Load control of a spare ignited engine without throttling and method of operation
First Claim
1. A power plant for a variable load application comprising an internal combustion multi-cylinder engine, a fuel tank connected to supply fuel to the engine, first and second intake manifolds for supplying charge air to the engine, the first manifold supplying relatively high density air and the second manifold supplying relatively low density air and control means to determine which of said manifolds feeds which of said cylinders of the engine, the control means being arranged to feed a majority of cylinders exclusively from the first manifold under conditions of relatively high load and to feed a majority of the cylinders exclusively from the second manifold under relatively light loads and to feed a limited number of the cylinders exclusively from the first manifold and a limited number of the cylinders exclusively from the second manifold during moderate loads whereby the power output of the engine is regulated without substantial throttling losses at low and moderate power levels.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spark ignited engine and method of its operation in which throttling losses are substantially eliminated has two intake manifolds operating at different charge air density levels. Suitable valves, upstream of conventional cylinder intake valves, are controlled to supply each of the cylinders with charge air from one or the other manifold. At high loads under operation of a controller all of the cylinders are supplied from the high density charge air manifold and at low loads all of the cylinders are supplied from the low density charge air manifold. At intermediate loads the controller supplies an appropriate number of cylinders from the high density manifold and the remaining cylinders from the low density manifold.
48 Citations
22 Claims
- 1. A power plant for a variable load application comprising an internal combustion multi-cylinder engine, a fuel tank connected to supply fuel to the engine, first and second intake manifolds for supplying charge air to the engine, the first manifold supplying relatively high density air and the second manifold supplying relatively low density air and control means to determine which of said manifolds feeds which of said cylinders of the engine, the control means being arranged to feed a majority of cylinders exclusively from the first manifold under conditions of relatively high load and to feed a majority of the cylinders exclusively from the second manifold under relatively light loads and to feed a limited number of the cylinders exclusively from the first manifold and a limited number of the cylinders exclusively from the second manifold during moderate loads whereby the power output of the engine is regulated without substantial throttling losses at low and moderate power levels.
- 10. A method of operating a multi-cylinder spark-ignited internal combustion engine comprising providing two intake manifolds for the engine, supplying high density charge air in one of the manifolds and low density charge air in the other manifold, feeding all of the cylinders exclusively from the high density manifold when the engine is running at full load, feeding all of the cylinders exclusively from the low density manifold when the engine is running at light load, and feeding some of the cylinders exclusively from the high density manifold and other cylinders exclusively from the low density manifold when the engine is running at moderate loads.
Specification