# US 2009/0260592 A1 · Fuel ignition system, fuel igniting method, fuel reforming system and fuel reforming method, for internal combustion engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2009/0260592 A1 - Document ID: US20090260592A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/064,504 - Filed: 2006-08-21 - Published: 2009-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2005-08-30 - Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yusuke Niwa; Masaharu Matsumoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260592A1 ## CPC - F02P 23/02: Friction, pyrophoric, or catalytic ignition - F02B 23/101: {the injector being placed on or close to the cylinder centre axis, e.g. with mixture formation using spray guided concepts} - F02M 27/02: by catalysts - F02P 23/04: Other physical ignition means, e.g. using laser rays - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - F02P: IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES ({anti-pollution means for internal-combustion engines F02B17/00}; specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines F02B53/12; {ignition of gas turbine plants F02C7/26; ignition of jet propulsion plants F02K9/95; starting of combustion engines F02N9/00}; ignition of combustion apparatus in general, glowing plugs F23Q; measuring of physical variables in general G01; controlling in general G05; data processing in general G06; electrical components in general see Section H; {ignition coils H01F38/12}; sparking plugs H01T13/00) - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A fuel ignition system for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The fuel ignition system is adapted to allow a photocatalyst to ignite a mixture by using a light energy irradiated from a light generator. The fuel ignition system includes: a combustion chamber; the photocatalyst provided in the combustion chamber; and a light generator for flatly irradiating the light energy to the photocatalyst. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fuel ignition system for an internal combustion engine, the fuel ignition system adapted to allow a photocatalyst to ignite a mixture by using a light energy irradiated from a light generator, the fuel ignition system comprising: a combustion chamber; the photocatalyst provided in the combustion chamber; and a light generator for flatly irradiating the light energy to the photocatalyst. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, and the photocatalyst is provided on a piston head face of the piston head. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, and a relatively large amount of the photocatalysts are provided on a side of a region where a concentration of the mixture on a piston head face of the piston head is relatively high. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, an internal wall face of the cylinder head has a first protrusion part, and the photocatalyst is provided at the first protrusion part. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, a piston head face of the piston head has a second protrusion part, and the photocatalyst is provided at the second protrusion part. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein a meshy carrier having an end part junctioned to an internal wall face of the combustion chamber is disposed in the combustion chamber, and the photocatalyst is provided at the meshy carrier. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein a part of an internal wall face of the combustion chamber is so configured as to serve as a mirror face. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, and an optical axis direction of the light energy flatly irradiated by the light generator is not in parallel with a reciprocating direction of a piston head. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, and the light generator irradiates the light energy to an end part of a piston head face of the piston head. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the light generator has an irradiation position adjuster. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 10, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, the combustion chamber further includes a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the combustion chamber, and when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is less than or equal to a certain temperature, the irradiation position adjuster adjusts an irradiation position such that the light energy is irradiated to an end part of a piston head face. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the fuel ignition system includes two or more types of the photocatalysts disposed in the combustion chamber, at least one type of the two or more types of the photocatalysts absorbs at least a part of a light irradiated from the light generator, to thereby promote a reforming of a fuel, and at least another type of the two or more types of the photocatalysts absorbs at least another part of the light irradiated from the light generator, to thereby promote an igniting of the mixture after the reforming of the fuel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 12, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, and the reformer photocatalyst and the igniter photocatalyst are substantially uniformly dispersed and disposed on a piston head face of the piston head. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 12, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a cylinder head and a piston head, and the igniter photocatalyst and the reformer photocatalyst are disposed distinctly and independently at a piston head face of the piston head. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 14, wherein the igniter photocatalysts are disposed in a center part and an outer peripheral part of the piston head face, and the reformer photocatalyst is disposed between: the igniter photocatalyst in the center part of the piston head face, and the igniter photocatalyst in the outer peripheral part of the piston head face. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) A fuel igniting method using the fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 12, the fuel igniting method comprising: at least one of the following operations: causing a plurality of lights with different single wavelengths, by using a plurality of light generators, and causing a light with a plurality of wavelengths, by varying a light from the light generator through an optical filter; and implementing thereby each of the following operations, by using the lights or the light each having different wavelength areas: reforming the fuel, and igniting the mixture. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) A fuel igniting method using the fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 14, the fuel igniting method comprising: at least one of the following operations: causing a plurality of lights with different single wavelengths, by using a plurality of light generators, and varying an irradiation position of the light generator; and implementing thereby each of the following operations: reforming the fuel, and igniting the mixture. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) A fuel igniting method using the fuel ignition system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 12, the fuel igniting method comprising: varying at least one of the followings of the light generator: an irradiation time, and an irradiation output; implementing thereby each of the following operations: reforming the fuel, and igniting the mixture. ### Claim 19 A fuel reforming system for an internal combustion engine, the fuel reforming system comprising: a photocatalyst provided in a combustion chamber; and a light generator for irradiating a light to the photocatalyst, wherein the fuel reforming system is so configured that the photocatalyst absorbs at least a part of the light irradiated from the light generator to thereby reform a fuel in the combustion chamber. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A fuel reforming method using the fuel reforming system for the internal combustion engine according to claim 19, the fuel reforming method comprising: conveying to the combustion chamber a fuel gas which is a mixture of the fuel and an air, to thereby allow the fuel gas to have a contact with the photocatalyst, allowing the photocatalyst to absorb at least the part of the light irradiated from light generator, and reforming the fuel gas into a mixture including at least one of an oxygen-contained compound and a hydrogen. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The fuel reforming method according to claim 20, wherein varying an irradiation output of the light generator implements each of the following operations: partially oxidizing the fuel, and igniting the mixture. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The fuel reforming method according to claim 20, wherein a spark ignition ignites the mixture including the at least one of the oxygen-contained compound and the hydrogen.