Technique for correlating radiated noise with individual spark events in an automotive ignition system

A technique is described for obtaining synchronization signals from an engine´s ignition system without significantly modifying the far field radio frequency interference (RFI) produced by the engine. These signals are used to view the output of an RFI receiver as a function of time, allowing for a correlation between RFI and individual arcing events in the ignition sequence. Examples of real time and statistical data obtained with the technique are given.