Ignition systems over the years

Abstract

The gasoline, or spark-ignition, engine is an internal-combustion machine that relies on an external source of ignition-energy to run. An ignition spark ignites the air/fuel mixture compressed in the combustion chamber to initiate the combustion process. This ignition spark is generated by a flashover between the electrodes of a spark plug extending into the combustion chamber. The ignition system must generate adequate levels of high-voltage energy to generate the flash - over at the spark plug while also ensuring that the ignition spark is triggered at precisely the right instant.