ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEMS

Need for Electronic Ignition

• New requirements for ignition systems could
not be met by the conventional inductive
ignition system.
– new exhaust emission criteria
– demand for improved fuel economy
– driver demand for better engine performance
Drawbacks Of A Non-electronic System
• Ignition output of 10-15 kV was sufficient in
earlier days the modern high-speed engine
demands an output of 15-30 kV to ignite the
weaker mixtures.
• Low-inductive coil is often fitted, but because
the current through this coil is much higher
than a normal coil, the erosive wear of the
contact breaker is unacceptable.
Drawbacks of a Non-electronic System
• Ignition varies from specification as the speed
is varies due to
– wear at the contact heel, cam and spindle and
erosion of the contact faces
– contact bounce and the inability of the heel to
follow the cam at high speed.
• Adverse effect on the dwell time' for the coil
current due to dwell angle variation.
• Frequent servicing is necessary.
ELECTRONIC IGNTION SYSTEMS – Transistor
assisted Contacts (TAC)
• uses a normal mechanical breaker to 'drive' a
transistor which controls the current in the
primary circuit
• Erosion of the contacts is eliminated since a
very small breaker current is used .
• Uses a low inductive coil and ballast resistor
with this system, reduces excessive contact
arcing produced by the high primary current.
 Transistor assisted Contacts (TAC)
• Figure 1 shows the basic principle of a
breaker-­triggered, inductive, semiconductor
ignition system.
• Transistor acts as a power switch to 'make and
break' the primary circuit.
• The transistor acts as a relay which is operated
by the current supplied by a cam-operated
control switch; hence the term 'breaker-
triggered'
 Fig. 1:TAC Ignition System

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 Transistor assisted Contacts (TAC)
• When, the contact breaker is closed, a small control
current passes through the base-emitter of the
transistor.
• This switches on the collector-emitter circuit of the
transistor and allows full current to flow through the
primary circuit to energise the coil.
• Current flow in the control circuit and transistor base is
governed by the total and relative values of the resistors
R1 and R2.
• Extra refinements (fig. 2) are needed to protect the
semiconductors from overload and radio interference.
• The power transistor T2 must be robust to handle the
large current and high voltage due to self-induction.
Fig. 2: TAC With Driver and Power
Transistors
 Breakerless systems

Replacing the mechanical contact breaker with an

electronic switch gives the following advantages:
• Accurate spark timing achieved throughout the
speed range.
• No contacts to erode and wear.
• Build-up time for the ignition coil can be varied by
altering the dwell period to suit the conditions.
• No bouncing of contacts at high speed to rob the
coil of its primary current.
 Breakerless systems
• Figure 3 shows the main layout of a breakerless, electronic
ignition system.
• The contact breaker is replaced by an electronic switch
called a pulse generator.
• This device generates an electrical pulse to signal when
the spark is required.
• The duty of the solid-state control module is to make and
break electronically the primary current for the ignition
coil.
• In addition to switching , the control module varies the
dwell time to suit the engine speed.
Fig. 3: Layout of Breakerless system
 Pulse Generators

• The three main types of pulse generator are:

– Inductive
– Hall generator
– Optical.
Fig.4: Inductive Pulse Generator
 Inductive Pulse Generator
• Figure 4 shows one type of inductive pulse
generator.
• The permanent magnet and inductive winding are
fixed to the base plate
• An iron trigger wheel is driven by the distributor
shaft. The number of teeth formed on the trigger
wheel or reluctor matches the number of engine
cylinders.
• Generation of an e.m.f in the inductive winding
fitted around the iron stator core occurs as a result
of the change in the magnetic flux.
Fig. 5: Signal from Inductive Pulse
Generator
 Hall generator
• When a chip of semiconductor material,
carrying a signal current across it, is exposed to
a magnetic field, a small voltage called the Hall
voltage is generated between the chip edges
at 90° to the path taken by the signal current.
• Changing the magnetic field strength alters the
Hall voltage, so this effect can be used as a
switching device to vary the Hall current and
trigger the ignition point.
Fig.6: Hall Effect Trigger
 Optical Pulse Generator
• This system senses the spark point by using a shutter to
interrupt a light beam projected by a light-emitting diode
(LED) on to a photo transistor
• Figures 7 & 8 show the principle of this type of trigger.
An invisible light is emitted by a semiconductor diode
and its beam is focused by a hemispherical lens
• A steel chopper, having blades to suit the number of
cylinders and dwell period, is attached to the distributor
spindle.
• This controls the time periods that the light falls on the
silicon photo transistor detector.
Fig.7: Optical Pulse Generator
Fig.8: Optical Generator Layout
 Optical Pulse Generator
• The signal sent by the generator to the control
module switches on the current for the coil
primary so when the chopper (segmented
disc) cuts the beam the primary circuit is
broken and a spark is produced at the plug.
Fig. 9: Example of Breakerless System
Fig.10: Example of Breakerless System
Fig. 11: Ignition Circuit Showing Control Module Stages
 Control Modules
• The control module, or trigger box, is
responsible for switching the current of the
primary winding of the ignition coil in
accordance with the signal received from the
pulse generator.
• Two control systems in use are:
– Inductive storage
– Capacity discharge
 Inductive storage
• This system uses a primary circuit with a
robust power transistor in the control module
that 'makes and- breaks' the primary circuit
• A typical control module has four important
semiconductor stages which perform the
duties of pulse shape, dwell period control,
voltage stabilization and primary switching
(Figure 5 & 11)
 Capacitive Discharge
• The module of this system stores electrical energy of
high voltage in a capacitor until the trigger releases the
charge to the primary winding of a coil.
• The coil is a pulse transformer instead of being an
energy-storage device as is normal (Figure 12).
• To obtain a voltage of about 400 V for the capacitor, the
battery current is first delivered to an inverter and then
it is passed to a transformer to raise the voltage.
• When the spark is required, the trigger releases the
energy to the coil primary winding by 'firing' a thyristor .
Fig.12: Capacitive Discharge Circuit
 Capacitive Discharge
• Sudden discharge of the high-voltage energy to the primary
winding causes a rapid build-up in the magnetic flux of the
coil and induces a voltage in excess of 40 kV in the secondary
circuit to give a high-intensity, short-duration spark.
• Although the CD system is particularly suited to high-
performance engines, a spark duration of about 0.1 ms given
by this system is normally too short to ignite reliably the
weaker petrol-air mixtures used with many modem engines.
• To offset the problem of the short spark duration, advantage
is sometimes taken of the high secondary output by
increasing the sparking plug gap to give a larger spark.
 Advantages of a CD system
• High secondary voltage reserve.
• Input current and output available voltage are
constant over a wide speed range.
• Fast build-up of output voltage. Since the speed
of build-up is about ten times faster than the
inductive type of electronic ignition, the CD
system reduces the risk of the h.t. current
shorting to earth via a fouled plug insulator or
taking some path other than the plug electrodes.
DISTRIBUTORLESS IGNITION SYSTEMS
• This is an electronic ignition system with
electronic spark advance, but without a
distributor.
• Sensors signal the position of the crankshaft
and/or camshaft to the ignition module.
• Together with the ECM they time, trigger, and
distribute the high-voltage surges to the spark
plugs.
DISTRIBUTORLESS IGNITION SYSTEMS
• No distributor means fewer moving parts. It
also removes the high-voltage rotary switch
formed by the distributor cap and rotor.
• This results in less maintenance and
eliminates mechanical adjustments of ignition
timing.
• There is less radio interference and increased
spark-timing accuracy
Fig. 13: Layout of Distributorless System
 Multiple Coil Distributorless Ignition
• The system includes the ignition module, a coil
pack a crankshaft sensor and/or a camshaft
sensor ( Fig. 13, 14 & 15).
• Each ignition coil fires 'two spark plugs at the
same time. One end of each secondary
winding connects to a spark plug. (Fig. 17)
• The ignition module determines firing
sequence and selects the coil to fire.
Fig. 14: Distributorless System- location of sensors
Fig. 15: Schematic of Distributorless System for a
V6 Engine
 Multiple Coil Distributorless Ignition
• Then the ECM signals the ignition module when to
open the primary circuit.
• The resulting high-voltage surge in the secondary
winding causes sparks to jump both spark-plug gaps.
• One coil firing two spark plugs at the same time is the
waste-spark method of spark distribution (fig. 16).
• It fires the piston pairs. These pistons go up and down
together. When one of the pistons is ending its
compression stroke (Fig. 17), the other is ending its
exhaust stroke.
Fig.16 : Waste Spark Distribution Method
Fig. 17: One coil Firing Piston Pairs
 Crankshaft Position Sensor
• The crankshaft-position sensor or simply crank
sensor (Fig. 14) reports crankshaft speed and
piston position to the ignition module.
• It must know when the piston in cylinder 1 is
nearing TDC on the compression stroke.
• This is the instant the ignition system must
deliver a spark to the spark plug in that
cylinder.
 Crankshaft Position Sensor
• Typically, the crank-sensor signal begins at a
timing disc (Fig. 18) or pulse ring that rotates
with the crankshaft. When a tooth or notch in
the disk aligns with the sensor, it produces a
voltage pulse. This signal tells the ignition
module the crankshaft speed and position.
(Fig. 19)
• The crankshaft sensor is either a magnetic
pickup-coil or a Hall-effect switch.
Fig. 18: Magnetic Crankshaft sensor
 Camshaft Position Sensor
• The camshaft-position sensor is also called the
cam sensor and the cylinder-identification
(CID) sensor.
• It provides voltage pulses that identify the
position of number 1 piston. (Fig. 19)
• The sensor is usually a Hall-effect switch
Fig. 19: Camshaft and Crankshaft Signals
 Distributorless Direct Ignition – Multiple
Coil
• Eliminates spark-plug cables (Fig. 20).
• On a four-cylinder engine, the ignition module and
two coils mount under an aluminium cover (Fig. 21).
• Operation is basically the same as the multiple-coil
distributorless ignition system described earlier
• However, moulded one-piece secondary conductors
replace the spark-plug wires.
• Cables cause some voltage loss. Without cables, full
secondary voltage reaches the spark plugs.
Fig. 20: Direct Ignition System
Fig. 21: Housing of Ignition module and Coils
in Direct Ignition system
 Diagnosis
• Ignition Failures can be grouped into
3 classes:
–Loss of energy in primary circuit
–Loss of energy in secondary circuit
–Out of time
Diagnosis
Diagnosis