Automatic Performance Control (APC) was the first engine knock and boost control system. The APC was invented by

Per Gillbrand Per Sune Evaldsson Gillbrand (23 March 1934 – 30 November 2016) was a Swedish automobile engineer. Born in Tidaholm, Gillbrand is best known for his contribution to the development of several engines for Saab, and in particular their turbochar ...

at the Swedish car maker SAAB. SAAB introduced it on the turbo charged

Saab H engine The Saab H engine is a redesign of the Saab B engine, which in turn was based on the Triumph Slant-4 engine. Despite the name it is not an H engine or horizontally opposed engine, but a slanted inline-4. The H engine was introduced in 1981 in th ...

s in 1982, and the APC was fitted to all subsequent 900 Turbos through 1993 (and 1994 convertibles), as well as 9000 Turbos through 1989. The APC was sold to Maserati to equip the carbureted

Maserati Biturbo The Maserati Biturbo is a family of executive grand tourers produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati between 1981 and 1994. The original Biturbo was a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé (of somewhat smaller dimensions than th ...

, with different settings for the Biturbo, and was known as the Maserati Automatic Boost Controller (MABC). The APC allowed a higher

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine. A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...

(initially, 8.5:1 as opposed to 7.2:1, and, on 16-valve variants introduced in 1985, 9.0:1). This improved fuel economy and allowed the use of low-octane petrol without causing engine damage caused by knock. The APC controls boost pressure and the overall performance, specifically the rate of rise and maximum boost level - and it detects and manages harmful knock events. To control the turbocharger, the APC monitors the engine's

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

and

inlet manifold An inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an internal combustion engine that supplies the fuel/ air mixture to the cylinders. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from the Anglo- ...

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and eve ...

via a pressure

transducer A transducer is a device that Energy transformation, converts energy from one form to another. Usually a transducer converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another. Transducers are often employed at the boundaries of automation, M ...

, and uses these inputs to control a solenoid valve that trims the rate of rise of pressure as well as the maximum pressure by directing boost pressure to the turbocharger's pneumatic

wastegate A wastegate is a valve that controls the flow of exhaust gases to the turbine wheel in a turbocharged engine system.Robson, D. (2018). Aircraft General Knowledge. Aviation Theory Centre Pty Ltd. . Diversion of exhaust gases regulates the turbine ...

actuator An actuator is a machine element, component of a machine that produces force, torque, or Displacement (geometry), displacement, when an electrical, Pneumatics, pneumatic or Hydraulic fluid, hydraulic input is supplied to it in a system (called an ...

. To detect knock, a

piezoelectric Piezoelectricity (, ) is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials—such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA, and various proteins—in response to applied stress (mechanics), mechanical s ...

knock

sensor A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

(basically a

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

) bolted to the engine block responds to unique frequencies caused by engine knock. The sensor generates a small voltage that is sent to the electronic control unit, which processes the signal to determine if, in fact, knock is occurring. If it is, then the control unit activates a solenoid valve that directs boost pressure to the turbocharger's pneumatically controlled wastegate, that opens to bypass exhaust gases from the turbocharger directly to the exhaust pipe, lowering turbo boost pressure until the knock subsides. Knock events that are managed by the APC can be discerned when the in-dash boost needle "twitches" slightly. The APC unit has a 'knock' output where an

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

may be connected. This LED will then light up if knock is detected. Because the knock sensor becomes less accurate at high revolutions, the APC tapers maximum boost pressure after approximately 4,500 RPM.

APC boost gauge

Saab Full Pressure Turbo (FPT) models with this unit include the APC name displayed on a non-numeric boost

pressure gauge Pressure measurement is the measurement of an applied force by a fluid (liquid or gas) on a surface. Pressure is typically measured in units of force per unit of surface area. Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of press ...

in the instrument panel. Although knock sensors are common even on non-turbocharged and turbocharged engines today, Saab has continued to use the APC name prominently as a differentiating feature. The white area on the left side of the scale shows

manifold vacuum Manifold vacuum, or engine vacuum in a petrol engine is the difference in air pressure between the engine's intake manifold and Earth's atmosphere. Manifold vacuum is an effect of a piston's movement on the induction stroke and the airflow thr ...

under normal driving conditions, the short white dash is atmospheric pressure (engine off), the orange scale is where there is safe turbo boost, the red scale is boost above 0.5 - 0.7 bar where the wastegate may be opened or a

fuel cut A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

due to overboost may occur. Saab integrated the APC's boost control functionality with ignition control in 1990 with the introduction of the DI/APC system, available in 9000 models only. The DI/APC system managed knock not only by decreasing boost via a solenoid but by retarding

ignition timing In a spark ignition internal combustion engine, ignition timing is the timing, relative to the current piston position and crankshaft angle, of the release of a spark in the combustion chamber near the end of the compression stroke. The need ...

as well; DI/APC also managed the engine's basic ignition timing.

References

{{Automotive engine , collapsed Engine technology Saab

APC boost gauge

See also

References