Abstract An energy metering circuit for capacitor discharge and other ignition systems for accurately metering and delivering a predetermined amount of energy to produce an ignition spark on the production of a suitable trigger signal from an engine with which the system is associated. Energy is accumulated in an inductor which is connected to a battery for this purpose, the amount of energy accumulated in the inductor is sensed by means consisting of a voltage generator providing a terminal voltage nVL while the inductor is connected to the battery, VL being the instantaneous terminal voltage of the inductor, the output of the voltage generator being fed to an integrating circuit the output of which is a repeatable continuous single valued measure of integral to VL dt where t is the time elapsed since connection of the inductor to the battery. A threshold detector is provided which responds to the output of the integrating circuit and produces an output when the output of the integrating circuit has reached the threshold of the threshold detector which it is arranged to do at the same time as the energy in the inductor has reached a desired value. The threshold detector then produces a signal to disconnect the conductor from the battery and to release the energy from the conductor either to produce a spark or to a capacitor for temporary storage and subsequent release.
An energy metering circuit for an ignition system comprising: an inductor; an electronic switch coupled to said inductor and forming therewith an energy absorption circuit; a battery connected to said energy absorption circuit and connected to said inductor when said electronic switch is closed and disconnected therefrom when said electronic switch is open; control means operatively coupled to said electronic switch for closure thereof; a voltage generator adapted to produce an output nVL for the duration of closure of said electronic switch, where n is a positive or negative number and VL is the instantaneous terminal voltage generator and producing an output q, said output q being a repeatable continuous single valued measure of
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
114 words
An energy metering circuit for an ignition system comprising: an inductor; an electronic switch coupled to said inductor and forming therewith an energy absorption circuit; a battery connected to said energy absorption circuit and connected to said inductor when said electronic switch is closed and disconnected therefrom when said electronic switch is open; control means operatively coupled to said electronic switch for closure thereof; a voltage generator adapted to produce an output nVL for the duration of closure of said electronic switch, where n is a positive or negative number and VL is the instantaneous terminal voltage generator and producing an output q, said output q being a repeatable continuous single valued measure of
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
The energy metering circuit of claim 1 wherein said integrating circuit is comprised of a series combination of a resistor and a capacitor, said voltage threshold detector being comprised of a voltage sensitive switch adapted to interconnect said capacitor and said electronic switch when the output of said integrating circuit attains said predetermined value.