An ignition device according to the present invention includes: an ignition plug, which includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a dielectric body arranged between the electrodes; an AC power supply configured to generate an AC voltage to be applied between the electrodes; a thermal plasma detection portion configured to output a thermal plasma occurrence signal when thermal plasma has occurred between the electrodes; and an application time period determination portion configured to determine an application time period for the AC voltage during one cycle of the internal combustion engine in advance before the application, and when the thermal plasma occurrence signal is received while the AC voltage is being applied based on the application time period, change the application time period so as to shorten the application time period.

A spark plug combustion ionization sensor for measuring ion current inside the cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The sensor measures ion current which flows when the energy released during combustion ionizes the air inside the cylinder, and thus can detect combustion and emission parameters. The spark plug combustion ionization sensor generally includes an insulated, dedicated sensing electrode, separate from the sparking electrode of a spark plug. The sensing electrode may also be shielded to further reduce interference such as electromagnetic interference (EMI). The use of a dedicated electrode allows for ion current measurement with less electromagnetic noise from the ignition process, and also eliminates the need for circuitry that is typically necessary when the sparking electrode is also used to sense ion current.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling spark plug fouling in newly manufactured vehicles. In one example, an engine is operated with a first, more aggressive spark discharge schedule when in a pre-delivery state and transitioned to a second, less aggressive spark discharge schedule when in a post-delivery state. In each spark discharge schedule, a spark plug ignition coil is repeatedly discharged when the engine is off, such as when the engine is spinning down to rest on a shutdown event or before the engine is fueled on an engine restart event.

A method for controlling the operation of a spark ignition internal combustion engine is described. The engine includes: a combustion chamber, an intake duct for placing the combustion chamber in communication with the external, a throttle valve arranged inside the intake duct, a carburetor for introducing fuel into the intake duct to form an air/fuel mixture to be intaken into the combustion chamber, and a spark plug arranged inside the combustion chamber to generate a spark for igniting the combustion of the air/fuel mixture. The method includes: monitoring the opening degree of the throttle valve; monitoring the speed of the engine, preventing the spark plug from generating the spark, if the opening degree of the throttle valve drops below a first opening degree threshold value and the speed of the engine is greater than a first engine speed threshold value.

To provide a controller and a control method for an internal combustion engine capable of suppressing causing erroneous determination of combustion state even if noise component is superimposed on the ion current. In combustion state determination processing which determines combustion state of each combustion based on ion current, a controller for an internal combustion engine calculates a minimum value of ion current during a processing period, and prohibits determination of combustion state at a time point when the minimum value of ion current is below a preliminarily set determination prohibition threshold value.

Internal combustion engine with a controller and at least one combustion chamber and an at least one ignition amplifier associated with the combustion chamber, whereby the at least one combustion chamber, on the one hand via a feeding device for a fuel-air mixture, can be supplied with energy, and on the other hand can be supplied with energy by the associated ignition amplifier, whereby the controller is designed to change the excess-air ratio of the fuel-air mixture in a detection mode for the at least one combustion chamber, and at least one sensor is provided, whose signals can be supplied to the controller and whose signals are characteristic of the combustion event in at least one combustion chamber and that the controller is designed such that, depending on the signals supplied by at least one sensor, a representative detection signal is generated associated with a status of the at least one ignition amplifier associated with at least one combustion chamber.

It is disclosed an electronic device to control an ignition coil of an internal combustion engine, comprising a high-voltage switch, a driving unit, a bias circuit and an integrating circuit. The high-voltage switch is connected in series with a primary winding of a coil. The driving unit is configured to control the closing and opening of the high-voltage switch. The integrating circuit is interposed between the bias circuit and a reference voltage. The integrating circuit comprises an integrating capacitor connected in series to the bias circuit and connected between the bias circuit and the reference voltage. The integrating capacitor is configured to maintain a substantially null charge during a phase of measurement of a ionization current as to measure a substantially null value of an integral of the ionization current, in the case of a misfire of the comburent-combustible mixture.

To provide a control device, of an internal combustion engine, that accurately identifies the combustion state through ion current detection in a wide operation range of the internal combustion engine, without impairing the reliability and the durability of the control device of the internal combustion engine. This internal combustion engine control device includes: an ignition plug having a center electrode and a ground electrode opposed to each other with a gap therebetween; a circulation device for short-circuiting a primary winding to cause a circulation route to enter a conduction state, thereby stopping spark discharge; and an ion-current-detection bias voltage control device for controlling bias voltage for ion current detection. The potential of the center electrode in an ion current detection period is controlled by adjusting the value of the bias voltage and the changing speed of the bias voltage.

A method and system for reducing cycle to cycle variation of an engine is provided. The system may determine fuel injection characteristics and predict a gas burning rate or flame speed based on the fuel injection characteristics. The system may adjust an ignition timing in response to the predicted gas burning rate within the same engine cycle.

An electronic ignition system for an internal combustion engine. The system includes a coil having a primary winding with a first terminal and a second terminal and a secondary winding connected to a spark plug. A high voltage switch is serially connected to the primary winding. A control terminal carries a control signal to control the opening or closing of the high voltage switch. A first switch is interposed between a battery voltage and the first terminal of the primary winding, a second switch is interposed between the first terminal of the primary winding and a reference voltage, a third switch is interposed between the second terminal of the primary winding and said reference voltage. A driving unit is configured to generate signals to control the switches during a charging phase, during a transfer of energy phase, and during a measure phase of ionization current.