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US 5,216,987 AGranted
Method and apparatus for optimizing breathing utilizing unit valve actuation
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorJohn M. Clarke
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorJohn M. Clarke
Estimating the term…
Systems to optimize breathing have been used with internal combustion engines in the past and used a variety of mechanical mechanisms to improve breathing and combustion. Many of these systems fail to provide the option of controllably and modulatively varying the sequence and amount of the opening and closing of an intake or exhaust valve relative to a piston position in a cylinder bore. The present invention provides an electronic control system outputting an discrete control signal, and an opening device for unit actuation of each of the pair of valves independently. The electronic control system is programmable to respond in a first predetermined logic pattern for conventional operation of the engine at which time the intake valve is intermittently moved between the closed position and the open position during the intake stroke. The electronic control system is programmable to a second predetermined logic pattern to cyclicablly vary the opening of the intake valve during the intake stroke to effect an increase in the flow into the respective bore. The preestablished logic pattern controllably, sequentially and modulateably actuate the device for unit actuation, moving each of the valves independently between the open and closed position to effectively increase the trapped air within the bore when the valve is closed.
A breathing optimizing system adapted for use with an engine including a passage communicating with a pair of bores, a piston during operation of the engine being movably positioned within respective bores between a top dead center position and a bottom dead center position forming an intake stroke, a pair of intake valves being operatively associated between the passage and the respective bore and controlling communications between the passage and the respective bore having a closed position and an open position, said breathing optimizing system comprising:
An engine having a passage being in communication with a pair of bores, a piston during operation of the engine being movably positioned within respective bores between a top dead center position and a bottom dead center position forming an intake stroke, a pair of intake valves operatively associated between the passage and the respective bore and having a closed position and an open position, the improvement comprising;
A method for optimizing the breathing of an engine having a passage communicating with a pair of bores, a piston during operation of the engine being movably positioned within respective bores between a top dead center position and a bottom dead center position forming an intake stroke, a pair of intake valves operatively associated between the passage and the respective bore and having a closed position and an open position comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.