Air-fuel metering for internal combustion reciprocating engines
AssigneeSetaysha Technical Solutions LLC
InventorJohn Craig Colborn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel metering system for an internal combustion engine having a fuel injection timing unit to indicate a timepoint during one or more engine strokes, a fuel metering element have a predetermined full stroke volume for metering fuel into an air-fuel mixing location during one or more of the engine strokes, and a fuel metering element controller to control the delivery of fuel by causing the fuel metering element to deliver one of a full stroke volume and a fraction of a full stroke volume to achieve a desired AFR. In some embodiments, power generator circuitry is provided to harvest power from the ICE to power at least one of the fuel injection timing unit, the fuel metering element, and the fuel metering controller.
Claims24
A fuel metering system for an internal combustion engine (ICE), the ICE having a maximum power output, at least a first combustion chamber associated with at least a first cylinder, and at least an intake stroke and a combustion stroke, the fuel metering system comprising:
- a fuel injection timing unit comprising circuitry for providing a first timing signal indicative of the occurrence of at least one timepoint during at least one of an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a combustion stroke, and an exhaust stroke of the ICE;
- a fuel metering element (FME) actuated by a first switch, the FME having a predetermined full stroke volume for metering fuel into an air-fuel mixing location in the ICE, wherein the predetermined full stroke volume is a volume of fuel creating one of a rich, combustible fuel mixture and a stoichiometric fuel mixture in the at least a first combustion chamber of the ICE at the maximum power output;
- and
- a FME controller operatively coupled to the first switch and the FME to control the delivery of fuel to the air-fuel mixing location during actuation of the FME by providing an electrical control signal to the first switch in response to the first timing signal, wherein the electrical control signal causes the FME to deliver one of a full stroke volume of fuel and a fraction of a full stroke volume of fuel to achieve a desired air-to-fuel ratio (AFR), wherein the FME controller causes the FME to deliver a fraction of a full stroke volume by actuating the first switch at a timepoint during actuation of the FME to terminate the actuation of the FME.
A fuel metering system for an internal combustion engine (ICE), the ICE having a maximum power output, at least a first combustion chamber associated with at least a first cylinder, and one or more engine strokes comprising an engine cycle, the fuel metering system comprising:
- a fuel injection timing unit comprising circuitry for providing a first timing signal indicative of the occurrence of at least one timepoint during said one or more engine strokes;
- a fuel metering element (FME) having a predetermined full stroke volume for metering fuel into an air-fuel mixing location in the ICE during at least one of the one or more engine strokes, wherein the predetermined full stroke volume is a volume of fuel creating one of a rich, combustible fuel mixture and a stoichiometric fuel mixture in the at least a first combustion chamber of the ICE at maximum ICE power output;
- a FME controller operatively coupled to a first switch for controlling delivery of fuel to the air-fuel mixing location during actuation of the FME by providing an electrical control signal to the first switch in response to the first timing signal, wherein the electrical control signal causes the FME to deliver one of a full stroke volume of fuel and a fraction of a full stroke volume of fuel to achieve a desired air-to-fuel ratio (AFR), wherein the FME controller causes the FME to deliver a fraction of a full stroke volume by controlling the first switch at a timepoint during actuation of the FME to terminate actuation of the FME by limiting energy applied to the FME;
- and
- power generator circuitry adapted to harvest power from at least one moving component of the ICE, wherein the power generator circuitry provides power to at least one of the fuel injection timing unit, the FME, and the FME controller.
A fuel metering system for an internal combustion engine (ICE), the ICE having a maximum power output, at least a first combustion chamber associated with at least a first cylinder, and one or more engine strokes comprising an engine cycle, the fuel metering system comprising:
- a fuel injection timing unit comprising circuitry for providing a first timing signal indicative of the occurrence of at least one timepoint during said one or more engine strokes;
- a fuel metering element (FME) having a predetermined full stroke volume for metering fuel into an air-fuel mixing location in the ICE when actuated during at least one of the one or more engine strokes, wherein the predetermined full stroke volume is a volume of fuel creating a rich, combustible fuel mixture in the at least a first combustion chamber of the ICE at maximum ICE power output;
- a passive element causing the FME to initiate an actuation event for delivery of a full stroke volume of fuel based on one of the first timing signal, engine rotation, or the occurrence of one of said one or more engine strokes;
- and
- a FME controller operatively coupled to a first switch to interrupt an actuation event to cause the FME to provide less than a full stroke volume of fuel to the air-fuel mixing location by controlling the first switch at a timepoint during the actuation event to provide one of an open circuit or a shunting of energy to limit fuel metered by the FME to the air-fuel mixing location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.