System and method for engine ignition coil identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10975830-B2
Application number	US-201916355033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

An ignition system for an internal combustion engine includes an ignition coil forming a part of a primary circuit and a secondary circuit, a power source to supply power to the ignition coil, and a controller to determine whether the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil based on a measured risetime and a measured current level in the primary circuit, the measured current level being lower than that required to create a breakdown voltage of the ignition coil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ignition system for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
an ignition coil forming a part of a primary circuit and a secondary circuit;
a power source configured to supply power to the ignition coil; and
a controller configured to determine whether the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil based on a measured risetime and a measured current level in the primary circuit, the measured current level being lower than that required to create a breakdown voltage of the ignition coil.

2. The ignition system of claim 1 , wherein the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil based on the measured risetime to a predetermined current level.

3. The ignition system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to create a notification if the ignition coil is not recognized.

4. The ignition system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a proper breakdown voltage risetime based on the measured risetimes and measured current level.

5. The ignition system of claim 2 , wherein the ignition coil is the recognized ignition coil based further on the measured risetime being equal to an expected risetime to reach the predetermined current value.

6. The ignition system of claim 5 , wherein the controller includes a timing module to measure the risetime, and a current measuring module to measure the current level in the primary circuit.

7. The ignition system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil each time the internal combustion engine is started.

8. A method of operating an ignition system for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
providing power to an ignition coil forming a part of a primary circuit and a secondary circuit;
measuring a risetime in the primary circuit to a predetermined current level;
determining whether the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil based on the measured risetime; and
operating the internal combustion engine with a breakdown voltage risetime corresponding to the recognized ignition coil, if the ignition coil is recognized.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined current level is lower than the breakdown voltage risetime.

10. The method of claim 8 , further including creating a notification if the ignition coil is not recognized.

11. The method of claim 10 , further including providing the notification to an output device associated with the internal combustion engine.

12. The method of claim 8 , further including not allowing operation of the internal combustion engine if the ignition coil is not recognized.

13. The method of claim 8 , further including selecting, based on the measured risetime, a stored breakdown voltage risetime from a plurality of stored breakdown voltage risetimes.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining of whether the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil is performed as part of a servicing of the internal combustion engine.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a controller of an internal combustion engine system, causes the engine system to perform a method for operating an ignition system for an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
providing power to an ignition coil forming a part of a primary circuit and a secondary circuit;
measuring a risetime in the primary circuit to a predetermined current level;
determining whether the ignition coil is a recognized ignition coil based on the measured risetime; and
operating the internal combustion according to a breakdown voltage risetime corresponding to the recognized ignition coil, if the ignition coil is recognized.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined current level is lower than the breakdown voltage risetime.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions of claim 15 , wherein the method further includes creating an notification if the ignition coil is not recognized.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions of claim 17 , wherein the method further includes providing the notification to an output device of the internal combustion engine.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions of claim 15 , wherein the method further includes not allowing operation of the internal combustion engine if the ignition coil is not recognized.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions of claim 15 , wherein the method further includes selecting, based on the measured risetime, a breakdown voltage risetime from a plurality of stored breakdown voltage risetime.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Cress James J

Classifications

• F02P17/12

  Testing characteristics of the spark, ignition voltage or current (testing of sparking plugs H01T13/60) · CPC title

• F02P3/05

  for control of the magnitude of the current in the ignition coil (during starting F02P15/12) · CPC title

• F02P3/045

  for control of the dwell or anti dwell time · CPC title

• F02P17/10 Primary

  Measuring dwell or antidwell time · CPC title

• F02P3/04 Primary

  Layout of circuits · CPC title