An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber with a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a piston. The internal combustion engine also includes at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve that are connected to the combustion chamber, a fuel injector that injects fuel into the combustion chamber, at least two ignition devices arranged in the combustion chamber, and control means that control the valves, the injector, and the ignition means. The control means operate the engine according to different combustion modes including a controlled ignition combustion mode, a compression ignition combustion mode, and an assisted compression ignition combustion mode. The control means activate the ignition means in the assisted compression ignition combustion mode.

An ignition device is provided, which can boost an electromagnetic wave supplied by a resonance structure, and cause a discharge by enhancing a potential difference between a discharge electrode and a ground electrode, and even though such a structure of the ignition device, a downsize and a thickness reduction, specifically, the thickness reduction can be achieved. On a main surface of a rectangular insulting substrate (2), an input electrode (3), a coupling electrode (4), a discharge electrode (6), and a ground electrode (7), are provided. The input electrode (3) is connected to an outside terminal on one shorter side. The coupling electrode (4) is capacity-coupled with the input electrode (3). The discharge electrode (6) is connected to the coupling electrode (4) on the other shorter side through a coupling line (5). The ground electrode (7) is, on both longer sides of the main surface of the rectangular insulating substrate (2), capacity-coupled with the coupling electrode (4) and capacity-coupled with the coupling line (5), and extended to the other shorter side. A resonance circuit includes a capacitor constituted by the capacity coupling and an inductor constituted by the coupling line (5). Thereby, the electromagnetic wave supplied from the outside terminal into the input electrode is resonated, a potential difference between the discharge electrode (6) and the ground electrode (7) is enhanced, and then, a discharge is caused.

An ignition module, ignition system, and method for providing and generating at least two sparks in each cylinder in a single combustion cycle for RPMs over 3,000. The ignition module, system, and method is configured to detect misfires in a spark plug and take measures to alert a user of such misfires and cause an additional spark to occur prior to the completion of the cylinder's power stroke during its combustion cycle. The ignition module, system and method provides for continuous spark at high RPMs and is configured to reduce and/or eliminate engine misfire in excess of about 3,000 RPM for four stroke engines and up to 30,000 RPM for two stroke engines.

Methods and systems are provided for multiplexing ignition signals in an engine system based on engine operating conditions, each cylinder of the engine system including a main chamber spark plug and a pre-chamber system. In one example, a method may include multiplexing spark signals to a first spark plug and a second spark plug, the first spark plug coupled to a pre-chamber of a first cylinder and the second spark plug coupled to a main chamber of a second cylinder. In this way, one ignition coil may be used to actuate two different spark plugs coupled to separate cylinders.

In a gasoline internal combustion engine having a first and second spark plugs and for each cylinder, associated, respectively, with a combustion pre-chamber and with a combustion chamber, the-engine crank angle of ignition (ECAI) of the first and second spark plugs are controlled as a function of engine load and engine rotation speed, and as a function of a required value of torque delivered by the engine, referring to a single normalized reference surface, which is the same for any operating point of the engine, and which supplies efficiency of the engine as a function of a difference between ECAI of the first spark plug and an optimal value of this angle at which the efficiency becomes maximum, and as a function of a difference between the ECAI of the second spark plug and an optimal value of this angle at which the efficiency becomes maximum.

An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber with a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a piston. The internal combustion engine also includes at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve that are connected to the combustion chamber, a fuel injector that injects fuel into the combustion chamber, at least two ignition devices arranged in the combustion chamber, and control means that control the valves, the injector, and the ignition means. The control means operate the engine according to different combustion modes including a controlled ignition combustion mode, a compression ignition combustion mode, and an assisted compression ignition combustion mode. The control means activate the ignition means in the assisted compression ignition combustion mode.

An internal combustion engine may include a combustion chamber which is delimited by a cylinder; an injector with which fuel can be injected into the combustion chamber, whereby a mixture comprising fuel and air can be generated in the combustion chamber; a pre-chamber, which is fluidically separate from the combustion chamber with the exception of a passage opening and which is fluidically connected to the combustion chamber via the passage opening; a first spark plug with which an ignition spark can be produced in the pre-chamber; and a second spark plug with which an ignition spark can be produced in the combustion chamber and outside of the pre-chamber, wherein the pre-chamber, the injector, and the second spark plug are arranged, in this order, in a direction extending in a plane that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylinder.

Combustion cylinder (10) of an internal combustion engine, having a combustion chamber wall (20), which surrounds a combustion chamber (30), and a combustion chamber cover (40), which closes off the combustion chamber (30) on the upper side, wherein at least one inlet valve (50) for letting in a fluid is arranged on an inlet side (42) in the combustion chamber cover (40), and at least one outlet valve (60) for letting out a fluid is arranged on an outlet side (44) in the combustion chamber cover (40), wherein, furthermore, a prechamber spark plug (70) is arranged between the at least one inlet valve (50) and the at least one outlet valve (60) in the combustion chamber cover (40), which prechamber spark plug is arranged between the at least one inlet valve (50) and an injector (80) for injecting combustion fluid.

Methods and systems are provided for multiplexing ignition signals in an engine system based on engine operating conditions, each cylinder of the engine system including a main chamber spark plug and a pre-chamber system. In one example, a method may include multiplexing spark signals to a first spark plug and a second spark plug, the first spark plug coupled to a pre-chamber of a first cylinder and the second spark plug coupled to a main chamber of a second cylinder. In this way, one ignition coil may be used to actuate two different spark plugs coupled to separate cylinders.

Apparatuses, methods, and systems for igniting fuel for an internal combustion engine, an ignition system include a first ignition device associated with a pre-combustion chamber of a cylinder and a second ignition device associated with a main combustion chamber of the cylinder. An engine control unit is operably connected to both the engine and the ignition system to ignite fuel for the cylinder with the first ignition device independently of igniting fuel with the second ignition device. The engine control unit determines an occurrence of a combustion condition and in response thereto (i) ignites fuel for combustion with both the first and the second ignition devices or (ii) ignites fuel for combustion only with the second ignition device. The engine control unit determines a second combustion condition and in response thereto ignites fuel only with the first ignition device.