Method and apparatus for controlling an air-fuel mixture
AssigneeNonox B.V.
InventorPaul Uitenbroek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a method for controlling the composition of a combustible air-fuel mixture present in a combustion chamber of a spark-ignited internal combustion engine having external mixture formation, at least two fluids containing air are generated, of which at least one is an air-fuel mixture; the fluids are supplied to the combustion chamber, wherein the quantity proportions of the fluids are controlled such that their total composition corresponds to the predetermined composition.
Claims20
A method for controlling a composition of a combustible air-fuel mixture present in a combustion chamber of a spark-ignited internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
- generating external to the combustion chamber at least a first fluid with a first air-fuel ratio and a second fluid with a second air-fuel ratio, the first fluid being generated independently of the second fluid and having a different air-fuel ratio than the second fluid, wherein each air-fuel ratio is settable and maintainable at any value, regardless of the respective fluid flow rates of the first and second fluid, and
- generating an air-fuel mixture having a predetermined composition in the combustion chamber by controlling a proportional quantity of each of the first and second fluid that is supplied into the combustion chamber shortly before or upon entering the combustion chamber so that the first and second fluids are first mixed together in the combustion chamber.
An apparatus for controlling a composition of a combustible air-fuel mixture supplied into a plurality of cylinders of a spark-ignited internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a first mixture generating device for generating a rich air-fuel mixture having a first predetermined air-fuel ratio,
- a second mixture generating device for generating a lean air-fuel mixture having a second predetermined air-fuel ratio, the first and second mixture generating devices being external to the cylinders and the rich mixture having a higher fuel proportion than the lean mixture, wherein each air-fuel ratio is settable and maintainable at any value, regardless of the respective flow rates of the first and second fluid,
- a first manifold having a plurality of individual intake pipes configured to supply the rich mixture to a plurality of first intakes respectively leading into the plurality of cylinders,
- a second manifold having a plurality of individual intake pipes configured to supply the lean mixture to a plurality of second intakes respectively leading into the plurality of cylinders,
- a first valve device disposed in each of the first intakes and configured to control the quantity of the rich mixture supplied to the respective cylinder,
- a second valve device disposed in each of the second intakes and configured to control the quantity of the lean mixture supplied to the respective cylinder, and
- a control device for controlling the first and second valve devices such that the sum of the quantities of the rich mixture and the lean mixture flowing into the respective cylinders results in a mixture having a predetermined composition.
An apparatus for controlling a composition of a combustible air-fuel mixture present in a combustion chamber of a spark-ignited internal combustion engine, the apparatus comprising:
- first means for generating at least a first fluid and a second fluid external to the combustion chamber, the first means generating the first fluid independently of the second fluid and such that the first fluid has a different air-fuel ratio than the second fluid, the first means being configured such that each air-fuel ratio is settable and maintainable at any value, regardless of the respective fluid flow rates of the first and second fluid, and
- second means for generating an air-fuel mixture having a predetermined composition in the combustion chamber by controlling the a proportional quantity of each of the first and second fluid that is supplied into the combustion chamber shortly before or upon entering the combustion chamber so that the first and second fluids are first mixed together in the combustion chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.