Abstract:
A method of controlling an ignition system, said ignition system including a spark plug control unit adapted to control at least two coil stages so as to successively energise and de-energise said coil stage(s) to provide a current to a spark plug, including two stages comprising a first transformer (T1) including a first primary winding (L1) inductively coupled to a first secondary winding (L2); a second transformer (T2) including a second primary winding (L3) inductively coupled to a second secondary winding (L4); said control unit enabled to simultaneously energize and deenergize primary windings (L1, L3) by simultaneously switching on and off two corresponding switches (Q1, Q2) to maintain a continuous ignition fire, and includes a step-down converter stage located between said control unit and coil stage(s), said step-down converter including a switch (M1) and a diode (D3), said control unit being enabled to switch off said switch (M1), wherein the method provides control to limit the secondary current peak at the end of the Coupled Multi-Charge period, comprising the step of, at the end of the Coupled Multi-Charge period: switching off M1, Q1 and Q2.
Abstract:
A method of controlling an ignition system, said ignition system including a spark plug control unit adapted to control at least one coil stage (T1, T2), said coil stage (T1, T2) adapted to successively energise and de-energise said coil stage(s) (T1, T2) to provide a current to a spark plug, each of said coil stage(s) (T1, T2) including a primary winding (L1, L3) inductively coupled to a secondary winding (L2, L4), comprising: measuring the low side voltages at the one or more of each primary and/or secondary windings, and controlling the duty cycle or the pulse width of the PWM-signal of the step-down-converter (M1, D3) dependent on the battery voltage, maximum primary current threshold and said measured voltages.
Abstract:
An ignition system for an internal combustion engine comprises an ignition transformer with two primary windings (L P1 , L P2 ). The ignition system is designed to generate, for a given ignition event, a unipolar current (I SEC ) through the secondary winding (L SEC ) by way of a control circuit (20) that is configured to first energize and deenergize the first primary winding (L P1 ) to establish a first electrical arc across the sparkplug electrodes (14) and, when the current (I SEC ) in the secondary winding reaches, or drops below, a current threshold (I SEC_TH ), repeatedly energizes and deenergizes the second primary winding (L P2 ) to establish a plurality of second current pulses across the electrodes in order to maintain the burn phase.
Abstract:
A method to limit the maximum primary current peak in an ignition system including a spark plug control unit adapted to at least one coil stage is disclosed, said coil stage adapted to successively energise and de-energise said coil stage(s) to provide a current to a spark plug, each of said coil stage(s) including a primary winding (L1, L3) inductively coupled to a secondary winding (L2,L4) under control of said spark plug control unit, and including a step-down converter stage located between said control unit and coil stage(s), said step- down converter including a switch (M1) and a diode (D3), comprising compare the primary current Ip with a threshold value Ipmaxth, and holding the primary current at this threshold value operating by control of the step down converter.