Air-cooled multi-cylinder engine

• US 5,806,491 A
• Filed: 03/31/1997
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohtake, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Argenbright, Tony M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T.
• Application Number:
  US08/825,616
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 123/491, 123/478, 123/435, 123/494, 123/689, 701/103
• US Class Current: 123/435
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/1824 six
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 61/04 for driving propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/243 with only one crankshaft of the "boxer" type, e.g. all connecting rods attached to separate crankshaft bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/025 by determining temperatures inside the cylinder, e.g. combustion temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/008 Controlling each cylinder individually
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0082 per groups or banks F02D41/0087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1446 the characteristics being exhaust temperatures

Abstract

An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine including two temperature sensors each attached to different cylinders. The temperature difference between the two cylinders is detected by the temperature sensors. The air-fuel ratio in each cylinder is made the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio by decreasing the amount of fuel fed into higher temperature cylinders and increasing the amount of fuel fed into lower temperature cylinders.

Claims

1. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine having a plurality of cylinders arranged along a direction of flow of a cooling air, said engine comprising:

temperature sensors attached to at least two cylinders to detect a temperature difference between said two cylinders and

air-fuel ratio control means for controlling an air-fuel ratio of in each cylinder on the basis of said temperature difference to make the air-fuel ratio in each cylinder a target air-fuel ratio.

2. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein said temperature sensors are attached to one cylinder among the plurality of cylinders and another cylinder located downstream from said one cylinder in the direction of flow of the cooling air.

3. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 2, wherein the cylinder located next downstream from said one cylinder is said other cylinder.

4. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 2, wherein the cylinder located further downstream from the cylinder located next downstream from said one cylinder is said other cylinder.

5. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of cylinders are aligned along the direction of flow of the cooling air.

6. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of cylinders comprise two banks of cylinders arranged along the direction of flow of the cooling air;

and said two temperature sensors are attached to a cylinder of one bank and a cylinder of the other bank.

7. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein said air-fuel ratio control means brings the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder to the target air-fuel ratio by controlling the fuel injection amount.

8. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 7, wherein said air-fuel ratio control means corrects the basic fuel injection time determined from the operation state of the engine based on said temperature difference to thereby bring the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder to the target air-fuel ratio;

and the relationship between the correction amount with respect to said basic fuel injection time and said temperature difference is stored in advance.

9. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, further comprising detecting means for detecting the amount of the cooling air flowing around the cylinder, estimating means for estimating the temperature difference between two cylinders based on the amount of said cooling air, and deciding means for deciding whether or not a temperature sensor has broken down;

and said air-fuel ratio control means controls the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder to the target air-fuel ratio based on the temperature difference estimated by said estimating means when it is decided by said deciding means that at least one temperature sensor has broken down.

10. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 9, wherein the amount of said cooling air is found from a flight speed of an aircraft and atmospheric density.

11. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 10, wherein said flight speed is detected by a Pitot tube.

12. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 9, wherein said estimating means estimates the temperature difference between two cylinders based on the amount of said cooling air and the amount of heat generated of each cylinder.

13. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 12, wherein said amount of heat generated is stored in advance as a function of the operating state of the engine.

14. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine having a plurality of cylinders which are arranged along a direction of flow of a cooling air, said engine comprising:

detecting means for detecting an amount of cooling air flowing around the cylinders;

estimating means for estimating a temperature difference between two cylinders on the basis of said amount of the cooling air; and

air-fuel ratio control means for controlling an air-fuel ratio in each cylinder on the basis of said temperature difference to make the air-fuel ratio in each cylinder a target air-fuel ratio.

15. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 14, wherein the amount of said cooling air is found from a flight speed of an aircraft and atmospheric density.

16. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 15, wherein said flight speed is detected by a Pitot tube.

17. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 14, wherein said estimating means estimates the temperature difference between two cylinders based on said amount of the cooling air and the amount of heat generated of each cylinder.

18. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 17, wherein said amount of heat generated is stored in advance as a function of the operating state of the engine.

19. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 14, wherein said air-fuel ratio control means makes the air-fuel ratio in each cylinder the target air-fuel ratio by controlling the fuel injection amount.

20. An air-cooled multi-cylinder engine according to claim 19, wherein said air-fuel ratio control means makes the air-fuel ratio in each cylinder the target air-fuel ratio by correcting the basic fuel injection time determined from the operating state of the engine on the basis of said temperature difference;

and the relationship between the correction amount with respect to said basic fuel injection time and said temperature difference is stored in advance.