Capacitor discharge ignition system with automatic spark advance

Claim 2

An engine ignition system comprising magnetic means including a rotary member and a fixed member with one of said members having means to induce a voltage in the other of said members, said member in which said voltage is induced including a coil core located adjacent the periphery of the other of said members to provide a path for flux travel occurring incident to relative rotation between said fixed and rotary members, an energy storage means, switch means for controlling discharge from said energy storage means to an ignition coil, said switch means including a control terminal, and a coil wound on said core and linked by lines of flux traveling in said path, said coil having a pair of spaced end taps and an intermediate tap dividing the said coil into a trigger portion defined between one of said end taps and said intermediate tap and a charge portion defined between said intermediate tap and the other of said end taps, said trigger portion and said charge portion being wound in the same direction relative to the travel of the flux, and being concentric to each other, and both being simultaneously linked by the same lines of flux traveling in said path, said charge portion being electrically connected to said energy storage means and said one end tap of said trigger portion being electrically connected to said control terminal of said switch means.

Claim 3

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rotary member contains a permanent magnet located adjacent the periphery thereof and wherein said fixed member includes said coil and said coil core.

Claim 4

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said core includes a U-shaped member having a pair of legs with one of the said legs being located so that any point on said rotary member travels past said one leg before traveling past the other of said legs, said core also including a foot projecting from the end of said one leg adjacent to said rotary member and extending circumferentially of said rotary member in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 5

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said core includes a U-shaped member having a pair of legs with one of said legs being located so that any point on said rotary member travels past said one leg before traveling past the other of said legs, said core also including a foot extending from the end of said one leg adjacent to said rotary member and counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member and having an inner surface concentric to the axis of rotation of said rotary member and having a radial cross section which diminishes in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 6

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said core includes a foot having two opposed surfaces concentric to the axis of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 7

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said core includes a foot having a surface which diverges from said rotating member.

Claim 8

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said core includes a foot having a heel and an inner surface spaced at a greater distance from said rotary member than said heel of said foot.

Claim 9

An engine ignition system magnetic means including a rotary member and a fixed member with one of said members having means to induce flux travel in the other of said members to create a voltage in the other of said members, said other member including a core extending to adjacent said one member, and an ignition circuit including a spark means, a capacitor connected to said spark means, a thyristor connected to said capacitor and including a gate, and a coil wound upon said core, said coil including a first end tap, a second end tap connected to said gate, and a center tap dividing said coil into a charge portion between said first end tap and said center tap and a trigger portion located between said center tap and said second end tap, being wound in the same direction relative to said flux travel as said charge portion, and being concentric with said charge portion and simultaneously subject to the same lines of flux as said charge portion.

Claim 10

An engine ignition system magnetic means including a rotary member and a fixed member with one of said members having means to induce flux travel in the other of said members to create a voltage in the other of said members, said other member including a core extending to adjacent said one member, and an ignition circuit including a spark means, a capacitor connected to said spark means, a thyristor connected to said capacitor and including a gate, and a coil wound upon said core, said coil including a first end tap, a second end tap connected to said gate, and a center tap dividing said coil into a charge portion between said first end tap and said center tap and a trigger portion located between said center tap and said second end tap, being wound in the same direction relative to said flux travel as said charge portion, and being concentric with said charge portion and simultaneously subject to the same lines of flux as said charge portion.

Claim 11

An engine ignition system comprising magnetic means including a rotary member and a fixed member with one of said members having means to induce flux travel in the other of said members to create a voltage in the other of said members, said other member including a core extending to adjacent said one member, and an ignition circuit including a spark means, a capacitor connected to said spark means, a thyristor connected to said capacitor and including a gate, a coil wound upon said core, said coil including a first end tap, a second end tap connected to said gate, and an intermediate tap dividing said coil into a charge portion located between said first end tap and said intermediate tap and connected to said capacitor, and a trigger portion located between said intermediate tap and said second end tap, being wound in the same direction relative to travel of the flux as said charge portion, and being concentric with said charge portion and simultaneously subject to the same lines of flux as said charge portion and connected to said gate whereby, incident to rotation of said rotary and fixed members relative to each other, said capacitor is charged in response to the induction of a voltage in said charge portion and said thyristor is made conducting in response to induction of a voltage in said trigger portion so as to effect discharge of said capacitor so as to cause creation of a spark by said spark means, and means extending from said core for affecting the pulse induced in said trigger portion so as to advance the time when said thyristor is made conducting upon increase in the rate of relative rotation between said fixed and rotary members.

Claim 12

An engine ignition system comprising magnetic means including a rotary member and a fixed member with one of said members having means to induce flux travel in the other of said members to create a voltage in the other of said members, said other member including a core extending to adjacent said one member, and an ignition circuit including a spark means, a capacitor connected to said spark means, a thyristor connected to said capacitor and including a gate, a coil wound upon said core, said coil including a first end tap, a second end tap connected to said gate, and an intermediate tap dividing said coil into a charge portion located between said first end tap and said intermediate tap and connected to said capacitor, and a trigger portion located between said intermediate tap and said second end tap, being wound in the same direction relative to travel of the flux as said charge portion, and being concentric with said charge portion and simultaneously subject to the same lines of flux as said charge portion and connected to said gate whereby, incident to rotation of said rotary and fixed members relative to each other, said capacitor is charged in response to the induction of a voltage in said charge portion and said thyristor is made conducting in response to induction of a voltage in said trigger portion so as to effect discharge of said capacitor so as to cause creation of a spark by said spark means, and means extending from said core for affecting the pulse induced in said trigger portion so as to advance the time when said thyristor is made conducting upon increase in the rate of relative rotation between said fixed and rotary members.

Claim 13

An engine ignition system according to claim 8 wherein said fixed member comprises said core and said core has a leg with a foot extending in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member and having an inner surface concentric with said rotary member and having a radial cross section which decreases in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 14

An engine ignition system according to claim 8 wherein said fixed member comprises said core and said core is U-shaped having first and second legs and a connecting web portion and said second leg is spaced from said first leg in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member, said core further including a foot extending from said second leg in said direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member and having an inner surface concentric with said rotary member and having a radial cross section which decreases in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 15

An engine ignition system according to claim 9 wherein said fixed member comprises said core and said core has a leg extending to adjacent the path of said rotary member and wherein said means extending from said core for affecting the pulse induced in said trigger portion includes a foot extending from the end of said leg adjacent to said rotary member and in the direction counter to the direction of relative rotation between said rotary and said fixed member.

Claim 16

An engine system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said foot extends circumferentially of said rotary member and has a radial cross section which decreases in the direcTion counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 17

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said foot has an inner surface concentric to the axis of rotation of said rotating member and has a radial cross section which decreases in the direction counter to the direction of rotation of said rotary member.

Claim 18

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said foot has two opposed surfaces concentric to the axis of rotation of said flywheel.

Claim 19

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said foot has a surface which diverges from said rotating member.

Claim 20

An engine ignition system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said foot has a heel and an inner surface spaced at a greater distance from said rotary member than said heel of said foot.