Spark igniter life detection
AssigneeChampion Aerospace Inc.
InventorsRobert A. Lockmiller, Amit Toprani
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Abstract
A device for monitoring a life condition of a spark igniter in a gas turbine ignition system. The device includes an evaluation circuit having circuit components that include a hold capacitor, a transistor, and an operational amplifier arranged to form a sample-and-hold circuit, wherein an igniter spark impulse signal is applied to an input node of the evaluation circuit causing the transistor to turn on and the hold capacitor to discharge for a duration of the igniter spark impulse signal, and wherein a discharged voltage at the hold capacitor is maintained and output by the operational amplifier, the discharged voltage representing the duration of the igniter spark impulse and indicating the life condition of the spark igniter.
Claims11
A device for monitoring a life condition of a spark igniter in a gas turbine ignition system, the device comprising:
- an evaluation circuit configured to determine a duration of an ignition spark impulse, wherein the evaluation circuit includes an input node that receives an igniter spark impulse signal, the evaluation circuit having circuit elements that include:
- a hold capacitor operatively coupled to the input node through a series connection of an input diode and an integrator capacitor, wherein applying the igniter spark impulse signal to the input node resets the hold capacitor;
- a transistor operatively coupled to the hold capacitor through a resistor, wherein a gate terminal of the transistor is connected to the input node such that the transistor turns on when the igniter spark impulse signal is applied to the input node and turns off when the igniter spark impulse signal ends, and wherein the transistor being turned on causes the hold capacitor to partially discharge over the duration of the igniter spark impulse;
- and
- an amplifier connected to the hold capacitor and configured to output a voltage that is dependent on the voltage level of the partially discharged hold capacitor, wherein the voltage represents the duration of the igniter spark impulse as an indication of the life condition of the spark igniter.
A device for monitoring a life condition of a spark igniter in a gas turbine ignition system, the device comprising:
- an evaluation circuit having circuit components that include a hold capacitor, a transistor, and an operational amplifier arranged to form a sample-and-hold circuit, wherein an igniter spark impulse signal is applied to an input node of the evaluation circuit causing the transistor to turn on and the hold capacitor to partially discharge over a duration of the igniter spark impulse signal, and wherein a partially discharged voltage at the hold capacitor is maintained and output by the operational amplifier, the partially discharged voltage representing the duration of the igniter spark impulse as an indication of the life condition of the spark igniter.
A device for monitoring a life condition of a spark igniter, the device comprising:
- an evaluation circuit having circuit components that include a hold capacitor, a transistor, and an amplifier arranged to form a sample-and-hold circuit, wherein, during sparking of the igniter, a spark impulse signal having a duration equal to a duration of a spark on the igniter is applied to an input node of the evaluation circuit causing the transistor to adjust a voltage on the hold capacitor to a value indicative of the duration of the spark impulse signal, and wherein the voltage at the hold capacitor is held and output by the amplifier, the voltage representing the duration of the spark on the igniter as an indication of the life condition of the igniter;
- wherein the device further includes an indicator circuit configured to receive the output voltage of the amplifier and to convert the output voltage to a visual representation that indicates the duration of the igniter spark impulse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.