High-performance internal combustion engine with improved handling of emission and method of controlling such engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11891945-B2
Application number	US-201916392846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2019
Priority date	Apr 24, 2018
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

An internal combustion engine generally includes at least a cylinder; at least an intake valve acting on an intake port for controlling the airflow entering the cylinder; at least an injector for supplying uncombusted fuel to the cylinder; at least an outlet valve acting on a respective outlet port for controlling the flow of the exhaust gases at the outlet of the cylinder; a piston sliding in a linear manner within the cylinder; at least a first spark plug arranged in a position adjacent to the injector and acting within the combustion chamber; a pre-chamber communicating with the combustion chamber; and a second spark plug acting within the pre-chamber; the first spark plug is arranged in an intermediate position between the pre-chamber and the injector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine ( 1 ) for a motor-vehicle comprising:
at least one cylinder ( 2 ) having a longitudinal axis (A) and adapted to receive fuel and air for carrying out an engine cycle including a combustion reaction of the fuel itself;
at least one intake duct ( 6 ) adapted to feed said cylinder ( 2 ) with fresh air, through at least one intake port ( 16 );
at least one intake valve ( 20 ) acting on said intake port ( 16 ) for controlling the airflow entering said cylinder ( 2 );
at least one injector ( 22 ) that can be selectively activated to supply uncombusted fuel to said cylinder ( 2 );
at least one exhaust duct ( 8 ) communicating with said cylinder ( 2 ) through at least one outlet port ( 18 ) for removing from the cylinder ( 2 ) exhaust gases formed at the end of said combustion;
at least one outlet valve ( 21 ) acting on said outlet port ( 18 ) for controlling the flow of the exhaust gases at the outlet of said cylinder ( 2 ); and
a piston ( 12 ) mounted in a linearly sliding manner along said longitudinal axis (A) within said cylinder;
wherein said intake port ( 16 ), said outlet port ( 18 ) and said injector ( 22 ) are carried by a head ( 11 ) of the internal combustion engine ( 1 ), said head ( 11 ) being arranged in abutment against an axial end of said cylinder ( 2 ) and delimiting with said piston ( 12 ) and with the cylinder ( 2 ) a combustion chamber ( 15 ), wherein said head ( 11 ) is divided by a centreline plane (P) of said cylinder ( 2 ), containing said longitudinal axis (A) and includes an intake region ( 11 a ) including said intake port ( 16 ) and arranged on one side of said centreline plane (P); and an outlet region ( 11 b ) including said outlet port ( 18 ) and arranged on an opposite side of said centreline plane (P); wherein said injector ( 22 ) is mounted in said outlet region ( 11 b ) of said head ( 11 ) in a position adjacent to said outlet port ( 18 ), and wherein said injector ( 22 ) has an outlet ( 100 ) protruding into said combustion chamber to supply uncombusted fuel therein;
said internal combustion engine ( 1 ) further comprising:
at least a first spark plug ( 24 ) mounted on said head ( 11 ) in a position adjacent to said injector ( 22 ) and acting inside said combustion chamber ( 15 ) for cyclically and selectively determining the ignition of the mixture formed by fuel and air present in the combustion chamber ( 15 ) and for triggering the combustion reaction;
a pre-chamber ( 26 ), delimited towards said combustion chamber ( 15 ) by a wall ( 30 ), communicating with the combustion chamber ( 15 ) through one or more free connection ports ( 27 ) and fed with a mixture of air and fuel, and
a second spark plug ( 28 ) projecting inside said pre-chamber ( 26 ) for cyclically and selectively producing the ignition of the mixture present in the pre-chamber ( 26 ) and triggering the combustion reaction;

said first spark plug ( 24 ) being arranged in an intermediate position between said wall ( 30 ) of said pre-chamber ( 26 ) and the outlet ( 100 ) of said injector ( 22 ), wherein said first spark plug ( 24 ) is in close proximity to the outlet ( 100 ) of said injector ( 22 ), and wherein the injector ( 22 ), first spark plug ( 24 ), and the pre-chamber ( 26 ) are arranged along a line transversal to longitudinal axis (A); and
said pre-chamber ( 26 ) is carried by head ( 11 ) being arranged at least partially along the centreline (P) at a center of the combustion chamber ( 15 ) such that the injector ( 22 ) and the first spark plug ( 24 ) are offset in their entireties relative to the centreline (P), and wherein the prechamber ( 26 ) is configured with the one or more free connection ports in fluid communication with said combustion chamber ( 15 ).

2. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein said pre-chamber ( 26 ) is only fed with the mixture of fuel and air present in said combustion chamber ( 15 ) during the movement of said piston ( 12 ) towards said head ( 11 ) with a consequent compression of the mixture itself.

3. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein said pre-chamber ( 26 ) is carried by said head ( 11 ) in a central position in respect to said cylinder ( 2 ).

4. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein said pre-chamber ( 26 ) is delimited towards said combustion chamber ( 15 ) by a convex wall ( 30 ) protruding inside said combustion chamber ( 15 ) and bearing said one or more connection ports ( 27 ).

5. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein said head ( 11 ) is delimited towards said piston ( 12 ) by a concave surface ( 23 ) facing the piston ( 12 ); and wherein said intake regions ( 11 a ) and outlet regions ( 11 b ) are at least partially facing one another.

6. The engine according to claim 1 , wherein said injector ( 22 ) and the group formed by said intake port ( 16 ) and by said intake duct ( 6 ) are configured to emit inlet flows (F 1 , F 2 ), respectively of the fuel and the air, converging towards the centre of said combustion chamber ( 15 ).

7. The engine according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said cylinders ( 2 ) arranged facing one another in one or more banks ( 3 a , 3 b ) arranged at an angle to one another when at least two cylinder banks ( 3 a , 3 b ) are present, a plurality of said combustion chambers ( 15 ) and, for each said cylinder ( 2 ), at least one said intake port ( 16 ), at least one said outlet port ( 18 ), at least one said intake valve ( 20 ), at least one said outlet valve ( 21 ), at least one said injector ( 22 ), at least one said pre-chamber ( 26 ), at least one said first spark plug ( 24 ) and at least a second said spark plug ( 28 ) acting inside said pre-chamber ( 26 ).

8. A method for controlling an internal combustion engine ( 1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises the steps of:
driving said first spark plug ( 24 ) in a first operating condition of said engine ( 1 ); and
driving said second spark plug ( 28 ) inside said pre-chamber ( 26 ) in a second operating condition of the engine ( 1 ) different from said first operating condition.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said first operating condition is a particular operating condition of the low load operation of said engine ( 1 ), and wherein said second operating condition is a normal operating condition of operation of said engine ( 1 ) at full load.

Assignees

• Ferrari Spa

Inventors

• Corrigan Dáire James
• Di Sacco Michele
• Medda Massimo
• Paltrinieri Stefano
• Rossi Vincenzo

Classifications

• F02B19/1023 Primary

  pre-combustion chamber and cylinder being fed with fuel-air mixture(s) · CPC title

• F01N3/2006

  Periodically heating or cooling catalytic reactors, e.g. at cold starting or overheating (by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235) · CPC title

• F02P5/145

  using electrical means · CPC title

• F02P15/02

  Arrangements having two or more sparking plugs · CPC title

• F01N2430/08

  by modifying ignition or injection timing · CPC title