Spark Plug Adapter Housing for Shielded Aviation Engine Retrofit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aeronautical engines require larger, specially configured spark plugs with greater electrical shielding, which are expensive and hard to replace due to the unavailability of appropriately sized plugs and specialized tools, necessitating an adaptor device for commonly available spark plugs.
Innovation Solution
A spark plug adapter device comprising two housings that encapsulate a conventional spark plug, providing a weatherproof and insulated connection to aviation engines, with adaptable thread sizes and electrical connections to accommodate various spark plug dimensions and engine configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If larger spark plugs with greater electrical shielding are used in aeronautical engines, then reliability is improved by minimizing electrical shorting, but device complexity and cost increase due to specialized components and tools required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an adaptor as an intermediary component between the conventional spark plug and the aeronautical engine. The adaptor includes an insulating body that provides the necessary electrical shielding and weatherproofing, while allowing a standard spark plug to be used. This mediator resolves the contradiction by providing the shielding function without requiring a specialized spark plug design.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution segments the spark plug system into two independent parts: the standard spark plug itself and the separate adaptor housing. This segmentation allows the spark plug to remain a simple, widely available component while the adaptor provides the specialized shielding and sealing functions required for aeronautical applications.
2Reliability
If specialized spark plugs are sourced for aeronautical engines, then reliability is improved through proper electrical shielding, but loss of time increases due to long lead times for component delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor serves as a mediator that enables the use of readily available conventional spark plugs in aeronautical engines. By providing the necessary electrical shielding and weatherproofing through the adaptor housing rather than requiring specialized spark plugs, the solution eliminates long lead times while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor is designed as a pre-fabricated housing with integrated electrical shielding and sealing features. This preliminary preparation of the shielding function in a separate component allows for immediate installation with standard spark plugs, eliminating the need to wait for specially manufactured spark plugs.
3Loss of time
If conventional spark plugs are used in aeronautical engines, then loss of time is reduced by using widely available components, but reliability deteriorates due to lack of electrical shielding and weatherproofing
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between conventional spark plugs and aeronautical engine requirements. It provides the necessary electrical shielding, insulation, and weatherproofing that standard spark plugs lack, while allowing them to be used in specialized applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor housing encapsulates the conventional spark plug, with the spark plug nested inside the protected environment provided by the adaptor. This nesting arrangement provides the shielding and sealing functions while maintaining compatibility with standard spark plug dimensions.
4Reliability
If larger spark plugs with greater electrical shielding are used, then reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to specialized production requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the manufacturing process into two independent streams: standard spark plug production using conventional, well-established processes, and adaptor housing production providing the shielding and sealing functions. This segmentation maintains ease of manufacture for the spark plug while achieving reliability through the specialized adaptor.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor serves as an intermediary component that provides the electrical shielding and weatherproofing functions separately from the spark plug. This allows each component to be manufactured using appropriate processes - standard processes for the spark plug and specialized processes only for the adaptor housing.
Data Source
AI summary
A spark plug adapter device for an internal combustion engine, comprising a first housing having a central bore configured to engage with an electrical harness at a proximal end and having an external thread formed at a distal end. The spark plug adapter device further comprising a second housing having a central bore and an internal thread provided at a proximal end thereof to mate with the external thread formed on the distal end of the first housing and an external thread formed at a distal end to facilitate mating with the internal combustion engine. Moreover, the first housing and the second housing may engage to define an internal space into which a spark plug is received, such that the first and second housings encapsulate the spark plug.