Powertrain Systems

Delphi Ignition Coils supply the required electrical energy needed to ignite air-fuel mixtures in an engine's combustion chamber.  They are designed to meet a wide variety of continually evolving requirements for combustion calibrations.  Delphi Ignition Coils are also designed to operate dependably and reliably under all operating conditions and throughout the entire engine speed range to help manufacturers meet the highest engine performance, exhaust emissions, and fuel economy objectives.

Delphi offers the most comprehensive line of ignition coils and smart ignition systems in the industry.  Packaging options include the following:

• Pencil coils
• Plug top coils
• Coil-near-plugs
• Waste spark systems

All design options are available in single coil, multi-coil packs, and cassette configurations. 

Benefits

• Improved dwell accuracy decreases module and coil temperatures for greater reliability
• Noise abatement material between laminations reduces audible coil noise
• Cassettes have improved primary connector for greater ease of assembly compared to designs with one connector for each coil
• Lower primary inductance provides high-speed performance
• Early and precise electronic spark timing helps improve fuel economy and provides faster crank-to-run
• Higher energy delivered to combustible mixture provides cleaner combustion to help manufacturers meet on-board diagnostics (OBD II) requirements
• Direct connection to spark plugs (via small boot) eliminates spark plug wires
• Composite iron coils provide programmable energy
• Coil per cylinder dwell overlap electronics deliver better high speed performance and better heat dissipation compared to some conventional technologies
• Coil per cylinder ramp and fire electronics decrease power dissipation and increase efficiency
• Reduced radio frequency interference (RFI) compared to some conventional coil designs

Typical Applications

Delphi Ignition Coils can be designed for use with any conventional multi-port fuel injection or direct injection gasoline engine.  Delphi offers ignition coils for a wide range of gasoline engine products including the following:

• Automotive
• Motorcycles
• Marine engines
• Commercial products
• Power sports products

Delphi's Ignition Coils Product Portfolio

• Delphi Pencil Coils are designed to take advantage of unused space typically found above a conventional spark plug (spark well).  Their compact size enables them to fit directly into any typical spark plug hole (>23 mm of inside diameter) of four-valve engines.  Delphi pencil coils are available in a variety of configurations and they are offered with outside diameters ranging from 22.0 mm to 29.1 mm, and energy rates from 35 mJ to 80 mJ (depending on size).  They can include magnetic biasing that provides a combination of small size, high energy performance, and ease of packaging.  Additional options include:
• Igniter
• Twin spark capability
• Cassette design
• Conventional or boltless fastening
• Ion sense capability
• Multi-strike/multi-charge feature

Delphi Pencil Coils

• Delphi Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) Pencil Coils offer the highest energy density coil in the industry and industry-leading durability.  They are designed to provide variable energy output to match engine operating conditions and supply the required energy level needed to ignite a diluted stratified charge.  Typically, they are packaged within the DIG cylinder head space constraints.

Delphi Direct Injection Pencil Coil

• Delphi Plug Top Coils are designed to be used when packaging constraints prevent the use of pencil coils (spark well inside diameter <22 mm) and when a high output energy coil is required (energy >80 mJ).  Secondary output energy ranges between 35 mJ and 100 mJ, depending on the size of the coil.  Delphi plug top coils are available in coil per cylinder configurations, either individual or cassette-type packages.  They offer small package size while providing the required output voltage to break the spark plug gap and the necessary high energy level to ensure and enhance combustion stability.  Options include:
• Igniter
• Twin spark capability
• Cassette design
• Conventional or boltless fastening
• Ion sense capability
• Multi-strike/multi-charge feature

Delphi Plug Top Coils

• Delphi Coil-Near-Plugs are typically used in overhead valve (OHV) engine applications in which the spark plugs are located close to the exhaust system and, thus, will experience extreme temperatures.  Coil-near-plugs are connected to the spark plugs via short plug wires.  They feature coil per cylinder configurations and are available with or without integrated igniters.  Delphi coil-near-plugs offer high quality, robust durability and excellent reliability.

Delphi Coil-Near-Plugs

• Delphi Waste Spark Pencil Coil Packs (PCP) provide one coil per two pairs of cylinders.  (Two coils for 4-cylider engines; 3 coils for 6-cylinder engines.)  Delphi waste spark PCP feature pencil coil technology in a lower cost waste spark configuration.  The pack design offers the highest energy density to enable mass reduction of up to 40 percent compared to conventional ignition coils.  Delphi waste spark PCP include:
• Cassette/miniature package or semi-direct mount
• Laminated core
• Enhanced performance option

Delphi Waste Spark Pencil Coil Packs

• Delphi Non-Automotive Engine Ignition Systems are designed for one- and two-cylinder gasoline engines and range from small inductive ignition coils to stand-alone smart ignition modules that can adjust spark timing to help provide economical fuel consumption and optimal engine performance.  They offer fully encapsulated composite iron cores and coil igniter circuits that provide reliable, robust design to meet harsh off-road conditions.

Delphi Motorcycle Ignition Coil

• Delphi Ion Sense Ignition Systems feature direct in-cylinder measurement of combustion quality.  They use conventional spark plugs as "in cylinder" sensors for combustion quality.  Delphi ion sense ignition systems also offer more precise misfire detection (determined by combustion results instead of speed calculations) and more accurate knock detection (measured by combustion signal not engine vibration).  In an ion sense ignition system, the igniter, bias and buffer circuits are fully integrated and encapsulated in the coil as one unit.  Ion sense ignition systems enable continued development of future functionality and advanced features such as:
• Location of peak pressure (LLP)
• Cold start compensation
• Dilution control
• Pre-ignition detection

Delphi Ion Sense and Multi-Charge Ignition Systems

• Delphi Multi-Charge Ignition Systems feature a coil per cylinder control system that enables longer spark duration, increased spark energy and re-ignition in the event of combustion blow-out when liquid is present.  They offer multiple opportunities for the initiation of robust combustion, improved geometric strength, and compensation of fuel spray variation.  Delphi multi-charge ignition systems are designed for stratified DIG applications and other engines that use highly diluted fuel mixtures.  Coil smart electronics are fully integrated and encapsulated.

Note: Performance information is based on actual product data. Delphi can design an ignition system to meet specific customer requirements.

Pencil Coils Accelerated Life Testing

Delphi Ignition Coils are designed for long-term durability and they consistently outlast products from major competitive suppliers as demonstrated by this graph showing accelerated life test results.

Performance Advantages

Delphi Ignition Coils and systems are built of highly sturdy materials and designed for long-term durability and reliability.  They feature cost-effective designs and are produced by smart manufacturing processes that enable successful implementation across a wide range of engine applications.  Delphi offers manufacturers a complete systems integration approach to ignition systems development.  Every step of the ignition process is analyzed, including the creation, transmission, timing and delivery of the ignition spark energy.  This strategy provides optimized ignition systems tailored to customer requirements.

The Delphi Advantage

Delphi has more than 100 years experience in ignition systems and builds more than 23 million ignition coils and systems each year.  With a global network of engineering centers and low-cost ignition systems manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, Delphi can provide just-in-time delivery to support manufacturers around the world.

Delphi has a long history of supplying gasoline engine management systems and components that have helped manufacturers overcome market and regulatory challenges around the world.  That experience provides manufacturers with unique systems-level knowledge and analysis capabilities.  Only Delphi offers a complete engine management systems product portfolio, including:

• Fuel injection systems
• Ignition systems
• Air and fuel management
• Electronics
• Sensors and actuators
• Valve train systems
• Fuel handling systems
• Evaporative emissions systems