-off determination. Consequently, in the next cycle, it is possible to reliably prevent blow-off, thereby reliably preventing a misfire.

Ignition apparatus for internal combustion engine

An ignition control apparatus of the present embodiment controls operation of an ignition plug provided so as to ignite an air-fuel mixed gas. The ignition control apparatus is characterized in that the ignition control apparatus includes: an ignition coil provided with a primary winding which allows a current to pass as a primary current therethrough and a second winding connected to the ignition coil, an increase and a decrease in the primary current generating a secondary current passing through the secondary winding; a DC power supply provided with a non-ground side output terminal, the non-ground side output terminal being connected to one end of the primary winding so that the primary current is made to pass through the primary winding; a first switching element configured of a semiconductor switching element provided with a first control terminal, a first power side terminal, and a first ground side terminal, the semiconductor switching element controlling on and off states of current supply between the first power side terminal and the first ground side terminal based on a first control signal inputted to the first control terminal, the first power side terminal being connected to the other end side of the primary winding, the first ground side terminal being connected to a ground side; a second switching element configured of a semiconductor switching element provided with a second control terminal, a second power side terminal, and a second ground side terminal, the semiconductor switching element controlling on and off states of current supply between the second power side terminal and the second ground side terminal based on a second control signal inputted to the second control terminal, the second ground side terminal being connected to the other end side of the primary winding; a third switching element configured of a semiconductor switching element provided with a third control terminal, a third power side terminal, and a third ground side terminal, the semiconductor switching element controlling on and off states of current supply between the third power side terminal and the third ground side terminal based on a third control signal inputted to the third control terminal, the third power side terminal being connected to the second power side terminal of the second switching element, the third ground side terminal being connected to the ground side; and an energy accumulation coil configured of an inductor, the inductor being interposed in a power line connecting the non-ground side output terminal of the DC power supply and the third power side terminal of the third switching element, the energy accumulation coil accumulating energy therein in response to turning on of the third switching element.

When an abnormality judgement section judges that there is a failure of an energy inputting circuit, an energy inputting line, through which electrical energy is inputted from the energy inputting circuit to a primary winding, is changed over to a disconnected state by output halt switching means. As a result, since inputting of electrical energy to the primary winding is thereby halted, problems arising due to continuation of inputting electrical energy to the energy inputting circuit can be prevented, even in the event of a failure of the energy inputting circuit, so that reliability can be enhanced.

An ignition control apparatus for engines is provided. The ignition control apparatus is designed to control a switch to release energy stored in a capacitor during spark discharge, thereby supplying a primary current to an other end side opposite a one end of a primary winding of an ignition coil connected to a dc power supply. This provides the ignition control apparatus which is capable of minimizing an increase in size or manufacturing cost and stabilizing the state of combustion of an air-fuel mixture.

An ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes: a spark plug; a first ignition coil and a second ignition coil; a battery; a booster circuit that boosts a voltage supplied from the battery; a power transistor that conducts and interrupts a primary current flowing to a primary coil included in the first ignition coil; a MOSFET that applies and interrupts the voltage boosted by the booster circuit to a primary coil included in the second ignition coil; and an ECU that starts electric discharge by the spark plug by controlling the power transistor, and repeatedly applies and interrupts the voltage boosted by the booster circuit by the MOSFET so that the electric discharge that is started is maintained.

In a control apparatus, a discharge control unit controls an igniter unit so that a flow of current from a primary coil towards a ground side is blocked, thereby generating a high voltage in a secondary coil, and controls a spark plug so that the spark plug generates electric discharge. An energy input control unit controls an energy input unit so as to input electrical energy to an ignition coil after the start of control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit. A control unit and an abnormality detecting unit detects an abnormality in the igniter unit or the ignition coil based on a first threshold and a first current value that is a value corresponding to a current detected by a current detection circuit at this time, when a first predetermined period elapses after the start of control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit.

Control apparatus and ignition apparatus

According to an ignition device, a first switching unit applies a voltage between electrodes of by spark plug by turning on/off energization from an on-vehicle battery to a primary coil. Further, a second switching unit applies a voltage having the same direction as a spark discharge generated by turning on/off the first switching unit between the electrodes of the spark plug by supplying electrical energy accumulated in a booster circuit into a primary coil. Accordingly, it is possible to greatly reduce a complexity of the on/off switching of the first and second switching units compared to a conventional technology.

Ignition device

An ignition apparatus includes an adjuster. The adjuster adjusts, according to at least one of a primary voltage and a secondary voltage detected by a voltage detector, at least one of an application timing and an application level of auxiliary electrical energy to an ignition coil while main electrical energy is applied to a spark plug by the ignition coil. The application timing includes whether the auxiliary electrical energy is applied to the ignition coil.

An ignition apparatus includes a blow-off determining unit. The blow-off determining unitdetermines, when the value &#x394;I2 of the time derivative of a secondary electric current exceeds a predetermined threshold value Z during a determination period, that blow-off has occurred; the determination period is a predetermined time period &#x394;T from the start of a spark discharge by a main ignition circuit. Further, when it is determined that blow-off has occurred during a main ignition (full-transistor ignition), it is controlled to perform a continuing spark discharge after the main ignition in a next cycle. Moreover, a secondary electric current command value in performing the continuing spark discharge is set to an electric current value that is obtained by adding a predetermined electric current value &#x3b1; to the secondary electric current value I2x immediately before the occurrence of blow-off. Consequently, in the next cycle, it is possible to reliably prevent blow-off, thereby reliably preventing misfire.

An ignition device at least equipped with a DC power source, an ignition coil unit, a spark plug, an ignition switch, and an auxiliary power source, wherein the auxiliary power source is at least equipped with a discharge energy accumulating means, a discharge switch, and a discharge driver. The ignition device is further equipped with a secondary-current feedback controlling means comprising a secondary current detecting means for detecting a secondary current flowing during the ignition coil unit discharge period, and a secondary current feedback control circuit-for determining an upper limit and a lower limit for the secondary current from binary threshold values, and driving so as to open and close the discharge switch on the basis of the determination results. Furthermore, energy is introduced from the auxiliary power source without switching the polarity of the secondary current.

A discharge control unit causes a high voltage to be generated in a secondary coil by controlling an igniter unit so as to block a flow of current from a primary coil towards a ground side, and controls a spark plug so that electric discharge is formed between electrodes of the spark plug. An energy input control unit controls an energy input unit to input electrical energy to an ignition coil after start of control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit. A normal ignition control unit controls ignition of an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber only through control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit. A specific ignition control unit controls the ignition of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber through control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit and through control of the energy input unit by the energy input control unit. A control unit performs ignition control by the specific ignition control unit until a first predetermined period elapses after a start-up condition of an engine is established, and switches to ignition control by the normal ignition control unit after the elapse of the first predetermined period.

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Kariya, Japan

Satoru Nakayama