Multi-cylinder otto-cycle engine and method for operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201583-A1
Application number	US-201614987389-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Jan 8, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an engine having a cylinder head which is divided into multiple sections which each delimit a combustion chamber of a cylinder of the engine and which each comprise inlet and outlet ducts, inlet and outlet valves, and a spark device which is fastened in a through hole of the cylinder head section, for at least one cylinder head section a throttle flap being provided for completely closing the corresponding inlet duct in the event of a deactivation of the associated cylinder. In the at least one cylinder head section, a first gas flow duct is formed between the through hole and the outlet duct, and the spark device is in the form of a rotary slide valve with integrated spark electrodes and is configured to selectively either keep the first gas flow duct closed or connect said first gas flow duct to the associated combustion chamber.

First claim

1 . A multi-cylinder Otto-cycle engine, comprising:
a cylinder head which is divided into multiple sections which each delimit a combustion chamber of a cylinder of the Otto-cycle engine and which each comprise inlet and outlet ducts, inlet and outlet valves and an ignition spark generating device which is fastened in a through hole of the cylinder head section; a throttle flap being provided for at least one cylinder head section for completely closing the corresponding inlet duct in the event of a deactivation of the associated cylinder; a first gas flow duct in the at least one cylinder head section formed between the through hole and the outlet duct, and the ignition spark generating device is in the form of a rotary slide valve with integrated ignition spark electrodes, said rotary slide valve being configured to selectively either keep the first gas flow duct closed or connect said first gas flow duct to the associated combustion chamber.

2 . The Otto-cycle engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in the at least one cylinder head section, a second gas flow duct is formed between the through hole and the inlet duct, and wherein the ignition spark generating device is configured to selectively either keep both gas flow ducts closed or connect said gas flow ducts to one another and to the associated combustion chamber.

3 . The Otto-cycle engine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the rotary slide valve has an insulated central electrode and a tubular sleeve which surrounds the central electrode with a ring-shaped intermediate space and which is arranged in the through hole and which is rotatable therein without axial displacement.

4 . The Otto-cycle engine as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the tubular sleeve comprises, on its circumference, one or two holes which, depending on a rotational position of the rotary slide valve, are aligned or not aligned with one or more of the first gas flow duct and the second gas flow duct, in the aligned state the ring-shaped intermediate space connecting one or more of the first and the second gas flow duct to the associated combustion chamber and also to one another.

5 . The Otto-cycle engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the Otto-cycle engine has a permanently active positive valve drive.

6 . A method for operating an engine, comprising:
during cylinder deactivation, closing a throttle flap of a deactivated cylinder; maintaining actuation of each of an inlet valve and an outlet valve of the deactivated cylinder; and actuating a ignition spark generating device of the deactivated cylinder to connect a first gas flow duct to an associated combustion chamber.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein actuating the ignition spark generating device of the deactivated cylinder to connect the first gas flow duct to the associated combustion chamber comprises actuating the ignition spark generating device of the deactivated cylinder to connect the first gas flow duct and a second gas flow duct to one another and to the associated combustion chamber.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the ignition spark generating device of the deactivated cylinder is actuated by being rotated through a predetermined angle about its longitudinal axis in the through hole.

9 . The method as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:
during cylinder activation, opening the throttle flap of the deactivated cylinder; maintaining actuation of each of the inlet valve and the outlet valve of the deactivated cylinder; and actuating the ignition spark generating device of the deactivated cylinder to block the first gas flow duct from the associated combustion chamber.

10 . A system, comprising:
a cylinder defined by a cylinder head; an intake valve and an exhaust valve housed in the cylinder head, the intake valve controlling flow of intake air from an intake duct into the cylinder, the exhaust valve controlling flow of exhaust gas from the cylinder to an intake duct; an intake duct throttle flap; a fuel injector; a spark plug housed in a through hole of the cylinder head; a turnable sleeve housed in the through hole; a gas flow duct fluidically coupling the intake duct, cylinder, and exhaust duct via the through hole, the gas flow duct selectively blocked by the turnable sleeve; and a controller storing non-transitory instructions executable to:
responsive to an indication to deactivate the cylinder, rotate the turnable sleeve to open the gas flow duct, close the intake duct throttle flap, and disable the fuel injector.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the intake valve and the exhaust valve are actuated during deactivation of the cylinder.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller stores further instructions executable to, responsive to an indication to activate the cylinder, rotate the turnable sleeve to block the gas flow duct, open the intake duct throttle flap, and activate the fuel injector.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the intake valve and the exhaust valve are actuated during activation of the cylinder.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Quix Hans Guenter
• Khosravi Maziar

Classifications

• F02D2041/0012

  with selective deactivation of cylinders · CPC title

• F02P13/00

  Sparking plugs structurally combined with other parts of internal-combustion engines ({connection of ignition coil to spark plug connector F02P3/02;} with fuel injectors F02M57/06 {; spark plug connector per se H01T13/04 – H01T13/06; predominant aspects of sparking plug, see H01T13/40 – H01T13/44}) · CPC title

• F02B75/12

  Other methods of operation · CPC title

• F02D41/0002 Primary

  Controlling intake air · CPC title

• F02B23/08 Primary

  with positive ignition · CPC title