Granted Patent B2

US 8,096,108 · App. 12/109,409 · Granted Jan 17, 2012

Abstract

Claims (51)

1. Method of operating a four-stroke internal combustion engine including a variable volume combustion chamber defined by a piston reciprocating within a cylinder between top-dead center and bottom-dead center points, intake and exhaust passages, and intake and exhaust valves controlled during repetitive, sequential exhaust, intake, compression and expansion strokes of said piston, a direct injection fuel system and a spark ignition system, comprising:

selectively implementing ones of a plurality of operating modes in response to predetermined catalyst and engine temperature conditions, wherein said selectively implementing comprises:

monitoring a catalyst temperature;

monitoring an engine temperature;

if said catalyst temperature is less than a threshold catalyst temperature, operating said engine in a high-lift cams, spark ignition mode including a near stoichiometric air/fuel ratio and full lift and duration valve events; and

if said catalyst temperature is not less than a threshold catalyst temperature and if said engine temperature is greater than a threshold engine temperature, operating said engine in a homogeneous charge compression ignition mode.

2. Method of operating a four-stroke internal combustion engine including a variable volume combustion chamber defined by a piston reciprocating within a cylinder between top-dead center and bottom-dead center points, intake and exhaust passages, and intake and exhaust valves controlled during repetitive, sequential exhaust, intake, compression and expansion strokes of said piston, a direct injection fuel system and a spark ignition system, comprising:

selectively implementing ones of a plurality of operating modes in response to predetermined catalyst and engine temperature conditions, wherein said selectively implementing comprises:

monitoring a catalyst temperature;

if said catalyst temperature is less than a threshold catalyst temperature, operating said engine in a high-lift cams, spark ignition mode including a near stoichiometric air/fuel ratio and full lift and duration valve events; and

if said catalyst temperature is not less than a threshold catalyst temperature, operating said engine in a low-lift cams mode;

wherein said high-lift cams, spark ignition mode comprises:

monitoring a crank rotation count;

if said crank rotation count is less than a threshold crank rotation count, said operating in said high-lift cams, spark ignition mode further comprising a high-lift cams, crank and fire, spark ignition mode with a minimum negative valve overlap and a spark delivery between 0 and 50 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion; and

if said crank rotation count is not less than said threshold crank rotation count, said operating in said high-lift cams, spark ignition mode further comprising a high-lift cams, catalyst heating, spark ignition mode with a modest negative valve overlap and a retarded spark delivery between 0 and 30 crank angle degrees after top dead center combustion.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said high-lift cams, crank and fire, spark ignition mode comprises a minimum negative valve overlap between −40 and 0 crank angle degrees.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said high-lift cams, catalyst heating, spark ignition mode comprises a modest negative valve overlap between 0 and 40 crank angle degrees.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said high-lift cams, crank and fire, spark ignition mode further comprises a single fuel injection.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said single fuel injection ends between 60 and 120 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein said high-lift cams, crank and fire, spark ignition mode further comprises a split fuel injection.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said split fuel injection comprises a first fuel injection ending between 120 and 160 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion and a second fuel injection ending between 60 and 90 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein said high-lift cams, catalyst heating, spark ignition mode further comprises a split fuel injection.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said split fuel injection comprises a first fuel injection ending between 250 and 290 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion and a second fuel injection ending between 10 and 60 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

11. Method of operating a four-stroke internal combustion engine including a variable volume combustion chamber defined by a piston reciprocating within a cylinder between top-dead center and bottom-dead center points, intake and exhaust passages, and intake and exhaust valves controlled during repetitive, sequential exhaust, intake, compression and expansion strokes of said piston, a direct injection fuel system and a spark ignition system, comprising:

selectively implementing ones of a plurality of operating modes in response to predetermined catalyst and engine temperature conditions, wherein said selectively implementing comprises:

monitoring a catalyst temperature;

if said catalyst temperature is less than a threshold catalyst temperature, operating said engine in a high-lift cams, spark ignition mode including a near stoichiometric air/fuel ratio and full lift and duration valve events; and

if said catalyst temperature is not less than a threshold catalyst temperature, operating said engine in a low-lift cams mode;

wherein said low-lift cams mode comprises:

monitoring a crank rotation count;

if said crank rotation count is less than a threshold crank rotation count, said operating in said low-lift cams mode further comprising a low-lift cams, crank and fire, spark assist HCCI mode; and

if said crank rotation count is not less than said threshold crank rotation count, said operating in said low-lift cams mode further comprising:

monitoring an engine temperature;

if said engine temperature is less than a first engine temperature threshold, said operating in said low-lift cams mode comprising a low-lift cams, crank and fire mode; and

if said engine temperature is not less than said first engine temperature threshold, said operating in said low-lift cams mode comprising a low-lift cams, modified HCCI mode.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said low-lift cams, crank and fire, spark assist HCCI mode comprises a moderate negative valve overlap and a split fuel injection.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said low-lift cams, crank and fire mode comprises said low-lift cams, crank and fire, spark assist HCCI mode.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein said split fuel injection comprises a first fuel injection ending between 350 and 360 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion, a second fuel injection ending between 270 and 300 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion, and said spark assist comprises a spark delivery between 0 and 10 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein said low-lift cams, crank and fire mode comprises a low-lift cams, crank and fire, spark ignition mode including a near stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, a modest to minimal negative valve overlap, and a split fuel injection.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said low-lift cams, crank and fire, spark ignition mode comprises a negative valve overlap between 0 and 60 crank angle degrees, said split fuel injection comprises a first fuel injection ending between 300 and 360 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion and a second fuel injection ending between 10 and 60 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion, and said spark ignition comprises a spark delivery between 0 and 50 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein said low-lift cams, modified HCCI mode comprises:

if said engine temperature is less than a second engine temperature threshold, said low-lift cams, modified HCCI mode comprising a low-lift cams, cold HCCI mode; and

if said engine temperature is not less than said second engine temperature threshold, said low-lift cams, modified HCCI mode comprising a transition to HCCI mode.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said low-lift cams, cold HCCI mode comprises:

a moderate negative valve overlap;

a split fuel injection, comprising a first fuel injection ending between 360 and 370 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion and a second fuel injection ending between 270 and 300 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion; and

a spark delivery between 10 and 60 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein said low-lift cams, transition to HCCI mode comprises:

a moderate negative valve overlap;

a split fuel injection, comprising a first fuel injection ending between 370 and 440 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion and a second fuel injection ending between 25 and 50 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion;

and a spark delivery between 10 and 60 crank angle degrees before top dead center combustion.

Assignments (12)