Method and device for self-diagnosing ignition coil of engine of vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11739724-B2
Application number	US-202217736560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2022
Priority date	Aug 11, 2021
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A method for self-diagnosing an ignition coil of an engine of a vehicle, which self-diagnoses an error of the ignition coil supplying voltage to a spark plug includes generating, by a self-diagnosis signal generating device included in the ignition coil, a fault flag signal by monitoring a discharge time of secondary current which flows on a secondary coil of the ignition coil, and generating, by a controller, a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) according to a duration of the fault flag signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for self-diagnosing an ignition coil of an engine of a vehicle, which self-diagnoses an error of the ignition coil configured to supply voltage to a spark plug, the method comprising:
generating, by a self-diagnosis signal generating device included in the ignition coil, a fault flag signal by monitoring a discharge time of a secondary current which flows on a secondary coil of the ignition coil; and
generating, by a controller, a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) according to a duration of the fault flag signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the controller generates a primary current which flows on a primary coil by applying an ignition signal to a switch connected to the primary coil of the ignition coil to generate the secondary current through the self-diagnosis signal generating device; and
the self-diagnosis signal generating device generates the fault flag signal in response to the secondary current and transmits the generated fault flag signal to the controller.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the controller, whether the fault flag signal is generated;
increasing a value of a counter by a first reference value which is a value for allowing the controller to perform an error diagnosis of the ignition coil when the fault flag signal is generated;
decreasing the value of the counter by a second reference value which is a value for allowing the controller not to perform the error diagnosis of the ignition coil and is smaller than the first reference value when the fault flag signal is not generated; and
determining, by the controller, whether the value of the counter calculated by the first reference value and the second reference value is more than a reference counter value which is a value for allowing the controller to perform the error diagnosis of the ignition coil;
wherein when the value of the counter is more than the reference counter value, the controller calculates the duration of the fault flag signal.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
controlling, by the controller, the display device to display the diagnostic trouble code to allow the diagnostic trouble code to be used for repairing the ignition coil.

5. A device for self-diagnosing an ignition coil of an engine of a vehicle, the device comprising:
an ignition coil generating a fault flag signal by monitoring a discharge time of secondary current which flows on a secondary coil of the ignition coil supplying voltage to a spark plug; and
a controller generating a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) according to a duration of the fault flag signal.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein:
the controller generates a primary current which flows on a primary coil by applying an ignition signal to a switch connected to the primary coil of the ignition coil to generate the secondary current through a self-diagnosis signal generating device included in the ignition coil; and
the self-diagnosis signal generating device generates the fault flag signal in response to the secondary current and transmits the generated fault flag signal to the controller.

7. The device of claim 5 , wherein:
the controller determines whether the fault flag signal is generated;
the controller increases a value of a counter by a first reference value which is a value for allowing the controller to perform an error diagnosis of the ignition coil, when the fault flag signal is generated;
the controller decreases the value of the counter by a second reference value which is a value for allowing the controller not to perform the error diagnosis of the ignition coil and is smaller than the first reference value when the fault flag signal is not generated;
the controller determines whether the value of the counter calculated by the first reference value and the second reference value is more than a reference counter value which is a value for allowing the controller to perform the error diagnosis of the ignition coil; and
when the value of the counter is more than the reference counter value, the controller calculates the duration of the fault flag signal.

8. The device of claim 5 , wherein the controller controls the display device to display the diagnostic trouble code.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Um Je Hyeon

Classifications

• F02P17/12 Primary

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

• G07C5/0808

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• G07C5/0825

  using optical means · CPC title

• F02P3/0442

  using digital techniques (F02P3/0456, F02P3/053, F02P3/0554, F02P3/0558 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02D41/221

  relating to the failure of actuators or electrically driven elements · CPC title