# US 7,461,628 B2 · Multiple combustion mode engine using direct alcohol injection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,461,628 B2 - Document ID: US7461628B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/566,131 - Filed: 2006-12-01 - Published: 2008-06-05 - Granted: 2008-12-09 - Earliest claimed: 2006-12-01 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Paul Blumberg; Leslie Bromberg; Daniel R. Cohn; John B. Heywood; George Davis; Michael Zubeck; Robert Stein - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7461628B2 ## CPC - F02D 19/061: {by controlling fuel injectors} - F02B 11/00: Engines characterised by both fuel-air mixture compression and air compression, or characterised by both positive ignition and compression ignition, e.g. in different cylinders - F02B 17/005: {having direct injection in the combustion chamber} - F02D 19/0655: {at least one fuel being an alcohol, e.g. ethanol (F02D19/084 takes precedence)} - F02D 19/0689: {for in-cylinder direct injection} - F02D 19/0692: {Arrangement of multiple injectors per combustion chamber} - F02D 19/081: {Adjusting the fuel composition or mixing ratio; Transitioning from one fuel to the other} - F02D 35/027: {using knock sensors} - F02D 41/0025: {Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures} - F02D 41/3035: {a mode being the premixed charge compression-ignition mode} - F02D 41/3064: {with special control during transition between modes} - F01N 11/00: Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus - F01N 11/002: {the diagnostic devices measuring or estimating temperature or pressure in, or downstream of the exhaust apparatus} - F02B 1/12: with compression ignition (with fuel-air charge ignited by compression ignition of an additional fuel F02B7/00) - F02D 19/084: {Blends of gasoline and alcohols, e.g. E85} - F02D 2041/001: {for engines with variable valve actuation} - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - Y02T 10/30: Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A method of operating an engine, comprising of performing homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion during a first operating condition, and performing spark ignition combustion during a second operating condition, where an amount of directly injected alcohol in at least one of said homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion and said spark ignition combustion is varied in response to at least an operating parameter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating an engine, comprising: performing homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion during a first operating condition; and performing spark ignition combustion during a second operating condition; and transitioning between said homogeneous charge compression ignition and said spark ignition combustion, where an amount of alcohol in at least one of said homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion and in said spark ignition combustion is varied in response to the transition, where variation of the amount of alcohol during the transition is further based on an operating parameter of the transition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 where the alcohol is directly injected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the engine is fueled by gasoline and by directly injected alcohol, and where during the transition, said amount of alcohol in said homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion is temporarily increased and an air-fuel ratio during the transition is also temporarily enriched. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein the alcohol is further port fuel injected, where a ratio of directly injected to port fuel injected alcohol is varied so as to vary knock suppression. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said operating parameter includes at least one of temperature, turbo charging, and engine torque, and where during the transition between homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion and spark ignition combustion, the engine temporarily concurrently operates with some cylinders carrying out spark ignition combustion and some cylinders carrying out homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said operating parameter includes knock, and where said first operating condition includes at least one of a lower engine speed and lower engine load than said second operating condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said amount of alcohol is varied by varying a relative amount of alcohol to gasoline that is injected into the engine, where during spark ignition combustion, said amount of alcohol is adjusted to reduce tendency of knock, and where during homogenous charge compression ignition combustion, said amount of alcohol is adjusted to vary timing of compression ignition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said alcohol and said gasoline are injected directly into at least one cylinder of the engine via a direct injector, and where said amount of alcohol during spark ignition combustion is adjusted in response to engine knock. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said alcohol is injected into the engine via a first injector and said gasoline is injected into the engine via a second injector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said relative amount of alcohol to gasoline is increased as temperature of the engine increases. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said relative amount of alcohol to gasoline is increased as a level of knock increases. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, adjusting a timing of said homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion by varying an amount of alcohol delivered to the engine and a delivery timing of alcohol to the engine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein said amount of alcohol is at least one of an absolute amount of alcohol delivered to the engine and a relative amount of alcohol to gasoline that is delivered to the engine. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said alcohol includes ethanol and where a compression ratio of the engine is greater than 13:1. ### Claim 15 An engine system, comprising: at least one combustion chamber; a fuel system for delivering a first fuel including gasoline and a second fuel including alcohol to the combustion chamber; a control system to transition the combustion chamber from an auto-ignition combustion mode to a spark ignition combustion mode, where in response to the transition, the control system provides a rich air-fuel ratio with at least some of said second fuel delivered to the combustion chambers; at least an exhaust valve for controlling a level of exhaust gas retained by the combustion chamber, wherein said control system is further configured to vary the amount of the second fuel including alcohol in response to a timing of said exhaust valve; and a catalyst arranged in an exhaust stream of the combustion chamber, wherein the control system is further configured to vary the amount of the first fuel including alcohol to the combustion chamber in response to a condition of the catalyst, wherein the condition of the catalyst includes at least one of a temperature of the catalyst and level of oxygen stored by the catalyst. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The engine system of claim 15, where in response to the transition from the auto-ignition combustion mode to the spark ignition combustion mode, the control system is further configured to increase the ratio of the second fuel including alcohol to the first fuel including gasoline and wherein said alcohol includes ethanol and said auto-ignition combustion mode includes combustion by homogeneous charge compression ignition, the control system further configured to increase the amount of the second fuel including alcohol in response to a level of knock, where said combustion chamber has a compression ratio of at least 13:1. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The engine system of claim 15 further comprising, a spark plug for initiating combustion at least during said spark ignition combustion mode and where the control system is further configured to vary the spark timing to adjust an amount of torque produced by the engine in response to said transition. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, where the control system further varies an amount of the second fuel in response to a number of combustion events from the transition. ### Claim 19 A method of operating an engine, comprising: performing homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion during a first operating condition; performing spark ignition combustion during a second operating condition; and transitioning from said homogeneous charge compression ignition to said spark ignition combustion, where a knock suppression is increased at least during a first spark ignition combustion during the transition compared to that of a previous homogenous charge compression ignition combustion; and varying an amplitude and duration of enrichment during the transition in response to operating parameters. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising varying a number of engine events of enrichment after the first spark ignition combustion, the number varied in response to catalyst volume to be reactivated, amount of enrichment, and duration of enrichment.