System and method for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine

Claim 1

A system for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) first means for detecting occurrence of engine knocking; (b) second means for detecting an internal pressure in an engine cylinder; (c) third means for detecting an engine operating condition; (d) fourth means for setting a basic ignition timing angle according to the engine operating condition detected by the third means; (e) fifth means for detecting an engine crankshaft angular displacement at which the internal cylinder pressure becomes maximum as a maximum internal cylinder pressure timing angle on the basis of a detection result of the second means; (f) sixth means for calculating a knock correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so as to suppress a level of the knocking within a predetermined level on the basis of a detection result of the first means; (g) seventh means for calculating an MBT correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so that the maximum internal cylinder pressure timing angle coincides with a target angular position at which a magnitude of engine output torque becomes maximum; (h) eighth means for setting a predetermined limit value for at least one of the calculated knock and MBT correction quantities whose value is smaller than that of the other correction quantity as an ignition timing correction quantity; (i) ninth means for correcting the basic ignition timing angle according to the instantaneous ignition timing correction quantity within a range of the predetermined limit value set by the eighth means and correcting the basic ignition timing angle on the basis of one of the knock and MBT correction quantities which is placed at a more retardation angle side; and (j) tenth means for determining the instantaneous ignition timing angle from the corrected basic ignition timing angle by the ninth means and igniting fuel supplied to the engine at the determined ignition timing.

Claim 2

A system for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) first means for detecting occurrence of engine knocking; (b) second means for detecting an internal pressure in an engine cylinder; (c) third means for detecting an engine operating condition; (d) fourth means for setting a basic ignition timing angle according to the engine operating condition detected by the third means; (e) fifth means for detecting an engine crankshaft angular displacement at which the internal cylinder pressure becomes maximum as a maximum internal cylinder pressure timing angle on the basis of a detection result of the second means; (f) sixth means for calculating a knock correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so as to suppress a level of the knocking within a predetermined level on the basis of a detection result of the first means; (g) seventh means for calculating an MBT correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so that the maximum internal cylinder pressure timing angle coincides with a target angular position at which a magnitude of engine output torque becomes maximum; (h) eighth means for setting a predetermined limit value for at least one of the calculated knock and MBT correction quantities whose value is smaller than that of the other correction quantity as an ignition timing correction quantity; (i) ninth means for correcting the basic ignition timing angle according to the instantaneous ignition timing correction quantity within a range of the predetermined limit value set by the eighth means and correcting the basic ignition timing angle on the basis of one of the knock and MBT correction quantities which is placed at a more retardation angle side; and (j) tenth means for determining the instantaneous ignition timing angle from the corrected basic ignition timing angle by the ninth means and igniting fuel supplied to the engine at the determined ignition timing.

Claim 12

A system for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) first means for detecting occurrence of engine knocking; (b) second means for detecting an internal pressure in an engine cylinder; (c) third means for detecting an engine operating condition; (d) fourth means for setting a basic ignition timing angle according to the engine operating condition detected by the third means; (e) fifth means for detecting an engine crankshaft angular displacement at which the internal cylinder pressure becomes maximum as a maximum internal cylinder pressure timing on the basis of a detection result of the second means; (f) sixth means for calculating a knock correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing so as to suppress a level of the knocking within a predetermined level on the basis of a detection result of the first means; (g) seventh means for calculating an MBT correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so that the maximum internal cylinder pressure timing angle coincides with a target angular position at which a magnitude of engine output torque becomes maximum; (h) eighth means for setting a predetermined limit value for each of the calculated knock and MBT correction quantities whose value is smaller than that of the other correction quantity as an ignition timing correction quantity; (i) ninth means for correcting the basic ignition timing angle according to the instantaneous ignition timing correction quantity within a range of the predetermined limit value set by the eighth means and correcting the basic ignition timing angle on the basis of one of the knock and MBT correction quantities which is placed at a more retardation angle side; and (j) tenth means for determining the instantaneous ignition timing angle from the corrected basic ignition timing angle by the ninth means and igniting fuel supplied to the engine at the determined ignition timing.

Claim 13

A system for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine, comprising: (a) first means for detecting occurrence of engine knocking; (b) second means for detecting an internal pressure in an engine cylinder; (c) third means for detecting an engine operating condition; (d) fourth means for setting a basic ignition timing angle according to the engine operating condition detected by the third means; (e) fifth means for detecting an engine crankshaft angular displacement at which the internal cylinder pressure becomes maximum as a maximum internal cylinder pressure timing on the basis of a detection result of the second means; (f) sixth means for calculating a knock correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing so as to suppress a level of the knocking within a predetermined level on the basis of a detection result of the first means; (g) seventh means for calculating an MBT correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so that the maximum internal cylinder pressure timing angle coincides with a target angular position at which a magnitude of engine output torque becomes maximum; (h) eighth means for setting a predetermined limit value for each of the calculated knock and MBT correction quantities whose value is smaller than that of the other correction quantity as an ignition timing correction quantity; (i) ninth means for correcting the basic ignition timing angle according to the instantaneous ignition timing correction quantity within a range of the predetermined limit value set by the eighth means and correcting the basic ignition timing angle on the basis of one of the knock and MBT correction quantities which is placed at a more retardation angle side; and (j) tenth means for determining the instantaneous ignition timing angle from the corrected basic ignition timing angle by the ninth means and igniting fuel supplied to the engine at the determined ignition timing.

Claim 14

A method for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of: (a) detecting an occurrence of engine knocking; (b) detecting an internal pressure in an engine cylinder of the engine; (c) detecting an engine operating condition; (d) setting a basic ignition timing according to the engine operating condition; (e) detecting a crankshaft angular displacement at which the internal cylinder pressure becomes maximum as a maximum internal cylinder timing on the basis of the detection result in the step (b); (f) calculating a knock correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so as to suppress the engine knocking to fall in a predetermined level on the basis of a detection result of the step (a); (g) calculating an MBT correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing so that the maximum internal cylinder pressure timing coincides with a target angular position at which a magnitude of an engine output torque becomes maximum; (h) setting a predetermined limit value for at least one of the calculated knock and MBT correction quantities; (i) correcting the basic ignition timing angle according to the MBT correction quantity within a range of the predetermined limit value set by the eighth means and correcting the basic ignition timing angle on the basis of one of the knock and MBT correction quantities which is placed at a more retardation angle side; and (l) determining the instantaneous ignition timing from the corrected basic ignition timing angle carried out in the step (i) and igniting fuel supplied to the engine at the determined ignition timing angle.

Claim 15

A method for controlling an ignition timing for an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of: (a) detecting an occurrence of engine knocking; (b) detecting an internal pressure in an engine cylinder of the engine; (c) detecting an engine operating condition; (d) setting a basic ignition timing according to the engine operating condition; (e) detecting a crankshaft angular displacement at which the internal cylinder pressure becomes maximum as a maximum internal cylinder timing on the basis of the detection result in the step (b); (f) calculating a knock correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing angle so as to suppress the engine knocking to fall in a predetermined level on the basis of a detection result of the step (a); (g) calculating an MBT correction quantity for correcting the instantaneous ignition timing so that the maximum internal cylinder pressure timing coincides with a target angular position at which a magnitude of an engine output torque becomes maximum; (h) setting a predetermined limit value for at least one of the calculated knock and MBT correction quantities; (i) correcting the basic ignition timing angle according to the MBT correction quantity within a range of the predetermined limit value set by the eighth means and correcting the basic ignition timing angle on the basis of one of the knock and MBT correction quantities which is placed at a more retardation angle side; and (l) determining the instantaneous ignition timing from the corrected basic ignition timing angle carried out in the step (i) and igniting fuel supplied to the engine at the determined ignition timing angle.