Internal combustion engine having dedicated EGR cylinder(s) and air-assisted spark ignition

1. A method of assisting ignition of a dedicated exhaust gas recirculation (D-EGR) cylinder in a spark-ignited internal combustion engine, the D-EGR cylinder having a combustion chamber, comprising:

providing the D-EGR cylinder with a spark plug having a body portion to which a ground electrode is attached and having an air passage within at least a portion of the body portion for receiving pressurized air and carrying the pressurized air within the spark plug;

wherein the spark plug has a spark gap within the combustion chamber;

wherein the air passage has an exit port in the vicinity of the spark gap of the spark plug; and

providing the pressurized air into the spark gap via the air passage prior to ignition events.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spark gap is between a center electrode and the ground electrode, and wherein the air passage is also at least partly within the ground electrode and exits the ground electrode via the exit port.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the ground electrode has a curved portion at the spark gap and the exit port is on an inner side of the curved portion.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spark plug has a threaded portion of the body portion and wherein the air passage enters the spark plug through the threaded portion via an inlet port.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a pre-chamber surrounding the spark gap.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the pressurized air step is performed within several milliseconds prior to the ignition events.

7. An improved spark igniter, the spark igniter having at least a body, a terminal at a first end of the body, a center electrode running through the body to a second end of the body, and a ground electrode also at the second end of the body, comprising:

an air passage running through at least a portion of the body and continuing through at least a portion of the ground electrode, the air passage having an inlet port for receiving pressurized air and having an exit port for expelling the pressurized air into a spark gap between the center electrode and the ground electrode.

8. The spark igniter of claim 7 , wherein the ground electrode has a curved portion at the spark gap and the exit port is on an inner side of the curved portion.

9. The spark igniter of claim 7 , wherein the spark igniter has a threaded portion of the body and wherein the air passage enters the spark igniter through the threaded portion via the inlet port.

10. The spark igniter of claim 7 , further comprising a pre-chamber surrounding the spark gap.

11. An improved internal combustion engine, comprising:

at least one D-EGR (dedicated exhaust gas recirculation) cylinder, with the remainder of a plurality of cylinders of the internal combustion engine being non-EGR cylinders receiving intake air from an intake manifold and exhausting emissions through a main exhaust line;

a separate intake line for the D-EGR cylinder(s), providing intake air to the D-EGR cylinder independent of the intake manifold;

an EGR loop for delivering EGR from the D-EGR cylinder(s) to the main cylinders via the intake manifold;

an EGR exhaust line connecting the EGR loop to the main exhaust line;

wherein the D-EGR cylinder(s) is equipped with an air-assisted spark igniter, the air-assisted spark igniter having at least a body, a terminal at a first end of the body, a center electrode running through the body to a second end of the body, and a ground electrode also at the second end of the body, and further having an air passage running through at least a portion of the body and continuing through at least a portion of the ground electrode, the air passage having an inlet port for receiving pressurized air and having an exit port for expelling the pressurized air into a spark gap between the center electrode and the ground electrode.

12. The improved internal combustion engine of claim 11 , further comprising an engine control unit configured to deliver the pressurized air to the spark igniter at a predetermined time prior to the ignition events.

13. The improved internal combustion engine of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined time is within several milliseconds prior to an ignition event.

14. The improved internal combustion engine of claim 11 , wherein the ground electrode has a curved portion at the spark gap and the exit port is on an inner side of the curved portion.

15. The improved internal combustion engine of claim 11 , wherein the air-assisted spark igniter has a threaded portion of the body and wherein the air passage enters the spark igniter through the threaded portion via the inlet port.

16. The improved internal combustion engine of claim 11 , further comprising a pre-chamber surrounding the spark gap.