Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

Shunsuke Gotoh

Chiaki Kumada

Takayuki Sakurai

Hiroyuki Kimata

Seigo Muramatsu

There is provided a control device for a glow plug, capable of controlling the energization of a resistance heater of the glow plug by a resistance control process while attaining good resistance control response under cooling of the heater by fuel injection and combustion gas and thereby stably controlling the amount of heat generated by the heater. The resistance heater includes a resistive heating element having a ratio of electrical resistance R1000 at 1000&#xb0; C. to electrical resistance R20 at 20&#xb0; C. of 6 or larger, and the glow plug is mounted with at least part of the resistive heating element being protrudingly located in an engine combustion chamber. Under such a condition, the control device controls energization of the resistance heater in a steady control mode to adjust electrical power supplied to the resistance heater in such a manner as to keep a resistance of the heater within a predetermined range.

Controller and glow plug for controlling energization modes

A glow plug energization control apparatus includes a unit for performing an energization control so that a sheath heater is quickly heated when a key switch is put in an on position, a unit for performing, subsequently to this, an energization control to prevent a drop in temperature of the sheath heater, a unit for performing, when the key switch is put in the start position during the energization control, an energization control to prevent a drop in temperature of the sheath heater during its period, and a unit for performing, after the engine is started, an energization control to keep the sheath heater at a second target temperature.

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Nagoya, Japan

Shunsuke Gotoh