CA1078688A - Start aid for combustion engine - Google Patents
Start aid for combustion engineInfo
- Publication number
- CA1078688A CA1078688A CA331,822A CA331822A CA1078688A CA 1078688 A CA1078688 A CA 1078688A CA 331822 A CA331822 A CA 331822A CA 1078688 A CA1078688 A CA 1078688A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- spark plug
- heating means
- spark
- switch
- heating coil
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 8
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 33
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 239000012212 insulator Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000009834 vaporization Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920000136 polysorbate Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000007420 reactivation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007858 starting material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Landscapes
- Spark Plugs (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The disclosure describes an improvement to facilitate the start of an internal combustion engine, more particularly during wet weather and at low temperatures. The improvement comprises heating means associated with the spark plugs as well as with the engine distributor, a switch or a timer and lead connecting the heating means for the spark plug and the distributor through the switch or timer, to the vehicle battery.
The disclosure describes an improvement to facilitate the start of an internal combustion engine, more particularly during wet weather and at low temperatures. The improvement comprises heating means associated with the spark plugs as well as with the engine distributor, a switch or a timer and lead connecting the heating means for the spark plug and the distributor through the switch or timer, to the vehicle battery.
Description
~7~368~3 The inven-tion relates to an improvement to facilitate the start of an internal combustion engine, more particularly during wet weather and at low temperatures. ~ :
The purpose of the invention is to act upon the most sensitive locations involved in the starting process of an internal combustion engine.
It is therefore an object of this invention to keep the distributor contacts dry~ to accelerate the vapourization of the fuel which is drawn into the engine, and to improve the .~..: .
ignition produced by the spark plugs.
. It is further already known to provide heating means a~sociated only with the spark plugs, a switch~ and leads connecting the :heating means through said switch to the vehicle battery.
During wet weather, and particularly at low tempera- . ;
tures, vehicles with internal combustion engines are known to be dif~icult,and often impossible, to start. The reasons for :.
this is that either the distributor is wet or the fuel siphoned into the cylinders is only partly vapourizea, so that 20 the spark plug electrodes become wet. The spark produced . `
during the start-up is unable fully to overcome the damp spark plug electrode and to ignite the mixture which doès not contain enough vapourized fuel. Repeated attempts to start the engine finally run down the battery.
.... .... .. .
Several devices for improving the starting of combus-tion engines are already known.
These devices consist of heater elements which warm up the engine bloc]c. Since heating the block requires a lar~e amount of energy, which the battery is unable to supply without losing all of its energy, the necessary energy for the heater elements is taken from a source other than the battery. The ~. .
-1- ~ j ., ~7~
disadvantage of these devices is, therefore, that they can be used only where power from a main i5 available, and a motorist stranded en route is thus helpless.
According to the invention, an improved device is proposed which uses power from the battery to act upon bo-th most important elements of the ignition system in order to provide rapid and reliable motor start-up in cold and damp weather.
The energy of the battery, instead of being wasted initially in uselessly operating the starter, is used to keep the distributor contacts as well as the spark plug electrodes dry, and to supply heat which will cause the fuel siphoned into the cylinders to vapourize more rapidly.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided an improvement to facilitate the start--up of an internal combuqtion engine, the latter including spark plugs and a vehicle battery comprising heating mearls associated wlth the spark plugs, a switch and leads connecting the said heating means through said switch to the vehicle battery, characterized in that each spark plug includes a middle electrode and has an insulator surrounding the middle electrode of the spark plug, said heating means associated with the spark plugs consists of a heating coil integrally embedded in the insulator and surrounding the middle electrode of the spark plug to cause said spark plug to be used selectively either as a spark plug or as a heater element, thereby enabling said spark plug to have a double function~
In the drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the improvement accordin~ to the invention, -~ -2- ~
: . :
. .
~7~6~
Figure 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, the connection of a spark plug heater element and a distributor heater element to the vehicle battery;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the spark plug heater element;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the device illustrated :~
in Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows a spark plug with a heating coil embedded in the ceramic part thereof;
Figure 6 shows a spark plug with a heating coil wound :
around the ceramic portion thereof, Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of a heater element placed upon a distributor, Figure 8 is a plan view of the device illus-trated in ..
, .:
.j,.. ....... .
: -2a-~7~36~
Figure 7 and Figure 9 shows a heater element incorporated inter-nally into the upper part of the di~tributor.
Figure 1 shows heater elements 1 placed over the spark plugs 2 of an internal combustion engine (not shown), and a distributor 3 with a built-in heater element 4. All of the heater elements are connected to the vehicle battery 7 through the terminal strip 5 and timer 6.
Figure 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, the connection 10 of a heater element 1 for a spark plug 2 and a distributor ~- -heater element 4 for the distributor 3 through the switch 8.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through a heater element, the housing 9 thereof being made of metal and having a hexagonal opening 10 matching a hexagonally shaped spark plug.
Heating coil 12 is arranged on a cylinder 11 made of an incom-bustible, insulating substance, preferably a ceramic, the bottom of which is secured to the said housing, while the top i9 provided with a contact 13. The heater element is covered by a ceramic disc 14.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the heater element accord-ing to Figure 3 showing the hexagonal opening 10.
Figure 5 shows a spark plug with a heating coil 15 embedded in the insulator thereof. The lower end of the heating coil 16 is connected to the spark plug body, while the upper end of the coil 9 which projects out of the spark plug insulator, is provided with a contact 17.
As a result of the arrangement of heating coil 15 and contact 17, the spark plug assumes a dual function, since it i3 now not only a spark plug but also a heater element, and its purpose is firstLy to keep the spark plug electrode dry before the engine is started and, secondly, to supply heat, through .. .
6~
part of the plug which projects into the cylinder, in order to promote rapid vapourization of the still cold fuel.
Surprising results are obtained at a minimal cost and the arrangement is extremely compact.
Figure 6 shows a spark plug with a heating coil 18 wound around the ceramic spark plug insulator, the lower end of the said heating coil being secured to the spark plug body, while the upper end is provided with a contact 19.
Here again the plug has a dual function.
The advantage of this arrangement is that commercially available spark plugs may be fitted, at a small cost, with heater elements consisting merely of a coil and a contact.
Figure 7 and 8 show a heater element placed upon a distributor 20. Located in the housing 21 is a ceramic part 22 serving as a carrier for heating coil 23 (figure 8), the ends of which are provided with contacts 24, 25 connected respectively to the engine block and the vehicle battery.
Figure 9 shows a distributor having a heater elemen-t in the form of a cylindrical ceramic carrier 26, a heating coil 27, and contacts 28, 29.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the heat from the heater element can act directly upon the distributor contacts. A supply of heat to the interior of the distributor is especially useful for starting the engine9 since this is very often where water condenses and wets the contacts.
The starting of the engine, using ~he device accord- -~
ing to the invention, is carried out as followsO
The switch, or timer, is switched on. As soon as the heater elements for the distributor and the spark plugs have supplied sufficient heat for starting in most sensitive locations, the power supply to the said elements is cut off.
-4~
, ~7 516~
The engine is then started in known fashion. It is much better to use the current to warm up the heater element~ than to turn the engine over unsuccessfully7 The proposed starting aid provides numerous advantages.
Engine wear is reduced and battery life is increased. The labour and expense associated with the reactivation of the vehicle with a dead battery are saved.
.. . . , , . :
.. . . ~ ..
:. ~ , . . , ~ .
8~
SUPPLEME:N'rP-RY DISCI,OSURE
In view of the technical problems involved in the production of the spark plug and because it would be expected that this article has good durability, and also having in mind that the spark plug according to the invention operates as a heating body, according to an embodiment of the invention, the ceramic portion of the spark plug is made of two parts.
m e ~irst part i5 cylindrical and contains the central electrode of the spark plug. On the other hand, the second part is a hollow cylindrical member which is mounted around the cylindrical first part. The heating coil of the heating body is disposed be-tween these two parts. In addition, in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, it is suggested to pxovide channels along the outer surface of the cylindrical part and along the inner portion of the hollow cylindrical part, in such a manner that air can be introduced into the spark plug to contact the heating coil.
In the drawings which illustrate the embodiments described in the supple~entary disclosure:
FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal cross-section of the upper part of the spark plug, FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view of the upper part, with half o~ the hollow cylinder being removed; and ~IGURE 12 is a cross-section through line A-A o~
FIGuRE 11.
The upper cera~ic part of the spark plug is made of two parts. The interior part 31 contains the electrode 32 and the exterior part 33 consists of a hollow cylinder. As illus-trated, between the interior part 31 and the exterior part 33, there is a heating coil 34. The interior part 31 is formed with channels 35 along the outer surface thereof and channels 36 are provided along the inner surface of the exterior part 33, channels 35 and 36 enabLe air to be introduced into the spark plug to come in contact with the heating coil.
This application is a division of application no.
303,300 filed on May 15, 1978.
.. . .. . , . - . . .:
The purpose of the invention is to act upon the most sensitive locations involved in the starting process of an internal combustion engine.
It is therefore an object of this invention to keep the distributor contacts dry~ to accelerate the vapourization of the fuel which is drawn into the engine, and to improve the .~..: .
ignition produced by the spark plugs.
. It is further already known to provide heating means a~sociated only with the spark plugs, a switch~ and leads connecting the :heating means through said switch to the vehicle battery.
During wet weather, and particularly at low tempera- . ;
tures, vehicles with internal combustion engines are known to be dif~icult,and often impossible, to start. The reasons for :.
this is that either the distributor is wet or the fuel siphoned into the cylinders is only partly vapourizea, so that 20 the spark plug electrodes become wet. The spark produced . `
during the start-up is unable fully to overcome the damp spark plug electrode and to ignite the mixture which doès not contain enough vapourized fuel. Repeated attempts to start the engine finally run down the battery.
.... .... .. .
Several devices for improving the starting of combus-tion engines are already known.
These devices consist of heater elements which warm up the engine bloc]c. Since heating the block requires a lar~e amount of energy, which the battery is unable to supply without losing all of its energy, the necessary energy for the heater elements is taken from a source other than the battery. The ~. .
-1- ~ j ., ~7~
disadvantage of these devices is, therefore, that they can be used only where power from a main i5 available, and a motorist stranded en route is thus helpless.
According to the invention, an improved device is proposed which uses power from the battery to act upon bo-th most important elements of the ignition system in order to provide rapid and reliable motor start-up in cold and damp weather.
The energy of the battery, instead of being wasted initially in uselessly operating the starter, is used to keep the distributor contacts as well as the spark plug electrodes dry, and to supply heat which will cause the fuel siphoned into the cylinders to vapourize more rapidly.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided an improvement to facilitate the start--up of an internal combuqtion engine, the latter including spark plugs and a vehicle battery comprising heating mearls associated wlth the spark plugs, a switch and leads connecting the said heating means through said switch to the vehicle battery, characterized in that each spark plug includes a middle electrode and has an insulator surrounding the middle electrode of the spark plug, said heating means associated with the spark plugs consists of a heating coil integrally embedded in the insulator and surrounding the middle electrode of the spark plug to cause said spark plug to be used selectively either as a spark plug or as a heater element, thereby enabling said spark plug to have a double function~
In the drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the improvement accordin~ to the invention, -~ -2- ~
: . :
. .
~7~6~
Figure 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, the connection of a spark plug heater element and a distributor heater element to the vehicle battery;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the spark plug heater element;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the device illustrated :~
in Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows a spark plug with a heating coil embedded in the ceramic part thereof;
Figure 6 shows a spark plug with a heating coil wound :
around the ceramic portion thereof, Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of a heater element placed upon a distributor, Figure 8 is a plan view of the device illus-trated in ..
, .:
.j,.. ....... .
: -2a-~7~36~
Figure 7 and Figure 9 shows a heater element incorporated inter-nally into the upper part of the di~tributor.
Figure 1 shows heater elements 1 placed over the spark plugs 2 of an internal combustion engine (not shown), and a distributor 3 with a built-in heater element 4. All of the heater elements are connected to the vehicle battery 7 through the terminal strip 5 and timer 6.
Figure 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, the connection 10 of a heater element 1 for a spark plug 2 and a distributor ~- -heater element 4 for the distributor 3 through the switch 8.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through a heater element, the housing 9 thereof being made of metal and having a hexagonal opening 10 matching a hexagonally shaped spark plug.
Heating coil 12 is arranged on a cylinder 11 made of an incom-bustible, insulating substance, preferably a ceramic, the bottom of which is secured to the said housing, while the top i9 provided with a contact 13. The heater element is covered by a ceramic disc 14.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the heater element accord-ing to Figure 3 showing the hexagonal opening 10.
Figure 5 shows a spark plug with a heating coil 15 embedded in the insulator thereof. The lower end of the heating coil 16 is connected to the spark plug body, while the upper end of the coil 9 which projects out of the spark plug insulator, is provided with a contact 17.
As a result of the arrangement of heating coil 15 and contact 17, the spark plug assumes a dual function, since it i3 now not only a spark plug but also a heater element, and its purpose is firstLy to keep the spark plug electrode dry before the engine is started and, secondly, to supply heat, through .. .
6~
part of the plug which projects into the cylinder, in order to promote rapid vapourization of the still cold fuel.
Surprising results are obtained at a minimal cost and the arrangement is extremely compact.
Figure 6 shows a spark plug with a heating coil 18 wound around the ceramic spark plug insulator, the lower end of the said heating coil being secured to the spark plug body, while the upper end is provided with a contact 19.
Here again the plug has a dual function.
The advantage of this arrangement is that commercially available spark plugs may be fitted, at a small cost, with heater elements consisting merely of a coil and a contact.
Figure 7 and 8 show a heater element placed upon a distributor 20. Located in the housing 21 is a ceramic part 22 serving as a carrier for heating coil 23 (figure 8), the ends of which are provided with contacts 24, 25 connected respectively to the engine block and the vehicle battery.
Figure 9 shows a distributor having a heater elemen-t in the form of a cylindrical ceramic carrier 26, a heating coil 27, and contacts 28, 29.
The advantage of this arrangement is that the heat from the heater element can act directly upon the distributor contacts. A supply of heat to the interior of the distributor is especially useful for starting the engine9 since this is very often where water condenses and wets the contacts.
The starting of the engine, using ~he device accord- -~
ing to the invention, is carried out as followsO
The switch, or timer, is switched on. As soon as the heater elements for the distributor and the spark plugs have supplied sufficient heat for starting in most sensitive locations, the power supply to the said elements is cut off.
-4~
, ~7 516~
The engine is then started in known fashion. It is much better to use the current to warm up the heater element~ than to turn the engine over unsuccessfully7 The proposed starting aid provides numerous advantages.
Engine wear is reduced and battery life is increased. The labour and expense associated with the reactivation of the vehicle with a dead battery are saved.
.. . . , , . :
.. . . ~ ..
:. ~ , . . , ~ .
8~
SUPPLEME:N'rP-RY DISCI,OSURE
In view of the technical problems involved in the production of the spark plug and because it would be expected that this article has good durability, and also having in mind that the spark plug according to the invention operates as a heating body, according to an embodiment of the invention, the ceramic portion of the spark plug is made of two parts.
m e ~irst part i5 cylindrical and contains the central electrode of the spark plug. On the other hand, the second part is a hollow cylindrical member which is mounted around the cylindrical first part. The heating coil of the heating body is disposed be-tween these two parts. In addition, in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, it is suggested to pxovide channels along the outer surface of the cylindrical part and along the inner portion of the hollow cylindrical part, in such a manner that air can be introduced into the spark plug to contact the heating coil.
In the drawings which illustrate the embodiments described in the supple~entary disclosure:
FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal cross-section of the upper part of the spark plug, FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view of the upper part, with half o~ the hollow cylinder being removed; and ~IGURE 12 is a cross-section through line A-A o~
FIGuRE 11.
The upper cera~ic part of the spark plug is made of two parts. The interior part 31 contains the electrode 32 and the exterior part 33 consists of a hollow cylinder. As illus-trated, between the interior part 31 and the exterior part 33, there is a heating coil 34. The interior part 31 is formed with channels 35 along the outer surface thereof and channels 36 are provided along the inner surface of the exterior part 33, channels 35 and 36 enabLe air to be introduced into the spark plug to come in contact with the heating coil.
This application is a division of application no.
303,300 filed on May 15, 1978.
.. . .. . , . - . . .:
Claims (3)
1. An improvement to facilitate the start-up of an internal combustion engine, the latter including spark plugs and a vehicle battery comprising heating means associated with the spark plugs, a switch and leads connecting the said heating means through said switch to the vehicle battery, character-ized in that each spark plug includes a middle electrode and has an insulator surrounding the middle electrode of the spark plug, said heating means associated with the spark plugs consists of a heating coil integrally embedded in the insulator and surrounding the middle electrode of the spark plug to cause said spark plug to be used selectively either as a spark plug or as a heater element, thereby enabling said spark plug to have a double function.
2. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said switch within the leads between the vehicle battery and said heating means consists of a "timer" which cuts off the power supply to the heating means before starting the engine.
CLAIM SUPPORTED BY SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
CLAIM SUPPORTED BY SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
3. An improvement according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulator of the spark plug consists of a ceramic portion, said ceramic portion comprising a first cylindrical part containing a central electrode of said spark plug, and a second hollow cylindrical part mounted around said first part, said heating coil being disposed between said first part and said second part outside said first part and inside said second part, channels being provided along the outer surface of said first part and along the inner surface of said second part, in such a manner that air can be introduced into the spark plug to contact the heating coil.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA331,822A CA1078688A (en) | 1978-05-15 | 1979-07-13 | Start aid for combustion engine |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA303,300A CA1078283A (en) | 1978-05-15 | 1978-05-15 | Start aid for combustion engine |
| CA331,822A CA1078688A (en) | 1978-05-15 | 1979-07-13 | Start aid for combustion engine |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1078688A true CA1078688A (en) | 1980-06-03 |
Family
ID=25668699
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA331,822A Expired CA1078688A (en) | 1978-05-15 | 1979-07-13 | Start aid for combustion engine |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1078688A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110005564A (en) * | 2018-01-05 | 2019-07-12 | 福特全球技术公司 | Method and system for engine control |
-
1979
- 1979-07-13 CA CA331,822A patent/CA1078688A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110005564A (en) * | 2018-01-05 | 2019-07-12 | 福特全球技术公司 | Method and system for engine control |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |