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. The integrating capacitor is configured, in the case wherein a pre-ignition of the comburent-combustible mixture in the combustion chamber during the phase of charging occurs, to pre-charge during the phase of charging energy in the primary winding and it is configured, in the case wherein the pre-ignition of the comburent-combustible mixture does not occur, to maintain the charge state substantially constant during the phase of charging energy.

A system for and a method of knock detection and control for an engine utilizes a knock sensor configured to generate a knock signal indicative of a vibration of the engine caused by abnormal combustion. A controller is configured to receive the knock signal, determine, with respect to a crank angle of the engine, distinct monitoring windows for low speed pre-ignition (LSPI) knock and spark knock, respectively, based on (i) spark timing and (ii) an appropriate mass fraction burn (MFB) location, monitor the knock signal using the distinct monitoring windows, detect one of LSPI knock and spark knock based on the monitoring, and control the engine to mitigate the detected LSPI knock or spark knock.

A misfire determination device of an engine in which explosion occurs at unequal intervals, the engine including a plurality of cylinders and a crankshaft which is angularly displaced at a different angle between expansion strokes, is configured to calculate generated torque correlation amount correlated with generated torque, based on an angular position signal of the crankshaft, and perform misfire determination, based on an average value of the generated torque correlation amount in an interval less than one cycle of the engine, at an angular position of the crankshaft which is different from an angular position of the crankshaft at an ignition timing.

A system and method for providing multiple commands to an ignition coil driver circuit to provide spark, ion signal integration, and ignition coil shunting during a cycle of a cylinder is presented. In one example, multiple voltage pulses are provided over a single conductor communication link. The voltage pulses provide encoded instructions for ignition timing, ignition coil shunting, and ion signal integration.

A method for ignition control in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine by means of acquiring an electric signal relating to ionizing currents emitted in said combustion chamber, comprising a step of detecting a substantially stepped trend of said electric signal and a consequent step of inhibiting a corrective action of an ignition advance and/or of a fuel injection limitation curve in the combustion chamber.

An internal combustion engine, a method of operating the internal combustion engine, and a controller are disclosed. The method may be implemented in part by the controller and comprises determining a shaft angle of an engine shaft; supplying, to an ion sensor fluidly coupled to a combustion chamber of the engine a low voltage at a beginning of a combustion cycle to generate an ion sensor current and a high voltage during an ionization voltage window based at least in part on the shaft angle, wherein the low voltage is configured to prevent premature ignition of fuel in the combustion chamber and the high voltage exceeds the low voltage and is configured to increase the ion sensor current above a current threshold.

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. The integrating capacitor is configured, in the case wherein a pre-ignition of the comburent-combustible mixture in the combustion chamber during the phase of charging occurs, to pre-charge during the phase of charging energy in the primary winding and it is configured, in the case wherein the pre-ignition of the comburent-combustible mixture does not occur, to maintain the charge state substantially constant during the phase of charging energy.

The internal-combustion-engine combustion state control apparatus includes an ignition control means that generates two or more ignition signals during a single compression stroke or a single combustion stroke of an internal combustion engine, a high voltage means that makes an ignition plug, provided in a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, perform an ignition discharge based on the ignition signal, an ignition-discharge parameter detection circuit that detects a parameter indicating a state of the ignition discharge, an ignition-discharge duration detection means that detects two or more ignition discharge durations, based on an output signal of the ignition-discharge parameter detection circuit, and an abnormal-combustion determination means that diagnoses a combustion state of the internal combustion engine, based on at least one of the two or more ignition discharge durations; an abnormal-combustion-suppression control means is made to operate based on the result of a determination by the abnormal-combustion determination means.

A combustion control system for an engine of a vehicle includes an ion sensing system configured to generate an ion current signal indicative of a measured current across electrodes of a spark plug associated with a cylinder of the engine and a controller configured to monitor for peaks in the ion current signal and, upon detecting at least a first peak and a second peak in the ion current signal, estimate a location of peak pressure (LPP) based on the detected second peak in the ion current signal, estimate an angle (CA50) of a crankshaft of the engine at which approximately 50% of the heat generated during combustion in the cylinder of the engine is released, and control combustion phasing of the engine based on the estimated CA50 angle.

Apparatuses, methods, and systems for igniting fuel for an internal combustion engine, an ignition system include a first ignition device associated with a pre-combustion chamber of a cylinder and a second ignition device associated with a main combustion chamber of the cylinder. An engine control unit is operably connected to both the engine and the ignition system to ignite fuel for the cylinder with the first ignition device independently of igniting fuel with the second ignition device. The engine control unit determines an occurrence of a combustion condition and in response thereto (i) ignites fuel for combustion with both the first and the second ignition devices or (ii) ignites fuel for combustion only with the second ignition device. The engine control unit determines a second combustion condition and in response thereto ignites fuel only with the first ignition device.