Internal combustion engine ignition apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10344733-B2
Application number	US-201715784323-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Apr 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

There is provided an internal combustion engine ignition apparatus that can effectively raise the ignitability of an inflammable fuel-air mixture, by applying electric power corresponding to the combustion state of an internal combustion engine. A combustion state detection apparatus detects an combustion state inside a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine; based on the combustion state detected by the combustion state detection apparatus in accordance with an operation state of an ignition coil apparatus, a current supply apparatus supplies an AC current to a spark discharge path formed in the gap of an ignition plug; then, a control apparatus controls the output of the current supply apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine ignition apparatus comprising:
an ignition plug that is provided with two or more electrodes facing each other through a gap and produces a spark discharge in the gap so that an inflammable fuel-air mixture inside a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine is ignited;
an ignition coil apparatus that supplies a predetermined ignition voltage to the ignition plug so as to form a spark discharge path in the gap;
a resonance apparatus that comprises an inductor and a capacitor to form a band-pass filter;
a current source that supplies an alternating current (AC) current to the spark discharge path formed in the gap, by way of the resonance apparatus;
a combustion state detection apparatus comprising a rotation speed sensor to detect a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and to determine a combustion state inside the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine based on the rotation speed; and
a microprocessor that calculates a combustion deterioration determination threshold range based on change in the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, compares the change in the rotation speed with the combustion deterioration determination threshold range, increases a value of the AC current in response to the change in the rotation speed being outside the combustion deterioration determination threshold range, and decreases the value of the AC current in response to the change in the rotation speed being within the combustion deterioration determination threshold range.

2. The internal combustion engine ignition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to acquire a control value for controlling the AC current of the current source.

3. The internal combustion engine ignition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in accordance with an output of the combustion state detection apparatus, the microprocessor controls at least one of a level, a supply period, and a number of supply instances of the AC current of the current source.

4. The internal combustion engine ignition apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the combustion state detection apparatus determines the combustion state inside the combustion chamber, based on the change in the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine.

5. The internal combustion engine ignition apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to acquire a control value for controlling the AC current of the current source.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Koda Takeshi
• Sakaguchi Ryo

Classifications

• F02P9/007

  by supplementary electrical discharge in the pre-ionised electrode interspace of the sparking plug, e.g. plasma jet ignition · CPC title

• F02P3/0407

  Opening or closing the primary coil circuit with electronic switching means (F02P3/045 - F02P3/055 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02P15/10

  having continuous electric sparks · CPC title

• F02P3/01 Primary

  Electric spark ignition installations without subsequent energy storage, i.e. energy supplied by an electrical oscillator (with magneto- or dynamo-electric generators F02P1/00; piezoelectric ignition F02P3/12; with continuous electric spark F02P15/10) · CPC title

• F02P5/1516

  with means relating to exhaust gas recirculation, e.g. turbo · CPC title