Plasma generation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377004-B2
Application number	US-201514631142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2015
Priority date	Aug 28, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

The present invention addresses the issue of improving generation efficiency of plasma in relation to usage power in a plasma generation apparatus. The present invention is directed to a plasma generation apparatus provided with an electromagnetic wave emission antenna and a discharge electrode. The plasma generation apparatus includes a plasma control device that controls generation of plasma, and is characterized that the plasma control device causes the electromagnetic wave emission antenna to intermittently emit electromagnetic waves by way of a drive sequence control. Especially, the plasma control device may preferably control an oscillating frequency, a power, output timing, a pulse width, a pulse cycle, and a duty cycle of the electromagnetic waves.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasma generation apparatus having an electromagnetic wave emission antenna and a discharge electrode comprising:
a plasma control device that controls generation of plasma, wherein
the plasma generation apparatus is characterized in that the plasma control device causes the electromagnetic wave emission antenna to intermittently emit an electromagnetic wave by way of a drive sequence control;
wherein the plasma control device is subject to a programmed control in accordance with generation efficiency of the plasma; and
wherein the generation efficiency of the plasma is represented by at least one index value selected from among a group of index values including a radical light emission amount, a temperature, an electron temperature, an electron density, and a reflected wave power.

2. A plasma generation apparatus having an electromagnetic wave emission antenna and a discharge electrode comprising:
a plasma control device that controls generation of plasma, wherein
the plasma generation apparatus is characterized in that the plasma control device causes the electromagnetic wave emission antenna to intermittently emit an electromagnetic wave by way of a drive sequence control;
wherein the plasma generation apparatus is applied to an internal combustion engine; and
wherein the plasma control device performs a control during a cold start of an internal combustion engine so as to limit fuel injection and emit an electromagnetic wave for raising a temperature in the vicinity of a discharge device of the internal combustion engine.

Assignees

• Imagineering Inc

Inventors

• Ikeda Yuji

Classifications

• H05H2242/22

  DC, AC or pulsed generators · CPC title

• H05H2001/466

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05H2001/4682

  Electricity · mapped topic

• F02M27/08

  by sonic or ultrasonic waves · CPC title

• H05H2001/463

  Electricity · mapped topic