Spark plug and internal combustion engine provided with the same

• US 7,975,665 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited
• Inventors: Mori, Kiyoteru
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Hai H
• Application Number:
  US12/312,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20100101521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 123/169.R, 123/169.EL, 123/169.C, 123/169.P, 123/169.E, 123/169.MG, 123/143.B, 313/120
• US Class Current: 123/169.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H01T 13/16 Means for dissipating heat
• CPC Class Codes: H01T 13/20 characterised by features of the electrodes or insulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01T 13/32 characterised by features of the earthed electrode

Abstract

A spark plug comprising a cylindrical portion which projects into a combustion chamber from an inner wall face of an engine head when the spark plug is fixed to the engine head, wherein the cylindrical portion has one or more ventilating portion comprised of a through hole or a notch in an outer circumferential face thereof. An igniting portion projecting into the combustion chamber improves ignitability. Further, because an air-fuel mixture fed from an inlet of the internal combustion engine flows to inside of the cylindrical portion through the ventilating portion, heat of an insulator is taken away and cooled down, whereby an occurrence of pre-ignition is prevented.

Claims

1. A spark plug, comprising:

a center electrode;

an insulator having therein an axial bore that extends in an axis direction of the center electrode and accommodating the center electrode in the axial bore;

a metal shell surrounding and holding the insulator in a radial direction, said metal shell having a threaded portion for mounting the spark plug on a mounting portion of an internal combustion engine;

a cylinder-shaped cylindrical portion extending from the threaded portion of the metal shell toward a front end portion of the center electrode; and

a ground electrode having one end joined to a front end of the cylindrical portion and another end disposed opposite to a front end portion of the center electrode to form a spark discharge gap therewith,

wherein the insulator projects beyond the front end side of the cylindrical portion,

wherein the cylindrical portion includes one or more ventilating portion which communicate with an inside and an outside of the cylindrical portion, said ventilating portion comprised of a notch.

2. A spark plug according to claim 1,

wherein, in a first section (S) through a front end portion of the cylindrical portion, where section (S) is perpendicular to the axis direction, a length “

W”

connecting both ends of the notch is 0.7 L or more,

where “

L”

is a diameter of the insulator in the first section (S).

3. A spark plug according to claim 1,

wherein, in the first section (S) through the front end portion of the cylindrical portion, where section (S) is perpendicular to the axis direction, a sum of angles each formed between straight lines which connect each end of the notch to a center of the cylindrical portion, respectively, is smaller than a sum of angles each formed between straight lines which connect each end of the cylindrical portion to the center of cylindrical portion, respectively.

4. A spark plug according to claim 1,

wherein the diameter “

L”

of the insulator in the first section (S) through the front end portion of the cylindrical portion, where section (S) is perpendicular to the axis direction that is shorter than the length “

W”

connecting both ends of the notch in the first section, and

wherein a diameter “

M”

of the insulator in a second section through a rear end portion of the notch, said second section being perpendicular to the axis direction that is longer than a length “

V”

connecting both ends of the notch in the second section.

7. A spark plug according to claim 1,

wherein the ventilating portion has the radial length on the rear end side shorter than the front end side.

8. A spark plug according to any one of claim 1 or 5,

wherein a junction between the cylindrical portion and the ground electrode is away from a position for forming the ventilating portion in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion.

9. An internal combustion engine, comprising

a spark plug according to any one of claim 1 or 5 and

a mounting portion on which the spark plug is mounted.

10. An internal combustion engine according to claim 9, wherein the spark plug has the ventilating portion facing to an inlet of the internal combustion engine in a side face of the cylindrical portion when being mounted on the mounting portion.

5. A spark plug, comprising:

a center electrode;

an insulator having therein an axial bore that extends in an axis direction of the center electrode, the center electrode being disposed in the axial bore;

a metal shell surrounding and holding the insulator in a radial direction, said metal shell having a threaded portion for mounting the spark plug on a mounting portion of an internal combustion engine;

a cylinder-shaped cylindrical portion formed extending from the threaded portion of the metal shell toward a front end portion of the center electrode; and

a ground electrode having one end joined to a front end of the cylindrical portion and the other end disposed opposite to a front end portion of the center electrode to form a spark discharge gap therewith,

wherein the cylindrical portion includes one or more ventilating portions which communicate with an inside and an outside of the cylindrical portion, said ventilating portion comprised of a through hole.

6. A spark plug according to claim 5,

wherein the through hole has a length in the axis direction longer than a radial length thereof.