Internal combustion engine having auxiliary combustion chamber

Claim 2

In an internal combustion engine operating with a lean fuel-air mixture for reducing harmful gas components in the exhaust, said engine comprising means defining a main combustion chamber, an intake valve, means for introducing a lean air-fuel mixture into said main combustion chamber through said intake valve, an exhaust valve, means defining an auxiliary combustion chamber without an intake valve in fluid communication with said main combustion chamber through a nozzle therein, and a spark plug for igniting the lean air-fuel mixture, the improvement comprising: the spark gap of said spark plug being positioned adjacent to and substantially on the axis of said nozzle in the main combustion chamber.

Claim 3

In an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axis of said nozzle extends at an angle of about 45° relative to the axis of said main combustion chamber.

Claim 4

In an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the means defining the main combustion chamber comprises a cylinder head, means defining a bore completely through said cylinder head, one end of said bore opening to the exterior of the cylinder head and the other end of said bore opening adjacent said nozzle, and said spark plug is threadingly fitted in said bore.

Claim 5

In an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the axis of said nozzle is at an angle of about 45° relative to the axis of the main combustion chamber and the axis of said bore is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the nozzle.

Claim 6

In an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 4, wherein: the other end of said bore opens into said main combustion chamber so that the spark plug in the bore does not extend into the auxiliary combustion chamber.

Claim 7

In an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein: the cross-sectional area of said nozzle is substantially less than that of the auxiliary combustion chamber.

Claim 8

In an internal combustion engine having means defining a main combustion chamber, an intake valve and an exhaust valve for said main combustion chamber, means defining an auxiliary combustion chamber without an intake valve, a nozzle fluidly connecting said main combustion chamber and said auxiliary combustion chamber, and a spark plug, the spark gap of which is located adjacent to and substantially on the axis of said nozzle in said main combustion chamber, the method of operation thereof comprising: admitting a lean fuel-air mixture into said main combustion chamber through the opened intake valve during the intake stroke of the engine, forcing a part of the lean mixture together with the combustion gas of previous combustion near the gap into said auxiliary combustion chamber through the nozzle during the compression stroke of the engine, and then igniting the mixture by said spark plug to burn the mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber whereby the flame produced by combustion of the mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber rushes into the main combustion chamber through the nozzle to ignite the mixture in the main combustion chamber.

Claim 9

In an internal combustion engine having means defining a main combustion chamber, an intake valve and an exhaust valve for said main combustion chamber, means defining an auxiliary combustion chamber without an intake valve, a nozzle fluidly connecting said main combustion chamber and said auxiliary combustion chamber, and a spark plug, the spark gap of which is located adjacent to and substantially on the axis of said nozzle in said main combustion chamber, the method of operation thereof comprising: admitting a lean fuel-air mixture into said main combustion chamber through the opened intake valve during the intake stroke of the engine, forcing a part of the lean mixture together with the combustion gas of previous combustion near the gap into said auxiliary combustion chamber through the nozzle during the compression stroke of the engine, and then igniting the mixture by said spark plug to burn the mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber whereby the flame produced by combustion of the mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber rushes into the main combustion chamber through the nozzle to ignite the mixture in the main combustion chamber.