This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/IB2019/051509, filed on Feb. 25, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62,643,384, filed on Mar. 15, 2018, entitled “VARIABLE COMPRESSION RATIO PISTON (VCR-PISTON),” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to controlling a peak pressure that opens a valve for a variable compression ratio piston, and more specifically, to an internal combustion engine that uses a wireless control for the peak pressure of an actuated valve located in the variable compression ratio piston.
Internal combustion engines operate by compressing a fuel charge before combustion. This compression is described by the compression ratio, which is defined as the ratio of a maximum volume to a minimum volume in the cylinder of the engine, i.e., Vmax/Vmin. Most engines use a fixed compression ratio, normally 10:1 to 14:1 for gasoline engines and 14:1 to 18:1 for diesel engines. However, the optimum compression ratio for such engines is not constant while the engine is running, but rather it changes with the operating conditions and the fuel used. This means that most engines today operate for some extended periods of time with a compression ratio that is not optimal. Operating at a non-optimal compression ratio means that the burning of the fuel generates more pollutants than necessary, and the engine uses more fuel than required, which results in unnecessary pollution and ultimately global warming.
To deal with the increasingly rigorous challenges arising from environment pollutions and global warming status quo, it becomes more and more imperative to develop competitive Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) technologies with higher fuel efficiency and less pollution, without sacrificing the brake power and other vehicle performances. Among these new technologies researched in recent years, the Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) technology has been considered as a promising method to improve the engine thermal efficiency, and fuel economy while reducing the emissions.
During engine operation, a higher compression ratio leads to a higher thermal efficiency, especially under partial load, as is shown in
Efforts have been made over the years in the VCR field, but with limited success. In 1992, Ford company presented a variable compression ratio methodology with an auxiliary chamber in the cylinder head. In 2005, Saab company introduced a Saab Variable Compression (SVC) engine, whose cylinder head could be tilted to achieve variable compression ratio. With regard to this design, the SVC engine was reported to be able to decrease fuel consumption by 30%, and HC emissions were also decreased significantly. In addition, the Nissan company had launched the first production VCR engine, which adopted a multi-link connecting rod, which could change the compression ratio between 8:1 and 14:1 in a flexible way. This approach claimed a 27% better fuel economy than a normal engine running at roughly the same power and torque. However, this kind of design still needs to overcome massive oscillating forces and rotating forces. Besides, many other mechanisms have been proposed to change the eccentric pin of the crankshaft, though it requires a significant adjustment of the engine body.
Moreover, some VCR technologies with variable piston height had also been proposed, for example, by Honda company, which suggested a Dual Piston Mechanism with compact structure and fast response time. The fuel economy for such configuration was claimed to be about 6%. Similarly, a pressure reactive piston technology, with a Belleville spring pack installed between the piston crown and the inner piston, had been proposed. This mechanism effectively limited the peak cylinder pressures at high loads, while allowing the engine to operate at high compression ratios under low loads.
Still another VCR technology focused on varying the piston deck height, which offers an attractive route to VCR engine production since it requires relatively minor changes to the engine configuration [1, 2]. As for the height adaptation piston, many efforts had been put on it before and some innovations had been presented, for example, a two-piece, hydraulically actuated piston invented by the British Internal Combustion Engine Research Institute (BICERI) in 1959 [3].
However, this configuration has a set peak pressure during the entire cycle of the engine, which is very limiting. Thus, there is a need for an engine and technology that allows to adjust not only the compression ratio of the engine, but also the peak pressure associated with a piston having a variable height.
According to an embodiment, there is a telescopic piston for use with an internal combustion engine. The telescopic piston includes an inner piston, an outer piston located over the inner piston, an upper oil chamber formed between the inner piston and the outer piston, and an actuated valve having a controllable peak pressure that opens the actuated valve. A value of the peak pressure is wirelessly received at the telescopic piston.
According to another embodiment, there is an internal combustion engine that includes a wireless transmitter, a cylinder, and a telescopic piston located inside the cylinder, the telescopic piston having an actuated valve. A peak pressure of the actuated valve is received wirelessly from the transmitter.
According to still another embodiment, there is a method for adjusting a peak pressure of an actuated valve in a telescopic piston of an engine. The method includes receiving at a receiver of the telescopic piston a signal in a wireless manner, wherein the signal is indicative of the new peak pressure; and replacing a current peak pressure of the actuated valve with the new peak pressure.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. In the drawings:
The following description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The following embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with regard to a telescopic piston that is used in an engine. However, the embodiments discussed herein may be applied to other pistons than a telescopic piston.
Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
According to an embodiment, there is an engine that has a telescopic piston. The outer part of the telescopic piston can move up and down relative to the inner part of the telescopic piston so that a variable compression ratio can be achieved. Further, a peak pressure during a cycle can be adjusted with a wireless system.
Prior to discussing this telescopic piston with an adjustable peak pressure in more detail, an engine with a telescopic piston having a fixed peak pressure is first discussed with regard to
In operation, at the end of the exhaust stroke, and at the beginning of the intake stroke, the net upward forces acting on the telescopic piston cause a small movement upwards of the outer piston 220. This difference in the relative movement is controlled by the reduction of the lower oil chamber, which results from the expulsion of the oil through the passage 252. The additional volume enlarges the upper oil chamber 230 and this volume will be filled with oil 232 coming through the one way valve 242. Therefore, the compression height (relative movement) increases over the number of cycles, but is restricted by the mechanical limit provided by the closing. The passage 252 is designed to ensure that the outer piston 220 will not move upward relative to the inner piston 210 more than a small limit during each stroke.
During the firing stroke, the cylinder pressure P increases dramatically and exceeds the design limit determined by the cracking pressure of the check valve 244, and thus, the upper oil chamber 230 discharges the oil 232 and reduces its volume, and the outer piston 220 moves down relative to the inner piston 210. This action will also cause the lower oil chamber 248 to expand and be filled by oil through the one way valve 246. Therefore, the amount of the oil discharged during compression/expansion strokes depends on the set peak pressure of the check valve 244.
One possible implementation of the check valve 244 is shown in
According to an embodiment illustrated in
Oil 432 from the upper oil chamber 430 can move along passage 424, formed in the inner piston 410, through actuated valve 460, when a certain pressure P1 inside the upper oil chamber 430 is larger than a set peak pressure of the actuated valve 460. The oil 432, when the pressure is larger than the set peak pressure, returns to the oil engine reservoir 472.
Oil from the oil collection chamber 438 can also advance along passages 440A and 440C to the one way valve 446, and then enters a lower oil chamber 448. The lower oil chamber 448 is defined by the inner piston, the outer piston and a closing ring 450. Closing ring 450 may have a passage 452 for leaking the oil back to the engine oil reservoir 472.
The actuated valve 460 is associated (may include) a receiver 462 for receiving, in a wireless manner, a signal 492 generated by a transmitter 490. Transmitter 490 is located within the interior of the engine 480 and is connected to a global controller 494 and a power source 496. The global controller and power source may be located anywhere inside or outside the engine. The global controller 494 can be programmed by the operator of the engine to send the signal 492 to the receiver 462 at any desired time and as often as the receiver can do it. The signal 492 may include a set peak pressure value for the actuated valve 460, i.e., a pressure at which the actuated valve should open and allow the oil 432 to flow from the upper oil chamber 430 to the reservoir 472.
The global controller 494 is also connected to one or more sensors. For example, it is possible to have a pressure sensor 498 placed inside the cylinder 470 (or other location) for measuring a pressure P2 inside the space between the cylinder 470 and the telescopic piston 400. In one embodiment, the pressure sensor 498 is wired to the global controller 494 by wire 499. The global controller 494 may also be connected to an angle sensor 495 that reads a crankshaft angle. Other sensors may be linked to the global controller for receiving other parameters of the engine, for example, temperature sensor, fuel composition sensor, air intake sensor, etc.
If the global controller 494 determines that the peak pressure of the actuated valve 460 needs to be changed, it will send the signal 492 to the actuated valve to implement this change. One possible implementation of the actuated valve 460 is shown in
The actuated valve 460 has an actuation mechanism 500 (a solenoid 501 in this example) that houses a pin 502. The pin 502 may be attached to the solenoid 501 with a spring 504. The actuated valve has an inlet 510 and an outlet 520. A seat 512 is formed between the inlet and the outlet so that the pin 502 fits inside the seat and blocks the flow of the oil 432 from the inlet to the outlet. The receiver 462 may be attached to the actuated valve together with a local controller 530 (e.g., a processor) and a power source 532. The power source is connected to the solenoid and is configured to provide an electrical current to the solenoid, to generate a magnetic field. The magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field produced by the pin 502, which was previously magnetized. The magnetic interaction between the magnetic field of the pin and the magnetic field generated by the solenoid makes the pin to move up or down. A result of this magnetic interaction is shown in
Note that the local controller 530, depending on the value of the signal 492, determines to electrically connect the power source 532 to the solenoid 501 to open the pin 502. Thus, with this implementation, the global controller 494 instructs the local controller 530 when to open/close the actuated valve 460.
In another embodiment illustrated in
However, by adding a solenoid valve 500, similar to that described in
In this regard, in one application, it is possible to control the amount of biased applied by the pin 502 to the biasing mechanism 612 so that the check valve 600's flow is controlled. In other words, while in one embodiment the check valve is controlled by solenoid valve 500 to be on or off, in this application, the solenoid valve 500 controls the flow area between the ball 610 and inlet 602, giving a smaller or larger flow of oil as demanded by the engine.
The power source 532 may be implemented in various ways. In one application, the power source is a small rechargeable battery. In another application, the power source is a linear electric generator as illustrated in
While the previous embodiments were discussed with regard to an active wireless communication between the transmitter 494 and a receiver 462, it is also possible to use a passive receiver that is tuned to the frequency of the transmission signal 492. Thus, it would be possible to power the actuated valve 460 by the transmission signal 492, and for this configuration, no power source 532 or controller 530 would be needed. The activation of the receiver 462 could still be synchronized to the telescopic piston's motion and thus, use of the large forces in the telescopic piston may be implemented to control the oil flow with either positive or negative forces.
An extended implementation of one or more of the above embodiments would be to use the two oil chambers 430 and 448. The volumes of these two oil chambers will experience pressure with opposite signs, i.e., when the upper oil chamber 430 get increased pressure due to a force, the lower oil chamber 448 will get a reduced pressure. With the two chambers, it is possible to install actuated check valves for both. This will offer increased controllability to the entire system.
In comparison to other VCR systems, the controlled telescopic piston system 400 shows one or more advantages as now discussed. In one application, there is no need to change the main components of an engine. The engine block, crankshaft and cylinder head can all remain the same. To implement the system 400, it would be needed to replace the piston and possibly the connecting rod. This means that expensive modifications of the current engine architecture can be avoided. It also means that the controlled telescopic piston can be implemented in current generation engines, and there is no need to wait until the next generation will be introduced.
In another application, it is possible that the compression ratio is adjusted for each cylinder individually. This is very useful if combustion concepts will be used that rely on controlled temperature levels. One such example is Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, HCCI.
In still another application, it is possible that the control actuation can be made very fast with the actuated valve (i.e., a controlled check valve). The forces in the piston are very large and this gives very fast actuation. In principle, the entire upper oil chamber 430 can be emptied in one stroke. This fast control is not possible with most other VCR systems.
A method for running an engine with such a controlled telescopic piston system 400 is now discussed with regard to
However, if the operation conditions of the engine change so that the preset peak value of the pressure is not adequate, the global controller can adjust the peak value. For this to happen, one or more sensors 498 measures a pressure P2 inside the cylinder and another sensor 495 measures or determines the crankshaft angle. Based on this information, the global controller 494 makes a decision in step 808 to set a new peak pressure for the actuated valve 460. Those skilled in the art would understand that other mechanisms are available making this decision. For example, the sensor do not need to be an in-cylinder pressure sensor, but a ion-current sensor or knock sensor may be used and this sensor will also give information about combustion, and hence inform the global processed about the need to reduce the compression ratio. In other words, the decision to change the compression ratio may be made based on various information obtained from the engine. The decision to change the peak pressure and set a new peak pressure is sent in step 810, in a wireless manner, from the global controller 494 to a local controller 530 of the actuated valve 460, and in step 812, the local controller 530 implements the new peak pressure at the actuated valve 460.
A method for adjusting a peak pressure of an actuated valve 460 in a telescopic piston 400 of an engine is now discussed with regard to
The disclosed embodiments provide an engine that uses wireless control for an actuated valve for a variable compression ratio piston. It should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the exemplary embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the claimed invention. However, one skilled in the art would understand that various embodiments may be practiced without such specific details.
Although the features and elements of the present embodiments are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein.
This written description uses examples of the subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the same, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2019/051509 | 2/25/2019 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2019/175696 | 9/19/2019 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20100139479 | Pirault | Jun 2010 | A1 |
20110226220 | Wilkins | Sep 2011 | A1 |
20150316020 | Schuele | Nov 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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102007040699 | Mar 2009 | DE |
202011107187 | Feb 2013 | DE |
102016115765 | Mar 2018 | DE |
H11117779 | Apr 1999 | JP |
8601562 | Mar 1986 | WO |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200408145 A1 | Dec 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62643384 | Mar 2018 | US |