An Automatic Test Equipment for Automotive Engine Ignitors

Equipment has been developed for testing automotive engine ignitors automatically. It consists of a microcomputer, engine simulator, and measurement unit. Given the ignitor specifications to be tested, the microcomputer calculates the engine state and sets it into the engine simulator. The simulator then produces the signals necessary to operate the ignitor. The advance angle and the dwell time of the ignitor are measured by the measurement unit with the accuracy of 0.10 in crank angle and of 0.1 ms, respectively. This process is repeated until all the test items are covered. Time required for the test is only a few seconds. The result is plotted, if desired, as a function of engine speed and load.