High energy ignition method and system using pre-dwell control

1. A method of managing the energy stored in a single ignition coil of a distributor inductive ignition for an engine, the engine comprising a plurality of cylinders and the ignition coil having a primary coil current, the ignition coil having a stored energy and a released energy during an ignition period, the method comprising:

determining a pre-dwell time period and a pre-dwell current level; and

balancing the stored energy of the ignition coil and the released energy of the ignition coil during the ignition period by at least in part dwelling the primary coil current in the ignition coil at substantially the pre-dwell current level for the pre-dwell time period.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-dwell current level is approximately 10 to 15 percent of a peak coil current.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising ramping the current to a full peak value after the expiration of the pre-dwell time period.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein ramping the current comprises detecting when the primary coil current reach approximately 85 percent of the peak value and subsequently turning off the coil current.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the balancing of the stored energy comprises ramping the primary coil current to a full current value and turning off the primary coil current to create a spark.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein ramping the primary coil current comprises detecting when the primary coil current reaches approximately 85 percent of the peak value and subsequently turning off the primary coil current.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein ramping the primary coil current comprises detecting when the primary coil current reaches approximately 85 percent of the peak value and allowing the primary coil current to continue ramping to 100 percent and subsequently turning off the primary coil current.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein balancing the stored energy comprises altering the stored energy of the ignition coil to an optimum value between firings of at least one engine cylinder, the altering being made for each of a plurality of speed ranges and as a result of the adjusting at least one dwell control parameter.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one dwell control parameter is selected from a ramp time of an ignition coil, an excess dwell time period of the ignition coil, an instantaneous turn-on time of the ignition coil, a turn-off time period of the ignition coil, and an instantaneous turn-off time of the ignition coil.

10. The method of claim 1 where balancing the stored energy comprises adjusting at least one dwell control parameter of the ignition coil in the pre-dwell time period and at least one other speed range, the adjusting based at least in part upon an evaluation of at least one engine performance parameter.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the at least one dwell control parameter is selected from a ramp time of an ignition coil, an excess dwell time period of the ignition coil, an instantaneous turn-on time of the ignition coil, a turn-off time period of the ignition coil, and an instantaneous turn-off time of the ignition coil.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one engine performance parameter is selected from the operating speed of the engine, the operating mode of the engine, and the performance of the engine during use of a particular margin value.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein balancing the stored energy comprises increasing the current to the ignition coil to a value over a ramp time and adjusting the ramp time based upon a desired excess dwell time.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein balancing the stored energy comprises turning off a current supply at the primary coil at a turn-off time and means for adjusting the turn-off time based upon the dwell time.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein balancing the stored energy comprises adjusting an excess dwell time in fixed increments based at least in part upon an operating mode and an engine speed.