Rapid pulsed multiple pulse ignition and high efficiency power inverter with controlled output characteristics

• US 4,688,538 A
• Filed: 12/31/1984
• Issued: 08/25/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Combustion Electromagnetics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Combustion Electromagnetics Incorporated
• Inventors: Lefevre, Robert P., Ward, Michael A. V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Argenbright, Tony M.
• Application Number:
  US06/688,036
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 123/606, 123/637, 123/597, 123/598, 123/618
• US Class Current: 123/598
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/04 with fuel-air mixture admission into cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/125 Direct injection in the combustion chamber for spark ignition engines, i.e. not in pre-combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 15/10 having continuous electric sparks
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 3/093 Closing the discharge circuit of the storage capacitor with semiconductor devices

Abstract

A versatile rapid pulsing multiple pulse ignition controller (17) used in conjunction with an converter power supply (13) with a voltage sensor/controller (16) and with an ignition coil (3) and energy capacitor (4) comprising an ignition system providing rapid firing multiple ignition sparks at high converter power supply efficiency; which ignition system is suitable for installation on existing automobile engines and other internal combustion engines including diesel engines. The ignition is powered by an converter (13) working as a gated oscillator driving a power amplifier which is turned off by voltage level sensor/controller (16) when the converter output (14a) reaches a preset value or ground potential, as when an ignition pulse is occurring, giving converter (13) the highest possible efficiency and minimum power dissipation. Controlled ignition firing and multiple pulsing is provided by a multiple pulse controller (17) connected to breaker points or other electronic trigger (18). The ignition controller (17) includes a universal input trigger converter (19) for detecting and shaping the input trigger and providing the initial timing trigger for the spark pulse, a gate pulse width control (20) for providing the pulse train width and varying it with RPM, and a gated clock oscillator (21) for providing the pulse rate. When multiple pulse controller (17) is used in conjunction with power converter (13), voltage sensor (16), and an ignition coil (3) and capacitor (4), a practical, easily installed, low cost, ultra-high efficiency "rapid pulsing" ignition system is provided, capable of producing ignition of lean mixtures for substantially reduced exhaust emissions and increased engine efficiency.

Claims

1. In an ignition controller including a universal input trigger converter for receiving input triggers and converting said triggers to a well defined initial trigger pulse used to fire an SCR or other switching means and for triggering a gate pulse width control which enables gated clock oscillator to produce a sequence or train of pulses, said gate pulse width control comprising:

(a) bistable multivibrator with initializing capacitor;

(b) a charging RC time constant forming circuit including charge diode, resistor Rc and capacitor Ct;

(c) a discharging RC time constant forming circuit including a discharge diode, resistor Rd and same capacitor Ct;

(d) a zener reference diode;

(e) an NPN common emitter transistor;

(f) a connection to common point of Rc, Rd, and Ct which is the cathode of said zener reference diode, and anode of said zener connected to base of NPN common emitter transistor switch with the collector connected to the reset transistor base point of said bistable multivibrator, such that when said gate pulse width control receives a set input trigger, a positive going output pulse width is generated which is connected to said gate controlled oscillator through a series resistor Re and the cathode of a gate clock diode enabling said oscillator, which produces pulses at a preset rate for the duration of said gate pulse width control positive going output width duration, said duration being determined by the rate of input pulses to the gate pulse width control by the gate pulse width control charge-discharge component values of Rc, Rd, and Ct, the input enabling resistor Re in series with gate clock diode of the gated clock oscillator establishes input off-set voltage to the gated clock oscillator providing a means of controlling the gated clock oscillator start-up time.

2. The ignition controller of claim 1 further including a universal input trigger converter and gated clock oscillator for producing pulses for the duration when said controller produces its positive going output.

3. The ignition controller of claim 2 further including a capacitive discharge ignition system comprising a capacitor, a coil, and DC to DC power converter, and an SCR with diode across it, for producing high voltage ignition spark pulses when input trigger is received and said controller is producing its positive going output.

4. The ignition controller of claim 3 wherein universal input trigger converter is a universal input trigger converter.

5. A universal input trigger converter for receiving input triggers from ignition elements of IC engine, such triggers defined by a positive rising edge followed by a negative falling edge, said converter comprising:

(a) input trigger signal conditioner including input trigger load resistor, a paralleled diode-resistor combination, a signal coupling capacitor which is connected to three transient protection limiter diodes, noise filler capacitor, and resistive network to the base of an NPN latch transistor;

(b) said NPN transistor and a PNP transistor with five associated resistors forming a self latching pulse shaping amplifier;

(c) an output capacitor means and a resistor means forming negative going differentiated pulse connected to the cathode of a steering diode, such that when input trigger is received said NPN and PNP transistors are turned on and cross latched, producing a negative pulse at said steering diode to a gate pulse width control set bistable input.

6. An OEM input trigger converter for receiving trigger signals from distributor reluctor sensors, said input trigger converter comprising:

(a) input trigger signal conditioner including two input limiting and isolation resistors across the base-emitter junction of PNP transistor, two voltage transient protection capacitors across the PNP transistor, and said PNP transistor emitter load resistor;

(b) said PNP transistor and NPN transistor with five associated resistor forming a self latching pulse shaping amplifier;

(c) an output capacitor means and a resistor means forming negative going differentiated pulse connected to the cathode of a steering diode, such that when input trigger is received said PNP and NPN transistors are turned on and cross latched, producing a negative pulse at said steering diode.

7. The input trigger converter of claim 6 in combination with a gate width pulse control and gated clock oscillator for producing pulses for the duration when said control produces its positive going output.

8. The system of claim 7 further including a capacitive discharge ignition system comprising a capacitor, a coil, and DC to DC power converter, and an SCR with a diode across it, for producing high voltage ignition spark pulses when an input trigger is received by said input trigger converter and said gate width pulse control is producing its positive going output.

9. The input trigger converter of claim 6 in combination with a capacitor connected to said PNP transistor collector, wherein output of said capacitor is a positive going pulse connected to the gate of an SCR for triggering said SCR.

10. The input trigger converter of claim 9 further including capacitor discharge ignition system comprising a capacitor, a coil, a DC to DC power converter, and said SCR with diode across it, for producing a high voltage ignition spark when input trigger is received at the input trigger converter input whose output triggers said SCR.