Spark ignition circuit for gas burners

Claim 1

In a spark ignition circuit, a low voltage direct current power source, a storage capacitor, a pulsing oscillator circuit operating on said power source and operative to incrementally charge said storage capacitor to a considerably higher voltage than said power source, said oscillator circuit comprising a transistor having its collector-emitter circuit connected across said power source, starting means, a transformer having a primary winding in the output of said transistor and a secondary winding of considerably greater inductance than said primary winding, parallel resistance-capacitance means connected between one end of said secondary winding and the base of said transistor and operative to drive said transistor to saturation and to abruptly cut off said transistor at saturation, thereby to effect an induced high voltage pulse in said secondary winding, circuit means including impedance means connecting the other end of said secondary winding to a point of fixed potential, and circuit means including a diode connecting said storage capacitor in parallel with said impedance means, an igniter transformer comprising a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a secondary circuit including spaced spark electrodes, circuit means including voltage responsive switching means connecting said igniter transformer primary winding across said storage capacitor, and said switching means being responsive to a predetermined charge on said storage capacitor to effect its discharge through said igniter transformer primary winding.