Glow plug control apparatus, glow plug, and method of detecting ions in engine combustion chamber

摘要

In a glow plug controller, a glow plug 10 fixed to an engine 30 comprises a heater and a ceramic substrate having an exposed portion 2d which is exposed to the interior of a combustion chamber 32. A glow plug control apparatus 100 causes ECU 105 to control the energization of the heater of the glow plug 10 to keep the surface temperature Ts of the exposed portion 2d to not lower than 500 DEG C. Further, ionic current Ii is measured using the glow plug 10. Switches 102 and 103 switch from the energization of the glow plug to the detection of ionic current or vice versa in response to a command signal from ECU 105.