In a knock sensor signal processing apparatus, a first apparatus which receives an engine knock sensor signal performs A/D conversions of the signal with a predetermined period and transmits successive pluralities of A/D values in parallel, by serial data communication, to a second apparatus in response to respective commands received from the second apparatus. The number of communication lines provided for transmitting the A/D values is made greater than those for transmitting commands from the...

A spark plug circuit for, and a method of, reducing or preventing the corrosion of a spark plug electrodes in an internal combustion engine. The circuit and method provide a positive voltage across the center electrode/ground electrode gap, which repels positively charged corrosion mechanisms, such as calcium and phosphorus ions.

An internal combustion engine 10 has a cylinder head 11 slideably supporting one or more poppet valves 30. At least one of the poppet valves 30 in each combustion chamber of the engine 10 has a primary electrode 69, 269a, 269b, 369a, 369b connected thereto so as to be electrically insulated from the cylinder head 11. The primary electrode 69, 269a, 269b, 369a, 369b forms in combination with one or more secondary electrodes 33, 133, 233, 333, 433, 533 one or more electrode pairs between each of w...

An ignition coil apparatus for an internal combustion engine with a cylinder having first and second spark plugs can reliably detect an ionic current without discharging a bias voltage even at the start of supplying a primary current. The apparatus includes a coil member with primary and secondary coils. The secondary coil has first and second ends connected to the spark plugs through high voltage output terminals, respectively. A first diode has its anode connected to a capacitor, and its catho...

To reduce the cost of an ignition plug tube by making it of a cylindrical member and to provide a simple structure having only a small number of parts for mounting the ignition plug tube. A mounting structure of an ignition plug tube that is made of a cylindrical member includes a sealing member made of a soft member fitted to a cylinder head cover. The sealing member is interposed between the cylinder head cover and the ignition plug tube. The ignition plug tube is fixed and supported between a...

A multi-spark ignition system for an internal combustion engine includes ignition coils each of which is mounted on one of spark plugs of an engine, an energy storing circuit, switching elements that repeatedly discharge electric energy stored by the energy storing circuit into the primary coil of the ignition coils; and a control circuit that controls the energy storing circuit and the switching elements according to consolidated signals each of which includes an energy storing command signal f...

An angular interval between a piston top dead center of one of two cylinders of an engine and a piston top dead center of the other one of the two cylinders is not a quotient of 360.degree. CA divided by an integer number. A timing rotor is rotated synchronously with a crankshaft of the engine and includes a plurality of teeth that are arranged at equal intervals, each of which is set as a predetermined quotient of the angular interval divided by a corresponding integer number.

A process is provided for ignition control in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine, using an ignition coil which has a connected primary winding and a secondary winding which is connected to a spark plug, and an ignition control unit which is used to control circuit logic connecting the primary winding by means of a line. According to the process, at the beginning of a working cycle, a switching signal is transmitted from the ignition control unit to the circuit logic, marking the beginni...

A method for controlling spark timing in an internal combustion engine. The method includes determining, in response to a knock sensor mounted to the engine, a spark offset to the scheduled spark timing for the engine at relatively low engine speed which is applied to the scheduled spark timing at relatively high engine speeds. This offset is applied in conjunction with a time-varying spark retardation bias. The offset is removed at a rate proportional to the time varying spark retard bias. The ...

An auxiliary device for sparkplug ignition is provided having a case, and provided therein, electrolytic capacitors connected in parallel between ground terminals and positive terminals of the primary coils of the ignition coils, which are connected to sparkplugs in a direct ignition system. Diodes, which are connected in parallel, are provided in the reverse direction, between the ground terminals and the positive terminals on the primary coils. The case is fitted with a connector that connects...