# US 7,610,900 B2 · Method and apparatus for operating a spark-ignited direct fuel injection engine

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- Number: US 7,610,900 B2
- Document ID: US7610900B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/549,691
- Filed: 2006-10-16
- Published: 2007-11-15
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2005-11-03
- Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Inventors: Andreas M. Lippert; Ronald M. Otto; Scott E. Parrish; Arun S. Solomon; Ansis Upatnieks; Yangbing Zeng
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610900B2

## CPC

- F02D 41/402: {Multiple injections}
- F02D 37/02: one of the functions being ignition
- F02P 5/1512: {with particular means concerning an individual cylinder}
- F02D 2041/389: {for injecting directly into the cylinder}
- Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems
- 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)
- F02P: IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES ({anti-pollution means for internal-combustion engines F02B17/00}; specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines F02B53/12; {ignition of gas turbine plants F02C7/26; ignition of jet propulsion plants F02K9/95; starting of combustion engines F02N9/00}; ignition of combustion apparatus in general, glowing plugs F23Q; measuring of physical variables in general G01; controlling in general G05; data processing in general G06; electrical components in general see Section H; {ignition coils H01F38/12}; sparking plugs H01T13/00)
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A method and article of manufacture are provided to operate a spray-guided, spark-ignition, direct fuel injection engine, including injecting a first fuel pulse during a combustion cycle, and initiating spark ignition by energizing a spark igniter. A second fuel pulse is injected during the combustion cycle effective to form an ignitable fuel-air mixture proximal to the spark igniter during a period in time whereat the spark igniter is energized. A preferred elapsed time between an end of the first fuel pulse and start of the spark ignition is determined based upon engine load.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Method to operate a spark-ignited, direct fuel injection internal combustion engine, comprising:
injecting a first fuel pulse directly into an engine cylinder combustion chamber during a combustion cycle;
initiating spark ignition by energizing a spark igniter after a preferred elapsed time after an end of the first fuel pulse and prior to injecting a second fuel pulse; and,
injecting the second fuel pulse directly into the engine cylinder combustion chamber during the combustion cycle to form a stratified charge of fuel-air mixture with an ignitable fuel-air mixture proximal to the spark igniter subsequent to said initiating spark ignition during a period in time whereat the spark igniter is energized.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining the preferred elapsed time between an end of the first fuel pulse and start of the spark ignition based upon engine load.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the preferred elapsed time between the end of the first fuel pulse and start of the spark ignition comprises a minimum of about 0.25 milliseconds.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising energizing the spark igniter for at least two milliseconds.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a total mass of fuel injected during the first fuel pulse and the second fuel pulse is based upon the engine load.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein injecting the second fuel pulse directly into the engine cylinder combustion chamber during the combustion cycle to form a stratified charge of fuel-air mixture with an ignitable fuel-air mixture proximal to the spark igniter subsequent to said initiating spark ignition during a period in time whereat the spark igniter is energized further comprises:
executing the second fuel pulse to form the ignitable fuel-air mixture at a substantially minimum spark advance determined based upon initiation of combustion of the fuel-air mixture proximal to the spark igniter.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the substantially minimum spark advance determined based upon the initiation of combustion comprises a minimum spark advance whereat 10% of the fuel mass is burned.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein injecting the second fuel pulse directly into the engine cylinder combustion chamber during the combustion cycle to form a stratified charge of fuel-air mixture with an ignitable fuel-air mixture proximal to the spark igniter subsequent to said initiating spark ignition comprises injecting the second fuel pulse to form a fuel-air mixture having an equivalence ratio substantially near or greater than 1.0 proximal to the spark igniter.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising initiating spark ignition by energizing the spark igniter at a spark advance to achieve an optimal engine output determined based upon engine torque and combustion variation.

### Claim 10

Method to operate a spark-ignition, direct fuel injection engine to minimize exhaust emissions, comprising:
selectively controlling first and second fuel injection pulses injected directly into an engine cylinder combustion chamber to form a stratified charge of fuel-air mixture with an ignitable combustion charge proximal to a spark igniter over a range of engine crank positions during which the spark igniter is energized, and
initiating spark ignition by energizing the spark igniter after a preferred elapsed time after an end of the first fuel injection pulse; wherein the first fuel injection pulse is injected prior to initiating spark ignition by energizing the spark igniter and the second fuel injection pulse is injected after initiating spark ignition of the spark igniter during a period of time when the spark igniter is energized.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising selectively controlling the end of the first fuel injection pulse based upon engine load and to reduce engine smoke when the engine is operating at medium to high engine load conditions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively adjusting mass of the first fuel pulse based upon the engine load.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising maintaining mass of the second fuel pulse substantially constant across a range of the engine loads.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising selectively controlling an end of the first fuel injection pulse based upon engine load and to reduce engine-out hydrocarbon emissions when the engine is operating at low load conditions.

### Claim 15

Article of manufacture, comprising a storage medium having machine-executable code encoded therein to control operation of a spark-ignition, direct fuel injection internal combustion engine to minimize combustion variation, the code comprising:
code to inject a first fuel pulse directly into an engine cylinder combustion chamber during a combustion cycle;
code to initiate spark ignition by energizing a spark igniter after a preferred elapsed time after end of the first fuel pulse and prior to injection of a second fuel pulse; and,
code to inject the second fuel pulse directly into the engine cylinder combustion chamber during the combustion cycle to form a stratified charge of fuel-air mixture with an ignitable fuel-air mixture proximal to the spark igniter subsequent to said initiation of spark ignition during a period in time whereat the spark igniter is energized.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising: code to determine the preferred elapsed time between an end of the first fuel pulse and start of the spark ignition based upon engine load.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the preferred elapsed time between the end of the first fuel pulse and start of the spark ignition comprises a minimum of about 0.25 milliseconds.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The article of manufacture of claim 17, further comprising energizing the spark igniter for at least two milliseconds.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein a total mass of fuel injected during the first fuel pulse and the second fuel pulse is based upon the engine load.