A spark-ignited reciprocating piston internal combustion engine may include a pre-chamber ignition system which is arranged in the cylinder head of the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine and in which an ignition device is arranged, comprising an ignition electrode in a housing, said ignition electrode protruding into a cavity of the pre-chamber ignition system. The cavity is covered from the combustion chamber of the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine by a cover, and the cover has at least one first opening which connects the cavity and the combustion chamber together so as to conduct gas. A metal transverse brace with at least one second opening, which connects opposite sides of the housing together, is arranged in the cavity in the region of the ignition electrode, wherein the metal transverse brace is made of a first metal material in a central region and a second metal material in a region contacting the housing.

Generally, embodiments of a pre-chamber unit having a pre-combustion chamber including one or more induction ports in a configuration which achieves flow fields and flow field forces inside the pre-combustion chamber which act to direct flame growth away quenching surface of the pre-combustion chamber.

Generally, embodiments of a pre-chamber unit having a pre-combustion chamber including one or more induction ports in a configuration which achieves flow fields and flow field forces inside the pre-combustion chamber which act to direct flame growth away quenching surface of the pre-combustion chamber.

A combustion control system and method for a turbulent jet ignition engine is presented. A controller is configured to access a trained feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) configured to model a first spark from a first ignition source and maximum brake torque (MBT) based on measured operating parameters, generate the first spark and MBT using the ANN, generate a second spark from a second ignition device, and determine a target spark timing. The ANN can be further configured to receive an input related to spark stagger.

Disclosed is an ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine. The ignition apparatus includes a spark plug, an ignition coil and a controller. The spark plug has an auxiliary combustion chamber in which a discharge gap is arranged. The ignition coil is configured to apply a voltage to the spark plug. The controller is configured to perform a multiple-discharge mode in which discharge is generated at least twice, with a discharge pause period intervening therebetween, across the discharge gap within a period from a compression stroke to an expansion stroke of the internal combustion engine.

Disclosed is an ignition apparatus for an internal combustion engine. The ignition apparatus includes a spark plug, an ignition coil and a controller. The spark plug has an auxiliary combustion chamber in which a discharge gap is arranged. The ignition coil is configured to apply a voltage to the spark plug. The controller is configured to perform a multiple-discharge mode in which discharge is generated at least twice, with a discharge pause period intervening therebetween, across the discharge gap within a period from a compression stroke to an expansion stroke of the internal combustion engine.

An air/fuel mixture is ignited in an internal combustion engine by receiving the air/fuel mixture as an incoming air/fuel mixture flow from a main combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine into an enclosure adjacent the main combustion chamber. The enclosure defines a first chamber enclosing first and second ignition bodies and the enclosure defines a second chamber adjacent the first chamber and connected to the first chamber via a passage. A portion of the air/fuel mixture received in the enclosure is directed toward an ignition gap between the first and second ignition bodies and another portion is directed into the second chamber. The air/fuel mixture is then ignited in the ignition gap, and flame from combustion in the first chamber is ejected into the main combustion chamber. Then, flame from combustion in the second chamber is ejected into the main combustion chamber.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, where the internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber and a prechamber spark plug which is assigned to the combustion chamber and which has a prechamber which is fluidically connected to the combustion chamber via a plurality of openings. The method includes operating the internal combustion engine in a catalytic converter heating operation in which an ignition time, at which an ignition spark for igniting a fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber is generated in the prechamber within a particular operating cycle of the internal combustion engine, is shifted later compared to a normal operation. An injection time, at which a last direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber is carried out within the particular operating cycle, is a same in the catalytic converter heating operation and in the normal operation.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, where the internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber and a prechamber spark plug which is assigned to the combustion chamber and which has a prechamber which is fluidically connected to the combustion chamber via a plurality of openings. The method includes operating the internal combustion engine in a catalytic converter heating operation in which an ignition time, at which an ignition spark for igniting a fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber is generated in the prechamber within a particular operating cycle of the internal combustion engine, is shifted later compared to a normal operation. An injection time, at which a last direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber is carried out within the particular operating cycle, is a same in the catalytic converter heating operation and in the normal operation.

An ignition system includes a dividing wall which divides a combustion chamber of an engine into a main chamber and a pre-chamber and has formed therein at least one spray hole which communicates between the main chamber and the pre-chamber, and a spark plug in which voltage is applied across a spark gap between a first electrode and a second electrode to create an electrical spark to ignite fuel. The pre-chamber has the first electrode. The dividing wall or a member which electrically conducts with the dividing wall has the second electrode. The ignition system executes an after-top-dead-center ignition control mode to ignite fuel after a compression stroke top dead center. In the after-top-dead-center ignition control mode, an ignition source which is in the form of a self-growable flame kernel is provided in a spray hole-nearby region, the spray hole, or the main chamber within a crank angle of 20° after an ignition timing at which the voltage starts to be applied across the spark gap. The spray hole-nearby region is a region which is located 3 mm or less away from a spray hole center in the pre-chamber.