Electronic ignition system exhibiting efficient energy usage
OwnerDonald Kirk, Jr., Kirk M. Charlesinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automotive ignition system utilized multiple sparks for each cylinder ignition to ensure complete burning of the fuel mixture therein. To this end, a plurality of control signals are produced each time the engine breaker points or other timing apparatus signals that a chamber is conditioned for combustion. Successive control signals during each combustion cycle build up and collapse a magnetic field in the primary winding of the ignition coil to thereby generate the requisite multiple sparking. The resultant complete burning of the fuel mixture in each cylinder results in increased gas mileage, reduced air pollution, and improved and continued high level engine performance, notwithstanding degradation in ignition system elements.
Claims16
In combination in an engine ignition system, a coil having primary and secondary windings, a capacitor serially connected to said coil primary winding, first gated means for resonant charging said capacitor in a first polarity through a path including said coil primary winding, second gated means for charging said capacitor in a polarity opposite to said first polarity through a path including said coil primary winding, timing means for alternately enabling said first and second gated means during active engine ignition periods.
An internal combustion automotive engine ignition system comprising engine timing signalling means for selectively signalling that an engine chamber is conditioned for ignition, an ignition coil having a primary and a secondary winding and a voltage source serially connected with said primary winding, said timing signalling means responsive to the rotation of an automobile engine driven cam shaft for signalling the state thereof, characterized in that the ignition system further includes,
- means responsive to each ignition conditioned signal provided by said timing signalling means for generating two pulse trains characterized by time alternating pulses,
- first means response to each pulse of said first pulse train for directing current flow through said coil primary winding in a first direction, thereby inducing a first voltage pulse in said coil secondary winding, and
- second means responsive to each pulse of said second pulse train for directing current flow through said coil primary winding in a second direction, thereby inducing a second voltage pulse in said coil secondary winding.
An internal combustion automotive engine ignition system comprising engine timing signalling means for selectively signalling that an engine chamber is conditioned for ignition, an ignition coil having a primary and a secondary winding, a constant current source connected to said coil primary winding, said timing signalling means including means responsive to the rotation of an automobile engine driven cam shaft for signalling the state thereof, means responsive to each ignition conditioned signal provided by said timing signalling means for generating two pulse trains each including plural pulses, the pulses of a first one of said pulse trains alternating with the pulses of the other said pulse trains, and means responsive to each pulse of one of said pulse trains for directing current flow from the current source into said coil primary winding to produce a first voltage pulse in said coil secondary winding and responsive to each pulse of the other of said pulse trains for diverting current flow from the current source away from said coil primary winding, to produce a second voltage pulse in the secondary winding.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.