RF power amplification and distribution systems, plasma ignition systems, and methods of operation therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9518554-B2
Application number	US-201414559903-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 4, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

An embodiment of a plasma ignition system for an internal combustion engine having up to N cylinders includes a power splitter, N phase shifters, N amplifiers, a power combiner network, and up to N radiation devices. The power splitter divides an input RF signal into N divided RF signals. Each phase shifter applies one of multiple pre-determined phase shifts to one of the N divided RF signals to produce N phase shifted RF signals. The N amplifiers amplify the N phase shifted RF signals to produce N amplified, phase shifted RF signals. The power combiner network combines the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce N output RF signals. Each of the radiation devices receives one of the N output RF signals, and produces a plasma discharge when a power level of the output RF signal is sufficiently high.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
N amplifiers, wherein N is greater than one, and wherein each amplifier of the N amplifiers is configured to receive one of N phase shifted radio frequency (RF) signals, and the N amplifiers are further configured to amplify the N phase shifted RF signals to produce N amplified, phase shifted RF signals;
a power combiner network having N input ports and N output ports, wherein each of the N input ports is coupled to an output of one of the N amplifiers, and wherein the power combiner network is configured to combine the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce N output RF signals at the N output ports, wherein relative power levels of the N output RF signals are dependent upon phase differences between the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals, and wherein the power combiner network is configured to produce, at any given time, one output RF signal having a relatively high power level at one of the N output ports and to produce N−1 output RF signals having relatively low power levels at a remaining N−1 output ports; and
up to N radiation devices coupled to the N output ports of the power combiner network, wherein each of the radiation devices is coupled to one of up to N cylinders of an internal combustion engine, and wherein each of the radiation devices is configured to receive an output RF signal of the N output RF signals, and each of the radiation devices is configured to produce a plasma discharge in the cylinder to which the radiation device is coupled when the radiation device receives an output RF signal with the relatively high power level.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
N phase shifters coupled to inputs of the N amplifiers, wherein each phase shifter is configured to receive one of N input RF signals, and the N phase shifters are further configured to apply pre-determined phase shifts to the N input RF signals in order to produce the N phase shifted RF signals.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power combiner network is configured, when one of multiple sets of pre-determined phase differences exists between the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals, to combine the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce the one output RF signal having the relatively high power level at the one of the N output ports and to produce the N−1 output RF signals having the relatively low power levels at the remaining N−1 output ports.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the relatively high power level is greater than 40 dBm, and the relatively low power levels are less than 40 dBm.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein N equals four, the amplifiers produce first, second third, and fourth amplified, phase shifted signals, and the power combiner network comprises:
first, second, third, and fourth input ports configured to receive the first, second, third, and fourth amplified, phase shifted signals, respectively;
first, second, third, and fourth output ports configured to output first, second, third, and fourth output RF signals, respectively;
a first combiner having first and second inputs and first and second outputs, wherein the first and second inputs are coupled to the first and second input ports, and wherein the first combiner is configured to combine the first and second amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce first and second intermediate RF signals at the first and second outputs;
a second combiner having third and fourth inputs and third and fourth outputs, wherein the third and fourth inputs are coupled to the third and fourth input ports, and wherein the second combiner is configured to combine the third and fourth amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce third and fourth intermediate RF signals at the third and fourth outputs;
a third combiner having fifth and sixth inputs and fifth and sixth outputs, wherein the fifth input is coupled to the first output of the first combiner, and the sixth input is coupled to the third output of the second combiner, wherein the third combiner is configured to combine the first and third intermediate RF signals to produce the first and second output RF signals at the fifth and sixth outputs, and wherein the fifth and sixth outputs are coupled to the first and second output ports, respectively; and
a fourth combiner having seventh and eighth inputs and seventh and eighth outputs, wherein the seventh input is coupled to the second output of the first combiner, and the eighth input is coupled to the fourth output of the second combiner, wherein the fourth combiner is configured to combine the second and fourth intermediate RF signals to produce the third and fourth output RF signals at the seventh and eighth outputs, and wherein the seventh and eighth outputs are coupled to the third and fourth output ports, respectively.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth combiners are 90 degree combiners.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth combiners are 180 degree combiners.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power splitter having an input and N outputs, wherein the power splitter is configured to divide an input RF signal received on the input into N divided RF signals, and to provide the N divided RF signals on the N outputs; and
N phase shifters coupled between the N outputs of the power splitter and N inputs of the N amplifiers, wherein each phase shifter is configured to receive one of the N divided RF signals, and the N phase shifters are further configured to apply pre-determined phase shifts to the N divided RF signals in order to produce the N phase shifted RF signals.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a module that includes an interface and N phase shifters coupled to inputs of the N amplifiers, wherein each phase shifter is configured to receive one of N input RF signals, and the N phase shifters are further configured to apply pre-determined phase shifts to the N input RF signals in order to produce the N phase shifted RF signals;
the internal combustion engine; and
a control unit configured to send a control signal to the interface of the module, wherein the control signal causes the pre-determined phase shifts to be changed in a pre-determined sequence that results in production of the plasma discharge in each cylinder during a power stroke of the cylinder.

10. A plasma ignition system for an internal combustion engine having up to N cylinders, the plasma ignition system comprising:
a power splitter having an input and N outputs, wherein the power splitter is configured to divide an input radio frequency (RF) signal received on the input into N divided RF signals, and to provide the N divided RF signals on the N outputs;
N phase shifters, each having an input and an output, wherein each input is coupled to one of the N outputs of the power splitter, and wherein each phase shifter is configured to receive one of the N divided RF signals and to apply one of multiple pre-determined phase shifts to the N divided RF signals in order to produce N phase shifted RF signals;
N amplifiers coupled to the N phase shifters, wherein the N amplifiers are configured to receive the N phase shifted RF signals, and the N amplifiers are further configured to amplify the N phase shifted RF signals to produce N amplified, phase shifted RF signals;
a power combiner network having N input ports and N output ports, wherein each of the N input ports is coupled to an output of one of the N amplifiers, and wherein the power combiner network is configured to combine the N amplified, phase shifted RF signals to produce N output RF signals at the N output ports, wherein relative power levels of the N output RF signals are

Assignees

• Freescale Semiconductor Inc

Inventors

• Mongin Lionel
• Bokatius Mario M
• Piel Pierre-Marie J

Classifications

• F02P15/08

  having multiple-spark ignition, i.e. ignition occurring simultaneously at different places in one engine cylinder or in two or more separate engine cylinders · CPC title

• H03F1/0288

  using a main and one or several auxiliary peaking amplifiers whereby the load is connected to the main amplifier using an impedance inverter, e.g. Doherty amplifiers · CPC title

• F02P23/045

  using electromagnetic microwaves · CPC title

• H03F2203/21142

  Output signals of a plurality of power amplifiers are parallel combined to a common output · CPC title

• H03G3/3042

  in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers · CPC title