Patent Application
20130298887
The present disclosure relates to ignition coil resistors.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Ignition assemblies for internal combustion engines often include a high voltage tower with an ignition coil boot attached thereto. A first end of the boot is connected to the high voltage tower, and a second end of the boot is connected to a spark plug. A resistor is arranged between the high voltage tower and an ignition coil of the boot. The resistor is not affixed to either the high voltage tower or the boot. As a result, if the boot is removed, such as for service or replacement, the resistor will undesirably become detached from the high voltage tower. The resistor must thus be separately handled to prevent it from undesirably dropping to the floor, for example.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The present teachings provide for a motor vehicle ignition assembly. The assembly includes a high voltage tower, a retention clip mounted within the high voltage tower, and a resistor coupled to the retention clip.
The present teachings also provide for a motor vehicle ignition assembly including a high voltage tower, a retention member arranged within the high voltage tower, a resistor secured within the high voltage tower with the retention member, and an ignition boot. The ignition boot includes a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. The first end is removably coupled to the high voltage tower. The second end defines an opening configured to receive a spark plug. Upon decoupling the ignition boot from the high voltage tower, the resistor remains secured within the high voltage tower with the retention member.
The preset teachings further provide for a motor vehicle ignition assembly including a high voltage tower, a retention clip mounted within the high voltage tower, a resistor connected to the retention clip, an ignition boot, and an ignition coil. The ignition boot is removably coupled with the high voltage tower and defines a bore. The ignition coil is mounted within the bore of the boot, and includes a first end connected to the resistor and a second end configured to couple with a spark plug.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With initial reference to
The coil body 12 generally includes a case 18, an electrical connector 20, and a fastener 22. The connector 20 extends from the case and is configured to connect with any suitable current source. The fastener 22 extends through the case 18 to secure the ignition assembly 10 at any desired location. For example, the fastener 22 can secure the ignition assembly 10 to, or proximate to, an internal combustion engine.
The ignition boot 14 generally includes a plug hole seal 24, a pole joint 26, and a cap plug 28. The plug hole seal 24 is removably connected to the case 18 of the coil body 12. The pole joint 26 is coupled to the plug hole seal 24, and the cap plug 28 is connected to the pole joint 26. The plug hole seal 24, the pole joint 26, and the cap plug 28 are aligned along a longitudinal axis A of the ignition boot 14. The spark plug 16 is received within the cap plug 28.
With continued reference to
A retention clip 36A is mounted to the coil body 12 within the high voltage tower 32, and a resistor 38 is releasably coupled to the retention clip 36A. The retention clip 36A retains the resistor 38 in cooperation with the coil body 12 when the boot 14 is separated from the coil body 12. Therefore, the boot 14 can be separated from the coil body 12 for replacement or repair without the resistor 38 becoming disconnected from the coil body 12 and, for example, falling to the ground. The retention clip 36A is electrically coupled to the connector 20 in any suitable manner, such as with one or more conductors (not shown). Additional details the retention clip 36A are set forth herein, such as in conjunction with the description of
The seal 24 defines a receptacle 40. The receptacle 40 is sized and shaped to receive a flange 42 extending from a first end 44 of the pole joint 26. The flange 42 can be retained within the receptacle 40 in any suitable manner, such as with an adhesive or mechanical connection, to connect the pole joint 26 to the seal 24. Extending from a second end 46 of the pole joint 26 is an additional flange 48. The flange 48 and a receptacle 50 of the cap plug 28 are sized and shaped to cooperate with one another to secure the pole joint 26 to the cap plug 28. The flange 48 can be retained within the receptacle 50 in any suitable manner, such as with a suitable adhesive or mechanical connection.
The boot 14 defines a bore 52 that extends through the boot 14 along the longitudinal axis A. The bore 52 includes an inner surface 54 that extends completely through each of the seal 24, the pole joint 26, and the cap plug 28. At the seal 24, the bore 52 receives therein the high voltage tower 32 and the retention clip 36A with the resistor 38 mounted thereto. The bore 52 provides a passageway through the boot 14 from the high voltage tower 32 to an orifice 56 of the cap plug 28 at a distal end 58 of the boot 14.
Secured within the bore 52 is an ignition coil 60. The ignition coil 60 includes a first diameter portion 62 and a second diameter portion 64. The first diameter portion 62 has a greater diameter than the second diameter portion 64. The second diameter portion 64 is provided on both sides of the first diameter portion 62. The first diameter portion 62 has a diameter that is slightly larger than an inner diameter of the bore 52 at the pole joint 26. Therefore, friction between the first diameter portion 62 and the inner surface 54 of the bore 52 retains the ignition coil 60 within the boot 14. The ignition coil 60 is arranged within the boot 14 such that it is in electrical contact with the resistor 38 at one end and in electrical contact with the spark plug 16 at an opposite end.
The spark plug 16 generally includes a terminal 66, ribs 68, external threads 70, a central electrode 72, and a lateral electrode 74. The spark plug 16 extends through the orifice 56 and into the bore 52. The spark plug 16 is arranged such that the terminal 66 and the ribs 68 are seated within the bore 52 and the external threads 70 are connected to, for example, a cylinder head of a motor vehicle engine. The ignition coil 60 is in electrical contact with the terminal 66 to conduct current between the resistor 38 and the terminal 66.
With additional reference to
With reference to
The legs 82 extend from first surface 86 of the base 80. Two legs 82 are illustrated, but the retention clip 36A can include any suitable number of legs 82. The legs 82 are illustrated as extending generally perpendicular to the base 80, but may be arranged in any other suitable manner as well. The legs 82 are secured within the coil body 12 and are in electrical contact with components of the coil body 12.
At a center of the second surface 88 of the base 80 is a base conductor 90. The base conductor 90 extends from the base 80 and is illustrated as having a pointed tip 92. The base conductor 90 conducts current between the retention clip 36A and the resistor 38 coupled thereto. The base conductor 90 can thus have any suitable shape or size to conduct current between the retention clip 36A and the resistor 38.
The fingers 84 extend from the second surface 88 of the base 80. As illustrated, the retention clip 36A includes four fingers 84A-84D (
Although the retention clip 36A includes four fingers 84A-84D, any suitable number of fingers 84 can be provided, and the fingers 84 can be spaced apart at any suitable interval. For example and with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a retention clip 36B is illustrated including three fingers 84A, 84B, and 84C evenly spaced apart about the base 80 at approximately 120° intervals. Another retention clip is illustrated in
With additional reference to
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
