JP2003254872A - Spark-plug inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spark-plug inspection apparatus capable of inspecting an engine ignition system with satisfactory efficiency without performing a troublesome operation to connect an electrical interconnection to a part near an ignition coil. <P>SOLUTION: The inspection apparatus for inspecting the engine ignition system is constituted to be provided with a spark plug 4 for engine ignition; the ignition coil 5 used to operate the spark plug; and an ignition control means 6 used to generate discharge electric power at the ignition coil 5 so as to ignite and operate the spark-plug at a preset ignition timing due to a rotation of a crank shaft in an engine E. The inspection apparatus is provided with a discharge-state detection means 10 by which an induced electromotive force induced by an electromagnetic induction when the ignition coil 5 generates the discharge electric power is detected in a noncontact state; and a discrimination means 12 used to discriminate operation states of the engine ignition system on the basis of detection information by the means 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ignition plug for igniting an engine, an ignition coil for operating the ignition plug, and an ignition plug for igniting the ignition plug at a preset ignition timing according to rotation of a crankshaft of an engine. Therefore, the present invention relates to an ignition plug inspection device for inspecting an engine ignition device which is provided with an ignition control means for generating electric power for discharge by the ignition coil.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A spark plug inspection device for inspecting an engine ignition device as described above is conventionally detected by a crank angle sensor provided in an engine, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-136987. The ignition timing is obtained from the information on the rotation phase angle of the crankshaft, and the ignition control device is provided to operate the ignition coil by using the information on the ignition timing.
There is a configuration including a control device that determines whether the engine ignition device is good or bad based on the voltage generated by the primary coil of the ignition coil. In other words, in this configuration, the primary coil of the ignition coil and the control device are connected to each other via the connecting wire, and the generated voltage of the primary coil is detected. In the above configuration, the crankshaft of the engine is driven by an electric motor that is an external drive device, that is, a so-called cold test is used to determine the quality of the engine ignition device. Not limited to such a cold test, the inspection may be performed in a state in which fuel is supplied to the engine for combustion driving, or in a state in which the crank shaft is stopped without rotating.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional structure, the voltage generated in the primary coil of the ignition coil is directly detected through the connecting wire. Therefore, the engine should be inspected each time. It is necessary to electrically connect the primary side coil of the ignition coil mounted on the and the control device with a connecting wire,
Further, after the inspection is completed, the connection of the electric wiring must be released, which is disadvantageous in that the connection work for that purpose becomes troublesome. In particular, when a large number of engines are sequentially inspected during the manufacturing process, the work time for inspecting one engine becomes long and the work efficiency decreases.

The present invention has been made paying attention to such a point, and an object thereof is to efficiently inspect an engine ignition device without requiring a troublesome work such as connecting an electric wire near an ignition coil. The point is to provide a possible spark plug inspection device.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ignition plug inspection device, which is preset according to rotation of an engine ignition spark plug, an ignition coil for operating the ignition plug, and an engine crankshaft. What is claimed is: 1. An engine ignition device configured to include an ignition control unit configured to generate electric power for discharge by the ignition coil so as to ignite the spark plug at an ignition timing, wherein the ignition coil is the electric power for discharge. Discharge state detection means for detecting the induced electromotive force induced by electromagnetic induction in a non-contact state, and the operating state of the engine ignition device is determined based on the detection information of the discharge state detection means. And a discriminating means.

In other words, in this spark plug inspection device, the ignition control means performs the inspection in a state where the ignition coil generates the electric power for discharge by the ignition coil and executes the ignition operation. At this time, the operating state of the engine is as follows: the crankshaft is rotated by an external drive device without burning the engine, and the crankshaft is rotated while driving the engine by supplying fuel to the engine for combustion. It may be in any state such as the state where the crankshaft is rotating or the state where the rotation of the crankshaft is stopped. Then, in a state in which the ignition operation by the engine ignition device is being performed in this manner, the induced electromotive force induced by electromagnetic induction as the ignition coil generates the electric power for discharge is not It is detected in the contact state. The determining means determines the operating state of the engine ignition device based on the information on the induced electromotive force induced by the electromagnetic induction detected by the discharge state detecting means.

In addition, when the engine ignition device is performing the ignition operation, the ignition control means provided in the engine ignition device provides an ignition timing preset so as to correspond to the rotation of the crankshaft of the engine. Electric power for discharge is generated by the ignition coil, and the generated electric power for discharge is applied to the spark plug, and the spark plug discharges and ignites the engine. In the ignition coil, a high voltage corresponding to the turns ratio is temporarily induced in the secondary coil by the back electromotive force generated in the primary coil, and the spark plug discharges the high voltage. Since the voltage is boosted using electromagnetic induction, the discharge state detecting means detects the induced electromotive force induced by electromagnetic induction in a non-contact state as the ignition coil generates the electric power for discharge. Such induced electromotive force corresponds to the voltage generated in the secondary coil of the ignition coil.

Then, based on the information on the induced electromotive force thus obtained, the operating state of the engine ignition device can be determined. For example, if the discharge is performed well, the induced electromotive force of the set value or more is generated, but if the discharge is not performed well, the induced electromotive force is not generated or the value is smaller than the set value. Whether the ignition operation is good or bad is determined, or the discharge execution time during which the spark plug is actually discharging is obtained based on the detection information of the discharge state detection means, and the length of the discharge execution time and the discharge execution time are calculated. Since there is a corresponding relationship with the gap interval, it is possible to determine, for example, whether or not the discharge gap interval is appropriate based on the discharge execution time.

Therefore, the engine ignition device can be operated in a non-contact state without the troublesome work of electrically connecting the electric circuit portion for generating the discharge voltage and the spark plug inspection device in the engine ignition device through wiring. It has become possible to provide an ignition plug inspection device that can determine the operating state and can efficiently inspect the engine ignition device.

The spark plug inspection device according to claim 2 is
In Claim 1, the determination means is configured to determine a discharge execution time by the spark plug based on the detection information of the discharge state detection means, and to determine the operating state based on the discharge execution time. It is characterized by

That is, in this type of engine ignition device, it has been conventionally known that the discharge execution time by the spark plug, that is, the time during which the spark discharge continues varies depending on the interval of the discharge gap of the spark plug. There is. Therefore, as described in claim 1, the determination means obtains the discharge execution time by the spark plug based on the detection information of the discharge state detection means, and the operating state of the engine inspection device based on the discharge execution time. Is determined. For example, if the discharge execution time is too long or too short in comparison with the discharge time corresponding to the interval of the appropriate discharge gap, it is determined that the discharge terminal may be bent due to interference with another object, etc. The operating state of the engine ignition device can be determined, and a suitable means for carrying out claim 1 can be obtained.

The spark plug inspection device according to claim 3 is
The engine ignition device mounted on the engine in advance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ignition plug and the ignition coil for operating the ignition plug are mounted on each of a plurality of cylinders included in the engine. Ignition control means is configured to operate the spark plug of each cylinder at the ignition timing of each cylinder, and the discharge state detecting means corresponds to each of the plurality of ignition coils separately from the outside of the engine. Installed in a non-contact state in close proximity from one side, the determination means, based on the detection result of each of the plurality of discharge state detection means,
It is characterized in that it is configured to determine the operating state of the engine ignition device.

That is, this spark plug inspection device is designed to inspect an engine ignition device that is preliminarily mounted on an engine, and since a spark plug and an ignition coil that operates the spark plug are mounted for each of a plurality of cylinders,
The discharge state detecting means is installed corresponding to each of the plurality of ignition coils in a non-contact state and in a state of approaching from the outside of the engine. Then, since the ignition control means mounted in advance on the engine actuates the ignition plug of each cylinder at the ignition timing of each cylinder, the determination means, based on the detection result of each of the plurality of discharge state detection means, It is possible to determine the operating state of the engine ignition device.

Since the engine ignition device pre-mounted on the engine is to be inspected as described above, for example, the inspection is performed after the work of assembling the engine ignition device to the engine is completed. It is possible to detect an abnormality caused by the above, and moreover, it is possible to detect efficiently in a non-contact state even in such a state that the engine is mounted in advance, which is suitable for carrying out claim 1 or 2. Means are obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the spark plug inspection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the discharge state detecting means is formed by winding a detection coil around a core body made of a magnetic material. At the same time, the core body is extendedly formed along the axial direction from the winding position of the detection coil.

Since the discharge state detecting means is constructed by winding the detection coil around the core made of a magnetic material, the induced electromotive force induced by electromagnetic induction is generated by the ignition coil as the discharge power is generated. When the detection is performed in the non-contact state, the generated induction magnetic field concentrates and passes through the core body made of a magnetic material. Therefore, the detection coil is more likely to generate the induction magnetic field as compared with the configuration in which the core body is not provided. Moreover, since the core body is extended from the winding position of the detection coil along the axial direction, for example, only the core body is extended from the storage portion for storing the detection coil that requires electrical wiring or the like. It is possible to form each core body in a laterally-width-wise interval to have a compact arrangement configuration in which interference with other objects is reduced, and each core body is provided with an ignition coil provided for each of a plurality of cylinders of the engine. It becomes possible to install and detect them as close to each other as possible, and a suitable means for carrying out any of claims 1 to 3 can be obtained.

The spark plug inspection device according to claim 5 is
The inspection according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inspection is performed in a state in which the crankshaft is rotationally driven by an external drive device.

For example, in the engine production process,
A cold test is used to inspect the engine ignition device by rotating the crankshaft of the engine by an external drive device such as an electric motor.When performing an inspection in the production process of such an engine, It is possible to efficiently inspect the engine ignition device without the need for troublesome work such as connecting electrical wiring near the ignition coil. Shortening the inspection time for each engine improves the operation efficiency. It becomes possible to obtain suitable means for carrying out any one of claims 1 to 4.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A spark plug inspection device for inspecting an engine ignition device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The spark plug inspection device K targets an engine ignition device T that is pre-mounted on the engine E. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the engine E to be inspected is conveyed to an inspection place by a conveying means H such as a transfer carriage, and is fixedly installed on the fixed installation table D at the inspection place. The rotating shaft 1 of the electric motor M as an external drive device and the crankshaft 2 of the engine E are connected by a connecting device 3 so as to rotate integrally, and the crankshaft 2 is rotated by the driving force of the electric motor M. However, the engine ignition device T is inspected. After the inspection is completed, the engine E is moved to the transportation means H.
Therefore, it is transported to the next step.

As shown in FIG. 2, the engine ignition device T is preset in accordance with the rotation of the ignition plug 4 for igniting the engine, the ignition coil 5 for operating the ignition plug 5, and the crankshaft 2 of the engine E. The ignition control device 6 is provided as an ignition control means for generating electric power for discharge by the ignition coil 5 so as to ignite the ignition plug 4 at the ignition timing. And the ignition plug 4 and the ignition coil 5 for operating it
Is installed in each of the plurality of cylinders included in the engine E, and the ignition control device 6 is configured to operate the ignition plug 4 of each cylinder at the ignition timing of each cylinder.

That is, the crank angle sensor 7 for detecting the rotation phase angle of the crankshaft 2 of the engine E, and the rotation of the camshaft for driving the intake valve and the exhaust valve of the engine E corresponding to the rotation of the crankshaft 2. A cam shaft angle sensor 8 for detecting a phase angle is provided, and an ignition control device 6 including a microcomputer is used to determine the ignition timing of each cylinder based on the detection information from these sensors 7, 8. It is configured to detect when it has arrived. That is, the timing at which the piston 9 reaches the top dead center in each cylinder is detected based on the detection information from the crank angle sensor 7, and based on the detection information from the cam shaft angle sensor 8, Whether or not it is the top dead center at the end of the compression process rather than the exhaust process is detected. When four steps of intake, compression, explosion, and exhaust are executed, the crankshaft 2 makes two revolutions, and there are two top dead centers in the meantime. Of these, the spark plug 4 is only at the top dead center at the end of the compression step. Is ignited.

Next, the structure of the spark plug inspection device K will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the spark plug inspection device K includes a discharge state detection unit 10 that detects, in a non-contact state, an induced electromotive force induced by electromagnetic induction as the ignition coil 5 generates the discharge power. A plurality of induction detecting units 11 and a plurality of discharge state detecting means 10
The inspection discriminating device 12 as discriminating means for discriminating the operating state of the engine ignition device T on the basis of the detection information.

The inspection / discrimination device 12 comprises a microcomputer and the like, and also controls the operating state of the electric motor M. That is, based on the detection information of the rotary encoder 13 for detecting the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 1 of the electric motor M, the crankshaft 2 at a predetermined rotation speed for inspection in a state where the engine E is connected to the electric motor M. The rotational speed of the electric motor M is controlled so as to rotate. The predetermined rotation speed for inspection is, for example, 120 rotations per minute (120 rp).
m), the rotation speed is not limited to this value and may be any rotation speed suitable for inspection, and is not limited to 120 rpm.

Next, the guide detector 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the induction detection unit 11 is configured to include a plurality of (four in the example shown in the figure) discharge state detection means 10. The plurality of discharge state detection means 10 include a plurality of ignition coils 5. The discharge state detecting means 10 is configured to be installed in a non-contact state from the outside of the engine E so as to correspond to each of the discharge state detecting means 10.
Are each formed by winding a detection coil 15 around a core body 14 made of a magnetic material, and the core body 14 is extended from the winding position of the detection coil 15 along the axial direction. It is composed.

First, the ignition coil 5 will be described. As shown in FIG.
Is configured as a transformer in which a primary coil 16 and a secondary coil 17 are wound around an iron core. In addition, the primary coil 16
A transistor 18 for connecting and disconnecting a current to be supplied to the cylinder 18 is provided, and a drive pulse for discharge operation is given to the transistor 18 by the ignition control device 6 in accordance with the ignition timing of each cylinder. A high voltage determined by the counter electromotive force generated in the coil 16 and the turn ratio between the primary coil 16 and the secondary coil 17 is induced in the secondary coil 17 by electromagnetic induction.

FIG. 4 shows the drive pulse applied to the transistor 18 and the voltage change of the primary coil 16 in the ignition coil 5. The first projecting portion Q1 in this figure shows that the spark plug 4 has started discharging, and the second projecting portion Q2 shows that discharging has ended. Therefore, the period from the first protruding portion Q1 to the second protruding portion Q2 corresponds to the discharge execution time th. It is known that the discharge execution time th changes depending on the gap interval of the spark plug 4 if the drive pulse for the discharge operation is constant. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the discharge execution time becomes shorter as the gap distance of the spark plug 4 becomes wider.

As described above, the ignition coil 5 performs boosting using electromagnetic induction, so that the discharge state detecting means 10 installed in a state in which the ignition coil 5 is close to the ignition coil 5 from the outside of the engine E in a non-contact state, the ignition state is changed. It is possible to detect the induced electromotive force induced by the electromagnetic induction as the coil 5 generates the discharging power. Moreover, the detection coil 15 is the core body 14 made of a magnetic material.
Since it is wound around the
Since it mainly passes through the inside, the induced electromotive force can be effectively detected.

FIG. 5 shows actual measurement data of the detection voltage Vo obtained by the discharge state detecting means 10 by the experiment of the applicant. Of these, the first change point X1 at which the voltage greatly changes is the first change point X1 in the ignition coil 5.
The second change point X2 at which the voltage greatly changes corresponds to the second projecting portion Q2. Therefore, the elapsed time between them can be detected as corresponding to the discharge execution time th.

The inspection discriminating device 12 discriminates the operating state of the engine ignition device T based on the detection information obtained by the discharge state detecting means 10 as described above. That is, if the change point where the voltage greatly changes as shown in FIG. 5 is not detected, it can be determined that the ignition coil 5 is not generating the electric power for discharging, and the ignition plug 4 or the like has some abnormality. Can be detected. Further, when the discharge is normally performed, the discharge execution time th is obtained from the information on the detected voltage, and the discharge execution time th and the change characteristic set in advance as shown in FIG. 6 are used. If the gap interval is within the proper range, it is determined to be normal, and if it is out of the proper range, it is determined to be abnormal.

Then, the plurality of discharge state detecting means 10
As shown in FIG. 2, the inductive detection unit 11 configured to include the detection coils 15 that require electrical wiring and the like is housed in an integrally formed storage case 19, and the core body 14 is also provided. Are formed so as to project laterally side by side on the outer side of the storage case 19, and moreover,
The arrangement intervals of the core bodies 14 correspond to the arrangement intervals of the ignition coils 5 preliminarily mounted for each cylinder of the engine E, and only the core bodies 14 are arranged as close to the ignition coils 5 as possible. It is configured so that the detection operation can be performed in the state. Although not described in detail, the storage case 19 is movably supported by the engine E transported to the inspection location between a standby position separated from the engine E and an inspection position adjacent thereto. Engine E
When loading / unloading the engine, retire it to the standby position and
It does not interfere with the transportation of.

[Other Embodiments] Other embodiments will be listed below.

(1) In the above embodiment, the discharge state detecting means 10 is constructed by winding the detection coil 15 around the core body 14 made of a magnetic material, and the core body 14 is wound around the detection coil 15. Although the configuration in which the discharge state detecting means 10 is formed to be extended along the axial direction is illustrated, the discharge state detecting means 10 is not limited to such a configuration, and the following configuration may be adopted. For example, the core body 14 made of a magnetic material may be formed of a short core body 14 having only the winding portion of the detection coil 15 without being extended.
Alternatively, the detection coil 15 may be simply supported by using a non-magnetic material instead of a magnetic material. Alternatively, the core 14 may not be provided, and only the detection coil 15 may be provided.

(2) In the above embodiment, the discharge state detecting means 10 corresponds to each of the plurality of ignition coils 5 provided for each of the plurality of cylinders, and the non-contact state from the outside of the engine E. However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration, and one discharge state detection means 10 may be used for a plurality of ignition coils 5.
It may be configured to detect one by one while sequentially shifting the position for each of the above.

(3) In the above embodiment, the determining means determines the discharge execution time of the spark plug 4 based on the detection information of the discharge state detecting means 10 and determines the operating state based on the discharge execution time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured to simply determine whether or not the discharge operation is being performed. Further, the detection information of the crank angle sensor 7 and the cam shaft angle sensor 8 provided in the engine E is input to the inspection determination device so that the rotation phase angle of the crank shaft 2 is determined, The spark plug 4 may be configured to detect whether or not the spark plug 4 is being discharged at an appropriate phase angle timing. Further, while rotating the crankshaft 2 by an external drive device, other devices other than the engine ignition device, for example, the opening and closing timings of the intake valve and the exhaust valve may be inspected together. The rotational phase angle of the crankshaft 2 may be determined by using the inspection device described above.

(4) In the above embodiment, the inspection is carried out in a state in which the crankshaft 2 of the engine E is rotationally driven by the electric motor M as an external drive device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the engine E is not limited to this. The inspection may be performed in a state in which fuel is supplied to and ignited to perform combustion drive. Further, in this configuration, the inspection is performed in a state in which the crankshaft 2 is stopped without being rotated. Good. In addition, the ignition control device 6 of the above-described embodiment will be described.
However, by outputting a pseudo pulse similar to the drive pulse generated with the rotation of the crankshaft in response to the command to start the inspection, the pseudo ignition operation state is configured as a configuration for performing pseudo ignition operation. Then, the discharge state detecting means detects the induced electromotive force to determine the operating state. When the inspection is performed in such a stopped state, the discharge and the detection waveform of the discharge state detection means are stable because they are not affected by the pressure and swirl in the cylinder as compared with the state in which the crankshaft is rotating. Becomes

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a spark plug inspection device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an inspection operation state.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an ignition coil

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a voltage change of an ignition coil.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing actual measurement data of a detection coil.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between a gap interval and discharge execution time.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 crankshaft 4 spark plugs 5 ignition coil 6 Ignition control means 10 Discharge state detection means 12 Discrimination means 14 core 15 detection coil E engine M External drive th Discharge execution time

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ignition plug for igniting an engine, an ignition coil for operating the ignition plug, and an ignition coil for activating the ignition plug at an ignition timing preset with rotation of a crankshaft of the engine. A spark plug inspection device for inspecting an engine ignition device configured to include an ignition control unit that generates electric power for discharge, wherein the ignition coil is induced by electromagnetic induction as the electric power for discharge is generated. Ignition including discharge state detection means for detecting the induced electromotive force in a non-contact state, and determination means for determining the operating state of the engine ignition device based on the detection information of the discharge state detection means. Plug inspection device. 2. The determination means is configured to determine a discharge execution time by the spark plug based on detection information of the discharge state detection means, and determine the operating state based on the discharge execution time. The spark plug inspection device according to claim 1. 3. An engine ignition device installed in advance in an engine is an object to be inspected, wherein the ignition plug and the ignition coil for operating the ignition plug are installed for each of a plurality of cylinders included in the engine, and the ignition control is performed. Means for actuating the spark plug of each cylinder at the ignition timing of each cylinder, and the discharge state detecting means individually corresponds to each of the plurality of ignition coils, and the outer side of the engine Is installed in a non-contact state in proximity to each other, and the determination means is configured to determine the operating state of the engine ignition device based on a detection result of each of the plurality of discharge state detection means. Item 1. An ignition plug inspection device according to item 1 or 2. 4. The discharge state detecting means is constructed by winding a detection coil around a core body made of a magnetic material, and the core body is elongated from the winding position of the detection coil along the axial direction. The extension is formed.
The spark plug inspection device according to any one of the above. 5. The inspection is performed while the crankshaft is rotationally driven by an external drive device.
The spark plug inspection device according to any one of 4 above.