Ignition coil for internal combustion engine and ignition device equipped with same

Abstract

To provide an ignition coil for internal combustion engine capable of suppressing occurrence of corona discharge and capable of improving manufacturability, and provide an ignition device with the same.SOLUTION: An ignition coil 1 comprises a coil main body part 2, a cylindrical connection part 3 and a spring 4. The connection part 3 connects the coil main body part 2 and a spark plug. The spring 4 is disposed while being inserted to a through hole 31 of the connection part 3 and electrically connects the coil main body part 2 and the spark plug. The connection part 3 has an insulation property and has rubber elasticity. The spring 4 includes a spring proximal end side portion 42, a spring distal end side portion 43 and a spring intermediate portion 41. An inner peripheral surface 32 of the connection part 3 and the spring intermediate portion 41 abut on each other in a radial direction. In the spring 4, the spring intermediate portion 41 is wound more densely than the spring proximal end side portion 42 and the spring distal end side portion 43 in a free state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ignition coil for an internal combustion engine and an ignition device including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is known an ignition coil that includes a connecting portion that connects the coil body to the spark plug and a spring that electrically connects the coil body to the spark plug. The ignition coil disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a part of the spring embedded in the connecting portion. This prevents an air layer from being interposed between the connecting portion and the spring, thereby preventing corona discharge from occurring between the connecting portion and the spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6686307 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the ignition coil described in Patent Document 1 embeds a part of the spring in the connecting portion by insert molding. Therefore, when molding the connecting portion, it is necessary to position the spring in an appropriate position within the mold, and a high-precision mold may be required to prevent resin leakage. Therefore, from the viewpoint of manufacturability, there is room for further improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an ignition coil for an internal combustion engine, which can suppress the occurrence of corona discharge and improve manufacturability, and an ignition device equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a coil comprising: a coil body (2) that generates a high voltage; a cylindrical connecting portion (3) that connects the coil body and a spark plug (100); a spring (4) inserted into the through hole (31) of the connecting portion and electrically connecting the coil body and the spark plug, the connecting portion has insulating properties and rubber elasticity, The spring has a spring base end side portion (42) formed on the base end side in the through-hole's penetration direction (Z) and electrically connected to the coil main body portion, a spring tip end side portion (43) formed on the tip end side in the penetration direction and electrically connected to the spark plug, and a spring intermediate portion (41) formed between the spring base end side portion and the spring tip end side portion, The inner peripheral surface (32) of the connecting portion and the spring intermediate portion abut against each other in the radial direction, The spring is formed by winding a conducting wire in a spiral shape, and in a free state, the intermediate portion of the spring is wound more densely than the base end portion and the tip end portion of the spring, The outer diameter (D1) of the spring middle portion is larger than the outer diameter (D2) of the spring base end side portion and the outer diameter (D3) of the spring tip end side portion, The connecting portion has a positioning portion (33) formed by a part of the inner peripheral surface protruding radially inward and formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction, and the inner diameter (D4) of the positioning portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the spring middle portion and larger than the outer diameter of the spring tip side portion, and the spring tip side portion is inserted inside the positioning portion. Crate , a length (L1) of the spring middle portion in the through-hole direction is longer than the sum of a length (L2) of the spring base end side portion in the through-hole direction and a length (L3) of the spring tip end side portion in the through-hole direction; the spring intermediate portion is in close radial contact with the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion from its base end to its tip end, In the spring in a free state, adjacent turns of the conducting wire in the spring intermediate portion are in contact with each other in the penetration direction. It is found in an ignition coil (1) for an internal combustion engine.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a spark plug (100) comprising: an ignition coil (1) that applies high voltage to the spark plug; The ignition coil is a coil body (2) that generates high voltage; a cylindrical connecting portion (3) that connects the coil body and the spark plug; a spring (4) inserted into the through hole (31) of the connecting portion and electrically connecting the coil body and the spark plug, the connecting portion has insulating properties and rubber elasticity, The spring has a spring base end side portion (42) formed on the base end side in the through-hole's penetration direction (Z) and electrically connected to the coil main body portion, a spring tip end side portion (43) formed on the tip end side in the penetration direction and electrically connected to the spark plug, and a spring intermediate portion (41) formed between the spring base end side portion and the spring tip end side portion, The inner peripheral surface (32) of the connecting portion and the spring intermediate portion abut against each other in the radial direction, The spring is formed by winding a conducting wire in a spiral shape, and in a free state, the intermediate portion of the spring is wound more densely than the base end portion and the tip end portion of the spring, The outer diameter (D5) of the spring middle portion is larger than the outer diameter (D6) of the spring base end side portion and the outer diameter (D7) of the spring tip end side portion, The connecting portion has a positioning portion (33) formed by a part of the inner peripheral surface protruding radially inward and formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction, and the inner diameter (D8) of the positioning portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the spring middle portion and larger than the outer diameter of the spring tip side portion, and the spring tip side portion is inserted inside the positioning portion. Crate , a length (L4) of the spring middle portion in the through-hole direction is longer than the sum of a length (L5) of the spring base end side portion in the through-hole direction and a length (L6) of the spring tip end side portion in the through-hole direction; the spring intermediate portion is in close radial contact with the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion from its base end to its tip end, In the spring in a free state, adjacent turns of the conducting wire in the spring intermediate portion are in contact with each other in the penetration direction. An ignition device (10) for an internal combustion engine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In the above ignition coil, the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion and the spring middle portion are in radial contact with each other, which prevents an air layer from being formed between the connecting portion and the spring middle portion, thereby preventing corona discharge from occurring between the connecting portion and the spring middle portion.

[0009] In the above ignition coil, the connecting portion has rubber elasticity. In addition, in the free state, the spring is wound more tightly at the middle portion than at the base end and tip end portions. Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil, the spring can be easily inserted into the through-hole of the connecting portion. As a result, manufacturability can be improved.

[0010] The ignition device includes the ignition coil, which can suppress the occurrence of corona discharge and improve manufacturability.

[0011] As described above, according to the above-described aspects, it is possible to provide an ignition coil for an internal combustion engine and an ignition device including the same, which can suppress the occurrence of corona discharge and improve manufacturability. In addition, the symbols in parentheses in the claims and the means for solving the problems indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction in which the ignition coil penetrates in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a view of a spring in a free state in the first embodiment, viewed from a direction perpendicular to the penetration direction. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a middle part of the spring in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a base end side portion of the spring in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the tip side of the spring in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the penetration direction of a connecting portion in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a connecting portion in a state where a spring is inserted into a through-hole in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the penetration direction of the ignition device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an internal combustion engine in which an ignition device is installed according to a first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a middle part of a spring in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the penetration direction of the ignition coil in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] (Embodiment 1) An embodiment of an ignition coil for an internal combustion engine and an ignition device including the same will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in Fig. 1, the ignition coil 1 for an internal combustion engine of this embodiment has a coil body 2 that generates high voltage, a cylindrical connecting portion 3, and a spring 4. As shown in Fig. 8, the connecting portion 3 connects the coil body 2 to a spark plug 100. The spring 4 is inserted into a through hole 31 of the connecting portion 3, and electrically connects the coil body 2 to the spark plug 100. Furthermore, the connecting portion 3 has insulating properties and rubber elasticity.

[0014] The spring 4 has a spring base end side portion 42, a spring tip side portion 43, and a spring middle portion 41. The spring base end side portion 42 is formed on the base end side of the through hole 31 in the through-hole direction Z and is electrically connected to the coil body 2. The spring tip side portion 43 is formed on the tip side in the through-hole direction Z and is electrically connected to the spark plug 100. The spring middle portion 41 is formed between the spring base end side portion 42 and the spring tip side portion 43. The inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting portion 3 and the spring middle portion 41 abut against each other in the radial direction.

[0015] 2 to 5, in a free state, the spring 4 has a spring middle portion 41 wound more densely than the spring base end portion 42 and the spring tip end portion 43.

[0016] The ignition coil 1 of this embodiment can be connected to a spark plug installed in an internal combustion engine of an automobile or the like and used as a means for applying high voltage to the spark plug. In this specification, the side of the ignition coil 1 that connects to the spark plug 100 in the through-hole 31's penetration direction Z is referred to as the tip side, and the opposite side is referred to as the base side. The radial direction refers to the radial direction of a circle centered on the central axis C of the connecting portion 3 on a plane perpendicular to the central axis C of the connecting portion 3. The circumferential direction refers to the direction along the circumference of a circle centered on the central axis C of the connecting portion 3. Detailed illustrations of the coil body 2 on the base side of the connecting portion 3 are omitted in FIGS. 1, 8, and 9.

[0017] 1, the coil main body 2 is configured by housing a primary coil (not shown) and a secondary coil (not shown) that are magnetically coupled to each other in a case 20. The primary coil and the secondary coil are sealed in the case 20 by a filling resin 21.

[0018] The coil body 2 has a cylindrical tower 22 that protrudes from the case 20 toward the tip end. A high-voltage output terminal 23 is fitted into the tower 22 so as to close the base end of the tower 22.

[0019] The coil main body 2 is connected to the connecting portion 3 by fitting the tower portion 22 into the through hole 31. The spring base end side portion 42 is inserted and disposed inside the tower portion 22. The spring base end side portion 42 abuts against the high-voltage output terminal 23 while being compressed in the penetration direction Z. In other words, the spring base end side portion 42 is in pressure contact with the side surface of the tip of the high-voltage output terminal 23. The spring 4 and secondary coil are electrically connected to each other via the high-voltage output terminal 23 and the connection terminal 24.

[0020] The spring 4 has an elongated shape in the penetration direction Z and is formed by winding a single conducting wire. As shown in Fig. 2, when the spring 4 in a free state is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the penetration direction Z, the spring base end side portion 42 and the spring tip side portion 43 are formed to be substantially point-symmetrical with respect to each other, with the center P of the spring 4 as the symmetry point. In other words, in the spring 4 in a free state, the length of the spring base end side portion 42 in the penetration direction Z and the length of the spring tip side portion 43 in the penetration direction Z are equal to each other.

[0021] 1, the length L1 of the spring middle portion 41 in the through-hole direction Z is longer than the sum of the length L2 of the spring base-end side portion 42 in the through-hole direction Z and the length L3 of the spring tip-end side portion 43 in the through-hole direction Z. Here, the lengths L1, L2, and L3 are each the lengths in the through-hole direction Z when the connecting portion 3 and the coil main body 2 are connected to each other. In other words, the length L2 is the length when the spring base-end side portion 42 is compressed in the through-hole direction Z.

[0022] 3 is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the spring base end side portion 42 shown in FIG. 4 and the outer diameter D3 of the spring tip side portion 43 shown in FIG.

[0023] 3 is smaller than the pitch P2 of the spring base end portions 42 shown in FIG. 4 and the pitch P3 of the spring tip end portions 43 shown in FIG. 5. In other words, in the spring 4 in the free state, the number of windings of the conducting wire per unit length in the penetration direction Z is greater in the spring middle portion 41 than in the spring base end portions 42 and the spring tip end portions 43. In other words, as described above, in the spring 4 in the free state, the spring middle portion 41 is wound more densely than the spring base end portions 42 and the spring tip end portions 43.

[0024] 3, in this embodiment, the pitch P1 is equal to the diameter D10 of the conducting wire that constitutes the spring intermediate portion 41. That is, in the spring intermediate portion 41, adjacent turns of the conducting wire abut against each other in the penetration direction Z.

[0025] 4, a gap G2 is formed in the penetration direction Z between adjacent turns of the conductor at the spring base end side portion 42. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a gap G3 is formed in the penetration direction Z between adjacent turns of the conductor at the spring tip side portion 43.

[0026] 1, the connecting portion 3 has a connecting intermediate portion 34 that faces the spring intermediate portion 41 in the radial direction, a connecting base end side portion 35 that is located closer to the base end than the spring intermediate portion 41, and a connecting tip side portion 36 that is located closer to the tip end than the spring intermediate portion 41. The spring intermediate portion 41 is in close radial contact with the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting intermediate portion 34 from its base end to its tip end. The spring intermediate portion 41 is also in close contact with the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting intermediate portion 34 over the entire circumferential direction. The connecting portion 3 is made of, for example, an elastomer. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 3 is made of silicone rubber.

[0027] 1, 6, and 7, the connecting portion 3 has a positioning portion 33. The positioning portion 33 is formed by a portion of the inner circumferential surface 32 protruding radially inward, and is formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the inner diameter D4 of the positioning portion 33 is smaller than the outer diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) and larger than the outer diameter D3 (see FIG. 5). In addition, the spring tip side portion 43 is inserted inside the positioning portion 33.

[0028] The spring 4 is disposed in the through-hole 31 with the boundary 44 between the spring middle portion 41 and the spring tip side portion 43 abutting against the positioning portion 33 in the penetration direction Z.

[0029] Next, a method for assembling the ignition coil 1 of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, during assembly, the spring 4 is first press-fitted into the through-hole 31 of the connecting portion 3 from the base end side. At this time, the spring 4 is press-fitted into the through-hole 31 toward the tip end side until the positioning portion 33 and the boundary portion 44 of the spring 4 abut against each other in the through-hole direction Z. This allows the spring 4 to be inserted and disposed at a desired position in the connecting portion 3, as shown in FIG. 7 . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1 , the tower portion 22 of the coil main body 2 is fitted into the through-hole 31 from the base end side so that the spring base end portion 42 and the high-voltage output terminal 23 abut against each other in the through-hole direction Z, thereby manufacturing the ignition coil 1 of this embodiment. Furthermore, by fitting the tower portion 22 into the through-hole 31, the spring base end portion 42 is compressed in the through-hole direction Z.

[0030] 6, the inner diameter D9 of the intermediate coupling portion 34 is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) before the spring 4 is inserted into the through-hole 31. The outer diameter D2 (see FIG. 4), the outer diameter D3 (see FIG. 5), and the inner diameter D4 (see FIG. 1) are all smaller than the inner diameter D9.

[0031] Next, the ignition device 10 of this embodiment will be described. An ignition device 10 for an internal combustion engine according to this embodiment includes a spark plug 100 and an ignition coil 1 that applies a high voltage to the spark plug 100, as shown in FIGS.

[0032] 8, the length L4 of the spring middle portion 41 in the through-direction Z is longer than the sum of the length L5 of the spring base-end side portion 42 in the through-direction Z and the length L6 of the spring tip-end side portion 43 in the through-direction Z. Here, the lengths L4, L5, and L6 are each the lengths in the through-direction Z when the connecting portion 3 is connected to the coil body 2 and the spark plug 100. In other words, the length L5 is the length when the spring base-end side portion 42 is compressed in the through-direction Z. Furthermore, the length L6 is the length when the spring tip-end side portion 43 is compressed in the through-direction Z by the spark plug 100, as will be described later.

[0033] An outer diameter D5 of the spring middle portion 41 shown in FIG. 3 is larger than an outer diameter D6 of the spring base end side portion 42 shown in FIG. 4 and an outer diameter D7 of the spring tip end side portion 43 shown in FIG.

[0034] 8, the inner diameter D8 of the positioning portion 33 is smaller than the outer diameter D5 and larger than the outer diameter D7.

[0035] The ignition device 10 of this embodiment is installed in an internal combustion engine 5 as shown in FIG. 9 . An engine head 51 of the internal combustion engine 5 is formed with a spark plug hole 511 through which the connecting portion 3 of the ignition coil 1 is inserted. The spark plug hole 511 is open on the base end side and is closed on the tip end side by a closing wall portion 512. A female threaded hole 513 into which a spark plug 100 is screwed is formed in the closing wall portion 512. The spark plug 100 is screwed into the female threaded hole 513, and the spark plug 100 is attached to the engine head 51. When the spark plug 100 is attached to the engine head 51, the tip end of the spark plug 100 is exposed to the combustion chamber 52 of the internal combustion engine 5.

[0036] Furthermore, after the spark plug 100 is attached to the internal combustion engine 5, the ignition coil 1 is installed in the internal combustion engine 5. Specifically, after the spark plug 100 is attached to the engine head 51, the connecting portion 3 is inserted into the spark plug hole 511 from the base end side, and the spark plug 100 is fitted into the connecting tip side portion 36 from the tip side. This connects the coil main body 2 and the spark plug 100 via the connecting portion 3. Furthermore, when the spark plug 100 is fitted into the connecting tip side portion 36, the spring tip side portion 43 is pressed in the penetration direction Z by the terminal fitting 101 of the spark plug 100. As a result, the spring tip side portion 43 abuts against the terminal fitting 101 while being compressed in the penetration direction Z. That is, in the ignition device 10, the spring tip side portion 43 is electrically connected to the spark plug 100 while being in pressure contact with the terminal fitting 101.

[0037] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. In the above-described ignition coil 1, the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting portion 3 and the spring middle portion 41 are in contact with each other in the radial direction. This prevents an air layer from being formed between the connecting portion 3 and the spring middle portion 41. As a result, the occurrence of corona discharge between the connecting portion 3 and the spring middle portion 41 can be prevented.

[0038] In the ignition coil 1, the connecting portion 3 has rubber elasticity. In the spring 4, in a free state, the spring middle portion 41 is wound more densely than the spring base end portion 42 and the spring tip end portion 43. Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the spring 4 can be easily inserted into the through-hole 31 of the connecting portion 3. As a result, manufacturability can be improved.

[0039] As described above, in the spring 4 in a free state, the spring middle portion 41 is wound more densely than the spring base end portion 42 and the spring tip end portion 43. This increases the rigidity of the spring middle portion 41 in the through-hole direction Z. The connecting portion 3 has rubber elasticity. Therefore, during assembly of the ignition coil 1, the spring 4 can be press-fitted into the through-hole 31 along the through-hole direction Z while preventing the spring 4 from bending. This allows the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting portion 3 and the spring middle portion 41 to be efficiently brought into close contact with each other without using any other members other than the connecting portion 3 and the spring 4. This allows the ignition coil 1, which can suppress the occurrence of corona discharge, to be efficiently manufactured. As a result, the output performance of the ignition coil 1 for the spark plug 100 can be improved, and manufacturability can be improved.

[0040] Length L1 (see FIG. 1) is longer than the sum of length L2 (see FIG. 1) and length L3 (see FIG. 1). This allows the area where the spring 4 and the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting portion 3 come into contact with each other to be widened. This further prevents an air layer from being formed between the connecting portion 3 and the spring 4. As a result, the occurrence of corona discharge between the connecting portion 3 and the spring 4 can be further prevented.

[0041] When the spring 4 in a free state is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the through-hole direction Z, the spring base end side portion 42 and the spring tip side portion 43 are formed to be substantially point-symmetrical with respect to the center P of the spring 4. Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the spring 4 can be inserted into the through-hole 31 of the connecting portion 3 without considering the orientation of the spring 4. In other words, of the two ends of the spring 4 in the through-hole direction Z, the one inserted first into the through-hole 31 becomes the spring tip side portion 43. However, regardless of which of the two ends is inserted first into the through-hole 31, the spring tip side portion 43 can have a predetermined length and a predetermined pitch. Furthermore, regardless of which of the two ends of the spring 4 is inserted first into the through-hole 31, the spring base end side portion 42 can have a predetermined length and a predetermined pitch. This improves assembly efficiency and, as a result, further improves manufacturability.

[0042] The outer diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) is larger than the outer diameter D2 (see FIG. 4) and the outer diameter D3 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the spring 4 can be press-fitted into the through-hole 31 of the connecting part 3 without considering the rigidity of the spring tip side part 43 in the penetration direction Z. This makes it easy to bring the outer periphery of the spring middle part 41 into close contact with the inner periphery surface 32 of the connecting part 3. As a result, manufacturability can be further improved. In addition, the spring function of the spring base side part 42 and the spring tip side part 43 can be sufficiently maintained while the spring middle part 41 and the inner periphery surface 32 of the connecting part 3 can be reliably brought into close contact with each other.

[0043] The connecting portion 3 has a positioning portion 33. The inner diameter D4 of the positioning portion 33 is smaller than the outer diameter D1 and larger than the outer diameter D3. The spring tip side portion 43 is inserted inside the positioning portion 33. Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the position of the spring 4 in the through-direction Z relative to the connecting portion 3 can be easily determined. In other words, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the spring 4 can be positioned at a desired position by inserting the spring 4 toward the tip side until the boundary portion 44 of the spring 4 and the positioning portion 33 abut against each other in the through-direction Z. As a result, manufacturability can be further improved. Furthermore, since the positioning portion 33 is formed in the connecting portion 3, it is possible to reliably prevent the spring 4 from falling off the connecting portion 3.

[0044] Furthermore, the spring 4 is disposed in the through-hole 31 with the boundary portion 44 and the positioning portion 33 abutting against each other in the through-hole direction Z. This makes it easy to maintain the position of the spring 4 at a predetermined position relative to the connecting portion 3. As a result, the electrical connection between the coil body 2 and the spring 4 can be reliably maintained.

[0045] The ignition device 10 includes the ignition coil 1. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of corona discharge and improve manufacturability.

[0046] Length L4 (see FIG. 8) is longer than the sum of length L5 (see FIG. 8) and length L6 (see FIG. 8). This allows the spring 4 and the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting portion 3 to abut against each other over a wider area. As a result, the occurrence of corona discharge between the connecting portion 3 and the spring 4 can be further suppressed.

[0047] The outer diameter D5 (see FIG. 3) is larger than the outer diameter D6 (see FIG. 4) and the outer diameter D7 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the spring 4 can be press-fitted into the through-hole 31 of the connecting part 3 without considering the rigidity of the spring tip side part 43 in the penetration direction Z. As a result, manufacturability can be further improved. In addition, the spring middle part 41 can be reliably brought into close contact with the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting part 3 while the spring base end side part 42 and the spring tip side part 43 are sufficiently maintained in spring function.

[0048] The inner diameter D8 of the positioning portion 33 is smaller than the outer diameter D5 and larger than the outer diameter D7. The spring tip side portion 43 is inserted inside the positioning portion 33. Therefore, when assembling the ignition coil 1, the position of the spring 4 in the penetration direction Z relative to the connecting portion 3 can be easily determined. As a result, manufacturability can be further improved. Furthermore, since the positioning portion 33 is formed on the connecting portion 3, it is possible to reliably prevent the spring 4 from falling off the connecting portion 3.

[0049] Before inserting the spring 4 into the through-hole 31, the inner diameter D9 of the intermediate connecting portion 34 is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter D1. Therefore, when the spring 4 is inserted into the connecting portion 3, the inner circumferential surface 32 of the connecting portion 3 and the intermediate spring portion 41 can be reliably brought into close contact with each other. As a result, the occurrence of corona discharge between the connecting portion 3 and the intermediate spring portion 41 can be reliably suppressed.

[0050] In the spring middle portion 41, adjacent turns of the conducting wire abut against each other in the through-hole direction Z. This further increases the rigidity of the spring middle portion 41 in the through-hole direction Z. This also makes it easier to press the spring 4 into the through-hole 31 when assembling the ignition coil 1. As a result, manufacturability can be further improved.

[0051] Gaps G2 and G3 are formed between the spring base end side portion 42 and the spring tip side portion 43, respectively. Therefore, the spring base end side portion 42 and the spring tip side portion 43 can fully maintain their spring functions. Therefore, the spring base end side portion 42 can be pressed against the high-voltage output terminal 23, and the spring tip side portion 43 can be pressed against the spark plug 100. As a result, the electrical connection between the coil body 2 and the spark plug 100 can be reliably maintained.

[0052] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an ignition coil 1 for an internal combustion engine and an ignition device 10 including the same, which can suppress the occurrence of corona discharge and improve manufacturability.

[0053] (Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a gap G1 is formed in the spring middle portion 41.

[0054] 10, in the spring middle portion 41, a gap G1 is formed in the through-hole direction Z between adjacent turns of the conducting wire. The size of the gap G1 in the through-hole direction Z is smaller than the size of the gap G2 (see FIG. 4) and the size of the gap G3 (see FIG. 5) in the through-hole direction Z. It is preferable that the size of the gap G1 in the through-hole direction Z be ⅓ or less of the size of the gap G2 or the size of the gap G3 in the through-hole direction Z.

[0055] Furthermore, the pitch P1 of the spring intermediate portions 41 is smaller than the pitch P2 (see FIG. 4) and the pitch P3 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the pitch P1 is larger than the diameter D10 of the conducting wire. Other aspects are the same as those of embodiment 1. Note that, among the symbols used in embodiment 2 and onwards, the same symbols as those used in the previous embodiments represent the same components, etc. as those in the previous embodiments, unless otherwise specified. This embodiment also has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0056] (Embodiment 3) As shown in Fig. 11, this embodiment is an embodiment in which the shape of the spring 4 is changed from that of the first embodiment. Note that in Fig. 11, the portion of the coil main body 2 on the base end side of the connecting portion 3 is not shown in detail.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the spring middle portion 41, the outer diameter D2 of the spring base end side portion 42, and the outer diameter D3 of the spring tip side portion 43 are all equal in size.

[0058] Furthermore, before the spring 4 is inserted into the through-hole 31, the inner diameter of the intermediate connecting portion 34 is smaller than the inner diameter of the base connecting portion 35 and the inner diameter of the distal connecting portion 36. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0059] The outer diameters D1, D2, and D3 are all equal in size, which allows the spring 4 to be manufactured efficiently. As a result, the manufacturability of the ignition coil 1 can be further improved. In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1... ignition coil, 2... coil main body, 3... connecting portion, 31... through hole, 32... inner peripheral surface, 4... spring, 41... spring middle portion, 42... spring base end side portion, 43... spring tip side portion, 100... spark plug, Z... penetration direction

Claims

1. a coil body (2) that generates a high voltage; a cylindrical connecting portion (3) that connects the coil body and a spark plug (100); a spring (4) inserted into the through hole (31) of the connecting portion and electrically connecting the coil body and the spark plug, the connecting portion has insulating properties and rubber elasticity, The spring has a spring base end side portion (42) formed on the base end side in the through-hole's penetration direction (Z) and electrically connected to the coil main body portion, a spring tip end side portion (43) formed on the tip end side in the penetration direction and electrically connected to the spark plug, and a spring intermediate portion (41) formed between the spring base end side portion and the spring tip end side portion, The inner circumferential surface (32) of the connecting portion and the spring intermediate portion are in contact with each other in the radial direction, The spring is formed by winding a conducting wire in a spiral shape, and in a free state, the intermediate portion of the spring is wound more densely than the base end portion and the tip end portion of the spring, The outer diameter (D1) of the spring middle portion is larger than the outer diameter (D2) of the spring base end side portion and the outer diameter (D3) of the spring tip end side portion, The connecting portion has a positioning portion (33) formed by a part of the inner peripheral surface protruding radially inward and formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction, the inner diameter (D4) of the positioning portion being smaller than the outer diameter of the spring middle portion and larger than the outer diameter of the spring tip side portion, the spring tip side portion being inserted inside the positioning portion, a length (L1) of the spring middle portion in the through-direction is longer than a sum of a length (L2) of the spring base end side portion in the through-direction and a length (L3) of the spring tip end side portion in the through-direction; the spring intermediate portion is in close radial contact with the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion from its base end to its tip end, In the spring in a free state, adjacent turns of the conductor wire in the intermediate portion of the spring abut against each other in the penetration direction.

2. 2. An ignition coil for an internal combustion engine as described in claim 1, wherein the base end side of the spring and the connecting portion do not abut each other, and the portion of the tip side of the spring that is further tip than the positioning portion does not abut each other and the connecting portion.

3. 3. An ignition coil for an internal combustion engine as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the spring in a free state is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the penetrating direction, the base end side portion of the spring and the tip end side portion of the spring are formed so as to be substantially point-symmetrical with each other, with the center (P) of the spring as the point of symmetry.

4. A spark plug (100), an ignition coil (1) that applies high voltage to the spark plug; The ignition coil is a coil body (2) that generates a high voltage; a cylindrical connecting portion (3) that connects the coil body and the spark plug; a spring (4) inserted into the through hole (31) of the connecting portion and electrically connecting the coil body and the spark plug, the connecting portion has insulating properties and rubber elasticity, The spring has a spring base end side portion (42) formed on the base end side in the through-hole's penetration direction (Z) and electrically connected to the coil main body portion, a spring tip end side portion (43) formed on the tip end side in the penetration direction and electrically connected to the spark plug, and a spring intermediate portion (41) formed between the spring base end side portion and the spring tip end side portion, The inner circumferential surface (32) of the connecting portion and the spring intermediate portion are in contact with each other in the radial direction, The spring is formed by winding a conducting wire in a spiral shape, and in a free state, the intermediate portion of the spring is wound more densely than the base end portion and the tip end portion of the spring, The outer diameter (D5) of the spring middle portion is larger than the outer diameter (D6) of the spring base end side portion and the outer diameter (D7) of the spring tip end side portion, The connecting portion has a positioning portion (33) formed by a part of the inner peripheral surface protruding radially inward and formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction, the inner diameter (D8) of the positioning portion being smaller than the outer diameter of the spring middle portion and larger than the outer diameter of the spring tip side portion, the spring tip side portion being inserted inside the positioning portion, The length (L4) of the spring middle portion in the through-direction is longer than the sum of the length (L5) of the spring base end side portion in the through-direction and the length (L6) of the spring tip end side portion in the through-direction, the spring intermediate portion is in close radial contact with the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion from its base end to its tip end, In the spring in a free state, adjacent turns of the conductor wire in the intermediate portion of the spring abut against each other in the penetration direction.

5. 5. An ignition device for an internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 4, wherein the base end side of the spring and the connecting portion do not abut against each other, and the portion of the tip side of the spring that is tip side of the positioning portion does not abut against the connecting portion.

6. 6. An ignition device for an internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 4 or 5, wherein when the spring in a free state is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the penetrating direction, the spring base end side portion and the spring tip end side portion are formed to be substantially point-symmetrical with respect to each other, with the center (P) of the spring as the point of symmetry.

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