TRAVELING SPARK IGNITER

Abstract

An igniter having at least two electrodes spaced from each other by an insulating member having a substantially continuous surface along a path between the electrodes. The electrodes extend substantially parallel to each other for a distance both above and below said surface. The insulating member has a channel (recess) for receiving at least a portion of a length of at least one of said electrodes below and to said surface of the insulating member. The surface of the insulating member may preferably be augmented with a conductivity enhancing agent. The insulating member and electrodes are configured so that an electric field between the electrodes at said surface does not have abrupt field intensity changes, whereby when a potential is applied to the electrodes sufficient to cause breakdown to occur between the electrodes, discharge occurs at said surface of the insulating member to define a plasma initiation region.

Claims

1. An igniter having at least two electrodes spaced from each other by an insulating member having a continuous surface along a path between the electrodes, the electrodes extending parallel to each other for a distance both above and below said surface, the insulating member being shaped with a channel for receiving at least a portion of a length of at least one of said electrodes below and to said surface of the insulating member, whereby when a potential is applied to the electrodes sufficient to cause breakdown to occur between the electrodes, said surface of the insulating member defines a plasma initiation region.

2. The igniter of claim 1, wherein said surface of the insulator is doped with a conductivity-enhancing agent.

3. The igniter of claim 2, wherein the insulator is of a ceramic material and the conductivity enhancing agent is a metallic material.

4. The igniter of claim 1 wherein said surface of the insulator is at least partially coated with a conductivity-enhancing agent.

5. The igniter of claim 1, wherein the electrodes comprise at least one inner electrode and at least one outer electrode, and the insulator has for each outer electrode a recessed channel running parallel to the inner electrode and sized to partially or fully receive a said outer electrode, wherein the at least one outer electrode has a cross-section shape that avoids sharp increases in field concentration in an area of minimum radial separation between the electrodes, and wherein the cross-section shape comprises at least one curved surface.

6. The igniter of claim 1, wherein the continuous surface is a flat surface.

7. An igniter having at least two electrodes spaced from each other by an insulating member having a continuous surface along a path between the electrodes, the electrodes extending parallel to each other for a distance both above and below said surface, the surface of the insulating member having a conductivity enhancing agent and the insulating member and electrodes being configured so that an electric field between the electrodes at said surface does not have abrupt field intensity changes, whereby when a potential is applied to the electrodes sufficient to cause breakdown to occur between the electrodes, discharge occurs at said surface of the insulating member to define a plasma initiation region.

8.-9. (canceled)

10. The igniter of claim 1 wherein the electrodes remain parallel for at least 0.040 below the initiation region.

11. The igniter of claim 1 wherein the electrodes remain parallel for at least 0.080 below the initiation region.

12. The igniter of claim 1 wherein the electrodes remain parallel for at least 0.160 below the initiation region.

13. The igniter of claim 12, wherein said surface of the insulator is doped with a conductivity-enhancing agent.

14. (canceled)

15. The igniter of claim 12 wherein said surface of the insulator is at least partially coated with a conductivity-enhancing agent.

16. The igniter of claim 13 wherein the electrodes comprise at least one inner electrode and at least one outer electrode, said electrodes being of circular cross-section and the insulator has for each outer electrode a circular or partially circular channel running parallel to the inner electrode and sized to receive a said outer electrode.

17. (canceled)

18. The igniter of claim 15 wherein the electrodes comprise at least one inner electrode and at least one outer electrode, said electrodes being of circular cross-section and the insulator has for each outer electrode a circular or partially circular channel running parallel to the inner electrode and sized to receive a said outer electrode.

19. The igniter of claim 7 wherein one of the electrodes is a cylinder coaxially oriented around the other electrode.

20. The igniter of claim 5, wherein at least one of said electrodes is larger in cross section above said surface of the insulating member than below said surface.

21. The igniter of claim 7, wherein at least one of said electrodes is larger in cross section above said surface of the insulating member than below said surface.

22. The igniter of claim 1 wherein the electrodes remain parallel for at least 0.250 below the initiation region.

23. The igniter of claim 1 wherein the channel is larger than is required to receive an electrode therein.

24. An igniter having at least two electrodes spaced from each other by an insulating member having a surface at least partly filling a gap between the electrodes, the electrodes extending parallel to each other for a distance both above and below said surface, the insulating member being shaped with a channel for receiving at least a portion of a length of at least one of said electrodes below and to said surface of the insulating member, whereby when a potential is applied to the electrodes sufficient to cause breakdown to occur between the electrodes, said surface of the insulating member defines a plasma initiation region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Various aspects and embodiments of the application will be described with reference to the following figures. It should be appreciated that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Items appearing in multiple figures are indicated by the same or a similar reference number in all the figures in which they appear.

[0023] FIG. 1A is an isometric, partially cut-away view of the tip region of a first example of a plasma-based igniter embodying some of the teachings expressed herein for constructing igniters which exhibit improved performance over a range of engine pressures, from normal to high;

[0024] FIG. 1B is an isometric, partially cut-away view of the tip region of a second example of a plasma-based igniter embodying some of the teachings expressed herein;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the end surface of isolator 18 or 18 of FIGS. 1A, 1B; and

[0026] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the isolator of the FIG. 1A embodiment, taken along section line 3-3 of FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] As good as the igniters of the above-mentioned patents and application are, continuing efforts to improve these igniters have resulted in enhanced lifetimes and abilities to function in a wide range of engine pressure situations, particularly high engine pressure environments (i.e., those in which the pressure is at least approximately 120 psi at time of ignition, or more) as well as in other difficult and diverse combustion initiation situations. These positive results include the type of igniter embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0028] Turning to those drawing figures, two examples are presented of igniters as taught herein. Each igniter, 10 and 10, respectively, comprises an isolator 12 or 12 having a central bore 13 which receives a center electrode 14 or 14 and one or more (i.e., N) outer electrodes 16.sub.1-16.sub.N or 16.sub.1-16.sub.N, respectively. Igniters 10 and 10 are identical except for the way isolators 12 and 12 are made, so only igniter 10 will be described initially. Then the difference between the two isolators will be discussed. In these examples, N=3, though one, two, three or more outer electrodes are feasible and the invention is not limited to a specific number of outer or inner (center) electrodes. (This is not meant to imply that the orientation of the electrodes need be circular. Other configurations are certainly acceptable.)

[0029] Preferably, each of the outer electrodes is shaped in cross-section to avoid creating sharp increases in field concentration in the area of minimum radial separation between the electrodes (i.e., the gap). More preferably, it is a smoothly curved surface at that point, considered from a longitudinal axis of the electrode (normal to the radial direction or the like in a non-circular configuration); and this curved surface (shown in the drawings as circular, but not necessarily so) is partially inset into, and bears against, a correspondingly curved (e.g., semicircular) groove or channel 18 (see FIG. 2) in isolator 12. The diameter of the outer electrode may differ above and below the initiation region. Any suitable construction (not shown) may be used to keep the outer electrodes in place, including, but not limited to, an insulating material encircling the illustrated apparatus or simply making the outer electrodes as part of a unitary outer structure for the igniter body.

[0030] Each of igniters 10 and 10 provides a defined plasma initiation region in the vicinity of the upper surface of its isolator. In the illustrated embodiments, the electrodes are approximately parallel extending away from the initiation region, with at least one outer electrode remaining approximately parallel to an inner electrode for a distance below the surface of the isolator (essentially an insulator) separating the electrodes. The electrodes preferably may remain parallel for at least 0.010 below the initiation region, for at least 0.020, for at least 0.040, for at least 0.080, for at least 0.160, or for at least 0.250 below the initiation region.

[0031] Embodiments are contemplated, also, in which the inner and outer electrodes may not be substantially parallel. For example, the surface of the outer or inner electrode(s) may tilt or curve away from the other electrode as a function of distance from the initiation region outward toward the combustion region. Or an outer electrode may exhibit a change in diameter along its length, which change may be either smooth or abrupt. For example, the diameter of an outer electrode might make a step change in the vicinity of the initiation region. The change in diameter, whether smooth or abrupt might lead one to question whether such an electrode could ever be approximately or substantially parallel; however, it is intended that parallelism be assessed with reference to the axes of the electrodes, if they are substantially straight. In any event, these embodiments are within the teaching of this document as they still provide for an electric field that is free of significant abrupt changes along a path between the inner and outer electrodes in the vicinity of the initiation region.

[0032] The material forming the isolator preferably is a ceramic material, as in conventional spark plugs, but the surface region of the isolator may have its conductivity enhanced. This enhancement may be achieved in multiple ways, discussed below.

[0033] Avoiding sharp edges on the outer electrode(s) and insetting those electrodes into the insulating isolator, while maintaining a uniform spacing between inner and outer electrodes above and below the isolator surface is believed to reduce electric field concentrations and non-uniformities near the surface of the ceramic insulator, as compared to previous igniter designs of the type mentioned above, and to keep the overall electromagnetic fields correctly oriented both axially and radially (while likely compensating adequately for any intentionally introduced anomalies at the discharge initiation regione.g., those caused by electrode diameter changes).

[0034] The plasma initiation region may be defined by a portion of the surface 19 of the insulator (isolator) 12 between the inner and outer electrodes. To reduce the voltage at which the arc discharge commences between the electrodes, and concomitantly reduce the amount of physical shock to the isolator when the breakdown occurs, the isolator material may be treated to reduce its resistivity somewhat from that of an untreated ceramic insulator material (such as aluminum oxide). Some example methods of reducing resistivity are discussed below.

[0035] The behavior of the electrical and magnetic fields in the region of the igniter/spark plug where the plasma is initially formedi.e., the discharge initiation regionis important for forming and propelling the plasma. However, the discharge initiation region presents a challenge. A commercially useful igniter must meet a difficult set of requirements, including promoting consistent and reliable plasma formation with each firing, at a consistent initiation region; generating a sufficient and consistent Lorentz force to drive the plasma in the desired direction, even in high pressure engines; and exhibiting long life.

[0036] Others who have worked on improving railplugs have tried to accomplish similar objects by narrowing the gap between the electrodes (rails) in order to define the discharge initiation region. This approach has been found to affect the local electromagnetic properties sufficiently as to distort the electromagnetic field locally to inhibit motion of the locus of the electrode plasma interface thus stressing the electrode material, such that the electrode material is distorted or displaced. This distortion/displacement leads to two forms of reliability issues: (1) the igniter wears out due to material displacement/loss, and (2) the igniter fails to produce a consistently repeatable plasma. That happens because the required breakdown potential changes due to the local geometry at the discharge initiation region changing, which is at least partly due to electrode material distortion/displacement.

[0037] By contrast, as taught herein the discharge initiation region is created by providing at the desired location for that region a physical structure that, locally, reduces the potential necessary to achieve a breakdown in the gap between the inner and outer electrodes while minimizing the disturbance to the field when viewed in its totality. That physical structure typically is a surface of an insulator, the isolator that separates the inner and outer electrodes.

[0038] This technique allows for better control of the discharge initiation and generally improved reliability/longevity over the previously discussed railplug improvements. However, it has its own challenges, including higher stress on the ceramic insulator and changes in breakdown potential and in functional geometry due to deposits of electrode material forming on the ceramic surface at or near the discharge region. As previously reported, one way of addressing some of these issues is by using a ceramic insulator having an upper surface that does not extend the entire distance between the electrodesi.e., it is depressed, or dips, over part of that distance. This is referred to as a semi-surface discharge gap. Normally (but not always), the depression is near the cathode; thus, the discharge consistently starts at the ceramic surface at the anode (or first electrode). However, due to the gap, or dip, in the ceramic surface, between the electrodes, the termination point of the discharge on the surface of the cathode (second electrode) will normally vary over a greater region than on the anode (first electrode). This approach is particularly useful to permit an increase in the energy used during plasma initiation. However, the dip, a non-uniformity, in the isolator surface also introduces a complication, as it works at cross purposes with a desire to consistently initiate the plasma formation in a specific, localized region of the discharge zone of the igniter. With elongated inner and outer electrodes, sometimes called rails, as the potential builds prior to breakdown, the dielectric gains a charge, thus altering the electromagnetic fields during discharge, especially in the first moments of plasma and arc formation. Thus, a ceramic/electrode interface that is not substantially uniform across the majority of the interface creates inconsistencies in the field.

[0039] Instead, of using the dip, the upper surface 19 (or 19) of the isolator 12 (or 12) is substantially uniform and flat. A top view of the upper surface of the isolator, shown in FIG. 2, further illustrates that point, as well as showing the formation of channels 18 and bore 13 for receiving the outer electrodes and inner electrode, respectively. This situation is further shown in the cross-sectional view of the isolator as presented in FIG. 3. There, only one channel 18 is indicated since section line 3-3 cuts only one outer electrode and its channel.

[0040] To facilitate a reduction in the breakdown voltage for some embodiments, the isolator dielectric, or at least its surface, may be treated with materials, or have materials added to or placed at the surface, that allow a region at the portion of the surface of the dielectric at or near the discharge initiation region to act in a more conductive manner than would a pure nonconductive ceramic by itself. This approach allows for use of a lower voltage (potential), and usually less energy, to cause breakover/breakdown of the discharge initiation region and formation of the initial arc that supports the current which gives rise to the Lorentz force. This is particularly useful for applications in high pressure engines. Lower pressure engines may not require the isolator to be anything other than a plain ceramic.

[0041] As a first example of the conductivity-enhanced isolator, dopants such as platinum (delivered to the ceramice.g., aluminawhile in a partially sintered statevia Chloroplatanic acid or Hydrogen hexachloroplatinate) and other metals have been shown to have beneficial significant effects. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A and indicated by the stippling of isolator 12 therein, one embodiment of a suitable structure may be produced by molding and partially sintering a powdered ceramic material such as alumina into a partially completed isolator, stopping the sintering process at a suitable point such as only about 25-30% of the total sintering time; doping the partially sintered isolator blank by exposing the blank to a solution of a powdered dopant in a liquid carrier such as those just mentioned, for an empirically determined appropriate time interval sufficient for the isolator to wick up a quantity of the dopant; removing the doped isolator from the solution and completing the temperature treatment required to finish the sintering process. Doping the ceramic in this way reduces the breakdown voltage of the igniter by about thirty to fifty percent and, in turn, reduces the wear on, and extends the life of, the igniter.

[0042] While FIGS. 1A and 3 might be thought to suggest that the doping of the isolator is uniform (at least in the vicinity of the electrodes and initiation region), no such inference is intended. It is believed to be sufficient if the doping merely penetrates the isolator surface to a small depth at the initiation region and adjacent the electrodes.

[0043] The use of round cross-section electrodes and insetting the outer electrodes in round, semicircular channels in the insulator helps to orient the electromagnetic fields at the initiation region and to minimize electric field concentrations (i.e., non-uniformities) of the kind that lead to the undesirable effects mentioned above.

[0044] A second example of an embodiment that also enhances the conductivity of the isolator in the initiation region is shown in FIG. 1B. There, the isolator 12 is an undoped ceramic material. However, the surface of the isolator has been enhanced by the application of a very thin layer of a relatively conductive material. That material may be, for example, a metallic (e.g., gold) layer, brushed on as a paint, sprayed on, or applied through vapor deposition or other techniques. Of course, those skilled in the art understand that there are many other ways of creating an isolator with a conductivity-enhanced surface. However the conductivity enhancement is achieved, it preferably will not introduce any significant electric field non-uniformities in a path between inner and outer electrodes.

[0045] The insetting of the outer electrodes into the sides of the isolator also helps to avoid localized concentrations of the electric field so that such field is reasonably uniform at the moment of discharge initiation. This contributes to uniform, consistent and repeatable plasma formation.

[0046] In addition to the embodiments illustrated, which are examples only, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other electrode structures can be used to achieve similar operation

[0047] Any of the above features may be intermixed with other features in any desired arrangement, so long as they are not mutually exclusive.

[0048] While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.