A novel method for direct measurement of spark energy

Abstract

Spark energy is one of the most important indicators for evaluating the performance of electric ignition systems. The development of electric ignition systems requires accurate measurement of spark energy to optimize system design parameters.The traditional oscilloscope test method calculates the spark energy by measuring the discharge electric energy. There is a serious energy conversion error, and the accurate measurement of spark energy cannot be realized. In this paper, based on radiation energy detection, a new method for direct measuring spark energy is reported. The multiband photodetector is used to conduct spatial sampling and spectral integration of the spark radiation energy. Then, using the high-speed response capability of the photodetector, high-precision measurement of spark energy is achieved by combining the time domain waveform of the spark pulse with the time integration of the spark radiation power. The experimental system can sample the spark radiant energy in 200nm~12,000nm spectral range by using 12 photodetectors, which is divided into four wavebands, and realize the direct test output of spark energy. The energy testing results show that the precision and stability of spark energy measurement are better than 5%. On the one hand, the method utilizes photodetectors to detect the radiation energy produced by electrical sparks and directly obtain the spark energy without requiring conversion between different forms of energy. Therefore, this approach offers higher measurement accuracy. On the other hand, the method takes advantage of the natural electromagnetic interference immunity of optical measurement techniques, which can effectively address the issue of strong electromagnetic interference caused by the electrical ignition system in oscilloscope methods. This can prevent distorted test results and ensure the ability to complete normal tests. Further studies show that the method can be used for accurate measurement of spark energy.