Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01T—SPARK GAPS; OVERVOLTAGE ARRESTERS USING SPARK GAPS; SPARKING PLUGS; CORONA DEVICES; GENERATING IONS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO NON-ENCLOSED GASES
  • H01T13/00—Sparking plugs
  • H01T13/02—Details
  • H01T13/04—Means providing electrical connection to sparking plugs
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01T—SPARK GAPS; OVERVOLTAGE ARRESTERS USING SPARK GAPS; SPARKING PLUGS; CORONA DEVICES; GENERATING IONS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO NON-ENCLOSED GASES
  • H01T13/00—Sparking plugs
  • H01T13/02—Details
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01T—SPARK GAPS; OVERVOLTAGE ARRESTERS USING SPARK GAPS; SPARKING PLUGS; CORONA DEVICES; GENERATING IONS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO NON-ENCLOSED GASES
  • H01T13/00—Sparking plugs
  • H01T13/20—Sparking plugs characterised by features of the electrodes or insulation
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01T—SPARK GAPS; OVERVOLTAGE ARRESTERS USING SPARK GAPS; SPARKING PLUGS; CORONA DEVICES; GENERATING IONS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO NON-ENCLOSED GASES
  • H01T13/00—Sparking plugs
  • H01T13/40—Sparking plugs structurally combined with other devices
  • H01T13/44—Sparking plugs structurally combined with other devices with transformers, e.g. for high-frequency ignition
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49826—Assembling or joining
  • Y10T29/49904—Assembling a subassembly, then assembling with a second subassembly

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to igmtors used for igniting air/fuel mixtures m automotive application and the like
• US Patent 6,883,507 discloses an ignitor for use m a corona discharge air/fuel ignition system
• the ignitor is straight and is able to fit in ignitor openings that are straight However, it is not able to accommodate a non-straight and/or a partially obstructed ignitor opening
• An ignitor assembly constructed in accordance with one aspect of the invention has an upper inductor subassembly including a tubular housing extending between an upper end and a lower end with inductor windings received therein and an upper electrical connector adjacent the upper end of the housing and a lower elect ⁇ cal connector adjacent the lower end of the housing
• the upper elect ⁇ cal connector is configured in electncal communication with the lower elect ⁇ cal connector via the inductor windings
• the ignitor assembly also has a lower firing end subassembly including a ceramic insulator and a metal housing sunoundmg at least a portion of the ceramic insulator
• the ceramic insulator extends between a terminal end and a fi ⁇ ng end with an elect ⁇ cal terminal extending from the terminal end m elect ⁇ cal contact with the lower elect ⁇ cal connector of the upper inductor subassembly
• An electrode extends from the firing end of the ceramic insulator and is configured in electrical communication with the elect ⁇ cal terminal
• the intermediate region allows the flexible igmtor assembly to be freely disposed in bent, multi-axis or partially obstructed igmtor holes in a cylinder head of an engine
• designers of the cylinder head and overall ignition systems are free to utilize less space and introduce complex, partially obstructed, or multi-axes bores, if necessary, to house the igmtor assembly without concern for accommodating installation of the igmtor assembly along a straight path
• a method of constructing an igmtor assembly includes forming a lower fi ⁇ ng end subassembly having a ceramic insulator and a metal housing surrounding at least a portion of the ceramic insulator with an electrical terminal extending from a terminal end of the insulator and an electrode extending from a firing end of the insulator Further, forming an upper inductor subassembly having a tubular housing extending between an upper end and a lower end with inductor windings received in the housing and having an upper elect ⁇ cal connector adjacent the upper end and a lower elect ⁇ cal connector adjacent the lower end with the lower elect ⁇ cal connector being axially biased relative to the tubular housing by a spring member Then, coupling the lower end of the upper inductor subassembly housing to the terminal end of the ceramic insulator of the lower fi ⁇ ng end subassembly with a non-metal tube and maintaining an intermediate region of the non- metal
• Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an ignitor assembly constructed according to one presently preferred embodiment of the invention
• Figure IA is a view of the ignitor assembly of Figure 1 shown bent at a pivot joint of the ignitor assembly;
• Figure 2 is an exploded view of the ignitor assembly of Figures 1 and IA showing a lower firing end of the ignitor assembly separated from an upper inductor end of the ignitor assembly;
• Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ignitor assembly of Figure 1 shown m installed within an internal combustion engine
• FIGS 1 -3 show an ignitor assembly, represented as a corona discharge ignitor assembly, and referred to hereafter as assembly 10, constructed in accordance with one aspect of the invention.
• the assembly 10 is constructed to be mounted within an ignitor bore 12 of a cylinder head 14 that is configured to be joined to an engine block 16 of an internal combustion engine 18.
• the engine block 16 includes a combustion cylinder 20 in which a piston (not shown) reciprocates.
• the engine 18 may have a plurality of such combustion cylinders 20 and associated pistons
• the ignitor bore 12 can be constructed to extend along a straight axis, or, if desired, along multiple non- parallel axes, such as may be desired to route around other adjacent engine features, such as a fuel injector bore 19 m which a fuel injector head (not shown) is received for injecting a fuel/air mixture into the combustion cylinder 20 and/or a valve bore 21 in which a valve assembly 23 is received, for example
• the assembly 10 is constructed to flex at a bend joint, also referred to as pivot joint 22, and thus, is able to freely attain a bent configuration, as needed and desired.
• the assembly 10 is able accommodate a curv ed and/or partially obstructed ignitor bore 12 and otherwise allows an upper inductor subassembly 24 to pivot relative to a lower firing end subassembly 26 [00013]
• the cylinder head 14 is formed with at least one of the ignition bores 12 associated with each combustion cylinder 20
• the ignition bore 12 extends from an upper surface 28 of the head 14 to a lower surface 30 and is m open communication with the associated combustion cylinder 20
• the bore 12 can extend along an axis A that is transverse or substantially transverse to the uppei surface 28 or it can extend along an axis B that is inclined at an oblique angle to the upper surface 28, oi both Regardless, the assembly 10 is able to accommodate an inclination between the axes A and B without impacting the functionality of the assembly 10
• the ignition bore 12 may be positioned and routed immediately adjacent other features of the engine 18, such as a fuel injection bore, for example
• the engine 18 has a cylinder head cover, also referred to as a valve cover
• the cover 32 has an opening 34 to accommodate the igmtor assembly 10, such that an electrical wire or source of power can be readily attached to the ignitor assembly 10
• the opening 34 can be positioned and centered along the axis B of the lower firing end subassembly 26, or it could be located off center from the axis B, such as along axis C, if desired
• the opening 34 can be constructed as an integral cylindrical passage with the valve cover 32, as shown, or a it can be provided via a separate tubular sleeve for fixed and sealed receipt with an upper surface 38 of the valve cover 32 and being brought into sealed engagement with the upper surface 28 of the cylinder head 14
• a separate tubular shield 39 can be disposed about a portion of the assembly 10 to facilitate protecting the assembly 10 from exposure to oil withm the valve cover 32
• the opening 34 or sleeve 36 provides a mechanism to fix the upper inductor subassembly 24 m position relative to the lower fi ⁇ ng
• the 24 includes a metal tubular housing 40 that extends along a first axis A' between an upper end 42 and a lower end 44
• the housing 40 is shown here as having an enlarged diameter upper portion 46 and a lower portion 48 that is reduced m diameter from the upper portion 46
• the upper portion 46 is sized appropriately to receive the desired configuration of inductor windings, also referred to as a coil 50, of both high and low voltage inductor windings.
• the coil 50 is wound about a central ferromagnetic core 52 and is in electrical communication with an upper electrical connector 54 adjacent the upper end 42 of the housing 40 and a lower electrical connector 56 adjacent the lower end 44 of the housing 40.
• the housing 40 is either filled with a pressu ⁇ zed gas or resm 60 about the coil 50 and the housing 40 for high voltage suppression.
• the resin 60 fills or substantially fills any voids withm the upper portion 46 of the housing 40.
• a polymeric or rubber cap 62 extends circumferentially about the upper end 42 of the housing 40 and is shown as having annular projections or ribs 64 extending radially outwardly from the housing 40 to facilitate fixing and forming a seal between the housing 40 and the cylinder head cover 32.
• the lower electrical connector 56 is constructed of a suitable conducting metal material and is sized having a cylindrical shape for close plunging movement withm the lower portion 48 of the housing 40.
• the cylindrical lower electrical connector 56 has a slightly reduced outer diameter from the inner diameter of the lower portion 48, thereby providing a loose fit therebetween.
• the lower elect ⁇ cal connector 56 extends outwardly from the lower end 44 of the housing 40 to a free end 57 having a concave surface.
• An opposite end 59 of the connector 56 is brought into electrical communication with the coil 50 via a spring member 66 and an intermediate conductor 68
• both the spring member 66 and the intermediate conductor 68 are constructed from a suitable metal mate ⁇ al.
• the spring member 66 is represented here as being a coil spring member, though other sp ⁇ ng configurations are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention.
• the intermediate conductor 68 is fixed to the coil 50, such as by way of interference fit within the lower portion 48 and/or via the resin 60.
• the spring member 66 has one end 70 configured in elect ⁇ cal communication with the intermediate conductor 68 and another end 72 configured in electrical communication with the lower electrical connector 56.
• the end 70 can be fixed to the intermediate conductor 68, such as by being attached or snapped over an end of the conductor 68 and the end 72 can be fixed to the lower electrical connector 56, such as by being attached or snapped over an end of the connector 56.
• the lower elect ⁇ cal connector 56 though able to slide freely in the lower portion 48 of the housing 40, can be held and maintained from falling freely out of the lower portion 48 by the sp ⁇ ng member 66, if desired.
• the lower firing end subassembly 26 includes an elongate ceramic insulator 74 extending between an upper terminal end 76 and a lower firing end 78 with central through passage 80 extending therebetween
• the insulator 74 has an enlarged diameter intermediate section 82 providing radially outwardly extending upper and lower shoulders 84, 86, respectively
• the insulator 74 also has a tapered nose 88 converging to the firing end 78
• An elect ⁇ cal terminal 90 is received withm the central through passage 80 and extends from the terminal end 76 of the bore 56 to a free end 91 , shown as being convex, for pivotal elect ⁇ cal communication with the lower electrical connector 56 of the upper inductor subassembly 24
• a central electrode 92 is received withm the central through passage 80 and extends from the firing end 78 to a free discharge end 94 which, when the igmtor assembly 10 is installed in the cylinder head 14, projects into the combustion cylinder 20 of the engine 18
• the lower fi ⁇ ng end subassembly 26 further includes an outer metal jacket, also referred to as housing or shell 98
• the shell 98 surrounds at least a portion of the ceramic insulator 74 in fixed relation thereto
• the shell 98 has an mnei surface 99 shaped to receive the insulator 74 therein with an inner shoulder 100 configured to abut the lower shoulder 86 of the insulator intermediate section 82 and an uppermost lip 102 that is curled, rolled, or otherwise folded over the upper shoulder 84 of the insulator intermediate section 82 to capture the intermediated section 82 between the shoulder 100 and the lip 102
• the shell 98 may be provided with an external hexagonal tool receiving member 104 or other feature for removal and installation of the lower firing end subassembly 26 in the igmtor bore 12
• the feature size will preferably conform with an industry standard tool size of this type for the related application Of course, some applications may call for a tool receiving interface other than a
• the lower fi ⁇ ng end subassembly 26 is connected to the upper inductor subassembly 24 by an intervening flexible tube 1 14, such as a non-metal tube of polymeric material, such as silicone, or other suitable types of rubber, for example
• the tube 114 has an upper end 116 attached to the housing 40 of the upper inductor subassembly 24 and an opposite lower end 118 attached to the ceramic insulator 74 with an intermediate region 120 extending between the tubular housing 40 of the upper inductor subassembly 24 and the ceramic insulator 74
• a through passage 122 extends axially between the ends 116, 1 18
• the through passage 122 has a radially inwardly extending annular protrusion, also referred to as constriction 124, sized to restrict or inhibit the passage of the lower elect ⁇ cal connector 56 therethrough
• the constriction 124 is located within the intermediate region 120 of the tube 1 14 As such, the constriction 124 facilitates maintaining the upper inductor sub
• pivot joint 22 is able to be freely pivoted, such as in a ball and socket typejomt.
• the ignitor assembly 10 can be assembled and secured in position withm the ignitor bore 12.
• the lower end of the jacket 54 can be threaded to allow the ignitor assembly 10 to be screwed into a blind threaded region of the ignitor bore 12, as discussed or the ignitor could be provided with suitable clamps and/or fasteners to enable the ignitor to be secured to the cylinder head 14 at or near its upper surface
• the valve cover 32 can be installed either before or after installation of the ignitor assembly 10, depending upon the particular routing and fastening requirements.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ignition Installations For Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
• Spark Plugs (AREA)
• Cylinder Crankcases Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=42317205

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (6)

Families Citing this family (25)

Family Cites Families (42)

• 2010
  • 2010-01-12 EP EP10729648.5A patent/EP2377213B1/en active Active
  • 2010-01-12 CN CN201080006782XA patent/CN102334252B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2010-01-12 WO PCT/US2010/020708 patent/WO2010081124A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2010-01-12 JP JP2011545502A patent/JP5592899B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2010-01-12 US US12/685,825 patent/US8151781B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2010-01-12 KR KR1020117016844A patent/KR101630196B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2012
  • 2012-03-07 US US13/414,129 patent/US8474428B2/en active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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