Patent ID: 9593660
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: F02P

Claim:
1. A method for controlling the operation of an ignition exciter comprising a rechargeable energy source supplying electricity to a solid-state switch, the method comprising: charging the energy source at a first rate when the voltage of the energy source is less than a first voltage reference value; charging the energy source at a second rate, greater than the first rate, when the voltage of energy source is greater than a first voltage reference value; and discharging the energy source through the switch to generate a spark when the voltage of the energy source satisfies a discharge voltage reference value, wherein the charging and the discharging the energy source are repeated, charging the energy source at the first rate occurs during a first period and charging the energy source at the second rate occurs during a second period between the repeated dischargings of the energy source, and the second period is minimized by charging the energy source at a maximum charging rate, and the first period is maximized relative to a total amount of time between the repeated dischargings of the energy source.