A system and method for enhancing spark generation in an ignition coil of an internal combustion engine at low rotational speeds of the flywheel. The method and system monitor the rotational speed of the flywheel and, when the rotational speed of the flywheel is below a threshold rotational speed, the system and method supplies voltage pulses to the primary winding. The timing of the voltage pulses supplied to the primary winding are triggered off of voltage transitions in pulses induced in the primary winding upon rotation of the flywheel. Once the internal combustion engine has started, the switching device transitions into a second condition to disconnect the electrical storage device from the primary winding. The spark generation system of the present disclosure allows for starting of an internal combustion engine upon slower initial rotational speeds.

An ignition control system is applied to an internal combustion engine having an ignition coil, a switching element and a measurement detection part which detects at least one of a primary and a secondary voltages and a secondary current. The ignition coil has a primary coil and a secondary coil. The switching element performs conduction and interruption the primary current to the primary coil. The ignition control system has a primary current control unit generating a spark discharge at the ignition plug by passing the primary current through the primary coil, and perform interruption of the primary current, and a discharge short-circuiting determination part determining a generation of discharge short-circuiting based on a measured value. The primary current control unit generates the spark discharge again when discharge short-circuiting occurs.

A method for operating an ignition coil is described, wherein a secondary voltage pulse is generated by feeding a primary voltage pulse into a transformer of the ignition coil, and a primary current, a primary voltage, a secondary current and/or a secondary voltage are measured, wherein the course of the primary current, the primary voltage, the secondary voltage and/or the secondary current are monitored and, when a malfunction is determined during subsequent primary voltage pulse, an error signal is generated which indicates that a malfunction has occurred during the previous primary voltage pulse and classifies the malfunction. In addition, a corresponding ignition coil is described.

An ignition device for igniting an air/fuel mixture in at least one combustion chamber, having an ignition system with electrodes for each combustion chamber, a high-voltage source for generating an electrical high-voltage impulse at an output of the high-voltage source, and a high-frequency voltage source for generating an electrical high-frequency alternating voltage, wherein m ignition systems (10i) are provided with the formula (I) (natural numbers without zero) and m2, wherein K high-frequency voltage sources are provided with the formula (II), and K<m, wherein at least one power distributor device is provided which is electrically connected, on the one hand, to at least one high-frequency voltage source and, on the other hand, to n ignition systems, wherein formula (III) and 2nm, the power distributor device transmits the high-frequency alternating voltage or voltages from the high-frequency voltage source or sources to the ignition systems n.

An ignition control system includes a spark plug including a cylindrical ground electrode, a cylindrical insulator having a protruding portion held inside the ground electrode and protruding toward a tip side the spark plug relative to the ground electrode, and a center electrode held inside the insulator and exposed from the insulator, an ignition coil including a primary coil and a secondary coil, and a primary current control unit performing creeping discharge control for generating a creeping discharge along a surface of the insulator, and air discharge transition control for stopping the creeping discharge occurring in the spark plug after the creeping discharge control is performed, and cutting off primary current after a discharge stop period ends, in one combustion cycle of the engine.

A system and method for enhancing spark generation in an ignition coil of an internal combustion engine at low rotational speeds of the flywheel. The method and system monitor the rotational speed of the flywheel and, when the rotational speed of the flywheel is below a threshold rotational speed, the system and method supplies voltage pulses to the primary winding. The timing of the voltage pulses supplied to the primary winding are triggered off of voltage transitions in pulses induced in the primary winding upon rotation of the flywheel. Once the internal combustion engine has started, the switching device transitions into a second condition to disconnect the electrical storage device from the primary winding. The spark generation system of the present disclosure allows for starting of an internal combustion engine upon slower rope pull starting or upon discharge of a starter battery.

A method includes configuring a switching control circuit to operate a power switch to apply power to an inductive device in response to a control signal. The switching control circuit includes a voltage regulator configured to generate a supply voltage from the control signal to power the switching control circuit when the control signal is at or above an operating voltage of switching control circuit. Further, the switching control circuit is configured to controllably discharge the inductive device after power has been applied to the inductive device for a maximum dwell time. The method further includes sampling a flyback voltage off the discharging inductive device, and generating, from the sampled flyback voltage, the supply voltage to power the switching control circuit when the control signal has dropped below the operating voltage of switching control circuit.

An ignition coil has a primary coil and a secondary coil, a coil terminal, a connector terminal and a connector part. The connector part has a coil-side lead wire and a connector-side lead wire. The coil terminal has a coil-side fitting groove part into which the coil-side lead wire is fitted. An internal edge surface of the coil-side fitting groove part is formed internally to have a protruded curved surface. The connector terminal has a connector-side fitting groove part into which the connector-side lead wire is fitted. An internal edge surface of the connector-side fitting groove part is formed internally to have a protruded curved surface. The coil-side lead wire is inserted into the coil-side fitting groove part in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction thereof. The connector-side lead wire is fitted into the connector-side fitting groove part in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction thereof.

An ignition apparatus of an internal combustion engine is provided with an ignition plug, an AC (alternating current) voltage application unit configured to apply AC voltage to the center electrode of the ignition plug, and an application voltage control unit that controls an operation of the AC voltage application unit. The application voltage control unit is configured to control the AC voltage application unit to apply the center electrode with a first AC voltage having an amplitude smaller than that of a required voltage of the ignition plug in a first period which is before an ignition timing, and to apply the center electrode with a second AC voltage having an amplitude smaller than that of the first AC voltage or to stop applying the center electrode with the AC voltage during a second period which is before the ignition timing after the first period has elapsed.

There is provided an internal combustion engine ignition apparatus that can effectively raise the ignitability of an inflammable fuel-air mixture, by applying electric power corresponding to the combustion state of an internal combustion engine. A combustion state detection apparatus detects an combustion state inside a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine; based on the combustion state detected by the combustion state detection apparatus in accordance with an operation state of an ignition coil apparatus, a current supply apparatus supplies an AC current to a spark discharge path formed in the gap of an ignition plug; then, a control apparatus controls the output of the current supply apparatus.