Champion Spark Plug Company

Federal-mogul World Wide, Inc.

Frank John Raeske

Sam J Green

Robert A Mahaney

Richard E Callahan

Carl Richard Blaesing

An apparatus for a distributorless ignition system which responds to an ignition signal pulse train which is related to the compression and exhaust strokes of an internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes at least one ignition coil having a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a core, wherein the primary winding and the secondary winding are wrapped about the core, and the primary winding has a first end and a second end; a pair of spark plugs for each ignition coil, wherein the spark plugs are connected between opposite ends of the secondary winding and electrical ground; and a circuit connected to the first end and the second end of the primary winding for directing electrical current through the primary winding in an opposite direction during each successive ignition signal pulse such that the spark plugs simultaneously fire after each ignition signal pulse. Preferably, the circuit for directing electrical current through the primary winding includes both a driver circuit and a control circuit. The driver circuit is connected to the primary winding and serves to direct and drive electrical current through the primary winding. The control circuit is connected to the driver circuit and serves to control and activate the driver circuit.

Ignition coil with control and driver apparatus having reverse polarity capability

Switch-controlled apparatus for actuating a power switch to enable application of power from an associated power supply to a heater filament of a glow plug in a diesel engine is disclosed. The filament is one which is heated to a predetermined design temperature when a specified voltage is applied thereto. The power source has a supply voltage greater than the specified voltage of the filament. A switch accessible to an operator of the engine is operable in a first position to prevent the application of the supply voltage to the apparatus, operable in a second position to apply the supply voltage through a first terminal of the apparatus, and operable in a third position to apply the supply voltage through the first terminal and through a second terminal of the apparatus and to a starter for the engine. The apparatus comprises means operable, after the switch has been turned from the first to the second position, to actuate the power switch for a preheat time period which varies as an inverse function of available supply voltage and equals the time required to raise the temperature of the filament from ambient temperature to the design temperature. The apparatus also includes means operable, after the preheat time period, to alternately actuate and then deactuate the power switch in a cyclic fashion to maintain the design temperature of the filament for a prestart time period. The apparatus also includes means operable, after turning the switch from the second to the third position, to continue the cyclical actuation and deactuation of the power switch for an afterglow time period predetermined by the amount of time required for smooth engine idling and to minimize engine noise and white smoke emission.

Glow plug control circuit

Apparatus for electronically modifying spark advance and dwell in a spark-ignited internal combustion engine. Conventional cam driven breaker points on the engine are initially set for the desired maximum spark advance. The signal from the breaker points is electronically delayed to reduce the spark advance by a predetermined constant value independent of the engine speed. Dwell is also electronically controlled to a predetermined constant value independent of the engine speed.

Electronic control of spark advance and dwell

Apparatus for measuring the temperature of the insulator tip of a spark plug being operated in an internal combustion engine. A thermocouple is embedded in the surface of the insulator tip adjacent the spark gap for sensing temperature. The output of the thermocouple is connected through an electro-optical ignition voltage isolation circuit to circuitry which maintains a substantially constant temperature signal during the time interval that ignition voltage is applied to fire the spark plug. The temperature signal may drive a temperature indicating display or devices such as chart or tape recorders to produce records which may be used in analyzing either operation of the spark plug or combustion.

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Rossford, OH, United States of America

Frank John Raeske