Internal combustion engine

A method of operating an internal combustion engine having an engine chamber, a piston movable within said engine chamber to form a working chamber therewith, said engine having a power cycle with an intake event, a compression event, a power event, and an exhaust event, balancing means to admit additional air to said working chamber during said intake event, and storage means for storing said admitted air during said compression event, comprising the steps of:

• feeding a rich fuel-air mixture into said working chamber during said intake event;
• admitting additional air from said balancing means to said working chamber adjacent said storage means near the end of said intake event to form a zone in said working chamber separate from a zone containing said air-fuel mixture in response to a high vacuum condition present in said working chamber near the end of said intake event;
• transferring said additional air from said working chamber to said storage means during said compression event in response to a high pressure condition present in said working chamber during said compression event;
• igniting said rich air-fuel mixture near the beginning of said power event to form a quasi-instantaneous first combustion phase;
• and
• transferring said additional air from said storage means to said working chamber during said power event in response to a lowered pressure condition in said working chamber as said working chamber expands during said power event to form a second combustion phase over a period of time to burn the remaining fuel present in said working chamber.

A method of operating an internal combustion engine having a cylinder closed at one end, a piston movable within said cylinder between a first position proximate to said one end and a second position remote from said one end to form a working chamber, said piston having a piston chamber, comprising the steps of:

• introducing fuel and air into said working chamber during an intake stroke of said piston and providing a relatively rich air fuel mixture adjacent said one end and an excess of air adjacent said piston as said piston approaches said second position;
• transferring said excess of air from said working chamber to said piston chamber during a compression stroke of said piston;
• igniting said relatively rich air-fuel mixture to produce a quasi-instantaneous first phase of combustion;
• and
• transferring said excess of air from said piston chamber to said working chamber at an intermediate point of a power stroke of said piston in response to decreasing pressure within said working chamber as said working chamber expands following said first phase of combustion to participate in a second phase of combustion over a period of time of the unburned fuel remaining after said first phase of combustion.

A method of operating an internal combustion engine having an engine chamber, a piston movable within said engine chamber to form a working chamber therewith, said engine having a power cycle with an intake event, a compression event, a power event, and an exhaust event, means to admit fuel and air into said working chamber during said intake event, and storage means for storing an excess of air during said compression event, comprising the steps of:

• introducing fuel and air into said working chamber during said intake event and providing a relatively rich air-fuel mixture at an end of said working chamber remote from said storage means and an excess of air adjacent said storage means near the end of said intake event;
• transferring said excess of air from said working chamber to said storage means during said compression event in response to a high pressure condition present in said working chamber during said compression event;
• igniting said relatively rich air-fuel mixture near the beginning of said power event to form a quasi-instantaneous first combustion phase, and
• transferring said excess of air from said storage means to said working chamber during said power event in response to a lowered pressure condition in said working chamber as said working chamber expands during said power event to form a second combustion phase over a period of time to burn the remaining fuel present in said working chamber.