Methods and system for cold starting an engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11073097-B1
Application number	US-202016920846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 6, 2020
Priority date	Jul 6, 2020
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods for starting and operating a direct injection engine are described. In one example, the air and fuel are injected into a pre-chamber of a cylinder of an engine while the engine is not rotating. The air and fuel are combusted in the pre-chamber to improve ignition of an air and fuel mixture in the cylinder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An engine operating method, comprising:
injecting air and fuel into a pre-chamber of a cylinder;
igniting and combusting the air and fuel in the pre-chamber via a spark plug while the cylinder is on its expansion stroke and in an engine that is not rotating; and
exhausting the combusted air and fuel to the cylinder.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising injecting a fuel directly into the cylinder during the expansion stroke of the cylinder after injecting fuel into the pre-chamber during the expansion stroke.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising combusting the fuel directly injected into the cylinder via spark generated in the cylinder via a second spark plug after igniting fuel in the pre-chamber during the expansion stroke.

4. The method of claim 1 , where the air and fuel are exhausted to the cylinder via a plurality of jets leading from the pre-chamber to the cylinder.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the fuel is petrol.

6. The method of claim 1 , where the injecting air and fuel is in response to a request to automatically start an engine that includes the cylinder.

7. The method of claim 1 , where igniting and combusting the air and fuel is performed a predetermined amount of time since injecting the air and the fuel.

8. A system, comprising:
an engine;
a cylinder;
a pre-chamber coupled to the cylinder, the pre-chamber including a spark plug, a fuel injector, and an air inlet; and
a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that cause the controller to inject fuel and air into the pre-chamber while the cylinder is on an expansion stroke in response to a request to start the engine.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising an air compressor or air pump and an air flow control valve.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising additional instructions to activate the compressor or air pump in response to the request to start the engine.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising additional instructions to open the air flow control valve in response to the request to start the engine.

12. The system of claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions to directly inject fuel to the cylinder during the expansion stroke via a fuel injector protruding into the cylinder after injecting the fuel and air into the pre-chamber during the expansion stroke.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising additional instructions to combust fuel directly injected to the cylinder during the expansion stroke via a spark generated in the cylinder.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a spark plug protruding into the cylinder.

15. An engine operating method, comprising:
injecting air into a pre-chamber of a cylinder and into the cylinder via the pre-chamber during an expansion stroke, compression stroke, or exhaust stroke of the cylinder in an engine that is not rotating;
injecting fuel into the pre-chamber after starting to inject air into the pre-chamber during the expansion stroke, compression stroke, or exhaust stroke of the cylinder in the engine that is not rotating;
igniting and combusting the air and fuel in the pre-chamber via a spark plug during the expansion stroke, compression stroke, or exhaust stroke of the cylinder in the engine that is not rotating; and
exhausting the combusted air and fuel to the cylinder.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising injecting fuel to the cylinder after injecting fuel into the pre-chamber during the expansion stroke.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising injecting fuel to the cylinder while injecting fuel into the pre-chamber.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising combusting the fuel injected to the cylinder via the igniting and combusting the air and fuel in the pre-chamber.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising generating a spark in the cylinder during the expansion stroke while the engine is not rotating.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Glugla Chris Paul
• Huberts Garlan J
• Thomas Joseph
• Ord David Andrew
• Czekala Michael Damian

Classifications

• F02D41/064 Primary

  at cold start (F02D41/067 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02B19/12 Primary

  with positive ignition (engines with non-timed positive ignition, and with incandescent chambers F02B9/08) · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F02B19/108

  with fuel injection at least into pre-combustion chamber, i.e. injector mounted directly in the pre-combustion chamber · CPC title

• F02N99/006

  Providing a combustible mixture inside the cylinder · CPC title