Charge forming system for maintaining operation of an internal combustion engine at its lean limit
AssigneeFuel Injection Development Corporation
InventorsErvin Leshner, Michael D. Leshner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A charge forming system is disclosed which monitors a parameter of engine combustion efficiency, such as power output, and derives a signal indicating the sense of power change. A fuel mixture control system responds to an indication of increasing power to continually and progressively lessen the fuel/air ratio to attain the leanest possible mixture consistent with maximum instantaneous engine power output. In a preferred embodiment liquid fuel is vaporized before delivery to the engine combustion chambers, and a variable orifice provided to enhance the flow characteristics of the vaporized fuel.
Claims14
A charge forming system for automatically and continually optimizing the fuel/air ratio of charge supplied to an internal combustion engine comprising:
- transducer means adapted to be coupled to the engine for outputting a first signal representing the instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine, said transducer means including means for producing signals representing the rate of fuel flow and the engine power output;
- means for combining said signals to produce an output signal representing instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine;
- and
- a charge control for changing the fuel/air ratio of the charge, including a servomechanism coupled to said transducer means and responsive to changes in the level of said first signal to decrease the fuel/air ratio of the charge when instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine is increasing, and to increase the fuel/air ratio of the charge when the instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine is decreasing.
A charge forming system for automatically and continually optimizing the fuel/air ratio of charge supplied to an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a movable control member adapted to be manually displaced;
- pressure regulator means adapted to be coupled between the fuel reservoir and a fuel distribution system, and further coupled to said control member means for controlling delivered fuel pressure in response to the operation of said manually displaceable means;
- a fuel delivery conduit extending from said pressure regulator means;
- a fuel vaporizing stage coupled to said fuel delivery conduit and adapted to be disposed in heat exchange relation to the engine for vaporizing liquid fuel delivered thereto;
- a vapor conduit for delivering vaporized fuel from said vaporizing stage to the engine;
- fuel throttle means disposed in said vapor conduit and operatively coupled to said manually displaceable control member;
- air throttle means coupled to said manually displaceable control member;
- servo means for increasing opening of said air throttle for any given position of said control member;
- transducer means for outputting a signal reflecting the combustion efficiency of the engine;
- and
- servo control means coupled to said transducer and responsive to said signal for operating said servo means in response to a sensed change in the combustion efficiency of the engine.
A charge forming system for automatically and continually optimizing the fuel/air ratio of charge supplied to an internal combustion engine comprising:
- transducer means adapted to be coupled to the engine for outputting a first signal representing the instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine, said transducer means comprising means for monitoring cylinder pressure and manifold vacuum of the engine and for deriving a signal representative of the net sum of cylinder pressure and manifold vacuum integrated over at least one engine cycle;
- a charge control for changing the fuel/air ratio of the charge, including a servomechanism coupled to said transducer means and responsive to changes in the level of said first signal to decrease the fuel/air ratio of the charge when instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine is increasing, and to increase the fuel/air ratio of the charge when the instantaneous combustion efficiency of the engine is decreasing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.