Combustion engine and ignition circuit for a combustion engine
US6953032B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 2004 |
| Grant date | Oct 11, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 28, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF02P15/08
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An internal combustion engine includes a cylinder with a spark plug, an electric DC voltage supply, and an ignition circuit. The ignition circuit includes a switching device and a transformer having a primary winding coupled to the supply via the switching device, and a secondary winding coupled to the spark plug. After having generated an initial breakdown of a breakdown path through a gas mixture between electrodes of the spark plug, switching occurs repeatedly per combustion to produce pulses at the primary winding, with a repeat frequency which is at least sufficiently high that the breakdown path remains conductive between consecutive switches per combustion. The switching on and switching off provides heating of the breakdown path to ignite the gas mixture. The transformer has an air core around which the primary and secondary windings are arranged concentrically.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.