IGNITION SOURCE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

摘要

An improved ignition system is provided for an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber and means for feeding an ambient fuel-air combustion mixture to the combustion chamber, e.g. by a carburetor or by a fuel injection system. This system, comprises an injection electrode assembly consisting essentially of: an injector nozzle provided with a fast-acting valve opens in 10-20 microseconds; a source of gaseous fuel which is gaseous at normal room temperature and at five to six times normal atmospheric pressure; means for feeding the gaseous fuel from the source to the injector nozzle; means for actuating said fast-acting valve; a spark electrode for providing a spark gap, the spark electrode projecting a predetermined distance into the combustion chamber so that the axis of the injector nozzle passes through, the spark gap, whereby a puff in the form of a short, abrupt blast of the gaseous fuel is expelled across the spark to produce a well-defined turbulent plume of injected gaseous fuel, mixed with ambient fuel-air combustible mixture in the combustion chamber; means for supplying electrical energy to the spark electrode; and means for controlling the time and duration of the electric spark and the actuating means for the fast acting valve. This control is such that the length of time it takes to open the fast-acting valve and the length of time the electric spark occurs after an appropriate predetermined time after the opening of the fast-acting valve, when the turbulent plume passes in the vicinity of the spark electrode, so that the ambient fuel-air mixture and the injected gaseous fuel in the combustion chamber are simultaneously ignited.