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US 11,939,905 B2Granted
Internal combustion engine including multiple fuel injections external to a pre-chamber
AssigneeBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University
InventorHarold Schock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An internal combustion engine includes multiple fuel injections external to a pre-chamber. A further aspect provides an engine pre-chamber ignition apparatus which employs a pre-assembled and/or removable cartridge including an ignitor and a fresh air inlet but not a fuel inlet injector directly mounted thereto. Another aspect of a vehicular engine apparatus includes a fuel injector positioned externally to a pre-chamber which delivers an initial greater quantity of fuel for combustion and then a later and smaller quantity of fuel for pre-chamber ignition.
Claims27
An engine apparatus comprising:
- (a) a pre-chamber including a pre-combustion cavity and at least one combustion exit aperture;
- (b) an ignitor having a distal end in or directly accessible to the pre-combustion cavity;
- (c) a pre-chamber air inlet valve having a portion located in or adjacent to the pre-combustion cavity;
- (d) a main piston cylinder including a main combustion chamber;
- (e) a fuel injector located external to the pre-combustion cavity, the fuel injector including an injection tip located in the main combustion chamber, a centerline axis of the fuel injector being between an uppermost surface of the main piston cylinder and the ignitor such that the centerline axis of the fuel injector does not intersect the uppermost surface of the main piston cylinder in any operating position of the main piston cylinder, and the fuel injector being spaced away from the pre-chamber;
- (f) the fuel injector being configured to emit a first amount of fuel into the main combustion chamber which is pushed into the at least one aperture for subsequent pre-combustion by the ignitor within the pre-chamber cavity, the fuel injector being the sole source of the fuel into the pre-chamber cavity;
- and
- (g) the same fuel injector being configured to emit at least a second amount of the fuel into the main combustion chamber which is less than the first amount of the fuel for combustion in the main combustion chamber and at least the second amount of the fuel being ignited by the pre-combustion occurring in the pre-chamber cavity.
5 more elements
An engine apparatus comprising:
- (a) a pre-chamber including a pre-combustion cavity and at least one combustion exit aperture;
- (b) an ignitor having a distal end in or directly accessible to the pre-combustion cavity;
- (c) a pre-chamber air inlet valve having a portion located in or adjacent to the pre-combustion cavity;
- (d) a main piston cylinder including a main combustion chamber;
- (e) a fuel injector located external to the pre-combustion cavity, the fuel injector including an injection tip located in the main combustion chamber, and the fuel injector being spaced away from the pre-chamber;
- and
- (f) the fuel injector operably emitting fuel into the main combustion chamber which is pushed into the at least one aperture for subsequent pre-combustion by the ignitor within the pre-chamber cavity, the fuel injector being the sole source of the fuel into the pre-chamber cavity;
- (g) wherein the pre-chamber is part of a cartridge, the ignitor, the pre-chamber air inlet valve and the pre-chamber cavity are preassembled to a body of the cartridge, and the preassembled cartridge is subsequently removably mounted to an engine cylinder head.
5 more elements
An engine apparatus comprising:
- (a) a preassembled cartridge comprising:
- i. a body including openings therein;
- ii. a pre-chamber coupled to the body, the pre-chamber including a pre-combustion cavity and at least one combustion exit aperture;
- iii. an ignitor located in a first of the body openings;
- iv. an air inlet valve located in a third of the body openings;
- (b) a piston cylinder;
- (c) a piston linearly advancing and retracting along a longitudinal axis within the main piston cylinder;
- (d) a single fuel injector associated with the main piston cylinder and the pre-chamber, located external to the pre-combustion cavity, the fuel injector including an injection tip located in the main piston cylinder;
- (e) a main air intake valve associated with an air inlet in the main piston cylinder external to the pre-chamber;
- and
- (f) the pre-chamber comprising a concave-curved cup being coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the piston.
8 more elements
An engine apparatus comprising:
- (a) a pre-chamber including a pre-combustion cavity and multiple combustion exit apertures;
- (b) an ignitor having a distal end in the pre-combustion cavity;
- (c) a pre-chamber air inlet valve having a portion located in a passageway directly entering the pre-combustion cavity;
- (d) a main piston cylinder including a main combustion chamber;
- (e) a single fuel injector located external to the pre-combustion cavity, the single fuel injector including an injection tip located in the main combustion chamber, and the single fuel injector being spaced away from the pre-chamber;
- (f) the single fuel injector being configured to emit a first amount of fuel into the main combustion chamber which is pushed into at least one of the apertures for subsequent pre-combustion by the ignitor within the pre-chamber cavity;
- (g) the single fuel injector being configured to subsequently emit at least a second amount of the fuel into the main combustion chamber, the second amount of fuel being 3-15% of the first amount of fuel;
- (h) the pre-chamber being part of a cartridge with the ignitor, the pre-chamber air inlet valve and the pre-chamber cavity being preassembled to the cartridge, and the preassembled cartridge being configured for removable mounting to an engine cylinder head;
- and
- (i) the cartridge not having a fuel injector mounted thereto and the fuel not being directly injected into the pre-chamber cavity except indirectly through at least one of the apertures.
7 more elements
An engine apparatus comprising:
- (a) a pre-chamber including a pre-combustion cavity and multiple combustion exit apertures, at least a first of the exit apertures having a different main combustion chamber-facing port diameter as compared to another of the exit apertures;
- (b) an ignitor having a distal end in or directly accessible to the pre-combustion cavity;
- (c) a pre-chamber air inlet valve having a portion located in or adjacent to the pre-combustion cavity;
- (d) a main piston cylinder including a main combustion chamber;
- (e) a fuel injector located external to the pre-combustion cavity, the fuel injector including an injection tip located in the main combustion chamber, and the fuel injector being spaced away from the pre-chamber;
- (f) the fuel injector operably emitting a first amount of fuel into the main combustion chamber which is pushed into the at least one aperture for subsequent pre-combustion by the ignitor within the pre-chamber cavity, the fuel injector being the sole source of the fuel into the pre-chamber cavity;
- (g) the same fuel injector operably emitting at least a second amount of the fuel into the main combustion chamber which is less than the first amount of the fuel for combustion in the main combustion chamber and at least the second amount of the fuel being ignited by the pre-combustion occurring in the pre-chamber cavity;
- (h) the pre-chamber comprising a concave-curved cup being coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the piston;
- and
- (i) a fresh air conduit externally connected to a top surface of a cartridge which includes the prechamber and the ignitor, and a heater positioned adjacent the air conduit.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.