JPH1122608A - Ignition controller for engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide both effective functions of conventional operation type and mechanical type igniters by switching hard ignition control to ignite a spark plug by a detecting ignition signal and soft ignition control to ignite the spark plug by an ignition signal found by an operation means. SOLUTION: An ignition signal switching circuit 39 outputs a soft ignition signal to a thyristor 32b or 32c at outputting time from a CPU 40 of the soft ignition signal being the optimal ignition signal output timing on which an operation is performed on the basis of pulser signals from first and second pulser coils 12 and 13. When there is no output of the soft ignition signal from the CPU 40, a hard ignition signal directly using a signal from the pulser coil 12 or 13 as an ignition signal, is outputted to the thyristor 32b or 32c. Therefore, since ignition can be performed by outputting the hard ignition signal from the pulser coil 12 or 13 to the thyristor 32b or 32c just after cranking of an engine, starting performance of the engine can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in an engine ignition control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pulser coil is provided on a crankshaft or a camshaft, an optimum ignition timing is determined by a CPU based on a pulsar signal of the pulser coil by a predetermined program or the like, and an ignition signal is output to a CDI circuit. An operation-type ignition control device that performs this operation is known. The above-described conventional arithmetic ignition control device can output an ignition signal by predicting the operating state of the engine during acceleration, deceleration, or steady operation, for example, from the input pulser coil cycle and the like. In addition, as compared with a so-called mechanical igniter that uses the pulsar signal of the pulsar coil as the ignition signal as it is, the ignition timing can be adjusted more finely and more optimally.

[0003]

However, in the conventional arithmetic ignition control device described above, there is no problem because the pulsar signal is input one after another during the operation of the engine, but the operation is started after the pulsar signal is input. Therefore, when the engine is started, the calculation requires a long time, so that the output of the ignition signal may be delayed, and there is a problem that the startability of the engine is worse than that of the mechanical ignition device. In particular, when configured to calculate the output timing of the ignition signal based on the cycle of the two pulsar signals, the ignition signal cannot be output unless at least two pulsar signals are input, For example, when only two pulsar coils are provided at 180 ° intervals on the crankshaft, an ignition signal cannot be obtained unless the crankshaft is rotated at least 180 ° or more at the time of cranking, resulting in poor startability. . The above-mentioned problem of the startability becomes a problem particularly when the conventional ignition control device is applied to a four-stroke engine. That is, the four-cycle engine has only half the ignition timing as compared to the two-cycle engine, and if the ignition fails at the start, twice the cranking of the two-cycle engine is required to obtain the next ignition timing. There is a problem that a burden on a person or a motor increases. In addition, in the configuration of the conventional arithmetic ignition control device, if the CPU that calculates the ignition timing fails, the ignition signal may not be output even though the pulsar coil is functioning normally. There is also a problem that there is. The above problem does not occur in a so-called mechanical igniter that uses a pulsar signal of a pulsar coil as an ignition signal as it is, but in this mechanical igniter,
Naturally, it is not possible to obtain the specific effects of the conventional arithmetic ignition control device, such as finely controlling the ignition timing and obtaining a more optimal ignition timing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems associated with the conventional arithmetic ignition control device and mechanical ignition device described above, and to provide an ignition control device for an engine having both effective functions.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an engine ignition control device according to the present invention comprises a detecting means for detecting an ignition timing and a detection signal from the ignition timing detecting means. Calculating means for determining an ignition timing and an ignition timing and outputting an ignition signal to an ignition circuit, and switching means for selectively supplying a detection signal from the detection means and an ignition signal from the arithmetic means to the ignition circuit, The switching means sends the detection signal of the detection means as an ignition signal directly to the ignition circuit to ignite the ignition plug at the ignition timing detected by the detection means, and supplies the ignition signal obtained by the arithmetic means to the ignition circuit. And a soft ignition control for igniting a spark plug.

[0005]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ignition control device for an engine according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an outboard motor-equipped boat equipped with an engine to which an engine ignition control device according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a wiring structure on the outboard motor side including the ignition control device. It is the schematic which shows the relationship with the wiring structure on the hull side. As shown in the drawing, the outboard motor 1 is mounted on the stern of an open deck type hull 2, and a steering handle 3, a seat 4, a throttle and shift lever 5, a main switch 6, a stop switch 7 are provided at the front of the hull 2. , A meter panel 8, a fuel tank 9, and a battery 10 are arranged. The outboard motor 1 has an engine 1
1. An ignition control device 30 for controlling the ignition timing of an AC generator (not shown) and the engine 11 is provided. Although not shown, the outboard motor 1 is also provided with a propulsion propeller, a power transmission system for transmitting the driving force of the engine 11 to the propeller, an oil pump, a cooling water supply pump, and the like, in addition to those described above. I have. The engine 11 is composed of an in-line four-cylinder four-cycle engine in which the phases of the respective cylinders are shifted by 180 °. Is configured to rotate and drive a propulsion propeller provided in the vehicle. As is well known, the engine 11 includes a first cylinder and a fourth cylinder, and a second cylinder and a third cylinder as viewed from the rotation of the crankshaft.
The cylinders operate in the same phase. Two pulsar coils 12, 13 are provided at 180 ° intervals on a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 11, and one (first) pulsar coil 12 detects the ignition timing of the first cylinder and the fourth cylinder, The other (second) pulser coil 13 is configured to detect the ignition timing of the second cylinder and the third cylinder. In the engine 11, a thermo sensor 14 for monitoring the temperature in the water jacket is further provided in a water jacket (not shown) of the engine 11 and a lubricating oil supply passage (not shown) downstream of an oil pump (not shown). A hydraulic switch 15 for monitoring the oil pressure in the lubricating oil supply passage is provided on the side, and ignition timing control is performed by an ignition control device 30 based on signals from the pulsar coils 12 and 13 and the switches 14 and 15. The ignition control device 30
Preferably, information about the throttle opening and the rate of change of the throttle and information about the shift state of the shift lever are input, and based on such information, the ignition retard / ignition advance control and the shift state are adjusted to the operating state of the engine. Although combined ignition control can be performed, detailed descriptions of those methods are omitted here.

(Power supply circuit) As shown in FIG.
The battery 10 on the side of the hull 2 is connected to a charging coil 16 of the AC generator on the side of the outboard motor 1 via a rectifying constant voltage device 17 (for example, a rectifier and a regulator), and these constitute a charging circuit. The charging circuit supplies power to electrical components such as an ignition control device 30 of the engine 11 provided in the outboard motor 1 and a meter provided in the hull 2 and charges the battery 10. Have been. The battery 10 on the hull 2 and the charging coil 16 on the outboard motor 1 are connected via an appropriate connector 18 and a main fuse 19, and the main fuse 1
At 9, a circuit protection is provided so that a large current does not flow from the battery 10 to these circuits when the circuits constituting the ignition control device 30 and the meter and the like are short-circuited. On the outboard motor 1 side of the charging circuit, an ignition power supply circuit 20 for supplying electric power to the ignition control device 30 and a hull power supply circuit 21 for supplying electric power to electric components of the hull 2 are connected. The ignition power supply circuit 20 is turned on / off by a contactless switch circuit 31 provided in the ignition control device 30, and the hull power supply circuit 21 is turned on / off by a contact type main switch 6 provided in the hull 2. It is turned off. A circuit portion on the outboard motor 1 side of the hull power supply circuit 21 and a circuit portion on the hull 2 side are connected via a connector 22.
An accessory fuse 23 for protecting electrical components on the hull 2 side is provided in a circuit portion on the side. Further, a backup circuit 21a is connected downstream of the main switch 7 in the hull power supply circuit 21. The backup circuit 21a returns to the outboard motor 1 again via the connector 24 and is connected to the ignition control device 30. DC voltage is supplied from the hull power supply circuit 21 to the ignition system of the ignition control device 30 even if a disconnection of the ignition power supply circuit 20 or a failure of the switch circuit 31 occurs. It is configured to be able to. The circuit of the ignition control device 30 is formed of a wire having a strength that can withstand at least the maximum current value of the light coil 16 limited by the rectification constant voltage device 17.
The ignition power supply circuit 20 connecting between 0 and the charging coil 16 is not provided with a circuit protection fuse. As shown in FIG. 2, an engine stop circuit 25 is connected to the ignition control device 30. When the stop switch 7 provided on the hull 2 is closed by an operator or the like, the engine stop circuit 25 becomes conductive. Then, the power supplied from the ignition power supply circuit 20 and the backup circuit 21a to the ignition control device 30 is stopped to stop the engine 11.

(Regarding the structure of the control device) The ignition control device 30 includes, in addition to the switch circuit 31, a magnetic flux change in the ignition coils C1 and C2 of the ignition plugs P1 to P4 of each cylinder to cause each ignition plug A CDI circuit 32 for igniting P1 to P4; a CPU 40 for determining an ignition timing of each cylinder and outputting an ignition signal to the CDI circuit 32; a DC voltage from the charging circuit being converted into a constant voltage of about 5 V and C
A constant voltage circuit 34 to be supplied to the PU 40; an input circuit 35 to 3 for converting inputs from the pulsar coils 12, 13 and the switches 14, 15 into digital signals.
8, an ignition signal switching circuit 39 for switching between an ignition signal (hereinafter, referred to as a soft ignition signal) from the CPU 40 and an ignition signal (hereinafter, referred to as a hard ignition signal) from the pulsar coils 12, 13; And a watchdog circuit 33 for monitoring the operation of the CPU 40 and outputting a reset signal to the CPU 40 when an abnormality occurs. Reference numeral 15a in the figure denotes a warning lamp provided on the hull 2, and this warning lamp 15a is lit by a weak current flowing when the hydraulic switch 15 is closed due to a decrease in the hydraulic pressure in the lubricating oil supply passage. To warn the operator of the oil pressure abnormality.
Further, the hydraulic switch 15 is connected to a circuit including a load 15b capable of flowing at least a higher current than the warning lamp 15a in parallel with the circuit including the warning lamp 15a. Even if the contact resistance of the hydraulic switch 15 increases due to oxidation of the hydraulic switch, the hydraulic switch 15 can be reliably turned on to send the hydraulic pressure abnormality information to the CPU 40.

(Regarding the switch circuit) The switch circuit 31 has pulser coils 12, 13 as shown in FIG.
Is input. The switch circuit 31 conducts when signals from the pulsar coils 12 and 13 are input, and switches the 12V DC voltage from the ignition power supply circuit 20 to the CDI circuit 32.
And a non-contact switch element to be supplied to the constant voltage circuit 34. This ensures that the required power is supplied to the CDI circuit 32 and the CPU 40 in the ignition control device 30 immediately after the engine is started. Normally, connection parts such as connectors and mechanical switches may be disconnected due to poor contact or the like, and fuses may also be disconnected due to vibration or the like. Ignition control device 3 without any fuse, connector, or mechanical switch (eg, main switch)
0 and ON / O by the contactless switch circuit 31
Since it is configured to be flip-flopped, the possibility of disconnection is extremely low as compared with a circuit in which a connector, a fuse, and a mechanical switch are interposed. Therefore, the possibility that the power supply to the ignition control device 30 is cut off due to a contact failure, a disconnection, or the like during the operation of the engine is significantly reduced. Further, since the ignition power supply circuit 20 is connected to the battery 10 in addition to the charging coil 16, even if the charging coil 16 fails, the battery 10 supplies power to the ignition control device 30. It is possible. Furthermore, the hull power supply circuit 2
1, the backup circuit 21a connected to the downstream side of the switch circuit 31 is provided. Therefore, even if the ignition power supply circuit 20 is disconnected or the switch circuit 31 fails, the backup circuit 21a is connected to the CDI circuit 32 and the CPU 40. Power supply can be reliably ensured.

(Regarding the CDI circuit) The CDI circuit 3
2 is a first cylinder and a fourth cylinder of the engine 11, or a second cylinder
A simultaneous ignition type circuit for simultaneously igniting the ignition plugs P1 and P4 or P2 and P3 of the cylinders and the third cylinder with the common ignition coil C1 or C2; a charging capacitor 32a; A first thyristor 32b for discharging the ignition energy of the charging capacitor 32a to a first ignition coil C1 common to the ignition plugs P1 and P4; a second ignition coil common to the ignition plugs P2 and P3 of the second and third cylinders C2 is provided with a second thyristor 32c for discharging ignition energy of the charging capacitor 32a. The CDI circuit 32 includes a booster circuit (DD converter) 32d for boosting the 12V DC voltage from the ignition power supply circuit 20 to about 300V, and the battery 10 and the charging coil are connected via the booster circuit 32d. Capacitor 16 for charging ignition energy from a charging circuit comprising
a is charged. That is, the CDI circuit 32 in the ignition control device 30 constitutes a so-called DC-CDI circuit together with the charging circuit, and is configured to charge the charging capacitor 32a sufficiently immediately after the engine is started. .

(Regarding the ignition signal switching circuit)
First and second thyristors 32b and 32 of DI circuit 32
c is turned on when an ignition signal is input, and rapidly discharges the charge stored in the charging capacitor 32a to cause a first discharge.
A sudden magnetic flux change is generated in the ignition coil C1 or the second ignition coil C2, and the ignition plugs P1 and P4 or P2 and P2
A high voltage is induced in the secondary coil of No. 3 to cause spark discharge. The ignition signal is basically determined based on the pulser signals from the first and second pulser coils 12 and 13. In the ignition control device 30, a hard ignition signal using the pulser signal as a direct ignition signal or a pulser signal is used. The CPU 40 calculates an ignition signal output timing suitable for the optimal ignition timing based on the signal, and obtains the C signal at a more optimal timing.
The thyristors 32b and 32c can be made conductive by selectively using any one of the soft ignition signals output from the PU 40. The switching of the ignition signal is performed by an ignition signal switching circuit 39. When a soft ignition signal is output from the CPU 40, the ignition signal switching circuit 39 outputs the soft ignition signal to the thyristor 32.
b or 32c, and outputs a hard ignition signal (pulsar signal) directly sent from the pulser coil 12 or 13 to the thyristor 32b or 32c if the soft ignition signal is not output from the CPU 40. The CPU 40 determines the type of the pulsar signal (that is, the pulsar signal from the first pulsar coil 12 and the second pulsar coil 1).
3), the ignition coil C1 or C2 that causes a change in magnetic flux is determined by the corresponding thyristor 32.
The ignition signal is output to b or 32c. The timing of outputting each ignition signal (i.e., the ignition timing) is calculated based on the period of two consecutive pulsar signals as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 40 determines that the pulsar signal has not been input at least twice (ie,
In the case of this embodiment, the pulsar coils 12, 13 are 180
Since the ignition signal switching circuit 39 does not output the ignition signal unless the crankshaft is rotated by 180 degrees or more (at least when the crankshaft rotates 180 degrees or more), the ignition signal switching circuit 39 outputs the signal from the pulsar coil 12 or 13 as soon as the engine is cranked. The hard ignition signal (pulsar signal) is output to the thyristor 32b or 32c of the CDI circuit 32, and when the CPU 40 starts outputting the soft ignition signal, the output signal is switched to the soft ignition signal. A reset signal from the watchdog circuit 33 is also input to the ignition signal switching circuit 39. When the reset signal is input, the output is forcibly switched to the hard ignition signal even during control by the soft ignition signal. . By switching between the hard ignition signal and the soft ignition signal in the ignition signal switching circuit 39 in this manner, regardless of the number or interval of the pulsar coils 12 and 13 (in the case of the present embodiment, the crankshaft is set to 180 degrees or more). As soon as the engine is cranked (without rotating), the ignition can be performed by the hard ignition signal, so that the engine starting performance is improved. Further, after the engine is started, the signal is output at the optimum ignition timing calculated by the CPU 40. Since the ignition control can be performed by the soft ignition signal, the output performance of the engine is improved, and the misfire control described later can be performed. Further, as described above, the ignition signal switching circuit 39 is configured to forcibly switch from the soft ignition signal to the hard ignition signal based on the reset signal from the watchdog circuit 33, so that if the CPU 40 fails, However, at the same time as the watchdog circuit 33 resets the CPU 40, it can automatically switch to the hard ignition signal.

(Regarding CPU) Next, the ignition control device 3
0 will be described. This CPU
40 is the two pulsar coils 12, 1 as described above.
3 to determine the ignition coil for causing a change in magnetic flux and the output timing of the ignition signal, and output a soft signal to either the thyristor 32b or 32c, and the corresponding ignition plugs P1, P4 or P2 And P3
Causes spark discharge. Thereby, two spark plugs P1 and P4 or P2 and P
One of the three is because the corresponding cylinder is at the end of the compression stroke,
The spark discharge actually burns the mixture,
Since the corresponding cylinder is at the end of the exhaust stroke, it merely generates a spark discharge and does not burn the mixture. In this specification, spark discharge of a spark plug is referred to as "ignition", and
The fact that the spark discharge actually burns the mixture is referred to as "ignition". FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing each processing function of the CPU 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 40 determines an ignition timing suitable for the engine operating condition at that time from an ignition timing map prepared in advance based on the engine operating condition such as the engine speed and the throttle opening. And
An ignition timing determining unit 41 for determining an ignition coil to be ignited based on the pulsar signal and an output timing of an ignition signal suitable for the ignition timing; an engine speed calculating unit for calculating an engine speed based on the pulsar signal 42, an overheat judging unit 43 for judging whether or not the engine is in an overheat state based on an input signal from the thermosensor 14, and an input from the engine speed calculating unit 42, the overheat judging unit 43, and the hydraulic switch 15. A misfire cylinder number determining section 44 is provided which determines whether or not it is necessary to reduce the engine speed based on the signal, determines the number of cylinders to be misfired, and outputs the number to the ignition timing decision section 41. Further, the ignition timing determination unit 41 determines whether the pulsar coils 12, 1
The ignition sequence counter 45 counts the ignition sequence every time the pulsar signal is input from the control unit 3. The ignition sequence counted by the ignition sequence counter 45 is a temporary ignition cylinder number (hereinafter, referred to as a virtual ignition cylinder number). (See FIG. 5, this figure shows the pulse signal, the count number of the ignition order counter, the virtual ignition cylinder number, the actual ignition cylinder, the ignition plug to be ignited, and the ignition signal output from the ignition timing determination unit 41. FIG. Each of these processing units 41
45 are separately and independently described for convenience, but the CPU 40 actually performs processing of each processing unit according to an operation program stored in advance in a memory (not shown) to determine an ignition timing and a misfiring cylinder. And outputs a soft ignition signal.

First, an outline of each processing in the CPU 40 will be briefly described. When the engine 11 starts, a pulsar signal from the pulsar coil 12 or 13 is input to the CPU 40 via the input circuit 35 or 36. The ignition timing determination unit 41 determines the ignition coil C1 or C2 to be ignited according to the type of the pulsar signal as described above, and the timing of the soft ignition signal to be output (that is, the ignition timing).
Is calculated based on the cycle of two consecutive pulsar signals. In addition, the ignition timing determination unit 41 controls the pulsar coil 1
Each time a signal from 2 or 13 is input, the ignition order counter 45 repeatedly counts the first to fourth ignition orders and stores this as a virtual ignition cylinder number. On the other hand, the misfire cylinder number determining unit 44 monitors the supply state of the lubricating oil based on the signal of the hydraulic switch 15 immediately after the engine is started, and monitors whether or not an overheat signal is input from the overheat determining unit 43. Further, based on the engine speed calculated by the engine speed calculation unit 42, it is monitored whether the engine speed is excessive. When the engine 11 falls into any of a poor lubrication state, an overheat state, and an overspeed state, the engine 11 determines the number of misfiring cylinders necessary for engine protection and outputs a misfiring signal to the ignition timing determination unit 41. When the misfire signal is input, the ignition timing determination unit 41 determines the number of the virtual ignition cylinder to be misfired based on the virtual ignition cylinder number, and stops the output of the ignition signal corresponding to that order. Usually, when performing simultaneous ignition,
As described above, since the ignition signals for simultaneously igniting the two cylinders are output based on the pulsar signal from one pulsar coil, which of the two ignition plugs that are simultaneously ignited from the input pulsar signal actually ignites It is not known whether or not the ignition plug is actually being ignited by counting the ignition order counter every time a pulsar signal is input and storing this as a virtual ignition cylinder number as described above. (I.e., the ignition cylinder) can be pseudo-recognized from the pulsar signal, so that the ignition cylinder can be recognized for each cylinder, and misfire can be performed for each cylinder.

Next, an example of the flow of each processing in the ignition timing determination section 41, the overheat determination section 43, and the number of misfired cylinders determination section 44 in the CPU 40 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. I have. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the ignition timing determination unit 41. As shown in the drawing,
When the engine is started, the ignition timing determination unit 41 starts a cylinder setting counter (step 1) and inputs a pulsar signal from the pulsar coil 12 or 13 (step 2). The ignition order counter 45 counts the ignition order in accordance with the number of cylinders each time a pulser signal is input (1 to 4 in the present embodiment, since there are four cylinders), and stores this count value as a virtual ignition cylinder number ( Step 3). Next, it is determined whether or not a misfire signal has been input from the misfire cylinder number determination section 44 (step 4). If no misfire signal has been input, the ignition coil C1 or C2 to be ignited is determined based on the input pulsar signal, and The timing of outputting the ignition signal is determined from the cycle of the two pulser signals, and the ignition signal is output to the corresponding thyristor 32b or 32c (step 5). If a misfire signal is input at the time of determination in step 4, a virtual ignition cylinder that misfires based on the stored virtual ignition cylinder number (hereinafter, a virtual ignition cylinder that misfires is referred to as a “virtual misfire cylinder”). It is set (step 6). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the current virtual ignition cylinder is the virtual misfire cylinder set in step 6 (step 7). If the current virtual ignition cylinder is not the virtual misfire cylinder, ignition is performed. A signal is output (step 5). Otherwise, the process returns to step 2 without outputting the ignition signal of step 5. still,
The setting of the virtual misfire cylinder is preferably set so that the misfire timings are set at equal intervals as shown in FIG. 7, but the present invention is not limited to this. The amount can be set arbitrarily according to various conditions such as the amount of the spark plug and the performance of the spark plug. May be set. The processing after step 2 described above is started immediately after the engine is started, and is repeatedly performed until the engine 11 is stopped by operating the stop switch 7 or the like.

FIG. 8 is a main flowchart of the misfiring cylinder number determination section 44. As shown in FIG. 8, first, it is determined whether or not the hydraulic switch 15 is turned on (step 1). When a signal is input from the hydraulic switch 15, it is determined that lubrication is inadequate, and all the cylinders are immediately misfired. A cylinder misfire signal is output (step 10). The misfire of all cylinders is not released until the lubrication failure signal from the hydraulic switch 15 disappears. If the lubrication failure signal is not input from the hydraulic switch 15, it is next determined whether or not the overheat signal is input from the overheat determination unit 43 (Step 2).
1 is determined to be in an overheat state, and an overheat warning control described later is started. The overheat determination in the overheat determination section 43 and the overheat warning control in the misfire cylinder number determination section 44 will be described later in detail, and only the processing of the main flowchart will be described first. If there is no input of the overheat signal in step 2, it is determined whether or not the engine speed Ne input from the engine speed calculation unit 42 is smaller than 6000 rpm (step 3). Here, if the engine speed Ne is smaller than 6000 rpm, the process returns to the overheat signal input determination processing of step 1 again.
If the engine speed Ne is higher than 6000 rpm, then it is determined whether the engine speed is lower than 6100 rpm (step 4). If the engine speed Ne is smaller than 6100 rpm, a one-cylinder misfire signal is output to the ignition timing determination unit 41 (step 5).
If it is larger than 6100 rpm, it is determined whether or not the engine speed Ne is smaller than 6200 rpm (step 6). If it is determined in step 6 that the engine speed Ne is lower than 6200 rpm, a two-cylinder misfire signal is output (step 7). If the engine speed Ne is higher than 6200 rpm, the process proceeds to the next determination process. This determination process is further performed for 6300 rpm (step 8). If the engine speed Ne is smaller than 6300 rpm, a three-cylinder misfire signal is output (step 9). If the engine speed Ne is larger than 6300 rpm, a full-cylinder misfire signal is output (step 1).
0). The above-described processing is repeatedly performed from the time of starting the engine to the time of stopping the engine, whereby, when lubrication failure occurs, all cylinders of the engine 11 are misfired, and
If the engine speed Ne is overspeed of 6000 rpm or more, the engine 11 is misfired in one to four cylinders, and the engine speed is reduced to 6000 rpm or less. As a result, the engine 11 continues to rotate with poor lubrication,
Engine 1 no longer keeps rotating with overspeed
1 is protected.

Finally, regarding the overheat warning control, FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the overheat determination processing in the overheat determination section 43, and FIG. 10 is a graph showing an example of a temperature change in the water jacket. As shown in FIG. 9, the overheat determining unit 43 determines whether the temperature inside the water jacket (hereinafter, sensor temperature) Ts input from the thermosensor 14 at the same time as the start of the engine 11 is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature Tmax. (Step 1), when the sensor temperature Ts is equal to the upper limit temperature T
If the temperature is equal to or greater than max, it is monitored whether the temperature falls to a predetermined lower limit temperature Tmin or less within a predetermined time t1 (step 2), and as shown by a dashed line in FIG. If the temperature does not drop below the predetermined temperature Tmin within this time, it is determined that an overheat condition has occurred, and an overheat signal is output to the misfiring cylinder number determination unit 44 (step 3). Further, as shown by a solid line in FIG.
When the temperature falls below the lower limit temperature Tmin within the time t1, thereafter, it is continuously monitored whether or not the sensor temperature Ts rises at a speed higher than the predetermined limit temperature rise speed (step 4). As indicated by the two-dot chain line, the sensor temperature Ts
Rises at a speed equal to or higher than the limit temperature rise speed, it is determined that the engine is in an overheat state, and an overheat signal is output to the misfired cylinder number determination unit 44 (step 3). Note that the upper limit temperature Tmax is set higher than a temperature Tlim as a threshold value in general overheating control, for example, a temperature around 85 °, the lower limit temperature Tmin is set lower than the upper limit temperature Tlim, At time t1, after the engine is stopped and the cooling water in the water jacket is drained once, the threshold T
The temperature Ts in the water jacket, which has risen to the upper limit temperature Tmax equal to or higher than lim, is determined by restarting the engine before the temperature is naturally cooled to the threshold Tlim or lower, and when the cooling water is normally supplied into the water jacket. The time is set slightly longer based on the time required to lower the temperature to the lower limit temperature Tmin with the cooling water. With this, when the engine is stopped and the cooling water in the water jacket is completely drained once, and the temperature in the water jacket is high due to the influence of the high-temperature lubricating oil, when the engine is restarted, Even though the cooling water is normally supplied to the water jacket, the temperature in the water jacket heated to the threshold value Tlim or more due to the lubricating oil when the engine is stopped is caused by the trouble of the cooling system, that is, the overheating. There is no misjudgment, and the overheat warning control does not malfunction. The above-described process of the overheat determination unit 43 is repeatedly performed from immediately after the engine 11 starts until the engine 11 stops, as long as the engine 11 does not become overheated.
Is overheated, an overheat signal is output to the misfiring cylinder number determination unit 44, and the process ends.

When the overheat signal is input from the overheat determination unit 43, the misfire cylinder number determination unit 44 performs an overheat warning control process shown in FIG. FIG.
9 is a flowchart of a process during overheat warning control in the misfire cylinder number determination unit 44. In this overheat warning control, misfire cylinders are sequentially increased from one cylinder to four cylinders so that the engine speed Ne does not exceed 2000 rpm (steps 2 to 9). If the engine speed Ne falls to 2000 rpm or less, misfire is reduced to one cylinder. It is stopped one by one (steps 10 and 11). As a result, during the overheating state, the engine speed Ne is 20
00 rpm and the engine 11
Will not rotate at high speed. Although not shown in the flowchart of FIG.
3 outputs a release signal to the misfire cylinder number determination unit 44 when the sensor temperature Ts from the thermo sensor 14 falls below a predetermined overheat state release temperature, and the misfire cylinder number determination unit 44 releases this during the overheat warning control. When the signal is input, the overheat warning control is stopped, and FIG.
It returns to the process of the main flowchart for monitoring the excessive rotation and the lubrication failure shown in (1) (step 1).

(Effect of Embodiment) In the above embodiment, the ignition signal is switched to a so-called DC-CDI circuit for charging ignition energy directly from the charging circuit to the charging capacitor of the CDI circuit.
9 so that the pulsar signal can be used as the ignition signal as it is immediately after starting, so that the charging capacitor can be charged with sufficient ignition energy immediately after the engine is cranked, and moreover, the ignition is reliably performed. Since a signal can be obtained, there is an effect that the starting performance of the engine is very high.

(Others) In this embodiment, an example is described in which the ignition control device according to the present invention is applied to a so-called DC-CDI circuit for charging ignition energy directly from a charging circuit to a charging capacitor of a CDI circuit. The configuration of the ignition circuit to which the ignition control device according to the present invention can be applied is not limited to the present embodiment, for example, an ignition circuit or a transistor ignition system that directly charges a charging capacitor without passing through a booster from a generator. It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to any ignition circuit such as the ignition circuit described above. Further, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the ignition control device according to the present invention is applied to a four-stroke engine for an outboard motor. However, the engine to which the ignition control device according to the present invention can be applied is limited to this embodiment. Without being
For example, the present invention can be applied to any engine such as a vehicle or a two-stroke engine.

[0019]

As described above, the ignition control apparatus for an engine according to the present invention calculates the ignition timing based on the detection signal from the ignition timing detection means and detects the ignition timing. A calculating means for outputting an ignition signal; and a switching means for selectively supplying a detection signal from the detecting means and an ignition signal from the calculating means to an ignition circuit, wherein the switching means outputs a detection signal from the detecting means. It is configured to be able to switch between hard ignition control in which the ignition plug is ignited by using a direct ignition circuit as an ignition signal and soft ignition control in which the ignition signal of the arithmetic means is supplied to the ignition circuit to ignite the ignition plug. Therefore, the ignition can be performed by the ignition signal from the ignition timing detection means from the time of starting the engine until the preparation of the output of the ignition signal by the calculation means. It has the effect of improving the startability of the engine. After the ignition signal is ready after the engine is started, it is possible to perform fine-grained ignition timing control by the arithmetic means, thereby improving the output and operating performance of the engine. This has the effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a boat with an outboard motor on which an engine to which an engine ignition control device according to the present invention is applied is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between a wiring structure on an outboard motor side including the ignition control device and a wiring structure on a hull side.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing a relationship among a pulsar signal, a soft ignition signal, a hard ignition signal, and an output signal of an ignition signal switching circuit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing each processing function of a CPU 40.

FIG. 5 shows a pulser signal, the number of counts of an ignition order counter,
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among a virtual ignition cylinder number, an actual ignition cylinder, a spark plug to be ignited, and an ignition signal output from an ignition timing determination unit 41.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an ignition timing determination unit 41.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between actual ignition cylinders and virtual ignition cylinders and some examples of misfire patterns.

FIG. 8 is a main flowchart of a misfire cylinder number determination unit 44;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an overheat determination process in an overheat determination unit 43.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing an example of a temperature change in a water jacket.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process during overheat warning control in the misfired cylinder number determination unit 44.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outboard motor 2 Hull 3 Handle 4 Seat 5 Throttle / shift lever 6 Main switch 7 Stop switch 8 Meter panel 9 Fuel tank 10 Battery 11 Engine 12 First pulsar coil 13 Second pulsar coil 14 Thermosensor 15 Hydraulic switch 16 Light coil 17 Rectification Constant voltage device 18 Connector 19 Main fuse 20 Ignition power supply circuit 21 Hull power supply circuit 21a Backup circuit 22 Connector 23 Accessory fuse 24 Connector 25 Engine stop circuit 30 Ignition control device 31 Switch circuit 32 CDI circuit 32a Charging capacitor 32b First thyristor 32c Second thyristor 32d Booster circuit 33 Watchdog circuit 34 Constant voltage circuit 35-38 Input circuit 39 Ignition signal switching circuit 40 CPU 41 points Timing determination unit 42 Engine speed calculation unit 43 Overheat determination unit 44 Misfired cylinder number determination unit 45 Ignition order counter P1 First cylinder ignition plug P2 Second cylinder ignition plug P3 Third cylinder ignition plug P4 Fourth cylinder ignition plug C1 First Ignition coil C2 First ignition coil

Claims (5)

[Claims] Detecting means for detecting an ignition timing; calculating means for determining an ignition timing and an ignition timing based on a detection signal from the ignition timing detecting means and outputting an ignition signal to an ignition circuit; Switching means for selectively supplying the detection signal and the ignition signal from the arithmetic means to the ignition circuit, wherein the detection means sends the detection signal of the detection means directly as an ignition signal to the ignition circuit and detects the detection signal by the detection means. An engine characterized in that it is possible to switch between hard ignition control for igniting an ignition plug at ignition timing and soft ignition control for igniting an ignition plug by supplying an ignition signal obtained by arithmetic means to an ignition circuit. Ignition control device. 2. The ignition control device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation means calculates the ignition timing based on the cycles of at least two detection signals. 3. The ignition control device according to claim 1, wherein the ignition circuit comprises a DC-CDI circuit for directly charging a charging capacitor from a battery power supply. 4. The ignition control device according to claim 1, wherein the engine is a four-stroke engine. 5. The switching means supplies a detection signal to the ignition circuit as an ignition signal after the engine is started until the ignition signal is output from the arithmetic means, and the ignition signal is output from the arithmetic means. The ignition control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ignition signal is switched from the ignition signal of the detection unit to the ignition signal of the calculation unit.