IGNITER CIRCUIT HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE OVER DWELL TIME

An ignition system may include an igniter circuit to control the current in a coil supplied by a battery based on an input signal from an engine control unit. To prevent overheating, the igniter circuit may be configured to shut down the current in the coil when the input signal is held high for an over dwell period. The disclosed igniter circuit is configured with circuitry to automatically adjust the over dwell period used based on a condition of the battery to prevent overheating without prematurely shutting down. The automatic adjustment includes indirectly monitoring the battery condition based on a current or a voltage of a switching device coupled to the coil.