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US 5,813,383 AGranted
Variable displacement diesel engine
OwnerHenry W. Cummingsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A diesel engine operated with cylinder cut-out is disclosed. The number of operative cylinders is proportional to the load on the engine. A computer stops the flow of fuel to the deactivated cylinders. The computer energizes the glow plugs of the deactived cylinders if the deactivated cylinder temperatures are below a predetermined minimum temperature before reactivating the cylinder.
Claims29
In a method of operating a variable displacement Diesel engine including:
- providing a Diesel engine having a plurality of cylinders with pistons movable within said cylinders;
- said pistons connected to a crank shaft;
- said cylinders at least partially defining combustion chambers in said engine;
- supplying Diesel fuel to said combustion chambers;
- activating glow plugs for heating said combustion chambers to minimum operating temperature;
- operating valve means for introducing air and fuel for combustion into said combustion chambers, and for allowing combustion gasses to exist from said combustion chamber;
- applying a load to said crank shaft;
- the improvement comprising:
- under computer control reducing the number of operative cylinders under reduced load operating conditions including discontinuing the supply of fuel to selected cylinders;
- and under increased load conditions, computer controlled activating additional cylinders, including providing said deactivated cylinders with fuel for combustion;
- and computer controlled activating the respective glow plugs of the previously inactive cylinders if the temperature of said inactive cylinders has become below a minimum operating temperature, to heat up the deactivated cylinders and then re-introducing fuel into said deactivated cylinders.
8 more elements
In a Diesel engine including an engine block having a plurality of cylinders with pistons movable within said cylinders;
- said pistons connected to a crank shaft;
- said cylinders at least partially defining combustion chambers in said engine;
- means for supplying Diesel fuel to said combustion chamber;
- glow plugs for heating said combustion chambers to minimum operating temperature;
- valve means for introducing air and fuel for combustion into said combustion chamber and for allowing combustion gasses to exist from said combustion chamber;
- means for applying a variable load to said crank shaft;
- the improvement comprising:
- computer controlled means for reducing the number of operative cylinders under reduced load operating conditions including means for discontinuing the suppley of fuel to selected cylinders under reduced load conditions;
- and under increased load conditions computer controlled means for activating additional cylinders including means for supplying deactivated cylinders with fuel for combustion, and computer controlled means for activating the respective glow plugs of the previously inactive cylinders if the previously inactive cylinders have become below a minimum operating temperature, to heat up the deactivated cylinders and then re-introducing fuel to said deactivated cylinders.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.