Abstract: An ignition control device for an internal combustion engine can include an ignition coil supplying a discharge voltage to an ignition device of an ignition combustion engine, a voltage-controlled type semiconductor element connected to a primary side of the ignition coil and an ignition control section capable of repeating, multiple time in an ignition period, operations of turning ON and turning OFF of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element by giving a gate signal to a gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element. The ignition control section can include an active element that discharges gate charges accumulated on the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element upon turning OFF operation of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element to the ground, and that is connected between the gate and a resistor at a side of the gate inserted in a gate wiring connected to the gate of the voltage-controlled type semiconductor element.

Abstract: A spark plug capable of removing the remaining electric charges is proposed. The spark plug can be installed in a vehicle and has an insulating body, a center electrode, a conductive housing and a conductive wire. The center electrode is passed through the insulating body. The conductive housing is disposed outside the insulating body. One end of the conductive wire is connected to the conductive housing and the other end of the conductive wire is fixed on a negative electrode of a battery of the vehicle. Since the electric charges remaining in the spark plug can be removed by the conductive wire after the high-voltage current sent from the ignition system induces the sparks, the present invention can avoid the damage of the spark plug to keep the spark plug in good status, maintain the efficiency of the engine, and make the car safer in usage.

Abstract: An ignition coil assembly includes a high voltage (HV) diode at both ends of the secondary winding. The diodes prevent a spark-on-make condition. The diode implementation has particular benefits when used in a 42 volt automotive electrical system.

Abstract: A system is provided for preventing spark-on-make in an internal combustion engine, using manifold pressure information. The system includes a pressure sensor and a controller. The pressure sensor is adapted to detect pressure in an intake manifold and provide an output signal indicative of that pressure. The controller is at least indirectly connected to the pressure sensor and is adapted to delay initiation of ignition dwell in a coil by a period of time sufficient to avoid spark-on-make, in response to the output signal from the sensor. Preferably, the pressure sensor is a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor. The controller preferably is implemented by suitably programming or otherwise configuring an electronic engine control unit (ECU). Also provided is a method for preventing spark-on-make in an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: To provide an ignition device advantageous in cost and space by using an inexpensive small-sized Zener diode having a Zener voltage lower than an induced voltage generated at a primary current supply timing, so as to prevent sparking of a spark plug due to the induced voltage. An ignition device for an internal combustion engine, includes a Zener diode provided on the secondary lower-voltage side of an ignition coil. The Zener diode comes into conduction at a voltage lower than an induced voltage generated at a primary current supply timing.

Abstract: An ignition apparatus for internal combustion engine includes an ignition power unit 1A having a power transistor 14A for feeding and shutting off a primary current i1 to and from an ignition coil 13 and a control circuit 2 having a CPU 21 for calculating an ignition timing of an internal combustion engine and a feeding time of the primary current in accordance with an operating state D and outputting an ignition signal G to the power transistor, feeds and shuts off the primary current in response to an ignition signal Ga to generate a high-tension secondary voltage from the ignition coil. The power transistor has a characteristic for increasing a direct current amplifying ratio as a base to emitter voltage VBE between a base and emitter increases to suppress the rising-up of the primary current to thereby suppress a secondary voltage generated when the primary current starts to be fed.

Abstract: An ignition apparatus for internal combustion engine includes an ignition power unit 1A having an ignition coil 13 and a power transistor 14 for supplying and shutting off a primary current i1 to the ignition coil; and a control circuit 2A for determining ignition timing of the internal combustion engine and a period for supply of the primary current in accordance with driving conditions D of the internal combustion engine so that it generates an ignition signal Ga in the form of a pulse to the power transistor. The primary current is supplied and shut off by the power transistor in accordance with the ignition signal to produce a high-tension secondary voltage V2 from the ignition coil. The control circuit includes an oscillation circuit 23 starting operation from a point when the ignition signal rises and operating for a predetermined period shorter than a pulse width of the ignition signal, the waveform of the ignition signal thereby being made to rise gradually.

Abstract: An ignition circuit for a spark plug includes an IGBT switch with a foldback clamp circuit. The foldback clamp has a first high clamp voltage for a first short interval to fire the spark plug, followed by a lower clamp voltage. The power dissipation of the IGBT switch is therefore substantially reduced.

Abstract: The device is of the type comprising for each engine spark plug a transformer with a secondary winding to be connected to the respective spark plug and a primary winding connected to the output of a power stage able to provide an ON-OFF signal for controlling the transformer. The device also comprises a damping network and, interposed between the network and the output of the power stage, unidirectional connection means which connect said network to the output of the power stage each time the signal present at said output switches from an OFF condition to an ON condition.

Abstract: To prevent spurious sparks from arising at a spark plug (6) connected to the secondary (3) of an ignition coil upon sudden current rise through the primary (2) when a switching transistor (4) serially connected with the primary becomes conductive, the primary (2) of the ignition coil is serially connected with another resistor (7) to form one branch of a bridge circuit, the other branch being formed by two resistors (8, 9) connected in parallel with said first branch.The diagonal terminals (11, 11') are connected to a source of reference voltage (Uref), formed for example by a Zener diode (12) and the emitter-base path of a control transistor (13), the collector of which is connected to the base of a driver transistor (14) which is controlled from an ignition control source (i) either to conduction or non-conduction to, in turn and 180.degree. out of phase, control non-conduction and conduction of the switching transistor (4).

Abstract: In an electronic ignition apparatus, there are provided an ignition signal generator, an ignition circuit, an ignition-noise masking signal generator, a switching transistor and an ignition coil. The ignition signal of the ignition signal generator is supplied to the ignition circuit to produce a first ignition pulse and a second ignition pulse which is electrically isolated from the first ignition pulse. The first ignition pulse is applied to the switching transistor so as to switch the collector voltage thereof, whereby high voltage ignition pulse is produced in the ignition coil. The second ignition pulse is applied to the ignition-noise masking signal generator to produce an ignition-noise masking signal. The ignition-noise masking signal is superimposed on the ignition signal so as to mask the ignition noise at least when the high voltage ignition pulse is produced in the ignition coil.

Abstract: In an ignition system for an internal combustion engine which is operable in synchronism with rotation of the engine to switch on and off a primary current in an ignition coil and applies to a spark plug a high voltage induced in the ignition coil secondary winding upon the off switching, a Zener diode is connected to the low-voltage side of the ignition coil secondary winding in order to prevent a secondary voltage induced upon the on switching of the primary current from being applied to the spark plug.

Abstract: A breakerless ignition system includes a resonant circuit whose oscillation is controlled by the relative position between a detector coil 2a embodied therein and a magnetically permeable rotor 1 driven by the engine, and a threshold detector 3 responsive to the oscillation signal envelope for controlling the supply of energy to an ignition coil 6 via a power switching transistor 5. To prevent false triggering of the detector due to spurious signals induced in the coil by the spark ignition firings, a monostable multivibrator 8 actuated by the trailing edge of the detector output holds the transistor deenergized for a predetermined period of time after it has been turned off. The multivibrator output may resistively ground the resonant circuit, or it may disable the transistor via an inverter 11 and AND gate 12.

Abstract: A breakerless ignition system includes a resonant circuit whose oscillation is controlled by the relative position between a detector coil 2a embodied therein and a magnetically permeable rotor 1 driven by the engine, and a threshold detector 3 responsive to the oscillation signal envelope for controlling the supply of energy to an ignition coil 6 via a power switching transistor 5. To prevent false triggering of the detector due to spurious signals induced in the coil by the spark ignition firings, a monostable multivibrator 8 actuated by the trailing edge of the detector output holds the transistor deenergized for a predetermined period of time after it has been turned off. The multivibrator output may resistively ground the resonant circuit, or it may disable the transistor via an inverter 11 and AND gate 12.

Abstract: A contactless erroneous ignition prevention type ignition system for internal combustion engines, in which the energization of the ignition coil is held regardless of an input signal for a predetermined time period after starting the energization. At a first predetermined time after the output signal of a rotational signal generator corresponding to the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine exceeds a reference level, the energization of the ignition coil is started, and the energization of the ignition coil is maintained regardless of the output signal of the rotational signal generator until a second predetermined time. The charging timing of a capacitor of a frequency-voltage converter circuit for controlling the dwell angle of the ignition coil is controlled according to the first and second predetermined times.

Abstract: In an ignition system for an internal combustion engine in which the flow of a primary winding energizing current is switched on and off in synchronism with the rotation of the engine and a high voltage is induced in the secondary winding upon switching off of the energizing current, an energizing current is supplied again at around the top dead center of each cylinder and then decreased gradually and interrupted in accordance with a sawtooth waveform whose voltage attains a predetermined potential at around the top dead center and then decreases gradually.

Abstract: In a distributor assembly having an ignition coil therein, for use with an internal combustion engine, the positional relationship between the ignition coil and a magnetic sensitive detector, which detects a proper ignition timing, is selected so that the leakage flux from the ignition coil does not cause the magnetic sensitive detector to malfunction. According to one arrangement the magnetic sensitive direction of the detector is arranged perpendicular to the leakage flux from the ignition coil. According to the other arrangement the magnetic sensitive direction of the detector is arranged to intersect a radial line from the axis of the main magnetic flux of the ignition coil at an angle other than 90 degrees so that the flux variation in the detector is expedited by the appearance and disappearance of the leakage flux.

Abstract: A circuit suitable to be utilized in an electronic ignition system or the like which receives periodic signal information and which is caused to ignore this information during a portion of each period a predetermined time interval after initiation of each period. The circuit comprises a blanking circuit which is responsive to control signals generated from the input signal information at the predetermined time interval after initiation thereof to produce a blanking signal the duration of which last during the portion of the period and a coincidence gate that is inhibited by the blanking signal but enabled during the remaining portion of each period to pass the signal information between an input and output thereof.

Abstract: Adapter plugs are proposed for electronic circuits in motor vehicles which normally receive plug-in units. The adapter plug is interposed between the circuits and the plug-in units and contains circuits which improve the operation of such units. Specifically, in ignition control circuits, the circuitry in the adapter plug can contain a thyristor which is normally blocked, but which shunts energy from the ignition capacitor when the ignition switch is open while the interrupter switch is closed. This prevents the generation of undesired sparks.

Abstract: A control signal the value of which gradually changes in response to the turning on of a switching element connected in series to the primary winding circuit of an ignition coil is generated. By use of this control signal, the voltage across the primary winding is caused to rise slowly when the switching element is on, thus preventing an unnecessary high voltage from being generated across the secondary winding of the ignition coil.

Abstract: A power transistor is connected in series with a DC power supply and the primary winding of an ignition coil. The base of the power transistor is connected to first and second transistors connected in compound fashion. A current limiter circuit is operated when the current in the primary winding reaches a predetermined value, thus controlling the first transistor. The second transistor is controlled by and the current thereof limited by the first transistor on the one hand and on the other hand subjects the power transistor to on-off control in accordance with the ignition timing signal synchronous with the engine r.p.m.