EP0077483A1 - Ignition circuit for internal combustion engines - Google Patents
Ignition circuit for internal combustion engines Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0077483A1 EP0077483A1 EP82109081A EP82109081A EP0077483A1 EP 0077483 A1 EP0077483 A1 EP 0077483A1 EP 82109081 A EP82109081 A EP 82109081A EP 82109081 A EP82109081 A EP 82109081A EP 0077483 A1 EP0077483 A1 EP 0077483A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- circuit
- ignition
- engine
- oscillation
- metallic member
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
- F02P3/00—Other installations
- F02P3/02—Other installations having inductive energy storage, e.g. arrangements of induction coils
- F02P3/04—Layout of circuits
- F02P3/045—Layout of circuits for control of the dwell or anti dwell time
- F02P3/0453—Opening or closing the primary coil circuit with semiconductor devices
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02P—IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES
- F02P7/00—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices
- F02P7/06—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices of circuit-makers or -breakers, or pick-up devices adapted to sense particular points of the timing cycle
- F02P7/061—Arrangements of distributors, circuit-makers or -breakers, e.g. of distributor and circuit-breaker combinations or pick-up devices of circuit-makers or -breakers, or pick-up devices adapted to sense particular points of the timing cycle pick-up devices without mechanical contacts
Definitions
- This invention relates to an ignition circuit for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to such a circuit including an oscillation type of pickup which detects and initiates the proper ignition timing by sensing a change in the state of a resonant oscillation which in turn is a function of the relative position of a rotating metallic member.
- an ignition circuit for internal combustion engines embodying a resonant oscillation type of pickup or sensor wherein the supply of electrical power to the primary winding of the ignition coil is initiated when the amplitude of an oscillating signal reaches a predetermined level, and is interrupted or terminated when the amplitude falls below such level.
- the power supply termination induces a sharp, high voltage spike in the secondary winding of the ignition coil which fires an associated spark plug.
- a rotary metallic member 1 is driven by an internal combustion engine (not shown) and is provided with a plurality of projections la through ld equally spaced around its outer periphery and corresponding to the number of cylinders of the engine.
- a sensor 2 is disposed opposite and closely adjacent to the rotational path of the projections la to ld, and comprises a magnetically permeable core 2b having a coil 2a wound around its central leg.
- a capacitor 3 connected in parallel with the coil 2a forms a resonant circuit with the latter to which electrical energy is applied by an oscillation supply circuit 4a.
- the sensor 2, capacitor 3 and supply circuit 4a comprise, in combination, an electrical oscillation circuit generally designated by reference numeral 4.
- a threshold oscillation detector 5 connected to one end of the capacitor 3 detects the state of oscillation of the circuit 4 by monitoring the amplitude or amplitude envelope, for example, of the oscillating signal.
- the high or low/on or off output of the detector 5 is increased by an amplifier 6, whose output in turn switches a Darlington pair transistor 7 on or off.
- a Zener diode 8 and resistor 9 stabilize the power supply voltage derived from a battery 11, which also energizes an ignition coil 10.
- the rectangular waveform 12 shown in Fig. 2(a) is actually a timing diagram which represents the presence or absence of one of the projections la to ld of the rotary member opposite the sensor 2.
- the waveform 13 in Fig. 2(b) represents the voltage across the capacitor 3, i.e. the output voltage of the oscillation circuit 4, while curve 13a represents the envelope of the oscillating signal.
- the waveform 14 shown in Fig. 2(c) represents the output voltage of the oscillation detector 5 or the amplifier 6, while the waveform 15 shown in Fig. 2(d) represents the current flowing through the primary winding of the ignition coil 10, i.e. the collector current of transistor 7.
- the output voltage produced by the secondary winding of the ignition coil is shown by waveform 16 in Fig. 2(e).
- the horizontal line designated V in Fig. 2(b) represents the threshold or triggering level of the oscillation detector 5, and it will be noted that the high output of rectangular waveform 14 in Fig. 2(c) is only produced when this threshold level is exceeded by the oscillation envelope 13a.
- the oscillation supply circuit 4a constitutes a negative conductance circuit, while the sensor 2 and capacitor 3 in combination constitute a negative conductance oscillator.
- the oscillation circuit 4 oscillates at a frequency substantially equal to the resonant frequency of the coil 2a and the capacitor 3.
- the parallel conductance of the coil 2a is decreased by the influence of eddy currents generated in the projection and metallic member 1, i.e. the Q value of the resonant circuit is decreased which causes an attendant increase in the energy loss.
- the circuit parameters are such that this energy loss or absorption is greater than the energy delivered by the supply circuit 4a, whereby the oscillation circuit 4 ceases to oscillate.
- Oscillation is initiated at a time t at which none of the projections la to ld are opposite the sensor 2.
- the oscillation output is gradually increased until, at a time t 2 which lags or follows time t l by a period of T ON , its envelope 13a reaches the threshold voltage level VON.
- the detector waveform 14 abruptly rises which switches the transistor 7 on to thereby develop the rising current waveform 15 in the primary winding of the ignition coil 10.
- time lag T ON from the moment at which one of the projections la to ld advances out of alignment with the sensor 2 to the moment at which the oscillation detector 5 produces a raised output 14
- TOFF from the moment at which one of the projections is brought into alignment with the sensor to the moment at which the output of detector 5 returns to the zero level.
- the time lag characteristics plotted in Figure 3 are obtained by converting TON and TOFF into corresponding angular values as a function of the rotational speed of the metallic member 1. More specifically, the abscissa axis in Fig. 3 represents the rotational speed of the member 1 which is, of course, equal or directly proportional to the engine speed, while the ordinate axis represents the time lag angles of T ON and T OFF .
- the straight lines 20 and 21 thus illustrate the delay angle characteristics of the time lags T ON and T OFF , respectively.
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to an ignition circuit for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to such a circuit including an oscillation type of pickup which detects and initiates the proper ignition timing by sensing a change in the state of a resonant oscillation which in turn is a function of the relative position of a rotating metallic member.
- In accordance with this invention an ignition circuit for internal combustion engines is provided embodying a resonant oscillation type of pickup or sensor wherein the supply of electrical power to the primary winding of the ignition coil is initiated when the amplitude of an oscillating signal reaches a predetermined level, and is interrupted or terminated when the amplitude falls below such level. The power supply termination induces a sharp, high voltage spike in the secondary winding of the ignition coil which fires an associated spark plug. With such an arrangement the ignition timing delay or firing angle retardation as a function of the engine's rotational speed is minimized, which attendantly minimizes any reduction in the power output of the engine.
- The invention is described in detail below with reference to drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment, in which
- Figure 1 shows a simplified electrical diagram of an ignition circuit constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention,
- Figures 2(a) through 2(e) show waveform diagrams for explaining the operation of the circuit shown in Figure 1, and
- Figure 3 shows a plot of engine rotational speed versus firing angle lag which illustrates the operational characteristics of the invention.
- Referring first to Fig. 1, a rotary metallic member 1 is driven by an internal combustion engine (not shown) and is provided with a plurality of projections la through ld equally spaced around its outer periphery and corresponding to the number of cylinders of the engine. A
sensor 2 is disposed opposite and closely adjacent to the rotational path of the projections la to ld, and comprises a magneticallypermeable core 2b having acoil 2a wound around its central leg. A capacitor 3 connected in parallel with thecoil 2a forms a resonant circuit with the latter to which electrical energy is applied by anoscillation supply circuit 4a. Thesensor 2, capacitor 3 andsupply circuit 4a comprise, in combination, an electrical oscillation circuit generally designated byreference numeral 4. A threshold oscillation detector 5 connected to one end of the capacitor 3 detects the state of oscillation of thecircuit 4 by monitoring the amplitude or amplitude envelope, for example, of the oscillating signal. The high or low/on or off output of the detector 5 is increased by anamplifier 6, whose output in turn switches a Darlington pair transistor 7 on or off. A Zener diode 8 andresistor 9 stabilize the power supply voltage derived from abattery 11, which also energizes an ignition coil 10. - Turning now to Figure 2, the
rectangular waveform 12 shown in Fig. 2(a) is actually a timing diagram which represents the presence or absence of one of the projections la to ld of the rotary member opposite thesensor 2. Thewaveform 13 in Fig. 2(b) represents the voltage across the capacitor 3, i.e. the output voltage of theoscillation circuit 4, whilecurve 13a represents the envelope of the oscillating signal. Thewaveform 14 shown in Fig. 2(c) represents the output voltage of the oscillation detector 5 or theamplifier 6, while thewaveform 15 shown in Fig. 2(d) represents the current flowing through the primary winding of the ignition coil 10, i.e. the collector current of transistor 7. The output voltage produced by the secondary winding of the ignition coil is shown bywaveform 16 in Fig. 2(e). - The horizontal line designated V in Fig. 2(b) represents the threshold or triggering level of the oscillation detector 5, and it will be noted that the high output of
rectangular waveform 14 in Fig. 2(c) is only produced when this threshold level is exceeded by theoscillation envelope 13a. - In operation, the
oscillation supply circuit 4a constitutes a negative conductance circuit, while thesensor 2 and capacitor 3 in combination constitute a negative conductance oscillator. When none of the projections la to ld of the rotary member 1 are disposed opposite thesensor 2, theoscillation circuit 4 oscillates at a frequency substantially equal to the resonant frequency of thecoil 2a and the capacitor 3. - When one of the rotating projections la to ld reaches a position opposite the
sensor 2, however, the parallel conductance of thecoil 2a is decreased by the influence of eddy currents generated in the projection and metallic member 1, i.e. the Q value of the resonant circuit is decreased which causes an attendant increase in the energy loss. The circuit parameters are such that this energy loss or absorption is greater than the energy delivered by thesupply circuit 4a, whereby theoscillation circuit 4 ceases to oscillate. - As the rotary metallic member 1 advances farther to a position whereat none of its projections are opposite the
sensor 2, the parallel conductance of thecoil 2a is increased. This in turn increases the Q value, the eddy current loss or absorption is decreased, and resonant oscillations are once again resumed. - Such operation will be explained more fully with continued reference to Figs. 2(a) through 2(e). Oscillation is initiated at a time t at which none of the projections la to ld are opposite the
sensor 2. The oscillation output is gradually increased until, at a time t2 which lags or follows time tl by a period of TON, itsenvelope 13a reaches the threshold voltage level VON. At this point thedetector waveform 14 abruptly rises which switches the transistor 7 on to thereby develop the risingcurrent waveform 15 in the primary winding of the ignition coil 10. - When one of the rotary member projections reaches a position opposite the
sensor 2 at time t3 the oscillation signal is gradually attenuated, and at a time t4 which lags or follows t3 by a period of TOFF, itsenvelope 13a drops below the threshold voltage level VON, at which point the output of detector 5 returns to zero. This turns off transistor 7 to interrupt the primary windingcurrent 15 flowing through the coil, whereby a sharp, highvoltage output spike 16 is generated in the secondary winding of the coil and delivered as a firing pulse to an associated spark plug. - As will be apparent from the foregoing description there are two time lags involved in the operation of the circuit, a time lag TON from the moment at which one of the projections la to ld advances out of alignment with the
sensor 2 to the moment at which the oscillation detector 5 produces a raisedoutput 14, and the time lag TOFF from the moment at which one of the projections is brought into alignment with the sensor to the moment at which the output of detector 5 returns to the zero level. These time lags are substantially constant, and TON is always greater than TOFF unless some specific countermeasures are taken. In other words, the growth of the oscillation signal always takes a longer period of time than the cessation or attenuation thereof. - The time lag characteristics plotted in Figure 3 are obtained by converting TON and TOFF into corresponding angular values as a function of the rotational speed of the metallic member 1. More specifically, the abscissa axis in Fig. 3 represents the rotational speed of the member 1 which is, of course, equal or directly proportional to the engine speed, while the ordinate axis represents the time lag angles of TON and TOFF. The
straight lines - As is well known, in an internal combustion engine it is desired and advantageous to minimize any increase in the ignition timing or firing angle as a function of engine speed to thereby minimize any decrease in the engine output or power level. In fulfillment of this objective it will be noted from Fig. 3 that, with the ignition circuit of this invention, the time lag TOFF until the moment t4 at which the primary winding
current 15 of the ignition coil 10 is interrupted is always relatively small regardless of engine speed, which accordingly minimizes any decrease or loss in the usable power output of the engine.
Claims (3)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP14693781U JPS5851068U (en) | 1981-10-01 | 1981-10-01 | internal combustion engine ignition system |
JP146937/81 | 1981-10-01 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0077483A1 true EP0077483A1 (en) | 1983-04-27 |
EP0077483B1 EP0077483B1 (en) | 1986-05-28 |
Family
ID=15418939
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP82109081A Expired EP0077483B1 (en) | 1981-10-01 | 1982-10-01 | Ignition circuit for internal combustion engines |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0077483B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS5851068U (en) |
DE (1) | DE3271404D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH0220101Y2 (en) * | 1985-01-31 | 1990-06-01 |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3853106A (en) * | 1970-08-27 | 1974-12-10 | Texaco Inc | High frequency continuous-wave ignition energy for an internal combustion engine |
FR2266870A1 (en) * | 1974-04-03 | 1975-10-31 | Ducellier & Cie | |
GB2067295A (en) * | 1980-01-11 | 1981-07-22 | Jaeger | Proximity detector |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS5519006B2 (en) * | 1973-06-11 | 1980-05-23 | ||
JPS5021147A (en) * | 1973-06-26 | 1975-03-06 | ||
JPS53112341A (en) * | 1977-03-11 | 1978-09-30 | Automob Antipollut & Saf Res Center | Oscillating contactless ignition device |
-
1981
- 1981-10-01 JP JP14693781U patent/JPS5851068U/en active Pending
-
1982
- 1982-10-01 DE DE8282109081T patent/DE3271404D1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-10-01 EP EP82109081A patent/EP0077483B1/en not_active Expired
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3853106A (en) * | 1970-08-27 | 1974-12-10 | Texaco Inc | High frequency continuous-wave ignition energy for an internal combustion engine |
FR2266870A1 (en) * | 1974-04-03 | 1975-10-31 | Ducellier & Cie | |
GB2067295A (en) * | 1980-01-11 | 1981-07-22 | Jaeger | Proximity detector |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE3271404D1 (en) | 1986-07-03 |
EP0077483B1 (en) | 1986-05-28 |
JPS5851068U (en) | 1983-04-06 |
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