Dynamically reconfigurable internal combustion engine
First Claim
1. A dynamically re-configurable internal combustion engine coupled to operation of a vehicle comprising:
- one or more cylinder units each with expanding and contracting cylinder volume and associated stroke sequences;
each cylinder unit having an intake port and an electronically controllable intake valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an exhaust port and an electronically controllable exhaust valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an electronic fuel injector component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an air-fuel mixture ignition means for igniting an air-fuel mixture in the cylinder volume, said ignition means under computer control;
each cylinder unit having a switch for selecting a first stroke sequence for combusting a compressed air-fuel mixture for a power stroke and for selecting a second stroke sequence for expelling compressed air for alternate use, said switching means under computer control;
a computer usable medium; and
a computer control system comprising computer readable program logic embodied in the computer usable medium for controlling the steps of selecting component states to provide alterable cylinder unit stroke sequences.
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Abstract
A dynamically re-configurable multi-stroke internal combustion engine, comprised of programmable computer processor controlled engine components for decoupling the four classic strokes of an internal combustion engine and electronically managing engine cylinder components including such cylinder components as electronically controllable valves, fuel injection and air fuel mixture ignition, allowing additional engine cylinder unit component states and thus cylinder strokes to be independently altered or re-sequenced by computer control to provide alternate engine modes of operation. Some alternate engine modes are facilitated by addition of a compressed air storage reservoir to receive cylinder generated compressed air or transfer compressed air to cylinder units in other modes to increase engine power, efficiency or utility. Sensor input and on-demand requirements drive control logic to manage engine strokes through control of individual cylinder component states. Dynamic reconfiguration of individual component states provides re-generative engine energy modes, boost power modes, and mixed modes which use compressed air stored energy re-introduced for alternate cylinder state sequences and alternate engine modes of operation which add utility and efficiency to otherwise fixed sequence multi-stroke power generation in internal combustion engines.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A dynamically re-configurable internal combustion engine coupled to operation of a vehicle comprising:
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one or more cylinder units each with expanding and contracting cylinder volume and associated stroke sequences;
each cylinder unit having an intake port and an electronically controllable intake valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an exhaust port and an electronically controllable exhaust valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an electronic fuel injector component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an air-fuel mixture ignition means for igniting an air-fuel mixture in the cylinder volume, said ignition means under computer control;
each cylinder unit having a switch for selecting a first stroke sequence for combusting a compressed air-fuel mixture for a power stroke and for selecting a second stroke sequence for expelling compressed air for alternate use, said switching means under computer control;
a computer usable medium; and
a computer control system comprising computer readable program logic embodied in the computer usable medium for controlling the steps of selecting component states to provide alterable cylinder unit stroke sequences. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A dynamically re-configurable internal combustion engine coupled to operation of a vehicle comprising:
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one or more cylinder units each with expanding and contracting cylinder volume and associated stroke sequences;
each cylinder unit having an intake port and an electronically controllable intake valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an exhaust port and an electronically controllable exhaust valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an electronic fuel injector component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an air-fuel mixture ignition means for igniting an air-fuel mixture in the cylinder volume, said ignition means under computer control;
each cylinder unit having a switch for selecting a first stroke sequence for combusting a compressed air-fuel mixture for a power stroke and for selecting a second stroke sequence for expelling compressed air for alternate use said switching means under computer control;
a compressed air storage reservoir charged by one or more cylinder units having an associated valve component for flowing compressed air from a cylinder unit to the compressed air storage and associated valve components having multiple states under computer control for metering compressed air from the compressed air storage into cylinder unit;
a computer usable medium; and
a computer control system comprising computer readable program logic embodied in the computer usable medium for controlling the steps of selecting component states to provide alterable cylinder unit stroke sequences.
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13. A dynamically re-configurable internal combustion engine coupled to operation of a vehicle comprising:
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one or more cylinder units each with expanding and contracting cylinder volume and associated stroke sequences;
each cylinder unit having an intake port and an electronically controllable intake valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an exhaust port and an electronically controllable exhaust valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an electronic fuel injector component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an air-fuel mixture ignition means for igniting an air-fuel mixture in the cylinder volume, said ignition means under computer control;
each cylinder unit having a switch for selecting a first stroke sequence for drawing air into cylinder and for selecting a second stroke sequence drawing a vacuum in cylinder, said switch under computer control;
a computer usable medium; and
a computer control system comprising computer readable program logic embodied in the computer usable medium for controlling the steps of providing cylinder unit stroke sequences for generating crankshaft power in the first stroke sequence or vacuum for alternate use in the second stroke sequence.
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14. An internal combustion engine operable in a power-generating mode and an air-compressing mode, comprising:
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cylinder having a reciprocating piston to define a cylinder volume that expands and contracts;
an intake port and valve coupled to the cylinder for providing air to the cylinder volume;
an exhaust port and valve coupled to the cylinder for exhausting gases from the cylinder volume;
a fuel injector coupled to the cylinder for injecting fuel into the cylinder volume;
an ignition means coupled to the cylinder for igniting an air-fuel mixture in the cylinder volume;
a compressed air port and valve coupled to the cylinder for exhausting compressed air from the cylinder volume;
means coupled to the valves for selectively activating the intake and exhaust valves and closing the compressed air valve in the power-generating mode and for selectively activating the intake and compressed air valves and closing the exhaust valve in the air-compressing mode.
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15. A method of dynamically re-configuring an internal combustion engine coupled to operation of a vehicle, the internal combustion engine being operable in a plurality of modes, the method comprising:
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electronically controlling one or more cylinder unit associated valve, fuel injection and fuel ignition component states;
electronically synchronizing cylinder unit piston position with cylinder unit associated component states to create selected cylinder unit strokes;
embodying sequences of strokes defining a plurality of modes into computer readable program logic in computer usable medium;
embodying computer readable program logic in computer usable medium to determine engine operation requirements based in part on sensed signals and vehicle operational parameters;
selecting cylinder unit operating modes based in part on the determined engine operation requirements and program logic; and
configuring cylinder unit component states based in part on the selected sequence of cylinder unit strokes in accordance with the computer programmed selected mode of operation. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for controlling a dynamically re-configurable internal combustion engine coupled to operation of a vehicle comprising:
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determining if the vehicle engine is on, and if not, then selecting Compression Start Mode if there is sufficient available source of compressed air, and alternatively executing a battery engine start;
determining the vehicle power requirements from real-time vehicle operating parameters and selecting engine Power Mode and alternatively, Boost Power Mode if the magnitude of the vehicle power requirement exceeds a given threshold and there is sufficient available source of compressed air to provide the required engine power;
determining the vehicle braking requirements from real-time vehicle operating parameters and selecting Re-Generative Compression Braking Mode operation if there is available compressed air storage capacity and alternatively, Compression Braking Mode, to provide the required engine braking power;
determining if the vehicle is required to be in hot standby and selecting Compressed Air Idle Mode if there is sufficient available source of compressed air and alternatively, Power Mode, to provide engine idling; and
systematically and continuously cycling through the above steps until an engine stop signal is received.
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Specification