Apparatus for detecting a condition of burning in an internal combustion engine
US6104195A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 8, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 8, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N27/68
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for detecting a condition of burning in an internal combustion engine includes a pair of opposed electrodes provided in a combustion chamber of the engine, and an AC voltage applying device for applying an AC voltage between the opposed electrodes. A current detecting device is operative for detecting a current flowing between the opposed electrodes. A current generating means for generating a current-representing signal depending on the detected current, the current generating means having a differentiating circuit for differentiating the AC voltage into the capacitance-current representing signal. In another aspect of this invention, the apparatus further comprises calculating means for calculating ratios between a parameter represented by the burning-ion current representing signal and a parameter represented by a signal depending on the AC voltage applied between the opposed electrodes. A waveform processing device is operative for removing the capacitive current component from the current-representing signal to extract a burning ion current component, and for generating a burning-ion-current representing signal depending on the extracted burning ion current compon…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.