Ignition systems

1 Battery
2 Ignition switch
3 Ignition condenser
4 Contact-breaker cam
5 Breaker point
6 Spark plugs
7 Ignition coil
8 Ignition distributor

Bosch battery ignition

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Conventional coil ignition (CI)
Conventional coil-ignition systems are controlled by contact-breaker points. The
contact breakers in the distributor open and close the circuit to control current flow
within the ignition coil. The contact is closed over a specific angle (dwell angle).

1 Battery
2 Ignition/starter switch
3 Ignition coil
4 Distributor
5 Capacitor
6 Contact-breaker points
7 Vacuum advance mechanism
8 Rotor
9 Spark plug
1, 4, 15 Terminals

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1 Battery
2 Ignition/starter switch
3 Series resistor
4 Resistor bypass switch
for starting
5 Coil with primary
winding L1 and
secondary winding L2
6 Ignition capacitor
7 Contact breakers
8 Distributor
9 Spark plugs

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a Centrifugal advance mechanism

1.Support plate
2. Distributor cam
3. Contact path
4. Flyweight
5. Base plate
6. Distributor shaft
7. Distributor
8. Breaker-point base plate
9. Manifold connection for retard unit
b Vacuum advance 10. Retard unit
11. Diaphragm (ignition advance system)
12. Advance unit
13. Aneroid unit
14. Manifold connection for advance unit
15. Annular diaphragm (retard system)
16. Advance/retard arm
17. Contact-breaker points
s1 Total timing advance
s2 Total timing retardation
α Timing adjustment angle

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Breaker-triggered transistorized ignition
The distributors used in transistorized breaker-
triggered ignition systems are identical to those
employed with coil ignition. The difference is in
the control of the primary ignition circuit.
Instead of being opened and closed by contact-
breaker points, the circuit is now controlled by a
transistor. Thus ultimate control of the system
still resides with the points. When the breaker
points (7) are closed,control current flows to the
base B, making the path between the emitter E
and the collector C on the transistor conductive.
This charges the coil. When the breaker points 1 Battery
open, no current flows to the base, and the 2 Ignition/starter switch
transistor blocks the flow of primary current. 3 Series resistor
The ballast resistors (3) limit the primary 4 Resistor bypass switch for starting
5 Coil with primary winding L1 and
current to the low-resistance, fast-charging coil
secondary winding L2
used in this ignition system. During starting, 6 Ignition capacitor
compensation for the reduced battery voltage is 7 Contact breakers
furnished by bypassing one of these resistors at 8 Distributor
the starter’s Terminal 50. 9 Spark plugs
10 Electronic circuits with resistors for
voltage distributor R1, R2 and transistor T
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Advantages over coil ignition
Two major assets distinguish breaker-triggered transistorized ignition from conventional
coil systems. Because there is only minimal current flow through the points, their service
life is increased dramatically. Yet another advantage is the fact that the transistor can
control higher primary currents than mechanical contact breakers. This higher primary
current increases the amount of energy stored in the coil, leading to improvements in all
high-voltage data, including voltage levels, spark duration and spark current.
Transistorized ignition with Hall-effect trigger
In this transistorized ignition system the contact
breakers that were still present in the breaker-
triggered system are replaced by a Hall-effect sensor
integrated within the distributor assembly. As the
distributor shaft turns, the rotor’s shutters (Fig. 4a,
Pos. 1) rotate through the gap (4) in the magnetic
triggering unit. There is no direct mechanical
contact. The two soft-magnetic conductive elements
1 Shutter with width b
with the permanent magnets (2) generate a flux field.
When the gap is vacated, the flux field penetrates the 2 Soft-magnetic conductive element
Hall IC (3). When the shutters enter the gap, most of with permanent magnet
the magnetic flux is dissipated around them instead 3 Hall IC
of impacting on the IC. 4 Gap 6
Transistorized ignition with induction-type
pulse generator
Only minor differences distinguish transistorized
ignition with a distributor containing an inductive
trigger from the system with a Hall effect sensor
(Fig. 5a). The permanent magnet (1), inductive
winding and core (2) on the inductive pulse
generator form a fixed unit, the stator. A reluctor or
“rotor” located opposite this stationary
arrangement rotates to trigger the pulses. The rotor
and core are manufactured in soft-magnetic
material and feature spiked ends (stator and rotor
spikes). The operating concept exploits the
continuous change in the gap between the rotor 1 Permanent magnet
and stator spikes that accompanies rotation. This 2 Inductive winding with core
variation is reflected in the magnetic-flux field. 3 Variable gap
The change in the flux field induces AC voltage in
4 Rotor
the inductive winding (Fig. 5b). Peak voltage
varies according to engine speed: approximately tz Ignition point
0.5 V at low rpm, and roughly 100 V at high revs.
The frequency f is the number of sparks per
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minute.
Electronic ignition
Electronic ignition requires neither centrifugal nor vacuum-based timing adjustment.
Instead, sensors monitor engine speed and load factor and then convert these into electrical
signal data for processing in the ignition control unit. The microcontroller is essential for
achieving the functionality associated with electronic ignition. Engine speed is registered
by an inductive pulse sensor than scans the teeth of a reluctor mounted on the crankshaft.
An alternative is to monitor rpm using a Hall-effect sensor in the ignition distributor. A
hose connects the atmosphere within the intake manifold to a pressure sensor in the control
unit. If the engine is equipped with electronic injection then the load signal employed to
govern the mixture-formation process can also be tapped for ignition purposes. The most
pronounced asset of electronic ignition is its ability to use a program map for ignition
timing. The program map contains the ideal ignition timing for range of engine operating
coordinates as defined by engine rpm and load factor; the timing is defined to provide the
best compromise for each performance criterion during the engine’s design process (Fig.
6a). Ignition timing for any given operating coordinates is selected based on:
 Torque
 Fuel economy
 Exhaust-gas composition
 Margin to knock limit
 Driveability, etc.
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 Fig. 6
a Ignition-advance map for
electronic ignition
b Ignition-advance response with
conventional coil ignition

Advantages of electronic ignition-timing :

 Improved adaptation of ignition timing
 Improved starting, more stable idle and reduced fuel
consumption
 Extended monitoring of operational data (such as engine
temperature)
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 Allows integration of knock control
Distributorless (fully-electronic)
ignition
The fully-electronic ignition system
generates a separate, dedicated
control signal for the individual
cylinders, each of which must be
equipped with its own ignition coil.
The advantages of distributorless
ignition :
 Substantially reduced
electromagnetic interference, as
there are no exposed sparks
1 Battery
 No rotating parts
2 AAS diode (Activation Arc Suppression),
 Less noise integrated in ignition coil
 Lower number of high-tension 3 Ignition coil
connections 4 Spark plug
 Design benefits for the engine 5 Ignition driver stage (integrated in engine
manufacturer ECU or in ignition coil)
6 Engine ECU
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1 Printed-circuit board
2 Ignition driver stage
3 AAS diode
4 Secondary coil element
5 Secondary wire
6 Contact plate
7 High-voltage pin
8 Primary plug
9 Primary wire
10 I core
11 Permanent magnet
12 O core
13 Spring
14 Silicone jacket

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