Patent Publication Number: US-2005127809-A1

Title: Spark plug

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/645,271, filed Aug. 20, 2003. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to spark plugs. More particularly, the present invention relates to a spark plug for an internal combustion engine which includes a catalytic coating on a fire hole thereof to enhance combustion.  
      Spark plugs are used in most internal combustion engines to provide high voltage sparks which ignite an air and fuel mixture within combustion chambers of an engine. During operation, a spark generating system delivers a pulse of electrical energy in the form of a high voltage to the terminal of the spark plug at timed intervals which are intended to coincide with combustion chamber piston placement. The spark plug directs the high voltage energy to jump or spark between a center electrode and a ground electrode of the spark plug. As the spark travels across the air gap of the center and ground electrodes, the compressed air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber ignites, forcing the piston downward. This repeated cycle in the one or more combustion chambers, or cylinders, powers the engine.  
      The exposed area within the cylinder is often referred to as a “fire hole”. That is, at the firing end of a spark plug an insulator nose surrounds the center electrode. The “length” of this insulator nose is varied by altering the distance at which the insulator meets the metal base shell surrounding the insulator and nose. The longer the insulator nose, or the greater the exposed surface of the insulator due to the long gap between the contact meeting point of the insulator and metal shell and the firing tip of the insulator, creates a “hot” spark plug having a firing end which heats up quickly and dissipates heat slowly. If the connection between the outer metal shell and the insulator is closer to the firing tip of the insulator, this is referred to as a “cold-type” spark plug in that the firing end does not heat up as quickly and the spark plug dissipates heat much more quickly than the “hot-type”. The one or more ground electrodes or prongs extend over the exposed center electrode of the spark plug. Thus, the “fire hole” is typically considered the area between the contact of the metal shell and insulator to the one or more ground electrodes, where the spark plug is exposed to the combustible gases.  
      For optimum performance the temperature of the core nose at the firing end of the spark plug should not drop below approximately 400° C. nor exceed approximately 850° C. Below 400° C., deposits of carbon and oil accumulate more rapidly on the core nose. As carbon is electrically conductive, a short circuit path can be created for the high voltage pulse which acts to weaken or even eliminate the spark. This is referred to as spark plug fouling which causes incomplete burning of the air/fuel mixture, possibly to a point of non-ignition. The core nose may begin to glow above 850° C., potentially causing the spark plug core nose to self-destruct by explosion. Aside from the loss of the spark plug, other internal components of the engine can also be severely damaged by a glowing spark plug.  
      A lot of effort in the past has been devoted to design spark plugs which operate within safe temperatures without accumulating carbon deposits. Most spark plugs in use today utilize a single ground prong positioned over the central electrode, in effect presenting a single spark presentation. The single spark presentation causes the spark to occur at approximately the same location each time the spark plug is operated. Any accumulations of oil or carbon not located directly in the path of spark firing, such as those deposits on the insulator surface, will remain adhered and adversely affect the use of the spark plug.  
      Much effort has also been devoted to designing spark plugs which produce a “hot” enough spark to quickly and as completely as possible burn the air/fuel mixture within the combustion chamber to produce more power and increase fuel efficiency. “Hotter” spark plugs also produce less pollutants which has become increasingly important in view of the many state environmental protection laws regarding automobiles.  
      Surface to air gap spark plugs have been provided by the Inventor in the past, such as the spark plug of U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,557 (which is hereby incorporated by reference), in order to prevent fouling while providing increased fuel efficiency and power. However, the ignition systems of newer vehicles produce less energy than earlier systems and it has been found that the design of the surface to air gap spark plug of the &#39;557 patent rarely operates very well in these newer systems. The newer ignition systems produce adequate voltage, but use decreased amperage which provides the heat for ignition.  
      Some of these newer ignition systems are known as Distributorless Ignition Systems (D.I.S.) by manufacturers and “wasted spark” systems by technicians. In a four-cycle combustion engine having multiple combustion chambers, two pistons arrive at top dead center at the same time. One of the pistons is on a compression stroke wherein the air/fuel mixture is compressed and ignited by the spark, while the other piston is on an exhaust eliminating stroke. In a conventional system, full power is applied to ignite only the compression stroke chamber. In D.I.S. systems, the ignition coil is double-ended in that it has both negative and positive output terminals which are connected to both piston chamber spark plugs. Therefore, the spark plugs of both chambers fire resulting in the compression stroke chamber being ignited and the waste of a spark on the exhaust stroke chamber. The typical ignition system runs with approximately 7.5 to 8.5 amperes and 12 volts to produce 900 to 1010 watts per spark. This wattage is shared in the D.I.S. system, so that only one-half the energy is provided each spark plug. The energy requirements of the spark plug of the &#39;557 patent have been found to be too great to run on such systems.  
      It is known in the art to provide platinum alloy-tipped plugs, wherein the center electrode is wafed or made of pure platinum to reach self-cleaning temperature faster. The Inventor has discovered that a catalytic material, such as platinum, coated on the internal conductive metal surfaces of the fire hole improves combustion and efficiency of the spark plug. It is believed that the platinum coated surfaces create a catalytic chemical change in the combustion gases immediately before they are ignited so as to create a plasma condition in the fire hole of the spark plug.  
      Accordingly, there is a need for a spark plug which self-cleans by ionizing accumulations of carbon and oil on the core nose. There is also a need for a spark plug which is more fuel efficient and creates more power while demanding less energy than prior spark plugs. There is also a continuing need for a spark plug having a fire hole at least partially coated with a catalytic material so as to increase performance and improve combustion. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention resides in a spark plug which produces greater horsepower than prior spark plugs while decreasing fuel consumption. The spark plug also prevents fouling, or the build-up of carbon and oil deposits on the core nose of the spark plug. The novel spark plug of the present invention is designed to achieve these objectives while operating in more modern cars which supply the spark plugs with a limited amount of electrical energy.  
      The improved spark plug is constructed similar to conventional spark plugs in that it has a terminal at one end adapted for a connection to a source of electricity, typically from a vehicle. An electrode is embedded within an insulator and conductively coupled to the terminal. A tip of the electrode extends from the insulator so as to be exposed generally opposite the terminal. A base shell is attached to the insulator and has an internal wall defining a gap between the base shell and the insulator. A ground electrode extends from the base shell towards the exposed tip of the electrode. Upon supplying electricity to the terminal, a spark is created that travels from the center electrode to the ground electrode.  
      In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, at least a portion of the “fire hole” comprises or is coated with a material adapted to create a plasma of fuel and air when the spark ignites the fuel and air mixture. Typically, at least a portion of the internal wall of the base shell is comprised of this material. The exposed tip of the electrode as well as the ground electrode may also be comprised of or coated with this material. Typically, the material comprises a platinum material, and preferably pure platinum.  
      In a particularly preferred embodiment, the internal wall of the base shell is configured to have a large surface area for coating of the platinum, such as including knurls, fins, rings or ribs.  
      The ground electrode may have sharp edges for increased spark presentation. Preferably, multiple ground electrode extend from the base shell. A ground ring may be connected to the base shell, from which the ground prong or multiple ground prongs extend.  
      A terminal end of the insulator can be aligned with the ends of the ground prongs, extend past the ends of the ground prongs, or the ground prongs may extend past the insulator as the requirements for the particular engine dictate. Typically, the insulator tapers to a core nose and is generally frustroconical in shape.  
      In a particularly preferred embodiment, a relatively unique result of the placement, spacing and material properties of the base, insulator, central electrode, and ground prongs is that instead of the spark jumping from the central electrode directly to the ground prong, the spark instead selects the path of least electrical resistance from the central electrode to the insulator and then crosses an air gap between the insulator and the ground prong end. This phenomenon is described as surface and air gap spark travel. The result of this phenomenon with the placement of one or more ground prongs about the insulator allows the spark to ionize any accumulation of carbon and oil surface deposits on the insulator while allowing multiple spark presentations. Another result of the design of the spark plug is that the energy requirements for the spark plug do not increase linearly with increased combustion chamber pressures as in conventional spark plugs.  
      Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:  
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a spark plug embodying the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the spark plug of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a fragmented cross-sectional view of the spark plug taken generally along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 , wherein the ground prongs are aligned with an end of an insulator;  
       FIG. 4  is a fragmented cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3 , illustrating the insulator having a lengthened core nose and extending beyond the ground prongs;  
       FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of a spark plug embodying the present invention, having saw-tooth ended ground prongs;  
       FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of a spark plug embodying the present invention, having irregular shaped ground prongs;  
       FIG. 7  is a fragmented cross-sectional view of another spark plug embodying the present invention, wherein the ground prongs extend over the insulator; and  
       FIG. 8  is a bottom plan view of the spark plug of  FIG. 7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is concerned with a spark plug, generally referred to in the drawings by the reference number  10 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , the spark plug  10  has an outer elongated tubular housing  12  having an upper end which is formed into a terminal  14 . This terminal  12  is electrically connected to the ignition system of the engine which supplies the electrical energy to power or fire the spark plug  10 . At the opposite end of the spark plug  10  is formed a base shell  16 . A portion of the exterior surface of the housing  12 , typically adjacent the base shell  16 , includes a series of screw threads  18 . The purpose of the screw threads  18  is to facilitate mounting the spark plug  10  within a receiving hole of an engine which accesses a combustion chamber.  
      Mounted within the tubular housing  12  is an insulator  20 . The insulator  20  typically comprises a non-conductive and heat resistant material, such as porcelain. The insulator  20  extends from the base  16  of the housing  12 , and generally tapers to form a frustroconical shape, although the insulator  20  is not limited by this shape. The bottom end of the insulator  20  is formed into a core nose  22 . Although the core nose  22  can be planar, as shown in  FIG. 3 , but it is not limited to this structure. Furthermore, the core nose  22  as defined is not limited to the lowermost portion of the insulator  20 , but may include a larger exterior portion of the insulator  20  as function and design of the spark plug  10  dictates. As the insulator  20  exits the base  16  and tapers away from the base  16 , an inner side wall  24  of the base  16  is exposed. A gas-tight seal  26  is located between the insulator  20  and the housing  12 . Use of such seals are conventional in spark plugs.  
      The terminal  14  is electrically connected to a center electrode  28  which is embedded within the insulator  20  and generally runs along the longitudinal axis of the spark plug housing  12 . The center electrode  28  generally has the same transverse cylindrical cross-section throughout its entire longitudinal length. The center electrode  28  exits the core nose  22  end of the insulator  20  to form an exposed tip  30 . The tip  30  is where the spark is generated, known as the firing end of the spark plug  10 . The tip  30  is generally of the same cross-section as the center electrode  28 , although it can be formed into a cone. The center electrode can be comprised of any conductive material, with precious metals such as gold, palladium, platinum etc. being used to extend the useful life in conventional spark plugs.  
      At least one ground electrode  32  extends from the generally planar end of the base  16  and towards the core nose  22  and center electrode  28 . Although the spark plug  10  is illustrated as having five ground prongs  32 , there can be as few as a single ground prong  32  or any number of multiples. Preferably, multiple ground prongs  32  are used so that the generated spark has multiple spark presentations or grounding travel paths to select from. Although the ground prongs  32  may extend directly from the base  16  itself, preferably a ground ring  34  is formed from or otherwise attached to the base  16  from which the ground prongs  32  extend. The ground prong  32  and ground ring  34  may be constructed of a variety of conductive materials such as platinum, gold, stainless steel, ceramics, etc.  
      The exposed portions of the spark plug  10  within the combustion chamber form what is referred herein as a “fire hole”  36 . More particularly, the inner-side wall  24  of the base shell  16  to the one or more ground electrode prongs  32  form an area of initial combustion. According to the invention, at least a portion of the fire hole  36  is comprised of or coated with a material adapted to create a plasma of fuel and air when the spark ignites the fuel and air mixture. The preferred material is platinum. Thus, at least a portion of the inner side-wall  24 , and preferably all of the inner side-wall  24 , is coated with the platinum material. The exposed electrode tip  30  as well as the one or more ground electrode prongs  32  may also be coated with or comprised of the platinum material. It has been found that platinum coating forms a reactive chamber to create a plasma of fuel and air which in turn increases burn efficiency.  
      To increase the phenomena, the inner side-wall  24  is preferably modified so as to have a non-smooth surface to maximize the surface area to be coated. Longitudinal ribs of a plane or convoluted nature, circumferential ribs, fins, or knurling the inner-surface can be done to increase the surface area of the inner-side wall  24 , and thus increase the active contact area. It is also possible to create extremely thin coatings of the platinum material to create a porosity that will produce a more active surface to combustive fuel gases. Preferably, all of the exposed conductive surfaces of the spark plug  10  are coated with platinum or similar reactive material so as to optimize the plasma creation phenomena.  
      It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the design of the spark plug  10  illustrated herein. The coating of the inner side-wall  24  of conventional spark plugs with the reactive platinum material achieves the desired phenomena. To increase the phenomena, the electrode and/or ground prongs may also be coated. However, the spark plug  10  which is illustrated herein, as well as those illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,557 are particularly adapted for the present invention as they present a comparatively large area to create plasma.  
      The particular design illustrated in  FIGS. 1-8  is configured so as to create a spark travel path which effectively eliminates surface deposits on the insulator  20 . The following will describe the preferred arrangements of the various components of the spark plug  10  to create such a spark path.  
      The ground prongs  32  extend to an end closest to the core nose  22  and center electrode  28 , referred to within this description as P. As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the ground prong end P can be configured in a number of shapes. Such ends can include round, oval, square, irregular, etc., however, it is preferable that the end P have sharp edges to facilitate the grounding of the spark as sparks seek sharp edges or points over rounded and flat edges.  
      The insulator  20  may extend from the base  16  to various lengths. The tapered portion may end approximately in alignment with as the ends of the ground prongs  32  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , be longer and extend beyond the ground prong ends  32  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , or be shorter and not extend to the ends P of the ground prongs  32  as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . The length of the insulator  20  is dependent on the intended use of the spark plug  10 . Spark plugs  10  having shorter insulators  20  generally run cooler and those with longer insulators  20  run hotter. The type of engine and the use, whether it be marine, heavy industrial, sports car, etc., determine this configuration. It is to be noted that the center electrode  28  preferably extends beyond the ground prongs  32  as this has been found to insure the most satisfactory conduction of the spark and aid in the creation of the surface to air gap spark travel as will be discussed further. The ends P of the ground prongs  32  may also extend over the planar surface of the nose core  22 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , in certain engines. Such is the case with diesel spark assisted combustion or very high compression engines. The increased combustion chamber pressures of these engines require small spark gaps as increased pressure increases electrical resistance of the system. By moving the ends P of the ground prongs  32  over the insulator, the air gap between the insulator  20  and the ground prong  32  is lessened and the spark can overcome the resistance and cross the gap.  
      The exterior portion of the insulator core nose  22  that is located closest to the end of the ground prong P is referred to within this description as S. It is to be understood that S surrounds the insulator  20  near the ground prong end P so as to generally form a circle. The distance between S and P is defined in this description as A, which is the air gap between the two. The point where the insulator  20  connects to the base  16  and begins to form the inner side wall  24  is referred to in this description as W. A circumferential surface ring of the central electrode tip  30  is referred to in this description as E.  
      Foreign material deposits on the insulator  20  normally takes place during starting and idling modes of the engine. If any foreign material deposits on the core nose  22  or insulator  20  surface, these deposits will probably be in some form of carbon or oil. Since carbon is electrically conductive, it would be the path of least resistance. Therefore, if any foreign material collects on the insulator  20 , the spark will have a tendency to follow the path of least resistance and ionize and remove the deposit immediately.  
      In constructing the spark plug  10 , the ground prongs  32 , central electrode  28 , and insulator core nose  22  are positioned relative one another and constructed of materials which encourage a surface to air gap spark path. The actual spaced relations of these components may vary depending on several factors including available voltage, compression ratios, cylinder pressures, engine revolutions per minute and the intended use of the spark plug  10 . Thus, the electrical resistance of the distance P to E is to be greater than the electrical resistance of E to S to A to P. Likewise, the electrical resistance of the distance E to S to W is greater than the electrical resistance of E to S to A to P. Therefore, when a spark is generated at the central electrode tip  30 , it travels from E to the core nose or even insulator surface S before jumping the air gap A to the end of ground prong P. If there is a deposit further up the insulator  20 , the spark will travel to that point S and ionize and remove the deposit before jumping the air gap A to the closest ground prong end P. Therefore, any deposits which form on either the insulator  20 , central electrode  28  or ground prong  32  are removed while the spark plug  10  is in operation.  
      It is to be noted that if one could observe the firing of the spark plug  10  using multiple ground prongs  32  over time, that there would be a mass of the various spark paths in all different directions to the ground prongs  32 . This is due to the multiple spark presentations provided by the spark travel path and use of multiple ground prongs  32  as opposed to a single ground prong.  
      Surface to air gap spark plugs have been provided the Inventor in the past, such as the spark plug of U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,557. The present invention offers the same advantages of these surface to air gap spark plugs; increased heat resistance, increased fuel efficiency, additional horsepowerand torque and anti-fouling properties. However, the incorporation and placement of the multiple ground prongs  32  achieves added benefits. The spark plug of the &#39;577 patent requires a high voltage to fire and does not operate optimally with the newer ignition systems. However, the spark plug  10  of the present invention requires much less voltage energy to fire and is well adapted for the newer ignition systems.  
      Another added benefit of the spark plug of the present invention is that its voltage requirements do not increase linearly with increased combustion chamber pressures. Typically, a spark plug requires a proportional increase in voltage to fire when there is an increase in combustion chamber pressure. This relationship is sometimes referred to as a “K” value as an increase in thousands of volts or kilovolts are needed to overcome these increased pressures. This relationship is typically linear. The spark plug  10  of the present invention has been found to not have a linear “K” value in test pressure chambers. The increased voltage requirements do not match increased combustion chamber pressures. Instead, the required voltage levels off and remains in a near static state as the combustion chamber pressure increases. Thus, increased pressures may be used without the anticipated increased voltage supply requirements.  
      Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.