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AssigneeOrbital Australia Pty Ltd
InventorsGoeffrey Paul Cathcart, Nicolass Harry Buters
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The ignition system (10) of an engine (particularly for a UAV) has a primary (10a), and a secondary (10b) ignition system to provide redundancy for ‘get you home’ capability should the primary ignition system fail. The secondary ignition provides a lower energy or shorter duration spark than the higher energy or longer duration sparking of the primary ignition system, and is retarded relative to primary sparking. Timing of the secondary sparking can be advanced in the event of primary sparking failure. Fuelling strategy can be shifted from a leaner stratified charge to a richer homogenous charge when relying just on the secondary ignition system for ignition. The secondary ignition system can be of a lower spark energy and/or duration than the primary ignition system, avoiding the cost, complexity and weight of replicating the primary ignition system, and to improve packaging within the engine housing, particularly within the limited payload and space limits of a UAV.
An ignition system for a spark ignited engine of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the ignition system including a primary ignition system and a secondary ignition system, the primary ignition system configured to provide an ignition spark of a first spark energy or spark duration to at least one first spark plug for combustion of a fuel-air mixture during operation of the engine, the secondary ignition system configured to provide an ignition spark of a second spark energy or spark duration to the at least one first spark plug or to at least one second spark plug to ignite the fuel-air mixture in the event that the primary ignition system is inoperative or partially operative, wherein the second spark energy or spark duration being provided by the secondary ignition system is less than the respective first spark energy or spark duration being provided by the primary ignition system.
A method of controlling spark ignition in an engine of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the engine including an ignition system with a primary ignition system and a secondary ignition system, the primary ignition system providing ignition sparking of a first spark energy or spark duration to at least one first spark plug for combustion of a fuel-air mixture during operation of the engine, the secondary ignition system providing ignition sparking of a second spark energy or spark duration to the at least one first spark plug or to at least one second spark plug to ignite the fuel-air mixture in the event that the primary ignition system is inoperative or partially operative, wherein the secondary ignition system provides one or both of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.