Capacitive discharge ignition system for an internal combustion engine

Claim 2

A capacitive discharge ignition system for an internal combustion engine having at least two cylinders including in combination: first and second charging capacitors, first and second means for charging said first and second charging capacitors, each said first and second charging means providing pulses of first and second polarities, said first charging means being connected electrically to said first charging capacitor and charging the latter when providing pulses of a first polarity and said second charging means being connected electrically to said second charging capacitor and charging the latter when providing pulses of a second polarity, first and second ignition coil means one for each cylinder coupled electrically to said first and second charging capacitors, respectively, first and second trigger means connected to said first and second capacitors, respectively, and to said first and second ignition coil means, respectively, for selectively discharging said first and second capacitors, respectively, into a corresponding one of said first and second ignition coil means and first means electrically interconnecting said first charging means with said second capacitor and second means electrically interconnecting said second charging means with said first capacitor, said second capacitor being charged by second polarity pulses from said first charging means and said first capacitor means being charged by first polarity pulses from said second charging means.

Claim 3

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second interconnecting means include oppositely poled semiconductor diodes.

Claim 4

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second charging means include first and second charging coils, respectively, wherein said first and second trigger means include first and second trigger coils, respectively, wherein said system further includes an arrangement including magnet means rotatable in accordance with the operation of said engine along a predetermined closed loop path, said first charging and trigger coils being mounted at a first location in cooperating relation with respect to said arrangement adjacent the path of said magnet and said second charging and trigger coils being mounted in cooperating relation with respect to said arrangement at a second location spaced from said first location, along said path, the movement of said magnet past said first charging and trigger coils inducing first and second polarity pulses therein, respectively, and movement of said magnet past said second charging and trigger coils inducing second and first polarity pulses therein, respectively, the first polarity pulses in said first charging coil charging said first capacitor to a predetermined voltage level of a corresponding polarity, the second polarity pulses in said second charging coil charging said second capacitor to a predetermined voltage level of a corresponding polarity, said second polarity pulses in said first charging coil charging said second capacitor to a higher voltage level of a corresponding polarity and said first polarity pulses in said second charging coil charging said first capacitor to a higher voltage level of a corresponding polarity.

Claim 5

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 3 further including a first magnetizable core means on which said first charging and trigger coil means are wound in opposite directions and second magnetizable core means on which said second charging and trigger coil means are wound in opposite directions, wherein said magnet means is movable about a circular path and wherein said first magnetizable core means is positioned 180* about said path from said second magnetizable core means.

Claim 6

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 3 wherein each said trigger means further includes switch means coupled electrically to a corresponding one of said capacitors, each said switch means being operated to a closed state in response to a pulse at a corresponding one of said trigger coils, thereby to discharge a corresponding capacitor into a respective ignition coil means, and wherein said system further includes first and second delay circuit means, each said delay circuit means being coupled to a corresponding one of said trigger coils and switch means, each said delay circuit means being operated for a given time period in response to a predetermined pulse at a corresponding one of said trigger coil means thereby preventing the operation of a corresponding one of said switch means.

Claim 7

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the movement of said magnet means past said first charging and trigger coils and said second charging and trigger coils, respectively, induces a series of three pulses in the last-mentioned coils, respectively, the first and third pulses being of a common polarity, wherein the second of said three pulses induced in said first and second charging coils charges corresponding ones of said first and second charging capacitors, wherein the first and third pulses induced in said first and second charging coils charges the other of said first and second charging capacitors, wherein the first of said three pulses induced in said first and second trigger coils operates corresponding switch means to discharge a corresponding one of said capacitors and wherein the second of said three pulses induced in said first and second trigger coils operates a corresponding one of said delay circuit means, whereby the third of said Three pulses induced in said first and second trigger coils is prevented by a corresponding one of said delay circuit means from reoperating a corresponding one of said switch means.

Claim 8

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 6 wherein each said delay circuit means includes capacitive means and a transistor operatively connected thereto, each said transistor being coupled electrically with respect to a corresponding one of said switch means, wherein the second of said three pulses induced in each said trigger coil charges a corresponding one of said capacitors in said respective delay circuit means thereby to bias said transistors to a state of conduction to shunt the third of said three pulses induced in said trigger coils, respectively, for preventing operation of said corresponding switch means.

Claim 9

A capacitive discharge ignition system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the second of said series of three pulses induced in said first and second charging coil means is of a magnitude considerably greater than that of said first and third pulses.