초록 ▼

A device for diagnosing the state of health of an ignition system is provided, where the system includes at least one spark producing channel comprising an exciter, output circuit and igniter plug. The device provides a diagnosis of the state of health for both the exciter and igniter plug by monito

A device for diagnosing the state of health of an ignition system is provided, where the system includes at least one spark producing channel comprising an exciter, output circuit and igniter plug. The device provides a diagnosis of the state of health for both the exciter and igniter plug by monitoring the high energy pulses at the output of the exciter. By monitoring the ignition system at an intermediate point in the system such as the output of the exciter, the sensor and electronics of the device may be completely contained within the electronic environment of the exciter, thereby avoiding any need for attaching sensors at the output of the system adjacent to the igniter plug in order to diagnose the plug\s state of health. As an alternative to the device being built into the ignition system, it can be incorporated into automatic test equipment that produces high energy pulses for delivery to an igniter plug to be tested. The device is capable of diagnosing failure of either the exciter or the igniter plug and may also be configured to detect the impending failure of the plug.

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for monitoring the operation of an ignition system for a turbine engine comprising an igniter plug and an exciter, where the exciter provides a series of high energy pulses to the igniter plug for igniting the fuel of the turbine engine, the apparatus comprising: a detector for detectin

An apparatus for monitoring the operation of an ignition system for a turbine engine comprising an igniter plug and an exciter, where the exciter provides a series of high energy pulses to the igniter plug for igniting the fuel of the turbine engine, the apparatus comprising: a detector for detecting persistent voltage levels for the high energy pulses that are less than a predetermined value representing a nominal minimum voltage generated by the exciter when it is healthy; a second detector for detecting persistent discharging of the high energy pulses at a rate much less than a predetermined rate representing a nominal minimum rate of discharge for the igniter plug when it is healthy; and a diagnostic output means responsive to the first and second detectors for indicating (1) failure of the exciter when the first detector detects the voltages of the high energy signals persistently failing to exceed the predetermined value and (2) failure of the igniter plug when the second detector detects the discharge rates of the high energy pulses persistently failing to exceed the predetermined rate; and an output of the diagnostic output means including first and second output lines that provide a binary encoded indication of alternative states of health of the ignition system.