IGNITION DEVICE FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Abstract: A booster (2) is composed of a piezoelectric transducer including a combination of a primary side piezoelectric element (5) and a secondary side piezoelectric element (6) wherein input electrodes (7, 8) and an output electrode (9) are provided in the thickness direction and length direction, respectively. The booster (2) is contained in a plug cap (3). The plug cap (3) covers a spark plug (4) from one end thereof. In such a state, a primary voltage having a natural resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element or a waveform identical to a component waveform thereof is applied from a primary voltage generating means (1) to the input electrodes (7, 8). At this time, the booster (2) directly imparts a secondary high voltage from the output electrode (9) to the spark plug (4) by the piezoelectric effect, to generate a spark discharge in a discharge gap in a combustion chamber. This ignition system can be made smaller in size and weight at a low manufacturing cost.

Description: Technical Field The present invention relates to a compact and lightweight ignition system for an internal combustion engine. Background Art Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 63-314366 discloses an ignition system for an internal combustion engine in which a high voltage is generated by applying a mechanical pressure to a piezoelectric element. Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 58-34722 discloses an ignition system in which such a piezoelectric element is combined in series with a booster coil. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 62-33408 discloses an ignition system in which an ignition coil is integrated with a plug cap; and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 4-143461 discloses a similar ignition system used for a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) type engine including a pair of camshafts provided on a cylinder head, in which a plug cap is inserted in a plug hole obliquely formed between the camshafts. U.S. Patent No. 2,461,098 discloses an ignition system in which an ignition coil is integrated with a spark plug. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 60-190672 discloses a CDI type ignition circuit for generating a secondary voltage using discharge of an ignition capacitor. The above system using the piezoelectric element, however, has a disadvantage. Namely, the system requires a mechanical pressing means, and also a distributor and a high tension cord for carrying a high voltage, and thereby the entire system is made larger in size and weight and is also complicated in structure, resulting in the increased cost. The above system using the ignition coil is also inevitably made larger in size and weight. Moreover, the system having the ignition coil integrated with the plug cap is made larger in size and is further accompanied by heat generation, so that it has a difficulty in the layout for direct mounting on a small sized internal combustion engine for a motor-bicycle. In particular, when the system including the plug cap integrated with the ignition coil is used for a DOHC type engine, an ignition coil portion can be disposed between the camshafts and thereby the plug cap can be disposed not to protrude from a cam cover so much only in such a limited condition that a valve included angle is large and an interval between the camshafts is wide; however, in this case, the ignition coil is exposed to high-temperature heat of an engine. On the other hand, in the case where the valve included angle is small and the interval between the camshafts is narrow, the ignition coil portion is difficult to be disposed between the camshafts, and thereby the plug cap tends to largely protrude from the cam cover to the outside, leading to a difficulty in the layout of the engine. Document US-A 4,767,967 discloses an ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to the preamble of claim 1. In this system, an alternating voltage whose frequency coincides with a resonance frequency of a piezoelectric element is applied to the element so that it is greatly streched/contracted and thus generates a high voltage. This configuration leads to the necessity of keeping a frequency of an oscillation circuit used in a primary voltage generating means stable in order to maintain the resonance condition. The primary voltage generating means therfore becomes complicated and expensive. As further prior art, reference is made to document US-A 3,173,055, document JP62-186062 and to Japanese utility model application number 48296/1988 (laid-open no. 152072/1989). It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an ignition system for an internal combustion engine based on a piezoelectric element, in which the primary voltage generating means are less complicated, smaller and cheaper than in the ignition system according to the prior art. According to the invention, this object is achieved by an ignition system with the features of claim 1. Thus, the primary voltage generating means according to the invention do not have to produce a periodic primary voltage whose frequency has to be kept stable, but instead produce a primary voltage with a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element by discharging a charged capacitor. The shape of the discharged curve can be precisely adjusted by the electronical elements in the discharged circuit. It is therefore not necessary to permanently control a frequency of an oscillation circuit generating the primary voltage for the piezoelectric element. Features of advantageous embodiments of the ignition system according to the invention are defined in the subclaims. In this system, the booster includes the piezoelectric transducer capable of outputting a secondary high voltage on the basis of a primary voltage. Accordingly, electrical input as well as electrical output can be performed in spite of using the piezoelectric element, to thereby eliminate the necessity of provision of a mechanically pressing means as a conventional inputting means and a distribution mechanism. As a result, the system can be made smaller in size and weight as a whole, and thereby it can be mounted in a simple layout even on a small sized internal combustion engine for a motor-bicycle; and further the system can be optimized in structure for electronic control because electrical input is performed. In the system, the booster can be integrally disposed in a plug cap. With this configuration, it is possible to further reduce the size and weight of the entire system with a simple structure, and to eliminate the conventional high tension cord for carrying a high voltage from a conventional distribution mechanism to the spark plug, with the reduced cost. In this system, the plug cap may be made of an insulating material excellent in heat resistance and elasticity. With this configuration, even when the plug cap in the plug hole is exposed to high-temperature heat and vibration of an engine, the booster can be effectively protected from the high-temperature heat and vibration. In the system, on the other hand, the plug cap can be inserted in a plug hole formed between a pair of parallel camshafts in a DOHC type internal combustion engine and can be mounted in the plug hole in such a manner as not to protrude from a cam cover to the outside. Specifically the plug cap being sufficiently small can be compactly contained in the cam cover in such a manner as not to protrude to the outside therefrom even when the system is mounted on the DOHC type engine. In other words, the small sized plug cap can be sufficiently inserted and mounted, without a limitation in layout of the engine, even in the plug hole which is relatively small in diameter because of the small valve included angle and the narrow interval between a pair of the camshafts. In the system, the booster can be integrally disposed in the spark plug. With this configuration, it is possible to eliminate the necessity of provision of the plug cap, and hence to further reduce the size and weight of the entire system with a simple structure. In the system, the primary voltage generating means can include an ignition capacitor connected to a power supply, a booster connected in parallel to the ignition capacitor, and a switching element provided in a discharge circuit of the ignition capacitor and turned on/off by an ignition timing determining circuit; and a time constant for determining a falling waveform of a voltage upon discharge in the discharge circuit of the ignition capacitor can be determined in such a manner that the falling waveform corresponds to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element. With this configuration, it is possible to omit the oscillation circuit and hence to eliminate the necessity of keeping a stability of frequency in the oscillation circuit. Moreover, since a booster can be used as a capacitor, the ignition capacitor can be made smaller. In addition, since the thyrister can be used as a switching element, an ignition signal can be supplied in the form of a pulse signal, and thereby a conventional pulser circuit can be used as the ignition timing determining circuit, resulting in the reduced cost. In the system, the primary voltage generating means can include an ignition capacitor connected to a power supply, a switching element forming a discharge circuit of the ignition capacitor and turned on/off by an ignition timing determining circuit, and a booster connected in series between the switching element and a ground terminal; and a time constant for determining a rising waveform of a primary voltage generated on the primary side of the booster upon discharge of the ignition capacitor can be determined in such a manner that the rising waveform corresponds to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element. With this configuration, the use of mechanical vibration for the piezoelectric element can be made easy as compared with the case of using the above attenuated vibration. Brief Description of Drawings Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the conception of an embodiment; Fig. 2 is a view illustrating the conception of a booster; Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a concrete application example; Fig. 4 is a view showing the conception of another embodiment; Fig. 5A is a circuit diagram of a type of a primary voltage generating means similar to prior art systems and not covered by the claims; Fig. 5B is a circuit diagram of a modification of the first type, which is also similar to prior art systems and not covered by the claims; Fig. 6 is a diagram showing waveforms at respective portions of the circuit shown in Fig. 5A; Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram of a further modification of the first type, which is not covered by the claims either; Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram of a type of the primary voltage generating means according to the invention; Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating waveforms in the circuit shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a circuit diagram of another type of the primary voltage generating means according to the invention; Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating waveforms in the circuit shown in Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a circuit diagram of a different type of the primary voltage generating means which is not covered by the claim; and Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating waveforms in the circuit shown in Fig. 12. Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention A basic layout of a plug cap/booster integral type ignition system for prior art systems as well as for systems according to the invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the conception of the embodiment of the ignition system for a motor-bicycle. The ignition system includes a primary voltage generating means 1 connected to a suitable power supply such as an on-board battery B; a plug cap 3 containing a booster 2; and a known spark plug 4 covered with the plug cap 3. The booster 2 is a piezoelectric transducer including a combination of a primary side piezoelectric element 5 and a secondary side piezoelectric element 6, each of which is made of a flat piezoelectric ceramic material. Input electrodes 7, 8 are provided to the primary side piezoelectric element 5, and an output electrode 9 is provided to the secondary side piezoelectric element 6. The output electrode 9 is conducted to the spark plug 4 when the spark plug 4 is covered with the plug cap 3, so that a spark discharge is generated in a discharge gap of the spark plug 4 by a secondary voltage from the output electrode 9. Fig. 2 is a view schematically illustrating a configuration of the booster 2. The input electrodes 7, 8 are provided on both sides of the primary side piezoelectric element 5 in the thickness direction, and the output electrode 9 is provided on one end (on the side being not in contact with the primary side piezoelectric element 5) of the secondary side piezoelectric element 6 in the length direction. In the booster 2, when an alternating current with the natural resonance frequency determined by the length direction of the primary side piezoelectric element 5 and the secondary side piezoelectric element 6 is applied to the input electrodes 7, 8 as a primary voltage, a strong mechanical vibration is generated in the length direction by an electrostrictive effect, and a secondary high voltage re-converted from the mechanical vibration is outputted from the output electrode 9. At this time, the secondary voltage, which is determined depending on an impedance ratio between the primary side and the secondary side, can be boosted up to a sufficient value for spark discharge. For example, the secondary side can be set at a value between 10 to 12 KV when the primary side is set at 12 V. The primary voltage generating means 1 generates such a primary voltage, and more specifically, it generates an alternating current with the natural resonance frequency (prior art systems) or, according to the invention, it generates a primary voltage with a corresponding component waveform (as described later). Fig. 3 shows a configuration of the ignition system applied to a DOHC type engine for a motor-bicycle. A deep plug hole 11 is formed in the center portion of a cylinder head 10; an intake valve 12 and an exhaust valve 13 are provided in such a manner as to put the plug hole 11 therebetween; and a pair of camshafts 14, 15 for driving the valves 12, 13 are provided. These parts are covered with a cam cover 16. The plug cap 3 has a cylindrical main body 20 formed of an insulating material excellent in heat resistance and elasticity. A flange portion 21 is formed at one end of the main body 20. The flange portion 21 is positioned in such a manner that when the plug cap 3 is inserted in the plug hole 11, a groove portion 22 formed in the flange portion 21 is fitted with a projection 17 formed on the edge of the upper end opening of the plug hole 11. Specifically, since the upper end opening of the plug hole 11 is formed in a recess 16a formed in the cam cover 16, the flange portion 21 positioned near the upper end opening of the plug hole 11 does not protrude from a maximum projecting portion 16b of the cam cover 16, with a result that the entire plug cap 3 is contained in the cam cover 16. In addition, a heat-resisting rubber material is suitable as the insulating material of the main body 20. A plug tap 23 is mounted at the central portion of the flange portion 21, and an electric wire 24 extends from the plug tap 23 and is connected to the primary voltage generating means 1. The electric wire is not different from the conventional high tension cord, and may be made of a material withstanding a low voltage, for example, about 100 to 200 V. The booster 2 is contained in the main body 20 through a contact holder 25 made of a suitable heat-resisting/insulating resin such as phenol resin, and the output electrode 9 of the secondary side piezoelectric element 6 is connected to a cap electrode 27 provided at the leading end of the contact holder 25 through a spring-biased contact piece 26. The cap electrode 27 is conducted to a connecting terminal 4a of the spark plug 4, and an insulating portion 4b of the spark plug 4 is covered with the lower end portion of the main body 20. The spark plug 4 generates a spark discharge in a discharge gap formed between a center electrode 4c projecting in a combustion chamber 18 and a ground electrode 4d, to burn a fuel in the combustion chamber 18. It is to be noted that in the figure, reference numeral 19a indicates an intake passage; 19b is an exhaust passage; 19c indicates a cylinder block; and 19d is a piston. The booster 2 having the above configuration enables electric input as well as electric output, and consequently, it can eliminate the necessity of provision of a pressing means as the conventional mechanical inputting means and a distributor as the conventional distribution mechanism in some of the prior art systems. The booster 2 formed of the piezoelectric elements is also relatively small in size and weight, and thereby it can be integrally contained in the plug cap 3 and can eliminate the necessity of provision of the conventional high tension cord. This is effective to make small in size and weight of the entire system with a simple structure, resulting in the reduced cost. In particular, even when the system is used for a DOHC type engine as shown in Fig. 3, the small sized plug cap 3 does not protrude from the cam cover 16 to the outside and is compactly contained in the cam cover 16. As a result, the small sized plug cap 3 can be substantially inserted and mounted, without a limitation in layout of the engine, even in the plug hole 11 which is relatively small in diameter because of the small angle between the intake valve 12 and the exhaust valve 13, that is, the small valve included angle and the small interval between a pair of the camshafts 14, 15. In addition, although the plug cap 3 in the plug hole 11 is exposed to high-temperature heat and vibration of the engine, the booster 2 can be effectively protected from the high-temperature heat and vibration because the main body 20 is made of an insulating material excellent in heat resistance and elasticity. Consequently, even when the system is mounted on a small sized internal combustion engine of a motor-bicycle, it is mounted in a simple layout, and is optimized in structure for ignition control by the primary voltage generating means 1 of an electronic control type. Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the conception of another embodiment of the ignition system for prior art systems as well as for systems according to the invention, in which a booster is integrated with a spark plug. A booster integrated spark plug 4 includes in an insulating portion 4b a booster 2 having the same structure as that shown in Fig. 1. Input electrodes 7, 8 of the booster 2 are connected to a primary voltage generating means 1 through a cord 24. An output electrode 9 of the booster 2 is connected to a center electrode 4c of the spark plug 4 for generating a spark discharge in a discharge gap 4e formed between the center electrode 4c and a ground electrode 4d by a secondary voltage. In this way, the booster 2 can be contained in the spark plug 4. The system of this type can eliminate the necessity of provision of the plug cap, and thereby makes it possible to make further smaller the size and weight as a whole with a simple structure. The configuration of a circuit of the primary voltage generating means 1 will be described below. Figs. 5A, 5B, 7 and 12 show circuit types of the primary voltage generating means 1, which are not covered by the claims, as they are similar to prior art systems, but which are useful to illustrate the use and characteristics of electronical components that are also used in systems according to the invention. In Fig. 5A, an oscillation circuit 31 and a switching element 32 are connected in series between a suitable DC power supply 30 such as a battery and the booster 2. The switching element 32 is turned on/off by an ignition timing determining circuit 33. The oscillation circuit 31 is adjusted to generate the natural resonance frequency of the booster 2, and the ignition timing determining circuit 33 turns on the switching element 32 at a specified timing. It is to be noted that a known pulser circuit or the like is used as the ignition timing determining circuit 33. The above circuit may be replaced with that shown in Fig. 5B. In this figure, the ignition timing determining circuit 33 is connected to the oscillation circuit 31 adjusted to generate the natural resonance frequency of the booster 2. The ignition timing determining circuit 33 gives, to the oscillation circuit 31, an oscillation signal for generating oscillation at a specified timing for a specified time. Such a circuit is satisfactory to obtain the same effect with a simpler structure. Fig. 6 shows output waveforms at respective portions in the circuit shown in Fig. 5A. The above high frequency alternating current having a waveform shown in "A" is outputted from the oscillation circuit; an ON signal having a waveform shown in "B" is outputted from the switching element 32 for a specified time; a primary voltage having a waveform shown in "C" is given by the output of the oscillation circuit for the on-time of the switching element; and a boosted secondary output having a waveform shown in "D" is obtained. In this way, the output of the oscillation circuit 31 is applied to the booster 2 as a primary voltage during the on-state of the switching element 32, and thereby a secondary output can be obtained only for the applying time. As a result, a discharge time at the spark plug 4 is made longer, enabling a strong spark ignition. Fig. 7 shows a further modification of the above type circuit not covered by the claims, in which a thyrister SCR is used as the switching element 32. In this case, a small sized transducer 34 is connected in series between the oscillation circuit 31 and the booster 2, and the thyrister SCR is connected in the forward direction between the secondary side coil of the transducer 34 and the ground. The ignition timing determining circuit 33 is connected to a gate of the thyrister SCR. The transducer 34 is very small in size and is adapted to boost a voltage of 12 V supplied from the power supply to a value between about 100 to 200 V. In addition, the thyrister SCR is disposed near the ground for stabilizing a gate voltage. It is to be noted that the existing oscillation circuit portion for obtaining a specified primary voltage by boosting a battery power supply using a DC-DC converter in a CDI system (described later) can be used for the circuit portion extending from the thyrister SCR and the power supply side. Fig. 8 shows a circuit of the primary voltage generating means 1 according to the invention. This circuit omits the oscillation circuit from the first type circuit and is combined with a conventional capacitor charge-discharge type circuit. Specifically, a resistor R1 is connected in series to a diode D which is connected to the power supply in the forward direction. A resistor R2, an ignition capacitor C and the booster 2 are connected in parallel between the resistor R1 and the ground. The resistor R2 is connected to an anode of the thyrister SCR; the ignition timing determining circuit 33 is connected to a gate of the thyrister SCR; and a cathode of the thyrister SCR is grounded. In the booster 2, the input electrode 7 is connected to the resistor R1 and the output electrode 9 is connected to the spark plug 4. A charge circuit of the ignition capacitor C includes the diode D, resistor R1 and ignition capacitor C. The resistor R1 is used for realizing moderate charging. A discharge circuit of the ignition capacitor C includes the ignition capacitor C, thyrister SCR and resistor R2. The charge circuit and the discharge circuit are thus different from each other. In the booster 2, each of the primary side piezoelectric element 5 and the secondary side piezoelectric element 6 is made of a dielectric and thus functions as a capacitor, so that the booster 2 performs charge/discharge together with the ignition capacitor C. Fig. 9 shows a charge-discharge characteristic of the ignition capacitor C, wherein the abscissa indicates the time and the ordinate indicates the voltage of the ignition capacitor C. As is apparent from this figure, charging is performed relatively moderately. On the other hand, when the thyrister SCR is turned on by the ignition timing determining circuit 33 and is triggered, the discharging is rapidly performed from the triggered point (T0). Accordingly, by setting a time constant in the discharge circuit in such a manner that the falling waveform of a voltage upon discharge corresponds to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of the booster 2, it is possible to achieve the same effect as that obtained by applying an alternating current having the resonance frequency to the input electrodes 7, 8 of the booster 2 upon discharge. In addition, the time constant in the discharge circuit is determined by the ignition capacitor C, booster 2 and resistor R2. Consequently, when charge is started in Fig. 8, the booster 2 is charged together with the ignition capacitor C, and accumulates electrostriction by the electrostrictive effect. After that, when the thyrister SCR is turned on by the ignition timing determining circuit 33, electric charges accumulated in the ignition capacitor C and the booster 2 are discharged through the resistor R2. At this time, the electrostriction released in the booster 2 is the form of mechanical vibration which is converged while being attenuated. Moreover, since the time constant in the discharge circuit is determined in such a manner that the discharge waveform corresponds to a component having the resonance frequency of the booster 2, the amplitude at the beginning of vibration upon release becomes sufficiently large. For example, assuming that the amount of electrostriction upon charge is + A, the electrostriction at the beginning of vibration becomes near - A. A high voltage is generated at the output electrode 9 during the attenuated vibration, to generate a spark discharge. The carrying direction of a current flowing in the discharge circuit is constant during a period from the start of discharge to ignition. Consequently, even when the thyrister SCR is used as the switching element, the thyrister SCR is not commutated until ignition. As a result, the thyrister being relatively low in cost can be used as the switching element. In this type of circuit according to the invention, since the oscillation circuit is omitted, a stability of frequency in the oscillation circuit is not required to be kept. In addition, the use of the thyrister SCR allows a pulse signal to be used as an ignition signal, and thereby a conventional pulser circuit can be used as the ignition timing determining circuit 33. This is effective to reduce the cost. Moreover, since the booster 2 functions as a capacitor, the discharge amount corresponds to a sum of the charge amounts of the ignition capacitor C and the booster 2. This is effective to reduce the size of the ignition capacitor C. Fig. 10 is another type of circuit of the primary voltage generating means 1 according to the invention, which is different from the type shown in Fig. 8 in that the connected position of the thyrister SCR is changed. Specifically, a resistor R3 is connected in parallel to the booster 2, in place of the resistor R2. The thyrister SCR is connected in the forward direction between the ground and the connecting portion connecting the booster 2 to the resistor R3. The ignition timing determining circuit 33 is connected to the gate of the thyrister SCR. The values of the resistors R1 and R3 are suitably determined depending on the required time constant. Fig. 11 is a graph showing a time change of a primary voltage of the booster 2 upon discharge of the ignition capacitor C, wherein the abscissa indicates the time and the ordinate indicates the primary voltage. As is apparent from this figure, the ignition capacitor C is previously charged in the off state of the thyrister SCR, and when the thyrister SCR is turned on, a primary voltage applied to the input electrode 7 of the booster 2 is rapidly increased by the discharge of the ignition capacitor C from the triggered point (T0). Accordingly, by setting the rising waveform of the primary voltage in such a manner as to correspond to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of the booster 2, it is possible to output a secondary voltage sufficiently high for ignition from the output electrode 9 of the booster 2. In addition, as described above, since the booster 2 functions as a capacitor, vibration of the current is generated after ignition, and the thyrister SCR is automatically turned off by commutation, to cutoff the discharge circuit. At the same time, electrical charges accumulated in the input electrodes 7, 8 of the booster 2 are consumed through the resistor R3. With this type of circuit, the same effect as that of the above type according to the invention can be obtained, and the use of the mechanical vibration of the piezoelectric element is made easier as compared with the case using the attenuated vibration of the second type. Fig. 12 is a circuit not covered by the claims using a battery ignition system, in which the switching element (transistor Tr) is connected to a battery B through a coil L, and the booster 2 is connected in parallel to the transistor Tr. In this circuit, when the transistor Tr is tuned on, a potential difference VEC between a collector C and an emitter E becomes zero, and when the transistor Tr is turned off, a voltage is increased up to the battery voltage VBT. Such a change is shown in Fig. 13, wherein the abscissa indicates the time and the ordinate indicates the potential difference VEC. As is apparent from this figure, when the transistor Tr is turned off, the potential difference VEC is rapidly raised at the point (T0) and the discharge to the booster 2 is started. The rising waveform at this time is due to a time constant determined by the booster 2 and the circuit including the coil L and the battery B. Accordingly, by predetermining the time constant of the charge circuit at a small value for allowing the rising waveform to correspond to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of the piezoelectric element constituting the booster 2, a secondary high voltage is outputted from the output electrode 9 when the potential difference VEC is raised by turn-off of the transistor Tr. After that, when the transistor Tr is turned on, electric charges accumulated in the booster 2 are discharged through the transistor Tr from the point (T1), and the potential difference VEC is fallen. The falling waveform at this time is also determined by the time constant determined by the frequency of the transistor Tr and the booster 2 and also the base input waveform of the transistor Tr. Accordingly, since the falling waveform can be relatively moderated by setting the time constant of the discharge circuit, the vibration of the booster 2 can be prevented. In addition, the discharge from the booster 2 can be also moderated by moderating the rising of the on-signal at the transistor Tr. With this circuit, the same effect as those in the above types can be obtained, and further the basic configuration in a popular battery ignition type circuit can be used. Industrial Applicability As described above, the ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention is small in size and weight, and accordingly, it is suitable for an internal combustion engine of a automobile or a motor-bicycle.

Claims: An ignition system for an internal combustion engine, in which a spark plug (4) is sparked by a secondary high voltage outputted on the basis of a primary voltage applied to a booster (2), comprising: said booster (2) including a piezoelectric transducer for generating said secondary high voltage by an electrostrictive effect of a piezoelectric element (5, 6) to which said primary voltage is applied; a primary voltage generating means (1) generating a primary voltage for vibrating said piezoelectric element (5, 6) at its natural resonance frequency; characterized in that the primary voltage generating means (1), by discharging a charged ignition capacitor (C), generates a rising or falling primary voltage waveform with a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of said piezoelectric element (5, 6). An ignition system for an internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, characterized in that said ignition capacitor (C) is connected to a power supply (30), said booster (2) is connected in parallel to said ignition capacitor (C), and a switching element is provided in a discharge circuit of said ignition capacitor (C) and turned on/off by an ignition timing determining circuit (33); and a time constant for determining a falling waveform of a voltage upon discharge in the discharge circuit of said ignition capacitor (C) is determined in such a manner that the falling waveform corresponds to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of said piezoelectric element (5, 6). An ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2, characterized in that said primary voltage generating means (1) includes a charge circuit having a diode (D), a first resistor (R1) and said ignition capacitor (C) connected in series with the power supply (30), and said discharge circuit includes a second resistor (R2) connected in series with said switching element, said second resistor (R2) and said switching element being connected in parallel with said booster (2) and said ignition capacitor (C). An ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said switching element includes a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) including a gate connected to said ignition timing determining circuit (33), a cathode connected to ground and an anode connected to the second resistor (R2). An ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, characterized in that said ignition capacitor (C) is connected to a power supply (30), a switching element forms a discharge circuit of said ignition capacitor (C) and is turned on/off by an ignition timing determining circuit (33), and said booster (2) is connected in series with said switching element and a grounding portion; and a time constant for determining a rising waveform of a primary voltage generated on the primary side of said booster (2) upon discharge of said ignition capacitor (C) is determined in such a manner that the rising waveform corresponds to a component waveform having the natural resonance frequency of said piezoelectric element (5, 6). An ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to claim 5, characterized in that said primary voltage generating means (1) includes a charge circuit including a diode (D), a first resistor (R1) and the ignition capacitor (C) connected in series with the power supply (30); and said discharge circuit includes a second resistor (R3) connected in parallel with said booster (2), said second resistor (R3) and said booster (2) being connected in series with said switching element. An ignition system for an internal combustion engine according to claim 6, characterized in that said switching element includes a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) including a gate connected to said ignition timing determining circuit (33), a cathode connected to ground and an anode connected to the parallel connection of said second resistor (R3) and said booster (2).

Inventors: KATAYAMA MUTSUMI, MURASAWA NAOKI, OGAWA SUMITAKA, KATAYAMA, MUTSUMI, MURASAWA, NAOKI, OGAWA, SUMITAKA, KATAYAMA, Mutsumi Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Gijutsu, MURASAWA, Naoki Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Gijutsu, OGAWA, Sumitaka Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Gijutsu
Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO LTD, HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1995
Main classification: F02P3
IPC codes: F02P3, F02P15, F02P13, H01T13, H01L41, F23Q3