How Electronic Ignition System Works?
“From a little spark may burst a flame” by Dante Alighieri, Rightly said that a spark is required to start a flame and in automobile since there is a conversion of chemical energy (i.e. air-fuel mixture) into mechanical energy i.e. (crankshaft rotation) spark is essential which is responsible for the combustion, but from where does this spark comes? How does the timing of spark and prepared air-fuel mixture is managed? Let’s just dig it out.
In internal combustion engine, combustion is a continuous cycle and occurs thousands time in a minute so a effective and accurate source of ignition is required. The idea of spark ignition came from a toy electric pistol that used electric spark to ignite a mixture of hydrogen and air to shoot a cork.
Electronic ignition system is the type of ignition system that uses electronic circuit,usually by transistors controlled by sensors to generate electric pulses which in turn generate better spark that can even burn the lean mixture and provide better economy and lower emission.
Various types of ignition systems were used lately that are
1. Glow plug ignition system,
2. Magneto ignition system
3. Electric coil or Battery ignition system,
But all these systems have their own limitations that are:
Glow plug ignition system is the oldest of all and is obsolete because of its many limitations-
Glow plug ignition system has a problem of causing uncontrolled combustion due to the use of electrode as a ignition source, which is solved later after the introduction of Magneto ignition system in which electrodes are replaced by spark plug. Unlike magneto ignition, Glow plug produces high exhaust emission due to the incomplete combustion.
Magneto ignition system: It is the system introduce to overcome the limitations of old ignition systems, but it has its own limitations-
§ It depends on the engine speed, so shows starting problem due to low speed at the starting of the engine, which is later solved with the introduction of Battery coil ignition system in which battery becomes the energy source for the system.
§ Expensive than electric coil ignition system.
§ Wear and tear is more than battery coil ignition because of greater number of mechanical moving parts than battery coil system.
§ Can cause misfire due to leakage.
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Electric coil ignition or Battery ignition system – System is the latest of all above and is being used from long time due to its better efficiency and accuracy but it also shows some limitations-
§ Less efficient with the high speed engines
§ High maintenance required due to mechanical and electrical wear of the contact breaker points
So, Since in the modern automobile new technologies are introduced and it is found that use of sensors and electronic component gives more effective and accurate outputs than that of mechanical components so the use of sensors with electronic controlled unit becomes essential to fulfill the needs of modern high power and high speed automobiles or hyper series of automobiles, so to fulfill the need for high performance, high mileage and greater reliability has led to the development of Electronic ignition system.