Systems and methods for increasing oxygen levels in an active pre-chamber
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJoseph Lyle Thomas, Ross Pursifull, Adam Nathan Banker, Mark Meinhart, David Bidner, Michael Damian Czekala
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for increasing an amount of oxygen in a pre-chamber of a cylinder prior to combustion. In one example, a method may include purging residual gases from a pre-chamber to a cylinder via a pre-chamber air injection, and reducing a flow of the oxygen from the pre-chamber to the cylinder via a cylinder fuel injection directed toward an orifice fluidically connecting the pre-chamber with the cylinder. In this way, a composition of pre-chamber gases may be adjusted during a combustion cycle of a cylinder.
Claims16
A method, comprising:
- purging gases from a pre-chamber to a cylinder by injecting oxygen into the pre-chamber, including performing a first oxygen injection into the pre-chamber during an intake stroke of the cylinder and performing a second oxygen injection into the pre-chamber during a compression stroke of the cylinder, wherein an amount of the first oxygen injection is greater than an amount of the second oxygen injection;
- and
- reducing a flow of the oxygen from the pre-chamber to the cylinder by directing fuel toward an orifice fluidically coupling the pre-chamber and the cylinder via a cylinder fuel injection event.
A method, comprising:
- during an intake stroke of a cylinder, performing a first air injection into a pre-chamber to flow residual exhaust gas from the pre-chamber to the cylinder via a pre-chamber opening;
- and
- during a compression stroke of the cylinder, performing a second air injection into the pre-chamber, an amount of the second air injection smaller than an amount of the first air injection, and injecting fuel into the cylinder, a portion of the fuel injected into the cylinder directed at the pre-chamber opening.
A system, comprising:
- an engine including a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder including a cylinder fuel injector and a pre-chamber of a pre-chamber ignition system, the pre-chamber fluidically coupled to the corresponding cylinder via a pre-chamber opening;
- and
- a controller storing executable instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to:
- purge gases from the pre-chamber to the corresponding cylinder by performing a first air injection into the pre-chamber during an intake stroke of the corresponding cylinder and performing a second air injection into the pre-chamber during a compression stroke of the corresponding cylinder, a first amount of air injected in the first air injection greater than a second amount of the air injected in the second air injection;
- and
- inject fuel onto the pre-chamber opening via the cylinder fuel injector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.