| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090066337 | METHOD FOR DETERMINING VALVE DEGRADATION - A method for determining degraded valve operation. According to the method, valve degradation can be determined from the duration of a spark event. This method allows for the determination of both intake and exhaust valve degradation. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090101114 | Internal Combustion Engine Having Common Power Source For Ion Current Sensing and Fuel Injectors - A system and method for controlling operation of a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having fuel injectors and an ionization current sensor include a high-voltage power supply connectable to, and supplying substantially the same nominal boosted voltage relative to nominal battery voltage to, the fuel injectors and ionization sensor during at least a portion of the engine operation. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090107457 | INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH MULTIPLE SPARK PLUGS PER CYLINDER AND ION CURRENT SENSING - A system and method for operating a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having at least two spark plugs per cylinder include selectively isolating all but one spark plug associated with the cylinder at least during an ionization current sensing period to reduce or eliminate interference among ionization current signals flowing through more than one spark plug. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20100057324 | Ignition Energy Management With Ion Current Feedback To Correct Spark Plug Fouling - A system and method for operating an engine having ionization signal sensing include detecting plug fouling and controlling the engine using progressively more aggressive control strategies if the fouling condition persists. A first control strategy may be used when the number of engine starts or running time are below corresponding thresholds and a second strategy otherwise. The first strategy may employ progressively more aggressive control procedures to eliminate spark plug deposits that may include repetitive sparking, exhaust cycle sparking, increasing engine loading, advancing spark timing, increasing air/fuel ratio, and increasing idle speed, for example. The second strategy may include similar corrective actions employed in a different order and/or to a lesser degree in an attempt to eliminate plug fouling without any noticeable change in engine operation or performance as perceived by the vehicle operator. The control strategies may be applied to individual cylinders, cylinder banks, or all cylinders. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100057327 | Engine Combustion Control Using Ion Sense Feedback - A system and method for operating an engine having at least two spark plugs per cylinder include controlling at least one actuator to alter combustion within a selected cylinder such that the combustion burn rate determined by ion sense current signals associated with the at least two spark plugs of the selected cylinder approaches a desired combustion burn rate. A desired combustion burn rate is determined based on current engine/vehicle operating and ambient conditions with ion sense signals from each spark plug analyzed to determine combustion timing relative to corresponding ignition timing. Ignition timing and/or other actuators are controlled in response to provide a desired combustion burn rate. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100206267 | Combustion Control Using Ion Sense Feedback And Multi-Strike Spark To Manage High Dilution And Lean AFR - A system and method for operating a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having at least one actuator for controlling charge dilution of at least one cylinder and at least one spark plug per cylinder include attempting to improve combustion quality by modifying ignition energy of the at least one spark plug before modifying charge dilution of the cylinder, and modifying both ignition energy and charge dilution substantially simultaneously to establish combustion if an ionization sense signal associated with the cylinder indicates a misfire. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20100288037 | Method for Determining Valve Degradation - A method for determining degraded valve operation. According to the method, valve degradation can be determined from the duration of a spark event. This method allows for the determination of both intake and exhaust valve degradation. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20110087422 | Internal Combustion Engine Having Common Power Source For Ion Current Sensing and Fuel Injectors - An electrical power system for an engine powered at least in part by a battery having a battery voltage and including a fuel injector and at least one ionization sensor includes at least one common power supply connected to the fuel injector and the ionization sensor and supplying a voltage higher than the battery voltage for operation of the fuel injector and the ionization sensor at least during an ionization sensing period after spark discharge. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110132283 | Ignition Control for Reformate Engine - During operation of a spark ignition engine, an ignition system produces an output (e.g., breakdown voltage, peak secondary coil current, and spark duration) used to combust a charge (e.g., mixture of air and fuel) in an engine cylinder. Ignition output is important to consider in engines including a second fuel with high ignitability, for example in engines with a fuel reformer system. Example methods, devices and systems are included for adjusting ignition output. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110144881 | ENGINE CONTROL USING SPARK RESTRIKE/MULTI-STRIKE - Systems and methods for controlling an internal combustion engine include determining presence of charge dilution and selecting a spark restrike mode to provide multiple spark events during a single combustion cycle. Charge dilution may be determined based on commanded air/fuel ratio and exhaust gas recirculation, for example. Multiple spark events may be controlled using time-based restrike or current-based restrike in response to one or more operating parameters or conditions. | 06-16-2011 |
