SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE IGNITION ADVANCE IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF AN ENGINE

• US 3,665,294 A
• Filed: 05/15/1970
• Issued: 05/23/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1966
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edmond R. Pelta, Kenneth Stewart Gold
• Original Assignee: Edmond R. Pelta, Kenneth Stewart Gold
• Inventors: Gold, Kenneth Stewart, Pelta, Edmond R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lynch, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/037,515
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 324/15,16,17 73/116-118
• US Class Current: 324/392
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 17/02 Checking or adjusting ignition timing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/208 Arrangements for measuring with C.R. oscilloscopes, e.g. vectorscope
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/64 for non-electric machines, e.g. turbine

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for indicating the ignition advance in the distributor of an engine where the speed of the engine increases. The system indicates this ignition advance for a particular cylinder by producing a ramp voltage to a particular level for the particular cylinder regardless of changes in ignition speed and by producing a triggering signal when the ramp voltage reaches a particular level which is adjustable. When the triggering signal is produced, an output indication of the ignition advance is provided. This output indication may be provided by a meter of by the strobing of the relative positions of a stationary marker and a marker on a flywheel driven by the engine.

Claims

1. In combination for testing the ignition circuit for automobile engines having a plurality of cylinders to determine the relative time of closure of the breaker points in the distributor for a particular one of the cylinders, comprising:

first means for receiving a train of signals derived from ignition signals for the different cylinders in the engine;

second means including a counter for counting, in synchronism with sequential cylinder cycles, the ignition signals as received by the first means;

third means included in the second means for selecting a particular count number corresponding to the particular cylinder in the engine and for producing an output representative of the attainment of the count by the secOnd means, the output being produced repeatedly with the repetition of cylinder cycles;

fourth means operatively coupled to the second means for providing a control signal in response to the output provided by the third means in attainment of the count selected by the third means, the control signal having a duration depending upon the frequency of the train of signals and constant, frequency-independent phase relative to a particular one of the ignition signals and corresponding to the selected count number, the control signal extending over a period of time which varies with the inverse of the frequency of the ignition signals;

fifth means connected to the ignition circuit of the engine to ascertain the opening and closure of the breaker points for the particular cylinder in the engine; and

sixth means connected to the fourth and fifth means to determine the relative times for the closure of the breaker points for the particular cylinder in the engine.

2. In a circuit as in claim 1, the fifth means including a threshold circuit.

3. In combination for testing the ignition circuit of an automobile engine having a plurality of cylinders to determine for a particular cylinder the relative time of opening of the breaker points in the distributor, first means for providing signals representing the firing of the different cylinders in the engine, second means responsive to the signals from the first means for providing an output indication upon each firing of a particular cylinder in the engine, third means responsive to the output indication from the second means for providing for the particular cylinder a ramp voltage having a slope inversely related to the speed of the engine, fourth means operatively coupled to the third means for providing a signal representing the occurrence of a particular value for the ramp voltage for the particular cylinder in the engine, and fifth means operatively coupled to the fourth means and responsive to the opening of the breaker points in the distributor for the particular cylinder for indicating the ignition advance in the distributor of the engine.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein the engine includes a flywheel and the fifth means includes a stationary marker and markers on the flywheel and strobe means for illuminating the stationary marker and markers on the flywheel upon the occurrence of the particular value in the ramp voltage for the particular cylinder in the engine.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein the fifth means include a meter and further include means for energizing the meter upon the occurrence of the particular value in the ramp voltage for the particular cylinder in the engine.

6. In combination for testing the ignition circuit of an engine having a plurality of cylinders to determine for a particular cylinder the relative time of opening of the breaker points in the distributor, first means for counting the operation in sequence of the different cylinders in the engine, second means responsive to the count in sequence of the cylinders by the first means for selecting a particular one of the cylinders of the engine in each cycle for testing, third means operatively coupled to the second means for providing a ramp voltage from a first particular level to a second particular level for the selected cylinder, fourth means responsive to changes in the speed of the engine for adjusting the slope of the ramp voltage in accordance with such changes in speed to maintain the production of the ramp voltage from the first particular level to the second particular level for the selected cylinder, fifth means for providing an adjustable voltage having a magnitude between the first and second particular levels, and sixth means operatively coupled to the fourth and fifth means and responsive to a level of the ramp voltage corresponding to the adjustable voltage and to the opening of the breaker points in the distrIbutor for the particular cylinder for providing an indication of the relative time of opening of the breaker points in the distributor to indicate the ignition advance in the distributor of the engine with changes in engine speed.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein the sixth means includes a stationary marker and a flywheel driven by the engine and having markers on it and further includes strobe means for illuminating the stationary marker and the markers on the flywheel when the magnitude of the ramp voltage corresponds to the adjustable voltage.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein the sixth means includes a meter and means for energizing the meter when the magnitude of the ramp voltage corresponds to the adjustable voltage.

9. In combination for testing the ignition circuit of an engine having a plurality of cylinders to determine for a particular cylinder the relative time of opening of the breaker points in the distributor where the cylinders are fired in accordance with the production of ignition signals, first means for selecting a particular one of the cylinders in each cycle of operation for testing, second means operatively coupled to the first means for providing a ramp voltage for the particular cylinder from a first particular level to a second particular level and for providing a retrace of the ramp voltage to the first particular level and for maintaining the voltage at the first particular level until the production of the next ignition signal, third means responsive to changes in the engine speed for maintaining substantially constant the ratio between the time for the production of each ramp voltage from the first particular level to the second particular level and the time until the production of the next ignition signal, fourth means for providing a voltage adjustable to different levels between the first particular level and the second particular level, fifth means responsive to the adjustable voltage and the ramp voltage for producing a signal when the ramp voltage corresponds to the adjustable voltage, and sixth means responsive to the production of the signal by the fifth means and to the opening of the breaker points in the distributor for the particular cylinder for indicating the relative time of opening of the breaker points in the cylinder for different engine speeds.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein the sixth means includes a stationary marker and a flywheel driven by the engine and having at least one marker and strobe means responsive to the production of the signal by the fifth means for illuminating the stationary marker and the flywheel.

11. The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein the sixth means includes a meter responsive to the production of the signal by the fifth means for providing output indications.

12. In combination for testing the ignition circuit of an engine having a plurality of cylinders to determine for a particular cylinder the relative time of opening of the breaker points in the distributor, first electronic means for counting the operation in sequence of the cylinders, second electronic means operatively coupled to the first means for selecting a particular one of the cylinders for testing, third electronic means operatively coupled to the second electronic means for producing for the particular cylinder a ramp voltage progressively increasing from a first particular level to a second particular level and then returning to the first particular level for the remainder of the period of presentation of the cylinder, fourth electronic means operatively coupled to the third electronic means for adjusting the slope of the ramp voltage in accordance with the changes in the speed of the engine to maintain a particular ratio for each cylinder between the production of the ramp voltage and the remainder of the period of presentation of the cylinder, fifth electronic means for providing a voltage adjustable to any level Between the first particular level and the second particular level, sixth electronic means operatively coupled to the third and fifth electronic means and responsive to the opening of the breaker points in the distributor for the particular cylinder for producing a triggering signal upon a coincidence in the levels of the voltages from the third and fifth electronic means, and seventh electronic means responsive to the triggering signals from the sixth electronic means for different engine speeds for indicating the relative times of opening of the breaker points in the distributor for such engine speeds.

13. The combination set forth in claim 12 wherein the seventh means include at least one stationary marker and a flywheel driven by the engine and having at least one marker and strobe means energized by the triggering signal from the sixth means for illuminating the stationary marker and the marker on the flywheel.

14. The combination set forth in claim 12 wherein the seventh means include a meter operative by the triggering signal for providing output indications.