MISFIRE DETECTION USING A DYNAMIC NEURAL NETWORK WITH OUTPUT FEEDBACK

A misfire detection apparatus and method for detecting misfire of an engine. The engine has an engine speed and a manifold absolute pressure. An engine signal preprocessing system is provided for determining: a fluctuation associated with the engine speed; an average associated with the engine speed; and an average associated with the manifold absolute pressure. A neural network determines a firing event signal based upon: the determined engine speed fluctuation; the determined engine speed average; and the determined manifold absolute pressure average. A misfire decision determinator detects a misfire of the engine based upon the determined firing event signal. A preferred embodiment also includes a dynamic neural network system with global output feedback.