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:
A multi-charge 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, said 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); characterised in including auxiliary primary winding (L5) connected from the common high side of the primary winding in series to an auxiliary secondary winding (L6), the other end of said auxiliary secondary winding (L6) electrically connected to ground/low side, and including switch means Q3 adapted to selectively allow current to pass through said auxiliary windings.
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 multi-charge 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, said 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); characterised in including first switch means M2 located between the high end side of the first primary winding and high end side of the second primary winding, and second switch means M3 located between the low side of the first primary wining and high side of the second primary winding.
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.