Fuel injection strategies in opposed-piston engines with multiple fuel injectors
First Claim
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1. A fuel injection means for injecting fuel into a cylinder of an opposed-piston engine, including:
- two fuel injectors disposed for direct side injection of fuel into a combustion chamber defined between end surfaces of a pair of opposed pistons as the pair of opposed pistons approach top dead center locations in the cylinder;
engine control means responsive to engine operating conditions for generating output control signals; and
,an injector driver responsive to the output control signals for generating first fuel injector actuation signals operative to cause a first fuel injector of the two fuel injectors to emit a first split injection including a pilot injection followed by a main injection and second fuel injector actuation signals operative to cause a second fuel injector of the two fuel injectors to emit a second split injection including a pilot injection followed by a main injection independently of the first fuel injector;
wherein the first fuel injector actuation signals are constrained by a minimum time interval occurring between successive first fuel injector actuation signals;
wherein the second fuel injector actuation signals are constrained by the minimum time interval occurring between successive second fuel injector actuation signals;
wherein the fuel injector actuation signals impose a time interval separating each pilot injection from its following main injection.
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Abstract
In an opposed-piston engine, two or more fuel injectors are mounted to a cylinder for direct side injection into the cylinder. The injectors are controlled so as to inject either a single fuel pulse or a plurality of fuel pulses per cycle of engine operation in order to initiate combustion during varying engine speeds and operating conditions.
61 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A fuel injection means for injecting fuel into a cylinder of an opposed-piston engine, including:
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two fuel injectors disposed for direct side injection of fuel into a combustion chamber defined between end surfaces of a pair of opposed pistons as the pair of opposed pistons approach top dead center locations in the cylinder; engine control means responsive to engine operating conditions for generating output control signals; and
,an injector driver responsive to the output control signals for generating first fuel injector actuation signals operative to cause a first fuel injector of the two fuel injectors to emit a first split injection including a pilot injection followed by a main injection and second fuel injector actuation signals operative to cause a second fuel injector of the two fuel injectors to emit a second split injection including a pilot injection followed by a main injection independently of the first fuel injector; wherein the first fuel injector actuation signals are constrained by a minimum time interval occurring between successive first fuel injector actuation signals; wherein the second fuel injector actuation signals are constrained by the minimum time interval occurring between successive second fuel injector actuation signals; wherein the fuel injector actuation signals impose a time interval separating each pilot injection from its following main injection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A fuel injection system for an opposed-piston engine, comprising:
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a first fuel injector and a second fuel injector, each disposed for direct side injection of fuel through a sidewall of a cylinder of the opposed-piston engine into a combustion chamber defined in the cylinder between end surfaces of a pair of opposed pistons as the pair of opposed pistons approach top dead center locations in the cylinder; an engine control unit responsive to engine operating conditions for generating output control signals; and
,an injector driver responsive to the output control signals for generating fuel injector actuation signals operative to cause the first fuel injector to emit a first split injection and to cause the second fuel injector to emit a second split injection independently of the first fuel injector; wherein each of the first and second split injections comprises a pilot injection followed by a main injection; wherein the fuel injector actuation signals impose a minimum time interval separating each pilot injection from its following main injection. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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Specification