Ignition-assisted fuel combustion system

A fuel combustion system (10) of a direct-injection internal combustion engine (14) including an open combustion chamber (18), a fuel injection nozzle (22) projecting directly into said open combustion chamber (18) and having a plurality of primary fuel spray orifices (62) adapted during engine operation to simultaneously spray distinct and mutually spaced primary fuel streams (66) radially outwardly into the open combustion chamber (18), the improvement comprising:

• means (26) for initiating localized ignition and flaming of fuel in the open combustion chamber (18), said fuel ignition-initiating means (26) being adapted to be energized to an elevated fuel igniting temperature during engine operation and projecting directly into said open combustion chamber (18);
• and
• means (30) for propagating the flame, started by said fuel ignition-initiating means (26), to those primary fuel streams (66) which would not otherwise be directly ignited by said fuel ignition-initiating means (26), said flame-propagating means (30) including means (90) for simultaneously and interconnectedly bridging all of said primary fuel streams (66) with an auxiliary cloud (94) of fuel, wherein said interconnectedly-fuel-bridging means (90) includes a secondary fuel spray orifice (98) also disposed on said fuel injection nozzle (22) and an impingement surface element (102) having a preselected shaped deflecting face (106) unobstructively spaced from and facing said secondary fuel spray orifice (98), said secondary fuel spray orifice (98) adapted during engine operation to simultaneously spray a secondary fuel stream (110) at said deflecting face (106) so that the secondary fuel stream (110) is controlledly deflected radially outwardly to form said auxiliary cloud (94) of fuel which interconnectedly bridges all of said primary fuel streams (66), said secondary fuel stream being of the same composition as the primary fuel streams (66) and wherein either one of said primary fuel streams (66') or said auxiliary cloud (94) of fuel is adapted during engine operation to contact and to be directly ignited by the fuel ignition-initiating means (26).