Selectively deactivatable engine cylinder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016010568-A1
Application number	US-201514789335-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Jul 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An engine comprising: one or more multi-valve cylinders, each multi-valve cylinder having a plurality of intake valves and/or a plurality of exhaust valves; and one or more further cylinders, each further cylinder having fewer intake valves and/or fewer exhaust valves than each multi-valve cylinder, wherein a cylinder deactivation system of the engine is configured to selectively deactivate at least one further cylinder.

First claim

1 . An engine comprising:
one or more multi-valve cylinders each having a plurality of intake valves and/or a plurality of exhaust valves; and one or more further cylinders each having fewer intake valves and/or fewer exhaust valves than each multi-valve cylinder, wherein a cylinder deactivation system of the engine is configured to selectively deactivate at least one of each further cylinder.

2 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein a valve lift height of at least one intake valve and/or at least one exhaust valve of at least one of each further cylinder is greater than that of the plurality of intake valves and/or the plurality of exhaust valves of the one or more multi-valve cylinders.

3 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein at least one intake valve and/or at least one exhaust valve of the or at least one of each further cylinder is larger than the plurality of intake valves and/or the plurality of exhaust valves of the one or more multi-valve cylinders.

4 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder deactivation system is configured to selectively deactivate at least one of the one or more multi-valve cylinders.

5 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder deactivation system comprises one or more switchable roller finger followers or one or more collapsible lash adjusters.

6 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein each multi-valve cylinder comprises two intake valves.

7 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein each multi-valve cylinder comprises two exhaust valves.

8 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein each further cylinder comprises one intake valve.

9 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein each further cylinder comprises one exhaust valve.

10 . The engine according to claim 1 , further comprising a control device configured to deactivate at least one of each further cylinder and/or adjust a valve lift height of at least one intake valve and/or at least one exhaust valve of at least one of each further cylinder.

11 . The engine according to claim 10 , wherein the control device is configured to deactivate at least one of each multi-valve cylinder and/or adjust a valve lift height of at least one intake valve and/or at least one exhaust valve of at least one of each multi-valve cylinder.

12 . A system, comprising:
an engine having a first cylinder and a second cylinder, airflow through the first cylinder controlled by two intake valves and two exhaust valves, airflow through the second cylinder controlled by one intake valve and one exhaust valve; a cylinder deactivation system; and a controller storing instructions executable to deactivate the second cylinder by controlling the cylinder deactivation system to deactivate one or more of the one intake valve and one exhaust valve of the second cylinder.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first cylinder includes two intake ports each having a first diameter, wherein the second cylinder includes one intake port having a second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is larger than the first diameter.

14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first cylinder includes two exhaust ports each having a first diameter, wherein the second cylinder includes one exhaust port having a second diameter, and wherein the second diameter is larger than the first diameter.

15 . The system of claim 12 , further comprising a valve actuation system, wherein when the second cylinder is activated, the valve actuation system is configured to actuate the intake valve of the second cylinder with a greater amount of lift than an amount of lift used to actuate the two intake valves of the first cylinder.

16 . The system of claim 12 , further comprising a first fuel injector coupled to the first cylinder and a second fuel injector coupled to the second cylinder, and wherein the controller stores further instructions executable to adjust an amount of fuel supplied by the second fuel injector relative to an amount fuel supplied by the first fuel injector based on engine speed and load.

17 . A method, comprising:
during a first condition,
flowing intake air for combustion into a first cylinder via a first intake valve and a second intake valve, and flowing intake air for combustion into a second cylinder via a third intake valve; and
adjusting an amount of fuel supplied to the first cylinder relative to an amount fuel supplied to the second cylinder based on engine speed and load; and
responsive to a second condition, deactivating the second cylinder.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first condition comprises engine load above a threshold and the second condition comprises engine load below the threshold.

19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising, during the first condition, expelling exhaust gas from the first cylinder via a first exhaust valve and a second valve, and expelling exhaust gas from the second cylinder via a third exhaust valve.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein deactivating the second cylinders comprises deactivating one or more of the third intake valve and third exhaust valve, and further comprising, during the second condition, flowing intake air for combustion into the first cylinder via the first intake valve and second intake valve and expelling exhaust gas from the first cylinder via the first exhaust valve and second exhaust valve.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Whiston Phil John
• Haynes Neil

Classifications

• F02D13/0207

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• F02F1/18

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• F01L1/18

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• Y02T10/12

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