Ignition control device for internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719479-B2
Application number	US-201514733394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2015
Priority date	Jul 11, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

An ignition control device for an internal combustion engine can include an ignition coil supplying a discharge voltage to an ignition device of an ignition combustion engine, a voltage-controlled type semiconductor element connected to a primary side of the ignition coil and an ignition control section capable of repeating, multiple time in an ignition period, operations of turning ON and turning OFF of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element by giving a gate signal to a gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element. The ignition control section can include an active element that discharges gate charges accumulated on the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element upon turning OFF operation of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element to the ground, and that is connected between the gate and a resistor at a side of the gate inserted in a gate wiring connected to the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ignition control device for an internal combustion engine comprising:
an ignition coil supplying a discharge voltage to an ignition device of an ignition combustion engine;
a voltage-controlled type semiconductor element connected to a primary side of the ignition coil: and
an ignition control section capable of repeating multiple times, in an ignition period, of operations of turning ON and turning OFF of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element by giving a gate signal to a gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element;
wherein the ignition control section includes an active element that discharges gate charges accumulated on the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element to the ground upon turning OFF operation of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element, and that is connected between the gate and a resistor at a side of the gate inserted in a gate wiring connected to the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element.

2. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein a resistance value of the gate wiring between the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element and a connection point of the active element is at most 300 mΩ.

3. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein a resistance value of the gate wiring between the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element and a connection point of the active element is at most 100 mΩ.

4. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein a resistance value of the gate wiring between the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element and a connection point of the active element is at most 50 mΩ.

5. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section comprises a discharge control circuit that performs ON operation of the active element upon transition of the gate signal from an ON state to an OFF state.

6. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section comprises:
a timer circuit that delivers timer signal s to repeatedly turn ON plural times the active element after an ON state of the gate signal and before an OFF state of the gate signal; and
a discharge control circuit that performs ON operation of the active element according to the timer signal of the timer circuit.

7. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section comprises a temperature detection circuit and has a construction to make the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element perform several times of turning ON operations and turning OFF operations when a temperature detected by the temperature detecting circuit is lower than a predetermined temperature.

8. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section comprises a voltage detection circuit that detects a power supply voltage of a DC power supply for supplying power to the ignition coil and has a construction to make the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element perform several times of turning ON operations and turning OFF operations when a voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit is lower than a predetermined voltage.

9. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section is formed in a chip in which the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element is formed.

10. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section is formed in a chip other than a chip in which the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element is formed.

11. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section operates with a power supply of the gate signal supplied by an engine control unit.

12. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section comprises an internal power supply circuit that is supplied with a power supply voltage of a DC power supply for supplying power to the ignition coil and delivers an internal operating power.

13. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the ignition control section comprises a clamp diode and a high withstand voltage constant current circuit connected in parallel between a high potential side terminal and a gate terminal of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element.

14. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 13 , wherein the high withstand voltage constant current circuit is composed of an insulated gate bipolar transistor of a depletion type.

15. The ignition control device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element is composed of either one of an insulated gate bipolar transistor and a MOS field effect transistor.

Assignees

• Fuji Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ishii Kenichi

Classifications

• F02P3/0453 Primary

  Opening or closing the primary coil circuit with semiconductor devices · CPC title

• F02P3/0442 Primary

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

• F02P15/08

  having multiple-spark ignition, i.e. ignition occurring simultaneously at different places in one engine cylinder or in two or more separate engine cylinders · CPC title