Abstract

A combustion monitoring system has been developed by applying ionic current measurement for malfunction diagnosis and combustion management of Formula One engines. In this system the spark plug’s center electrode acts as an ion probe for ionic current measurement, which eliminates the need for additional sensors. The system allows the onboard monitoring of each of the cylinders for their combustion status under all operational conditions. The accuracy and reliability has ensured that the technology can be effectively used for the management of Formula One engines with car-to-pit communication carried out via telemetering. It is capable of various types of controls including detection of misfire, hesitation, detonation and the lean-burn condition. In addition to these points, this paper reports on the relationship between the spark plug center electrode configuration and the absolute quantity of ionic current.

References

1. (1) Shimasaki, Y., et al.: Spark Plug Voltage Analysis for Monitoring Combustion in an Internal Combustion Engine,SAE 930461
2. (2) Miyata, S., et al.: Flame Ion Density Measurement Using Spark Plug Voltage Analysis, SAE 930462
3. (3) Shimasaki, Y., et al.: Study on Combustion Monitoring System for Formula One Engines Using Ionic Current Measurement, SAE 2004-01-1921
4. (4) Shimasaki, Y., et al.: Study on Combustion Monitoring System for Formula One Engines (Report 1), SAE Proceedings No. 107-04, p. 175

Author (organization or company)

• Yuichi SHIMASAKI（Tochigi R&D Center）
• Junko SAKAGUCHI（Tochigi R&D Center）
• Hidetaka MAKI（Tochigi R&D Center）
• Hiroaki SUZUKI（Tochigi R&D Center）
• Akira KATO（Tochigi R&D Center）
• Kazutoshi NISHIZAWA（Tochigi R&D Center）

Publication Information

Article of Honda R&D Technical Review Vol.17 No.1 (56 - 64)

PDF

Citation Information