A voltage distributor for a spark ignition internal combustion engine. The distributor supplies voltage to spark plugs in a sequence corresponding to the firing order of the engine. The distributor is not driven by the camshaft of the engine in the conventional manner, but rather uses steering logic and a decoder in conjunction with a multiple position switch and trigger pulses to produce the voltage distribution. The steering logic and decoder may comprise a stepper motor and stepper motor decoder circuit operated by trigger pulses to produce rotation of a rotary switch or, alternatively, may comprise a binary counter and associated decoder for controlling relay switches.

Voltage distributor for a spark ignition engine

An ignition system supplies high-voltage to spark plugs via field emitters. An ignition control device produces the ignition cycle for the ignition system and controls the ignition process of the ignition system. The field emitters couple the ignition control device to the spark plugs. The field emitters switch and regulate the high-voltage for the spark plugs.

Ignition system with a field emitter coupled to the spark plug

A distributorless ignition system for an internal combustion engine includes one spark coil for cylinder of the engine, a first reference signal generator for producing a first signal indicative of each revolution of the engine, a second reference signal generator for producing a second signal indicative of every second revolution of the engine, and a processor for evaluating the advance and dwell angles of an ignition pulse to a selected spark coil determined from a logical combination of the first and second signals During starting, the processor is arranged to operate in a dual-spark mode for the first revolution of the engine and produce two ignition pulses simultaneously for each first signal, one to each of two cylinders which are 360° out of phase with each other During running of the engine, the second reference signal generator is monitored and, if found to be faulty, the processor changes from a one-spark mode to a dual-spark mode

Distributorless ignition system

The cathode of the gas-discharge devices performing the distributor function for associated sparkplugs have lateral extension flanges approaching closely to the insulating envelopes of the devices. A grounded control electrode just outside the gas-discharge device is moved from a rest position to an operating position aligned with and adjacent to the cathode extension flange by an electromagnet operated by a transistor circuit in accordance with the cylinder firing order of the engine.

Engine ignition system with electromagnet control of enclosed distributor gaps

Each spark plug (Z1-Z4) has its own transformer whose primary is connected to a control circuit (SK) and whose secondary is connected to the associated spark plug's electrodes. Each secondary winding can be shunted out by a switch-mechanical or electronic (I). The transformers are suppled from a chopper receiving a d.c. or rectified a.c. supply voltage. One transformer has a second secondary winding (H1) coupled to the control circuit and used for altering the chopper's frequency and/or pulse duration. The system allows the duration of a spark to be set to the required length esp. at low engine speeds. Each primary winding is coupled into an LC circuit. The LC circuits are connected at one end to the negative supply pole and at the other to the positive supply pole such that the primaries are in parallel. The chopper contains a transistor switch in series with the parallel-coupled primaries.

Ignition system for IC engine - has chopper connecting parallel prim. windings of ignition transformers to voltage supply

A spark ignition engine has a crankshaft speed pulse generator and a plurality of cylinders each cylinder containing a spark plug. Each plug is connectable to a high voltage ignition winding by way of a reed relay. The relays are divided into two groups and, with a periodicity dependent on generator output, a selected relay in each group is closed immediately prior to generation of voltage in the winding and opened when the voltage has been dissipated. Although both plugs connected to the selected relays produce a spark only one of the cylinders contains fuel mixture and, consequently, one one power stroke occurs.

Kenneth Longstaff

Papers

Spark ignition engine