An outboard motor having an idling stop function, which includes a starter motor configured to start up an engine, a capacitor configured to serve as a power source of the starter motor, a restarting circuit that includes a restart switch configured to activate the starter motor by electric power supplied from the capacitor in conjunction with a shift lever directly operated by a ship operator at a time of restarting after idling stop, a changeover switch configured to switch to an idling stop mode that enables the restarting circuit, and an engine control device configured to control shifting to the idling stop in the idling stop mode. The capacitor is disposed in an engine compartment of the outboard motor.

In at least some implementations, an ignition system for a combustion engine includes a controller, an ignition circuit, and a wire providing two-way communication between the ignition circuit and the controller. The ignition circuit may include a charge capacitor that is discharged to cause an ignition event. The ignition circuit may be an inductive discharge ignition circuit including a coil and may then also include a second wire that provides electrical power to the coil.

An electronic device for the ignition system of an engine, which may incorporate circuitry for voltage amplification via transformer action, while also containing circuitry for sensing operational parameters, circuitry for calculation of derived values from the sensed data or operational parameters, circuitry for storage of the data and derived values, circuitry for engine system control, and circuitry for the wireless communication of data and derived values.

An ignition system for a light-duty combustion engine includes a charge winding, a microcontroller and a power supply sub-circuit. The sub-circuit is coupled to both the charge winding and the microcontroller and includes a first power supply switch, a power supply capacitor and a power supply zener. The sub-circuit is arranged to turn off the first power supply switch so that charging of the power supply capacitor stops when the charge on the power supply capacitor exceeds the breakdown voltage on the power supply zener. In at least some implementations, the power supply capacitor may power the microcontroller and the power supply sub-circuit may limit or reduce the amount of electrical energy taken from the induced AC voltage of the charge winding to a level that is still able to sufficiently power the microcontroller yet saves energy for use elsewhere in the system.

In at least some implementations, an ignition system for a combustion engine includes analog circuit components arranged to control ignition events at an engine speed below a first threshold of engine speed and a microprocessor to control ignition events at engine speeds higher than the first threshold. Hence, ignition can be controlled at lower engine cranking speeds to facilitate starting the engine at lower engine rotational speeds.

Provided is a stroke determination device which detects a secondary output from an ignition coil without using a high breakdown voltage element, and is capable of accurately establishing the stroke being carried out during an ignition operation of a four-stroke engine from the waveform of the detected secondary output. In the present invention, a secondary coil of an ignition coil is constituted from a first coil portion, and a second coil portion wound so as to have fewer windings than does the first coil portion and connected in series to the first coil portion. A tap is drawn out from a boundary part between both coil portions, the voltage at both ends of the second coil portion or the current flowing through the second coil portion is detected through the tap, and a parameter to be used in stroke determination is detected from the waveform of the detected voltage or current.

The invention relates to an ignition device for triggering an ignition spark at a spark plug by way of an ignition generator. The latter includes a magnet wheel, which has two permanent magnets arranged at a spacing from each other in the peripheral direction and a magnetic yoke. The magnetic yoke carries a charging coil which charges an ignition capacitor, a primary coil and a secondary coil connected to the spark plug. During every passing of a permanent magnet, a voltage is induced in the coils, wherein, in order to trigger the ignition spark, the ignition capacitor is discharged via a switch element. In order to avoid an unwanted ignition at the bottom dead center of the piston, a device for reducing the voltage that occurs at the spark plug is provided.

A system and method for delivering spark to an engine is disclosed. In one example, a single conductor carries a spark signal that is indicative of a desired spark advance for a plurality of ignition coils. The system and method may reduce wiring complexity for spark plugs that are supplied energy via two ignition coils.

A handheld engine-driven working machine comprises an internal combustion engine and an ignition control device; wherein the ignition control device can switch its control between a normal mode and a operation mode, wherein during the operation mode, the ignition timing within the high speed range is maintained at a second BTDC angle, and the ignition timing within the medium speed range is advanced more than a third BTDC angle between a first BTDC angle and the second BTDC angle, and wherein at any rotational speed within the medium speed range, the ignition timing during the operation mode is advanced more than the ignition timing during the normal mode.

An ignition control system performs discharge generation control, in which a discharge spark is generated, once or a plurality of times during a single combustion cycle. The ignition control system successively calculates an approximate energy density based on a secondary current and a discharge path length. During a predetermined period after blocking of a primary current is performed during a single combustion cycle, the ignition control system calculates an integrated value by integrating the discharge path length at this time, based on the approximate energy density being greater than a predetermined value. The ignition control system performs the discharge generation control again based on the calculated integrated value being less than a first threshold.