HCCI heavy mixing mode
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorVincent J. Winstead
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for operating a multi-stroke homogeneous charge compression ignition engine is described. The method includes late intake valve opening (LIVO) and also cycling air and fuel charge from the cylinder back into the intake manifold during a compression stroke to mix the air and fuel charge for later reintroduction and combustion.
Claims18
A method for operating a multi-stroke homogeneous charge compression ignition engine having a plurality of cylinders using electronic valve actuation, comprising:
- actuating at least one intake valve of a cylinder with a late intake valve opening (LIVO);
- receiving an air and fuel charge in the cylinder;
- opening the at least one intake valve during a compression stroke of a piston in the cylinder to cycle the air and fuel charge into an intake manifold to mix the air and fuel charge;
- opening the at least one intake valve to receive at least some of the mixed air and fuel charge from the intake manifold during an intake stroke;
- and
- compressing the mixed air and fuel charge to auto-ignition to generate HCCI combustion without applying spark ignition to the mixed air and fuel charge.
A method of operating a multi-cylinder engine with an intake and exhaust manifold, the engine having a cylinder with at least an intake and exhaust valve, the method comprising:
- operating the cylinder of the engine with at least the following successive strokes:
- a first stroke having downward piston motion where charge from the intake manifold is inducted into the cylinder and where the intake valve opens substantially after top dead center of the first stroke;
- a second stroke having upward piston motion where the inducted charge is first compressed with both intake and exhaust valves held closed, and where the intake valve opens substantially after bottom dead center, but before top dead center of the second stroke to deliver at least some of the charge back to the intake manifold;
- a third stroke having downward piston motion where at least some of the charge is re-inducted from the intake manifold with the intake valve remaining open from the second stroke and at least partially into the third stroke;
- and
- a fourth stroke having upward piston motion where the re-inducted charge is compressed to auto-ignition with the intake and exhaust valves closed.
A computer storage medium having non-transitory instructions encoded therein for operating a multi-stroke homogeneous charge compression ignition engine having a plurality of cylinders using electronic valve actuation, said medium comprising:
- code to actuate at least one intake valve of a cylinder with a late intake valve opening (LIVO);
- code to receive an air and fuel charge in the cylinder;
- code to open the at least one intake valve during a compression stroke of a piston in the cylinder, and to maintain the intake valve open during at least a later portion of the compression stroke to cycle the air and fuel charge into an intake manifold to mix the air and fuel charge;
- code to maintain the at least one intake valve open from the compression stroke into an intake stroke to receive the mixed air and fuel charge from the intake manifold;
- and
- code to transition the engine to HCCI combustion without applying spark ignition to the mixed air and fuel charge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.