The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 12, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 15, 1999
Richard William Quinn, Hertfordshire, GB;
Ian Halleron, Essex, GB;
Visteon Global Technologies, Inc., Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for detecting knock in a spark ignition internal combustion engine. The engine comprises at least one cylinder with a spark plug, engine condition sensors for sensing engine speed, engine angle and engine noise, and an engine management system (EMS) that receives signals from the sensors to determine engine angle and engine noise. The EMS has a nonvolatile memory, a spark plug driver, and a processor. The processor is arranged to control the spark driver to generate an ignition spark at a desired spark angle according to signals from at least some of the sensors, and determine over a first range of engine angles a background engine noise, and over a second range of engine angles an engine knock noise. The processor then retards (or advances) the spark angle if the level of knock noise relative to background noise exceeds (or falls below) a predetermined level. The first range of angles is selected by the processor according to one or more signals including the engine speed signal, from a plurality of engine angle ranges stored in the nonvolatile memory.