Patent ID: 9249775
Filing Date: 2016-02-02
CPC Classification: F02P

Claim Text:
1. A method for igniting a fuel/air mixture in a cyclically operating internal combustion engine comprising one or more combustion chambers which are delimited by walls that are at ground potential, using an ignition device comprising an ignition electrode provided in each combustion chamber, in which method, by way of an electrical DC/AC converter, comprising the steps of exciting an electric oscillating circuit, which is connected to a secondary side of the DC/AC converter, and in which the ignition electrode, which is guided through one of a wall delimiting the combustion chamber in a manner in which it is electrically insulated from said walls by an insulator and extends into the combustion chamber, constitutes a capacitance in cooperation with the walls of the combustion chamber that are at ground potential, and controlling the step of excitation of the oscillating circuit such that a corona discharge igniting a fuel/air mixture is created in each combustion chamber at the ignition electrode, wherein combustion residues that have deposited onto a surface of the insulator located in the combustion chamber are removed from the surface of the insulator in the combustion chamber, using steps of combustion, comprising the step of temporarily enriching the fuel/air mixture with additional fuel, wherein a cleaning procedure is triggered when the number of spark discharges detected in a combustion chamber within a certain period of time exceeds a threshold value.