1. Early ignition systems

The first ignition system was developed in 1841 by two French physicists, Antoine Masson and Louis Breguet, who used the principles of electromagnetic induction to create electrical discharges in a rarefied gas enclosure - the first "induction coil". In 1850, a battery ignition system was developed by Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff, based on the permanent production of small sparks from an induction coil whose current was cut by a switch system known as a "trembleur". The low engine speed meant that a spark was always available at the right moment for combustion to take place. It was used simultaneously for the first time by Etienne Lenoir and Karl Benz in 1883, but quickly abandoned because the arc duration was too short. In addition, the absence of long-life batteries meant that ignition had to be independent of the battery, which led the German...