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US5347422A
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Apparatus and method for an ignition system
Assignee: Unison Industries LLC
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Filing: 1992-09-09
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Granted: 1994-09-13
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Expires: 2012-09-09
Abstract
Abstract An ignition system is provided that marries a free-running discharge circuit with a fast-charging, high voltage converter without resulting in an excessive rate of discharge. To this end, the free-running discharge circuit employs a passive switch embodied either as a spark-gap device or a passive network of semiconductor elements. A feedback circuit detects discharge events at the discharge circuit and, in response thereto, selectively enables and disables the fast-charging converter. A spark rate clock is integrated into the feedback circuit for the purpose of setting the average discharge rate to a predetermined value.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth W. Smith
- 👤 Bruce E. Dolmovich
- 👤 John R. Frus
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 11:14
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02P; F02P17/00; F02P17/12; F02P15/00; F02P15/001; F02P15/003; F02P3/00; F02P3/06; F02P3/08; F02P3/0876; F02P3/0884; F02P3/0892; H; H02; H02M; H02M3/00; H02M3/22; H02M3/24; H02M3/28; H02M3/325; H02M3/335; H02M3/33507; H03; H03K; H03K3/00; H03K3/02; H03K3/53; H02M1/00; H02M1/0003; H02M1/0032; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B70/00; Y02B70/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
145 words
An ignition system responsive to a power source for igniting fuel in a turbine engine, the system comprising: an energy storage device; means for pumping energy from the power source into the energy storage device; an output circuit including an igniter plug; a passive device for conducting energy from the energy storage device into the output circuit in order to create a spark event when the energy held in the energy storage device reaches a level that breaks down a high impedance in the passive device, which otherwise prevents the flow of energy from the energy storage to the output circuit; a sensor for sensing when the spark event occurs and providing a signal indicative thereof; and means responsive to the signal from the sensor for selectively enabling and disabling the pumping means so as to control the rate at which successive spark events occur.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
145 words
An ignition system responsive to a power source for igniting fuel in a turbine engine, the system comprising: an energy storage device; means for pumping energy from the power source into the energy storage device; an output circuit including an igniter plug; a passive device for conducting energy from the energy storage device into the output circuit in order to create a spark event when the energy held in the energy storage device reaches a level that breaks down a high impedance in the passive device, which otherwise prevents the flow of energy from the energy storage to the output circuit; a sensor for sensing when the spark event occurs and providing a signal indicative thereof; and means responsive to the signal from the sensor for selectively enabling and disabling the pumping means so as to control the rate at which successive spark events occur.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
An ignition system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for selectively enabling and disabling the pumping means includes a bistable output voltage for enabling and disabling the pumping means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
69 words
An ignition system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the means for selectively enabling and disabling the pumping means includes a spark rate clock and a means for synchronizing clock pulses from the spark rate clock with transitions of the bistable output voltage, which transitions are in response to the signal from the sensor; thereby providing an average spark rate proportional to the frequency of the clock pulses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
An ignition system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the passive device is a spark gap device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
An ignition system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the passive device is a network of semiconductor elements.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
An ignition system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sensor is a voltage divider network and an isolation transformer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
An ignition system as set forth in claim 1 including a diagnostic means responsive to the signal from the sensor for detecting an unhealthy spark event.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
194 words
In an ignition system responsive to a power source for igniting fuel in a turbine engine, wherein the ignition system includes an energy storage device and a passive device coupling the energy storage device to an igniter plug, a method for generating successive spark events at a spark gap of the igniter plug comprising the following sequential steps: (a) enabling the pumping of energy into the energy storage device; (b) breaking down a high impedance barrier in the passive device in order to transform the barrier to a low impedance path connecting the energy storage device and the igniter plug; (c) transferring the energy stored in the energy storage device into the igniter plug by way of the low impedance path in the passive device and thereby creating a spark event at the spark gap of the igniter plug; (d) sensing the occurrence of the spark event; (e) disabling the pumping of energy into the energy storage device in response to the sensing of the occurrence of the spark event; and (f) repeating the foregoing steps (a) through (e) so as to establish a controlled rate of successive spark events at the spark gap.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
194 words
In an ignition system responsive to a power source for igniting fuel in a turbine engine, wherein the ignition system includes an energy storage device and a passive device coupling the energy storage device to an igniter plug, a method for generating successive spark events at a spark gap of the igniter plug comprising the following sequential steps: (a) enabling the pumping of energy into the energy storage device; (b) breaking down a high impedance barrier in the passive device in order to transform the barrier to a low impedance path connecting the energy storage device and the igniter plug; (c) transferring the energy stored in the energy storage device into the igniter plug by way of the low impedance path in the passive device and thereby creating a spark event at the spark gap of the igniter plug; (d) sensing the occurrence of the spark event; (e) disabling the pumping of energy into the energy storage device in response to the sensing of the occurrence of the spark event; and (f) repeating the foregoing steps (a) through (e) so as to establish a controlled rate of successive spark events at the spark gap.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the initiation of each repeated step (a) is in synchronization with a reference frequency, thereby providing the ignition system with a constant average spark rate even though the time period between steps (a) through (e) vary as the steps are repeated.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-09-12 | 1998-03-14 | 1998-09-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-09-12 | 2002-03-14 | 2002-09-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-09-12 | 2006-03-14 | 2006-09-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |