| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 324378000 | INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE IGNITION SYSTEM OR DEVICE | 22 |
| 20080265899 | Method and System for Visual Circuit Verification - A visual indicator system comprises a fuel injector pulse width signal generator in communication with an engine fuel injector by means of a circuit wire. A visual indicator is in circuit communication with the circuit wire and configured to light up in a first stage to indicate a good electrical connection of the fuel injector to the fuel injector pulse width signal generator to the engine fuel injector when the fuel injector signal generator, the engine fuel injector and the circuit wire are energized by a vehicle ignition system. The visual indicator is further configured to light up a second stage to indicate a good pulse width signal generator operation when an automobile engine is running through operation of the fuel injector signal generator, the engine fuel injector and the circuit wire. | 10-30-2008 |
| 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 |
| 20090167311 | Adaptive Array Wireless Communication Apparatus and Method of Same - An adaptive array wireless communication apparatus able to suitably select antenna elements, small in amount of processing, fast in convergence speed, and suitable for transmission/reception, and a method of the same, which controls the directionalities of array antenna elements based on array weights, controls an antenna element selecting unit 23 so that the antenna elements are intermittently determined, and adjusts a period of determination of the antenna elements based on information of the antenna elements determined at a controlling unit 26. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090261833 | ABNORMALITY DIAGNOSING APPARATUS FOR A GLOW PLUG - An abnormality diagnosing apparatus for a glow plug | 10-22-2009 |
| 20110210744 | Automatic Variable Gain Amplifier - An automatic variable gain amplifier is provided. The automatic variable gain amplifier automatically adjusts the amplification of a signal, and in one embodiment, an ion signal, based on the amplitude of the peaks of the signal. The automatic variable gain amplifier detects the peaks of the signal, compares them to a threshold value, and, based on this comparison, varies the amount by which the signal is amplified. The automatic variable gain amplifier produces a composite output waveform for an input waveform with an amplitude that may vary over a plurality of orders of magnitude. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20140117991 | GLOW PLUG INSPECTING METHOD, GLOW PLUG MANUFACTURING METHOD, SHEATHED HEATER INSPECTING METHOD, AND SHEATHED HEATER MANUFACTURING METHOD - A method of inspecting a glow plug including an inner conductor and an outer disposed member, where the inner conductor includes an electrically conductive heating unit and an energization member to provide an energization path to the heating unit, and the outer disposed member includes a housing for the heating unit and a metal tubular member disposed on an outer periphery of the energization member. The method includes inspecting for the presence of short circuit abnormality based on a value that varies in response to a current that flows through the inner conductor upon application of a high voltage higher than a voltage applied during normal use of the glow plug to the inner conductor for a time short enough to suppress a temperature rise of the inner conductor due to application of the high voltage. | 05-01-2014 |
| 324379000 | With analysis of displayed waveform | 1 |
| 20120081123 | UNIVERSAL AUTOMOTIVE IGNITION PICKUP ASSEMBLY - The present invention is a Universal Automotive Ignition Pickup Assembly that produces an ignition secondary voltage waveform that can be monitored by an oscilloscope or microprocessor. This is accomplished with a sensing probe that can be capacitive coupled; inductively coupled; or capacitive and inductively coupled at the same time. Due to the ability of a pickup to be capacitive and inductive at the same time, the ignition voltage waveforms are clear and concise from secondary ignition wires to a multitude of different ignition coil types. | 04-05-2012 |
| 324380000 | Electronic ignition system | 4 |
| 20140117992 | Starter Motor Testing Device - A control test device for testing a dual starter system has a first and a second starter. Each starter has a starter electrical interface including a starter start signal interface and a starter status signal interface. The control test device includes a first and a second communication interface for communicating a test signal to the first and second starter respectively. Each communication interface includes an electrical interface for interfacing with the first and second starter electrical interface. The test signal includes a start signal and a status signal. The start signal interfaces with one of the first and second starters start signal interface. The status signal sends a simulated status of the other one of the first and second starters to the one of the first and second starters start interface. A switch mechanism commands the start signal to one of the first and second starters. | 05-01-2014 |
| 20160047353 | MISFIRE DETECTION USING ION CURRENT INTEGRATION AND RPM ADAPTATION - An ignition system controlled by a powertrain controller via a dwell line carrying a dwell signal has a state machine to monitor a dwell period between consecutive dwell signals and to adjust a rate of a variable clock signal accordingly. A multi-bit counter is clocked by the adjusted clock signal. The counter has a first set of bits to establish an integration period and a second set of bits coupled to a resistive ladder generating a stair step signal. A current sensor provides a current signal proportional to the ion current. A comparator compares the current signal to the stair step signal. An ion current counter is incremented during the integration period whenever the current signal indicates an ion current magnitude greater than the stair step signal. The accumulated count at the end of the integration period is reported to the powertrain controller as a measure of the ion current. | 02-18-2016 |
| 20180024195 | SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT FOR MONITORING SWITCH, ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT AND VEHICLE | 01-25-2018 |
| 324382000 | With capacitor discharge circuit | 1 |
| 20130076362 | Ion Sensing Method for Capacitive Discharge Ignition - A method of ion sensing in a CD ignition system for an internal combustion engine comprises: a) closing the controllable switch in synchronism with the internal combustion engine for a period of time to transfer energy to the ignition coil primary to cause a spark breakdown across the spark plug; and b) observing the current in the secondary winding circuit indicative of ionization in the vicinity of the spark plug electrodes. | 03-28-2013 |
| 324388000 | Coil | 4 |
| 20090160450 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROVIDING DIAGNOSTICS FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IGNITION COIL - A method providing diagnostics of operation of an internal combustion engine ignition coil further including at least one electric cable connecting the ignition coil to at least one spark plug installed in a cylinder head of the engine. The method temporarily introduces a voltage-controlled switch into the ignition circuit, causing the coil to supply a diagnostics voltage higher than a threshold value needed for the spark plug to form a spark, so as to cause a spark to form between the central electrode of the spark plug and a conducting element of the switch, and checks that a spark actually is formed in response to the supply. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20100271033 | OFF-VEHICLE COIL TESTER - A coil tester for testing the functionality of a vehicle ignition coil that has been removed from its vehicle includes a circuit that can be quickly and conveniently connected between the ignition coil and a battery so as to provide a current of sufficient voltage to the ignition coil. The coil tester also includes a momentary switch for preventing overheating of the ignition coil and a scale for indicating the strength of the coil. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20110210745 | Self Power For Ignition Coil With Integrated Ion Sense Circuitry - A self power circuit for ion sense circuitry is provided. The self power circuit is configured to supply the voltages required to generate and measure an ion current flow in a combustion chamber of an engine. The power circuit stores power from the current flow in the ignition coil secondary circuit during at least a portion of a sparking period for use during the ion current measurement period between sparking events. Ion current generation voltage as well as positive and negative sensor circuit power supply voltages are generated in one embodiment. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20150361946 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF IGNITION COIL TESTING - An ignition coil tester for testing an ignition coil having primary and secondary circuits. The tester includes a cable connector including a primary circuit connector and a secondary circuit connector electrically connectable to the ignition coil. The tester further includes an electronic ignition control module electrically coupled to the primary and secondary circuit connectors and configured to generate ignition coil testing signals for communication to the ignition coil via the primary and secondary circuit connectors The electronic ignition control module is further configured to monitor the connection between the primary circuit connector and the primary circuit of the ignition coil and the connection between the secondary circuit connector and the secondary circuit of the ignition coil, and cease communication of the ignition coil testing signals when the primary circuit connector or secondary circuit connector are not connected to the respective ones of the primary and secondary circuits. | 12-17-2015 |
| 324391000 | Ignition timing | 1 |
| 20090108846 | COMBUSTION STATE DETECTION APPARATUS AND COMBUSTION STATE DETECTION METHOD FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE - A combustion state detection apparatus for an internal combustion engine, includes convexity detection means ( | 04-30-2009 |
| 324393000 | In situ testing of spark plug | 5 |
| 20120286791 | ION CURRENT DETECTOR - In order not to deteriorate the detection properties of an ion current that monitors a combustion state even when a smolder leak is present in an ignition plug of an internal combustion engine, an ion current detector includes an ignition plug of an internal combustion engine, an ignition coil which supplies a high voltage to the ignition plug, a controller which sends an ignition command, a bias capacitor which supplies a bias voltage to the ignition coil, an ignition capacitor which is connected to a primary side winding of the ignition coil, a DC power supply which charges the ignition capacitor and the bias capacitor, a current detecting unit which detects a current flowing through the ignition plug, an ion current detecting unit which detects an ion current from the current detected by the current detecting unit, and a Zener diode which restricts a charging voltage of the bias capacitor. | 11-15-2012 |
| 20150042344 | METHOD FOR DETECTING A GLOW PLUG REPLACEMENT - Described is a method for detecting a glow plug replacement of an engine, wherein a first value of a temperature-dependent variable is measured at a first glow plug of the engine and, simultaneously, a second value of the temperature-dependent variable is measured at a second glow plug of the engine. The first value of the temperature-dependent variable is compared with a stored reference value of the first glow plug and a glow plug replacement is detected if the difference of the first value from the reference value exceeds a threshold value. According to this disclosure, it is provided that the reference value is a value which, in an earlier measurement, was measured at the first glow plug simultaneously with the measurement of a value at the second glow plug which corresponds to the second value within a predefined tolerance. | 02-12-2015 |
| 20150054514 | PLUG BUILT-IN TYPE OPTICAL MEASUREMENT PROBE, AND OPTICAL MEASUREMENT DEVICE PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - There are provided a plug built-in type optical measurement probe capable of obtaining a more accurate measurement value, and an optical measurement device provided with the same. A spark section and a light receiving section are held by a plug main body while being arranged next to each other in a protruding manner such that an end face of a holder is arranged at a position where discharge light from the spark section does not enter the field of view of the light receiving section. Accordingly, the light receiving section can be held in a manner protruding from the plug main body, and entering of the discharge light from the spark section can be restricted by the holder of the light receiving section. That is, by arranging the end face of the holder at a position where the discharge light from the spark section does not enter the field of view of the light receiving section, the light receiving intensity of the discharge light from the spark section can be prevented from being added to a measurement value, and it is possible to measure only the light generated at the time of combustion, and thus, a more accurate measurement value can be obtained. | 02-26-2015 |
| 324399000 | Wherein a measured electric quantity indicates spark plug condition | 2 |
| 20130099792 | ENHANCED METHOD OF SENSING IONIZATION CURRENT IN SPARK IGNITION INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES AND RELATED SPARK PLUG STRUCTURES - A spark plug, including an insulator embedding a first metallic electrode axially extending therethrough from a high voltage outer end terminal to the center of the inner end of the insulator from which it protrudes; a metallic ground electrode isolated from the first electrode and having an extended inner termination facing toward the first electrode extending from the insulator tip for defining therebetween a spark gap, a resistive element connected to the ground electrode such that upon mounting the spark plug in an internal combustion engine, the ground electrode electrically connects to the engine body through the resistive element; and to a second outer termination of the ground electrode, adapted to constitute an accessible sensing terminal. | 04-25-2013 |
| 20140111213 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STATIC TESTING A SPARK PLUG ASSEMBLED IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INCLUDING CRACKED CERAMIC INSULATOR DETECTION - An apparatus and method is provided for testing a spark plug after the spark plug is assembled in an internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes a high voltage test probe to mechanically probe the spark plug. The high voltage test probe includes a non-electrically conductive part, an electrically conductive ring substantially shielded by the non-electrically conductive part, and a high voltage contactor for electrically connecting to a terminal end of the spark plug. The apparatus also includes a high voltage control box having a high voltage source and an electrical ground, and including at least one of an insulator crack detection circuit and a spark plug firing circuit. The method includes using the apparatus to test assembled spark plugs. | 04-24-2014 |
| 324400000 | Spark plug removed or tested in a test fixture | 1 |
| 20090153142 | METHOD FOR MEASURING AN IONIZATION CURRENT OF A SPARK PLUG OF THE TYPE WITH RESONANT STRUCTURE AND CORRESPONDING DEVICE - A device for measuring an ionization current of a spark plug of a type with a resonant structure, including a motor vehicle ignition system, the spark plug being coupled to a generator including a regulating capacitor. The generator includes a polarizer that polarizes the spark plug, connected between the generator and the spark plug, and a device that measures ionization current of the spark plug, connected between the regulating capacitor and ground. | 06-18-2009 |
