US 4,224,920 AGranted

Split engine operation with means for discriminating false indication of engine load reduction

AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.

InventorsFukashi Sugasawa, Haruhiko Iizuka, Junichiro Matsumoto, Yukihiro Etoh

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Abstract

A split engine control system includes a load level detector for generating a first signal in response to a relatively high engine load and a second signal in response to a relatively low engine load. A certain of the cylinders of an internal combustion engine is deactivated in response to the second signal to operate the engine on partial cylinders and activated in response to the first signal to permit the engine to operate on full cylinders. A discriminating circuit is connected to the load level detector to disable the second signal when the duration of the latter is smaller than a preset time interval which corresponds to the duration of a false indication of engine load reduction which might occur in response to gear changes during full cylinder operation.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A split engine control system for an internal combustion engine having at least a first cylinder and a second cylinder, comprising:

means for generating high- or low-power representative signals in response, respectively, to an acceleration command becoming greater or smaller than a predetermined value;
a time constant electrical circuit responsive to said low-power representative signal for generating an output signal varying as a function of time;
and
a bistable device having a first input terminal responsive to said high-power representative signal for generating a cylinder activating signal to activate said at least first and second cylinders and a second input terminal responsive to said output signal from said time constant electrical circuit reaching a preset value for generating a cylinder deactivating signal to deactivate at least said second cylinder while allowing said at least first cylinder to remain activated.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.