Abstract: The desired performance of a spark ignition (SI) engine is highly related to the position of the spark advance, and consequently to the beginning of stable combustion inside the cylinder. The magnitude of the generated ion current signal, measured by a sensor inside cylinder, is closely correlated to the cylinder pressure magnitude. Their maximum values almost coincide at the same crank angle position. In this paper, a feedback control system is designed to fix the position of the maximum pressure at a given desired value of the crank angle. Noting that SI engines are highly non-linear systems, a fuzzy logic controller is developed. The simulation results present a quite satisfactory performance of the closed-loop system.

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Ref.:Proc. IMechE Vol.221 Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, p335-342, 2007.