Patent ID: 7441536

Claim:
An internal combustion engine ( 1 ), comprising at least one cylinder ( 2 ) including a piston ( 3 ) and a cylinder head ( 5 ), defining therebetween a combustion space ( 4 ), a spark plug ( 7 ) arranged in the cylinder bead so as to extend into the combustion space ( 4 ), an outwardly opening injection nozzle ( 11 ) arranged in the cylinder head ( 5 ) and having nozzle opening projecting into the combustion space ( 4 ) for the injection of a fuel jet in the form of a hollow cone ( 8 ) into the combustion space ( 4 ), the spark plug ( 7 ) being arranged outside the surface area ( 9 ) of the hollow fuel cone ( 8 ) generated by the injection nozzle, and having electrodes ( 12 ) projecting into a fuel boundary vortex ( 10 ), formed at the surface area ( 9 ) of the injected fuel jet, said cylinder ( 2 ) having a cylinder bore ( 2 a ) with a diameter (D) dimensioned such that at an ignition time point of the internal combustion engine ( 1 ) a ratio (dmR/D) of a mean diameter (dmR) of the fuel boundary vortex ( 10 ) to the bore diameter (D) is in a range of 0.08 to 0.2.