Engine knock signal transmissive element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9442034-B2
Application number	US-201314087820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2013
Priority date	Nov 22, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments may provide an engine knock monitoring system that may include an engine block including an engine block body and a cylinder wall defining at least a portion of a combustion chamber. A space may be defined between a top of the cylinder wall and a top of the engine block body. An engine knock sensor may be mounted to the engine block. A pressure pulse transmissive element may be disposed in the space and may be disposed in contact with an outside surface of the cylinder wall and an opposite inside surface of the engine block body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An engine knock signal transmissive element comprising:
a substantially solid block sized and octagonally wedge-shaped to fit within a space between a cylinder wall of a combustion chamber and a body of an open deck engine block, the substantially solid block having a flat top surface flush with a top surface of the engine block.

2. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid block is made from aluminum, the substantially solid block further having two side surfaces in face-sharing engagement with internal side walls of a coolant passage in the space.

3. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid block is made from a material which is the same or substantially similar to a material from which the engine block is made, the substantially solid block further having two side walls and a bottom open to contact coolant in the space.

4. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 1 , further comprising an engine knock sensor coupled with the body of the engine block to sense an engine knock that passes through the engine knock signal transmissive element.

5. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 1 , further comprising an engine knock sensor coupled with the body of the engine block to sense if an engine knock occurs within the combustion chamber, wherein a shape of the substantially solid block is an irregular convex octagonal prism with non-equal side lengths, the top surface of the substantially solid block comprising an octagonal shape, where a first four of eight edges are equal in length, perpendicular, and not in connection with one another, and bridging a space between the first four perpendicular edges are four additional angled edges that are shorter in length than the first four.

6. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid block includes a wedge shaped cross section such that the substantially solid block is able to be wedged into the space between the cylinder wall and the body of the engine block.

7. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 1 , wherein the substantially solid block includes a first side shaped to substantially match a first contour located on an outside surface of the cylinder wall and a second side opposite the first side shaped to substantially match a second contour located on an inside surface of the space defined by a radially outside portion of the body of the engine block.

8. The engine knock signal transmissive element of claim 7 , wherein the first side is curved to substantially match a radial portion of the outside surface of the cylinder wall, and wherein the second side is curved to substantially match an annular portion of the inside surface of the outside portion of the body of the engine block.

9. An engine knock monitoring system comprising:
an open deck engine block including an engine block body;
a cylinder wall defining at least a portion of a plurality of combustion chambers;
a coolant space between a top of the cylinder wall and a top of the engine block body;
an engine knock sensor mounted to the engine block; and
a plurality of pressure pulse wedge-shaped transmissive elements in the coolant space and disposed in contact with an outside surface of the cylinder wall and an opposite inside surface of the engine block body and having a top flat surface flush with a surface of the engine block, wherein two of the plurality of transmissive elements are mounted on either side of an apex of a triangle where two adjacent cylinders of a plurality of cylinders meet, both tramissive elements equally distanced from the triangle apex and positioned closer to a groove than an opposite side of the respective first and second cylinders.

10. The engine knock monitoring system of claim 9 , further comprising an ignition control mechanism to control timing of combustion of an air/fuel mixture within the plurality of combustion chambers; and
a controller operatively coupled with the ignition control mechanism and with the engine knock sensor and configured to adjust the timing of the combustion when the engine knock sensor senses a knock signal that is outside a preselected range.

11. The engine knock monitoring system of claim 9 , further comprising:
an ignition control mechanism to control timing of combustion of an air/fuel mixture within the plurality of combustion chambers;
a wastegate valve configured to control an exhaust flow through an exhaust turbine in order to control a boost pressure of intake air directed to the plurality of combustion chambers; and
a controller operatively coupled with the ignition control mechanism and with the engine knock sensor and configured to adjust the timing of the combustion and/or the wastegate valve when the engine knock sensor senses a knock signal that is outside a preselected range.

12. The engine knock monitoring system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a controller;
the controller having one or more logic circuits and one or more control couplings to adjust engine conditions toward a predetermined state in accordance with signals received from the engine knock sensor via the plurality of pressure pulse wedge-shaped transmissive elements.

13. The engine knock monitoring system of claim 9 , wherein sound waves from the plurality of combustion chambers are transmitted through the engine block at a first speed, and wherein sound waves are transmitted through the plurality of pressure pulse wedge-shaped transmissive elements at a second speed, wherein the second speed is substantially the same as the first speed.

14. The engine knock monitoring system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of pressure pulse wedge-shaped transmissive elements is a weld.

15. A system for an engine comprising:
an open deck design engine block including:
an engine block body,
a cavity in the engine block body,
a cylinder wall disposed within the cavity coupled at a first side thereof to a cavity base and extending from the cavity base to a second side, the cylinder wall defining at least part of first and second adjacent combustion chambers on an inside thereof,
a groove separating the two adjacent combustion chambers, the groove defining a region at which two adjacent cylinders meet,
a space between the cylinder wall and the second side of the engine block body,
an engine knock sensor coupled with the engine block body,
first and second knock impact transmissive wedge-shaped blocks secured in the space, each having a flat top surface flush with a top surface of the engine block, wherein the first and second knock impact transmissive wedge-shaped blocks are symmetric about the groove and positioned closer to the groove than an opposite side of the respective first and second cylinders, and having the top flat surface flush with the top surface of the engine block, wherein two transmissive elements are mounted on either side of an apex of a triangle where the two adjacent cylinders of a plurality of cylinders meet, the two tramissive elements equally distanced from the triangle apex and closer to where the cylinders meet than an opposite side of the respective cylinders.

16. The system for the engine of claim 15 , wherein the engine knock sensor is fixed to an exterior surface of the engine block body.

17. The system for the engine of claim 15 , further comprising a controller operatively coupled with the engine knock sensor and operatively coupled with an ignition control mechanism to adjust timing of combustion

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Moetakef Mohammad Ali
• Kindree James Matthew
• Hintzen Mathew Leonard
• Schepak Antony George

Classifications

• F02B77/085 Primary

  with sensors measuring combustion processes, e.g. knocking, pressure, ionization, combustion flame · CPC title

• F02F1/108

  Siamese-type cylinders, i.e. cylinders cast together · CPC title

• G01L23/221 Primary

  for detecting or indicating knocks in internal combustion engines · CPC title