Combined RPM limiter, and electronic tachometer with shift point indicator
First Claim
1. A method of controlling the RPM of an engine using proportional shunting to ground of ignition pulses, comprising the steps of converting the stream of ignition pulses to a first analog signal whose value is in a predetermined relationship to the frequency of said stream of ignition pulses and to the RPM of said engine continuously and directly supplying said first signal as one of the inputs to an operational amplifier, generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a manually variably selected maximum engine RPM in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, continuously and directly supplying said second signal as the second input to said operational amplifier, and supplying chatter and positive value outputs from said operational amplifier to means to proportionally ground said ignition pulses.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-function device using two ICs, with the precision ignition pulse frequency-to-voltage converted signal produced in the RPM portion being used as input to both ICs. Chatter pulses produced by an operational amplifier in the RPM limiter are utilized to shunt ignition pulses to ground in a proportional manner as engine speed approaches the selected maximum.
20 Citations
32 Claims
- 1. A method of controlling the RPM of an engine using proportional shunting to ground of ignition pulses, comprising the steps of converting the stream of ignition pulses to a first analog signal whose value is in a predetermined relationship to the frequency of said stream of ignition pulses and to the RPM of said engine continuously and directly supplying said first signal as one of the inputs to an operational amplifier, generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a manually variably selected maximum engine RPM in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, continuously and directly supplying said second signal as the second input to said operational amplifier, and supplying chatter and positive value outputs from said operational amplifier to means to proportionally ground said ignition pulses.
- 5. A method of operating a tachometer and a shift point indicator using a pair of operational amplifiers, comprising the steps of continuously supplying a first analog signal whose value has a predetermined relationship to actual engine RPM as one of the inputs to each of said operational amplifiers, generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a selected shift point RPM in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, continuously supplying said second signal as the second input to a first of said operational amplifiers, supplying positive value outputs from said first operational amplifier to said shift point indicator, supplying the output signal of said second operational amplifier to the base of a transistor, feeding back a signal from said transistor as the second input to said second operational amplifier, and using a signal from said transistor to drive said tachometer.
- 9. An engine RPM controller using proportional shunting to ground of ignition pulses, comprising means for converting the stream of ignition pulses to a first analog signal whose value has a predetermined relationship to the frequency of said stream of ignition pulses and to the RPM of said engine, means for continuously and directly supplying said first signal as one of the inputs to said operational amplifier, means for generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a normally valuably selected maximum engine RPM in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, means for continuously and directly supplying said second signal as the second input to said operational amplifier, means for grounding said ignition pulses, and means for proportionally supplying chatter and positive value outputs from said operational amplifier to said means to ground said ignition pulses.
- 13. A tachometer and a shift point indicator using a pair of operational amplifiers comprising means for continuously supplying a first analog signal whose value has a predetermined relationship to actual engine RPM as one of the inputs to each of said operational amplifiers, means for generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a selected shift point RPM in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, means for continuously supplying said second signal as the second input to a first of said operational amplifiers, means for supplying positive value outputs from said first operational amplifier to said shift point indicator, means for supplying the output signal of said second operational amplifier to the base of a transistor, means for feeding back a signal from said transistor as the second input to said second operational amplifier, and means for using a signal from said transistor to drive said tachometer.
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17. A method of controlling the RPM of an engine using proportional shunting to ground of ignition pulses, and of operating a tachometer;
- comprising the steps of converting the stream of ignition pulses to a first analog signal whose value is in a predetermined relationship to the frequency of said stream of ignition pulses and to the actual RPM of said engine, continuously supplying said first signal as one of the inputs to a first operational amplifier, generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a first selected RPM which the speed of said engine is not to exceed in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, continuously supplying said second signal as the second input to said operational amplifier, supplying chatter and positive value outputs from said operational amplifier to means to proportionally ground said ignition pulses, supplying said first analog signal as one of the inputs to a second operational amplifier, supplying the output signal of said second operational amplifier to the base of a transistor, feeding back a signal from said transistor as the second input to said second operational amplifier, and using a signal from said transistor to operate said tachometer.
- View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- 24. A combined engine RPM controller using proportional shunting to ground of ignition pulses, and a tachometer, comprising means for converting the stream of ignition pulses to a first analog signal whose value has a predetermined relationship to the frequency of said stream of ignition pulses and to the RPM of said engine, means for continuously supplying said first signal as one of the inputs to a first operational amplifier, means for generating a second analog signal whose value is related to a selected maximum engine RPM in accordance with said predetermined relationship used to generate said first signal, means for continuously supplying said second signal as the second input to said first operational amplifier, means for proportionally grounding said ignition pulses, means for supplying chatter and positive value outputs from said operational amplifier to said means to ground said ignition pulses, a second operational amplifier, means for supplying said first analog signal as one of the inputs to said second operational amplifier, means for supplying the output signal of said second operational amplifier to the base of a transistor, means for feeding back a signal from said transistor as the second input to said second operational amplifier, and means for using a signal from said transistor to drive said tachometer.
Specification