US 10,161,296 B2Granted

Internal combustion engine

AssigneeBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University

InventorsHarold Schock, Guoming Zhu, Elisa Toulson, Thomas Richard Stuecken

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes a pre-chamber. In another aspect, pressure within a pre-chamber is equal to or greater than pressure within a main combustion chamber at least prior to ignition in the main combustion chamber. In yet another aspect, internal combustion engine control software automatically controls pressure within a turbulent jet ignition pre-chamber, controls a valve-actuator to admit a fuel-air charge into the pre-chamber, and causes an igniter to initiate combustion in the pressurized pre-chamber. This also permits the rate of combustion to be controlled in the primary chamber regardless of the air-fuel ratio or the diluent fraction in the main chamber. Another aspect employs a pre-chamber purge pump with separate air and fuel injection.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a pre-chamber including multiple apertures which are always open between the pre-chamber and main combustion chamber;
a main combustion chamber connected to the pre-chamber via the apertures;
an igniter operably releasing energy in the pre-chamber;
at least one injector having an outlet connected to the pre-chamber, the at least one injector supplying fuel separately from air, in an unmixed state, into the pre-chamber;
the air being injected into the pre-chamber prior to injection of the fuel to purge the pre-chamber of any prior combustion particles;
a first mixture of the air and the fuel combusting in the pre-chamber which thereafter ignites a second fuel air mixture in the main combustion chamber through the apertures;
and
the pre-chamber having an internal pressure equal to or greater than that of the main combustion chamber at least prior to ignition in the main combustion chamber;
a first cam causing an air valve to move for an air purge pump;
and
a second cam causing a supplemental piston to move fresh air from the purge pump into the pre-chamber.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/132,317Filed 19 Apr 2016 · continuation in part
Priority: 27 Nov 2012
Published: US 2016/0230645 A111 Aug 2016
Granted: 25 Dec 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

F02B 19/06
Engines characterised by precombustion chambers: with auxiliary piston in chamber for transferring ignited charge to cylinder space
F02B 19/1023
With only one pre-combustion chamber: pre-combustion chamber and cylinder being fed with fuel-air mixture
F02B 19/1028
Pre-combustion chamber and cylinder being fed with fuel-air mixture: pre-combustion chamber and cylinder having both intake ports or valves, e.g.…
F02B 19/1042
Pre-combustion chamber and cylinder having both intake ports or valves, e.g. HONDS CVCC: auxiliary intake, valve drive

Family

Application61/730,184Us provisional application · filed 27 Nov 2012
Application14/086,168Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Nov 2013
US 2016/0230645 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Aug 2016
US 2014/0144406 A1Published application
US 10,161,296 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.