Introduction to Automotive Ignition Systems
■As the cost of gasoline rises and environmental concerns about vehicle exhaust attracts more and more attention, the auto industry is accelerating research on development of new power-train systems with less fuel consumption, higher power density, and enhanced robustness. Being an important part of the power-train system, the ignition system contributes significantly to the system’s efficiency，exhaust pollution reduction, and robustness.
■In the early 1900s. the inductive ignition system was developed for internal combustion engines. The system and its variants have been in use since that time. In the early days, the primary winding of the ignition coil was controlled by mechanical switches, commonly called the breaker points, which are seldom seen in modern ignition systems. The breaker point inductive ignition system and distributor is simple，low cost, and can be used in most vehicle applications. However, the breaker points are prone to wear out or deteriorate due to bums caused by arcing. Frequent maintenance and replacement increases overall system cost. Some inherent issues related to the mechanical switches and the distributor may also cause the imprecise and/or improper ignition timing. This results in improper fuel mixture bum. causing increased pollution.
■Thanks to the development of high-voltage high-current power switches by the semiconductor industry, the vulnerable mechanical switches have been replaced by more reliable, high-power semiconductor devices. By using dual tower coils1，the distributor can be removed. Using “on plug” type coils, the high-voltage connection wires can be eliminated. The most recent technology trends are integrating the ignition Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) into the ignition coil and integrating the IGBTs control IC with diagnosis and protection functions into the single igniter module to make a more compact and simple ignition system. Devices with high clamping voltages and high energy density handling capability (in most cases IGBTs)，are desirable as increasing demand for better Miles-Per-Gallon (MPG) engines operating at higher compression ratios need higher sparking voltage and more energy to ignite a lean air-and-fuel mixture.
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IGBT 、 Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor 、 ECU 、 Engine Control Unit |
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Application note & Design Guide |
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Please see the document for details |
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English Chinese Chinese and English Japanese |
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2021/8/6 |
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AN-8208 |
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1.2 MB |
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