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.

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.

A control device is configured to perform, when it is estimated that a combustion fluctuation increases, estimation related to an ignition delay for initial flame generated from a discharge spark and an air-fuel mixture containing fuel spray injected by intake stroke injection. When it is estimated that the ignition delay for the initial flame is increased from that before the increase in the combustion fluctuation, an injection amount in expansion stroke injection is reduced in a next time cycle. When it is estimated that the ignition delay for the initial flame is reduced from that before the increase in the combustion fluctuation, the injection amount in expansion stroke injection is increased in a next time cycle.

An ignition device capable of more reliably protecting a primary winding of an ignition coil from high temperature is provided. The ignition device includes an ignition coil, a switching element, a temperature sensor, and a thermal cutout circuit. A primary winding of the ignition coil is connected to a DC power supply and the switching element. The temperature sensor is provided to measure the temperature of the switching element. The thermal cutout circuit forcibly turns off the switching element when the temperature of the switching element becomes higher than a predetermined forcible turn-off temperature Toff. The thermal cutout circuit is configured to lower the forcible turn-off temperature Toff when the power supply voltage Vb of the DC power supply decreases.

An electrode wear amount predicting system of a spark plug, includes: at least one ignition coil that includes a primary coil and a secondary coil; a spark plug that generates a spark discharge by a discharge current generated by the ignition coil and includes a center electrode and a ground electrode; a sensing portion measuring a current applied to the primary coil; and a controller that determines a wear state of the center electrode and the ground electrode according to an amount of the current applied to the primary coil detected by the sensing portion when an electrode wear amount predicting condition is satisfied.

An electrode wear amount predicting system of a spark plug, includes: at least one ignition coil that includes a primary coil and a secondary coil; a spark plug that generates a spark discharge by a discharge current generated by the ignition coil and includes a center electrode and a ground electrode; a sensing portion measuring a current applied to the primary coil; and a controller that determines a wear state of the center electrode and the ground electrode according to an amount of the current applied to the primary coil detected by the sensing portion when an electrode wear amount predicting condition is satisfied.

Provided is an ignition control device capable of suppressing wear of an ignition plug due to occurrence of a re-strike without adding a component. An ECU 123 used as an ignition control device includes: an ignition signal calculation unit 203 that calculates a start timing and an end timing of re-energization with a primary current in one ignition process, compares the end timing of the re-energization with the timing at which the frequency of occurrence of a re-strike decreases, and determines whether to perform the re-energization; and an ignition signal generation unit 204 that generates an ignition signal for generating at least one or more spark discharges in the ignition process, outputs the ignition signal to the ignition coil, then generates the ignition signal when the ignition signal calculation unit determines to perform the re-energization, outputs the ignition signal to the ignition coil at the start timing of the re-energization, and does not generate the ignition signal when the ignition signal calculation unit determines not to perform the re-energization.

In an engine ignition method according to the present invention, an ignition coil and an exciter coil are provided in a magneto generator driven by an engine. After charging an ignition capacitor using an output voltage of the exciter coil, the ignition capacitor is discharged through a primary coil of the ignition coil at an ignition timing of the engine, whereby a high voltage induced in a secondary coil of the ignition coil is applied to an ignition plug and a first spark discharge is generated in the ignition plug, and a voltage induced in the secondary coil of the ignition coil accompanied with rotation of the magneto rotor is applied to the ignition plug in a state that insulation across discharge gaps of the ignition plug is broken down due to the first spark discharge, whereby a second spark discharge is produced in the ignition plug.

A spark plug heat up method via transient control of the spark discharge current. The high temperature plasma channel is used to heat up the central electrode, and the temperature and energy of the plasma channel are realized via transient control of the discharge current. The heating up process takes place before firing the engine, using discharge current to actively heat up the spark plug from inside. By monitoring the discharge current amplitude and discharge duration, the temperature change of the central electrode and the ceramic insulator can be carefully measured and controlled within a proper window. This method can be used to measure the heating range of the spark plug, and to prevent or remove the carbon deposit on the central electrode and the ceramic insulator generated under various engine operation conditions, such as engine cold start, full load operation, and heavy EGR condition, as well as realize self-cleaning.

A portable low voltage material combustion system and methods of making and using the system including a non-transitory computer readable medium containing a program code executable to deliver an output voltage or an output current from the mobile computing device to an igniter which converts the output voltage or the output current into heat sufficient to ignite a primer composition to generate flame spread in associated combustible materials.