Device for igniting an air-fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine by means of a high frequency electric energy source

US7204220B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Robert Bosch GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Ewald Schmidt · Ludwigsburg, DE
• Michael Thiel · Leonberg, DE
• Juergen Hasch · Stuttgart, DE
• Hans-Oliver Ruoss · Stuttgart, DE
• Klaus Linkenheil · Stuttgart, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 25, 2003
• Grant date: Apr 17, 2007
• Expiry date: Aug 25, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F02P9/007
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A device is described for igniting an air-fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine using a high-frequency electric power source having a coaxial waveguide structure (5) into which the high-frequency electric power may be coupled and whose one end protrudes into the individual combustion chamber of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine. The one end of the coaxial waveguide structure (5) is designed as an igniter (7a) in such a way that, when a voltage potential is applied, a field structure (22), protruding into the combustion chamber, and thus a free-standing plasma in the air-fuel mixture at the inner conductor (7, 7a), projecting from the waveguide structure, is generatable via an abrupt and/or smooth cross-section change (21) of the inner conductor (7) and/or the outer conductor (6).