The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 09, 2006
Filed:
Feb. 08, 2005
Michael C. Drake, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Michael C. Drake, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A spark ignition enhancer is provided in a combustion chamber of a spark ignition direct injection engine. The combustion chamber includes a fuel injector operable to spray a fuel plume into the chamber near a spark gap. The ignition enhancer includes a diversion element that extends into the fuel plume, between the fuel injector and the spark gap, to divert some of the fuel spray toward the spark gap to provide a spark ignitable air-fuel mixture at the spark gap, located outside of the spray plume. The diversion element may be mounted on a spark plug or on an adjacent element. The ignition enhancer improves ignitability by breaking up droplets in the spray plume, enhancing fuel vaporization, and diverting some fuel vapor to a spark gap outside the spray plume or away from a spark gap in the spray plume, so that liquid fuel at the gap is reduced, small scale turbulence is increased and gradients in fuel vapor distribution at the gap are reduced.