Claims
- 1. An ignition system for an internal combustion engine having plural cylinders comprising:
- timing means coupled to a crankshaft of said engine for sequentially supplying plural timing control signals to a plurality of respective output terminals in synchronism with the rotation of said crankshaft, each of said output timing control signals being associated with a respective cylinder of said engine;
- oscillator means for producing an AC output signal;
- switch means coupled to said oscillator means for generating an AC drive signal based on said AC output signal, said switch means comprising a leakage transformer having a pair of output terminals across which said AC drive signal is provided;
- a plurality of high voltage generator means, each of said generator means being associated with a respective cylinder of said engine, said generator means coupled to respective output terminals of said timing means to receive respective control signals therefrom, each generator means coupled to the output terminals of said leakage transformer and including means for producing a high voltage AC ignition signal when said drive AC signal and a respective timing control signal are simultaneously received; and
- a plurality of spark plugs each associated with a respective engine cylinder and each having a pair of electrodes to which a respective of said high voltage AC ignition signals is sequentially applied, whereby ignition arcing is produced across the electrodes of said spark plugs;
- wherein after initiation of said arcing current developed across said electrode pair is limited by magnetic flux leakage within said leakage transformer whereby the level of said AC drive signal is correspondingly reduced.
- 2. An ignition system as recited in claim 1, wherein said timing means comprises:
- a shutter coupled to rotate in synchronism with said crankshaft, said shutter including an opening therein;
- a plurality of photo-interrupters positioned about said shutter, each photo-interrupters including a light source located adjacent to a first side of said shutter and a light sensor means located adjacent to said light source and adjacent to a second side of said shutter for producing an output signal when said opening in said shutter passes between said light source and said light sensor means; and
- amplifier means coupled to receive the output signal from each light sensor means in each photo-interrupter for supplying said timing control signals to respective of said output terminals of said timing means each time an output signal is received from a respective of said photo-interrupters.
- 3. An ignition system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said high voltage generator means comprises:
- an ignition transformer including a high permeability toroidal core, and control, primary and secondary windings wound on said core,
- said control winding coupled to a respective output terminal of said timing means and receiving a respective timing control signal therefrom,
- said primary winding coupled to said leakage transformer and driven by said AC drive signal, and
- said secondary winding coupled to a respective spark plug means.
- 4. An ignition system according to claim 3, wherein said timing means comprises:
- means for sequentially short-circuiting the control windings coupled to respective output terminals of said sensor means in accordance with the angular position of said crankshaft.
- 5. An ignition system according to claim 4, further comprising:
- said control winding of each ignition transformer including a centertap connected to a first predetermined voltage, and opposed winding end terminals;
- said timing means comprising means for coupling said opposed winding end terminals of each control winding to said first predetermined voltage in synchronism with the rotation of said crankshaft in the absence of a respective timing control signal when no ignition of said spark plug means is to be generated, and for open circuiting said opposed winding end terminals in the presence of a respective timing control signal when ignition of said spark plug means is to be generated.
- 6. An ignition system according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein said leakage transformer comprises:
- a main core;
- primary and secondary windings wound on said main core, said primary winding coupled to said oscillator means, said secondary winding coupled to said plurality of high voltage generator means;
- a leakage core coupled to said main core through a non-magnetic spacer.
- 7. An ignition system according to claim 6, further comprising:
- an auxiliary winding wound on said leakage core; and
- means for selectively short-circuiting said auxiliary winding thereby to reduce flux leakage in said leakage core and increase the level of said high voltage AC ignition signal produced by said high voltage generator means.
- 8. An ignition system according to claim 3, wherein each ignition transformer comprises:
- a housing defining an axis concentric with a respective spark plug,
- plural core members disposed in a planetary arrangement around the housing axis, each core member having wound thereon at least one primary winding and at least one secondary windings, wherein the secondary winding wound on each of said core members of a respective ignition transformer are connected in series.
- 9. An ignition system according to claim 8, wherein the primary windings wound on the core members of a respective ignition transformer are connected in series.
- 10. An ignition system according to claim 8, wherein the primary windings wound on the core members of a respective ignition transformer are connected in parallel.
- 11. An ignition system according to claim 8, wherein the primary windings wound on the core members of a respective ignition transformer are connected in a series and parallel circuit.
- 12. An ignition system for an internal combustion engine having plural cylinders comprising:
- timing means coupled to a crankshaft of said engine for sequentialy supplying plural timing control signals to a plurality of respective output terminals in synchronism with the rotation of said crankshaft, each of said output timing control signals being associated with a respective cylinder of said engine;
- oscillator means for producing an AC output signal;
- switch means coupled to said oscillator means for generating at a pair of output terminals an AC drive signal based on said AC output signal;
- a plurality of high voltage generator means, each of said generator means being associated with a respective cylinder of said engine, said generator means coupled to respective output terminals of said timing means to receive respective control signals therefrom, each generator means coupled to the output terminals of said switch means and including means for producing a high voltage AC ignition signal when said drive AC signal and a respective timing control signal are simultaneously received;
- a plurality of spark plugs each associated with a respective engine cylinder and each having a pair of electrodes to which a respective of said high voltage AC ignition signals is sequentially applied, whereby ignition arcing and ignition current is produced across the electrodes of said spark plugs; and
- said switch means comprising means for limiting the voltage level of each AC drive signal applied to a respective high voltage generator means based on the level of said ignition current across the electrodes of said spark plugs.
- 13. An ignition system according to claim 12, wherein said voltage level limiting means comprises:
- a leakage transformer.
- 14. A combination ignition transformer and spark plug cover assembly comprising:
- a housing adapted to be mounted on a spark plug, said housing defining an axis generally concentric with said spark plug;
- plural transformers mounted in a planetary arrangement around said axis, each transformer comprising a high permeability core, and at least one primary winding and at least one secondary winding wound on said core; and
- said secondary windings of each of said plural transformers connected in series and adapted to be electrically coupled to the spark plug.
- 15. An assembly according to claim 14, wherein each transformer comprises plural secondary windings, each of which are connected in series with each other and the secondary windings of each of said plural transformers.
- 16. An assembly according to claim 14, wherein the primary windings of said transformers are connected in series.
- 17. An assembly according to claim 14, wherein the primary windings of said transformers are connected in parallel.
- 18. An assembly according to claim 14, wherein the primary windings of said transformers are connected in series and parallel.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 268,889 filed June 1, 1981, now now Pat. No. 4,382,430.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
70572 |
Jan 1983 |
EPX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
268889 |
Jun 1981 |
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