Patent ID: 9518554
Filing Date: 2016-12-13
CPC Classification: F02P,H03F,H03G

Claim Text:
1. A system comprising: N amplifiers, wherein N is greater than one, and wherein each amplifier of the N amplifiers is configured to receive one of N phase shifted radio frequency (RF) signals, and the N amplifiers are further configured to amplify the N phase shifted RF signals to produce N amplified, phase shifted RF signals; a power combiner network having N input ports and N output ports, wherein each of the N input ports is coupled to an output of one of the N amplifiers, and wherein the power combiner network is configured to combine the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce N output RF signals at the N output ports, wherein relative power levels of the N output RF signals are dependent upon phase differences between the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals, and wherein the power combiner network is configured to produce, at any given time, one output RF signal having a relatively high power level at one of the N output ports and to produce N−1 output RF signals having relatively low power levels at a remaining N−1 output ports; and up to N radiation devices coupled to the N output ports of the power combiner network, wherein each of the radiation devices is coupled to one of up to N cylinders of an internal combustion engine, and wherein each of the radiation devices is configured to receive an output RF signal of the N output RF signals, and each of the radiation devices is configured to produce a plasma discharge in the cylinder to which the radiation device is coupled when the radiation device receives an output RF signal with the relatively high power level.