Patent ID: 7528607
Filing Date: 2009-05-05
Classification: F02D,F02P,H01T

Abstract:
1. A system for measuring the thermal energy emitted by an internal combustion spark igniter, comprising: a chamber for containing the igniter; wherein a portion of the chamber wall will pass at least the optical wavelength of cyanogenic thermal emissions from the igniter into ambient air outside the chamber; means for delivering a combustion gas to the igniter; means for activating the igniter within the chamber; an optical path in which the emissions pass through ambient air to a bandpass filter, then one or more lenses, then a detector; the bandpass filter operating to filter out emissions outside the wavelength of the cyanogen component of the thermal emissions; the one or more lenses operating to focus at least some of the thermal emissions onto the bandpass filter; the detector operating to detect the level of the cyanogen component of the thermal emissions that pass through the bandpass filter; and a processing system for relating the level of the cyanogen component to the amount of energy released by the igniter.