Means and method for controlling the occurrence and the duration of time

Abstract

A control system controls the occurrence and the duration of time intervals during which sparks may be provided in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine driving a crank shaft as a function of loading parameters on the engine. In an automotive engine control system, parameters such as the vacuum in the carburetor, the throttle setting and the torque of the crank shaft are sensed, and corresponding signals are provided by the sensor. A distributor provides a pulse signal having a repetition rate corresponding to the rotational speed of the crank shaft. A frequency-to-voltage converter converts the pulse signal to an output voltage. The sensed parameter signals and the voltage from the converter are summed. The sum signal is used to control a one-shot multivibrator which is triggered by each pulse in the pulse signal from the distributor. The sum signal controls the width of the pulse from the one-shot multivibrator so as to control the timing of the various sparks in the engine's cylinders. The voltage provided by the frequency-to-voltage converter is applied to another one-shot multivibrator which is triggered by the output from the first one-shot multivibrator to control the width of the pulse provided by the second one-shot, the pulse provided by the second one-shot is applied to the ignition system and controls the duration of the spark time interval being applied to each cylinder, as a function of the rotational speed of the crank shaft.