Abstract: An internal combustion engine, including a main combustion chamber serving as a main combustion chamber, an auxiliary combustion chamber adjacent to the main combustion chamber and smaller in capacity than the main combustion chamber, and a partition wall between the main combustion chamber and the auxiliary combustion chamber, the partition wall including an injection hole by which the main combustion chamber and the auxiliary combustion chamber communicate. A fuel supply device supplies fuel to the main combustion chamber and the auxiliary combustion chamber. A mixture forming device forms a mixture of air and the supplied fuel in the main combustion chamber, away from the partition wall before ignition. An ignition device ignites the fuel in the auxiliary combustion chamber, propelling an ejecting torch flame into the mixture of air and fuel in the main combustion chamber through the injection hole, thereby burning the mixture of air and fuel in the main combustion chamber.

Abstract: A reforming catalyst (6) induces an isomerization reforming reaction and a decomposition reforming reaction of a gasoline fuel. Injectors (27, 33, 35, 36) supply an isomerized fuel generated by the isomerization reforming reaction and a decomposed fuel generated by the decomposition reforming reaction respectively to the internal combustion engine (1). The ratio of the isomerization reforming reaction and the decomposition reforming reaction depends on a catalyst temperature, and can be altered arbitrarily by controlling an air supply amount to the catalyst (6) via an air amount regulating valve (14) and a fuel supply amount to the catalyst (6) via a fuel injector (8) and thereby controlling the catalyst temperature.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine (100) comprises a fuel injection valve (21, 22) which supplies a first fuel having a higher self-ignitability than gasoline and a second fuel having a higher combustion speed than gasoline such that an air-fuel mixture containing the first fuel and the second fuel is formed in a combustion chamber (14), a spark plug (25) which ignites the air-fuel mixture, and a programmable controller (41) programmed to control supply proportions of the first fuel and the second fuel such that the ignited air-fuel mixture undergoes flame propagation combustion and then undergoes self-ignition combustion. Thus, a reduction in emissions can be achieved, and high thermal efficiency can be realized through the self-ignition combustion.

Abstract: A power plant, including an internal combustion engine, a fuel conversion device that coverts a fuel to be supplied to the internal combustion engine from a before-conversion fuel to an after-conversion fuel, a first fuel supply device that supplies the fuel conversion device with the before-conversion fuel, a second fuel supply device that supplies the internal combustion engine with the after-conversion fuel, the after-conversion fuel being the fuel that has been converted by the fuel conversion device, and a controller that is communicated with the internal combustion engine, the fuel conversion device, the first fuel supply device and the second fuel supply device.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes neighboring main and auxiliary combustion chambers that are separated by a partition wall including a communicating passage. Ignition of an air/fuel mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber produces a fuel torch that is jetted into an air/fuel mixture in the main combustion chamber. Under a predetermined operation condition, timing for opening an intake valve is retarded relative to both the timing for closing an exhaust valve and the timing for top dead center of a piston on an exhaust stroke. By retarding the timing for opening the intake valve, residual gas in the auxiliary combustion that is left over from a previous cycle can be reduced.

Abstract: A spark-ignition type internal combustion engine, including a main tank for storing a to-be-determined fuel having an unknown self-ignition property, an auxiliary tank for accumulating a reference fuel having a known self-ignition property, and a controller. The controller is programmed to supply to a combustion chamber a blended fuel prepared by blending the to-be-determined fuel and the reference fuel at a predetermined ratio, measure a self-ignition property of the blended fuel, and determine the unknown self-ignition property of the to-be-determined fuel based on the measured self-ignition property of the blended fuel, the known self-ignition property of the reference fuel and the ratio of the blended fuel. The controller is also programmed to introduce the to-be-determined fuel after the determination from the main tank to the auxiliary tank, and store the to-be-determined fuel in the auxiliary tank such that the to-be-determined fuel serves as a next reference fuel having a known self-ignition property.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine (100) comprises a fuel injection valve (21, 22) which supplies a first fuel having a higher self-ignitability than gasoline and a second fuel having a higher combustion speed than gasoline such that an air-fuel mixture containing the first fuel and the second fuel is formed in a combustion chamber (14), a spark plug (25) which ignites the air-fuel mixture, and a programmable controller (41) programmed to control supply proportions of the first fuel and the second fuel such that the ignited air-fuel mixture undergoes flame propagation combustion and then undergoes self-ignition combustion. Thus, a reduction in emissions can be achieved, and high thermal efficiency can be realized through the self-ignition combustion.

Abstract: A power plant, including an internal combustion engine, a fuel conversion device that coverts a fuel to be supplied to the internal combustion engine from a before-conversion fuel to an after-conversion fuel, a first fuel supply device that supplies the fuel conversion device with the before-conversion fuel, a second fuel supply device that supplies the internal combustion engine with the after-conversion fuel, the after-conversion fuel being the fuel that has been converted by the fuel conversion device, and a controller that is communicated with the internal combustion engine, the fuel conversion device, the first fuel supply device and the second fuel supply device.

Abstract: A spark-ignition type internal combustion engine, including a main tank for storing a to-be-determined fuel having an unknown self-ignition property, an auxiliary tank for accumulating a reference fuel having a known self-ignition property, and a controller. The controller is programmed to supply to a combustion chamber a blended fuel prepared by blending the to-be-determined fuel and the reference fuel at a predetermined ratio, measure a self-ignition property of the blended fuel, and determine the unknown self-ignition property of the to-be-determined fuel based on the measured self-ignition property of the blended fuel, the known self-ignition property of the reference fuel and the ratio of the blended fuel. The controller is also programmed to introduce the to-be-determined fuel after the determination from the main tank to the auxiliary tank, and store the to-be-determined fuel in the auxiliary tank such that the to-be-determined fuel serves as a next reference fuel having a known self-ignition property.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine, including a main combustion chamber serving as a main combustion chamber, an auxiliary combustion chamber adjacent to the main combustion chamber and smaller in capacity than the main combustion chamber, and a partition wall between the main combustion chamber and the auxiliary combustion chamber, the partition wall including an injection hole by which the main combustion chamber and the auxiliary combustion chamber communicate. A fuel supply device supplies fuel to the main combustion chamber and the auxiliary combustion chamber. A mixture forming device forms a mixture of air and the supplied fuel in the main combustion chamber, away from the partition wall before ignition. An ignition device ignites the fuel in the auxiliary combustion chamber, propelling an ejecting torch flame into the mixture of air and fuel in the main combustion chamber through the injection hole, thereby burning the mixture of air and fuel in the main combustion chamber.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a main combustion chamber, an auxiliary combustion chamber, a fuel reforming unit, and a control unit. The auxiliary combustion chamber is configured and arranged to communicate with the main combustion chamber. The fuel reforming unit is configured and arranged to reform a fuel to produce a reformed gaseous fuel and a reformed liquid fuel. The control unit is configured to execute control such that the reformed gaseous fuel is supplied to the auxiliary combustion chamber when a first operating condition exists and the reformed liquid fuel is supplied to the main combustion chamber when a second operating condition exists.

Abstract: A reforming catalyst (6) induces an isomerization reforming reaction and a decomposition reforming reaction of a gasoline fuel. Injectors (27, 33, 35, 36) supply an isomerized fuel generated by the isomerization reforming reaction and a decomposed fuel generated by the decomposition reforming reaction respectively to the internal combustion engine (1). The ratio of the isomerization reforming reaction and the decomposition reforming reaction depends on a catalyst temperature, and can be altered arbitrarily by controlling an air supply amount to the catalyst (6) via an air amount regulating valve (14) and a fuel supply amount to the catalyst (6) via a fuel injector (8) and thereby controlling the catalyst temperature.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes neighboring main and auxiliary combustion chambers that are separated by a partition wall including a communicating passage. Ignition of an air/fuel mixture in the auxiliary combustion chamber produces a fuel torch that is jetted into an air/fuel mixture in the main combustion chamber. Under a predetermined operation condition, timing for opening an intake valve is retarded relative to both the timing for closing an exhaust valve and the timing for top dead center of a piston on an exhaust stroke. By retarding the timing for opening the intake valve, residual gas in the auxiliary combustion that is left over from a previous cycle can be reduced.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a main combustion chamber and a small auxiliary combustion chamber. The main chamber is formed by a cylinder, the undersurface of a cylinder head, and the crown of a piston. A main ignition unit is disposed in the cylinder head, including a main body and a spark plug. The auxiliary chamber is formed within the main ignition unit. The main and auxiliary chambers are connected via a communication passage. The piston crown includes a cavity. When a fuel injection valve sprays fuel into the cavity on compression stroke, a tumble flow of fuel gas is generated to locally form a relatively rich air-fuel mixture near the communication passage. The air-fuel mixture partly flows into the auxiliary chamber as the piston travels upwardly. The air-fuel mixture in the auxiliary chamber is ignited by the spark plug so that a combustion flame propagates into the main chamber.

Abstract: An engine having a cylinder, a piston slideably received in the cylinder, a crankshaft connected to the piston, and a multi-link piston crank mechanism. The multi-link piston crank mechanism controls movement of the piston such that an acceleration of the piston at top dead center is less than an acceleration of the piston at bottom dead center. A determining device determines an operating condition of the engine. A combustion mode control device controls the engine to operate at an air-fuel ratio leaner than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio when the determining device determines that the operating condition of the engine is in a predetermined operating region.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a main combustion chamber, an auxiliary combustion chamber, a fuel reforming unit, and a control unit. The auxiliary combustion chamber is configured and arranged to communicate with the main combustion chamber. The fuel reforming unit is configured and arranged to reform a fuel to produce a reformed gaseous fuel and a reformed liquid fuel. The control unit is configured to execute control such that the reformed gaseous fuel is supplied to the auxiliary combustion chamber when a first operating condition exists and the reformed liquid fuel is supplied to the main combustion chamber when a second operating condition exists.

Abstract: In an exhaust path, a HC trapping material which traps HC contained in exhaust gas temporarily, a H2O trap which traps H2O contained in exhaust gas and a CO oxidation catalyst are arranged in this order from the upstream side, wherein the H2O trap is disposed just upstream of and close to the CO oxidation catalyst. H2O and HC which are components disturbing the activity of the CO oxidation catalyst can be removed efficiently and the adsorption heat and condensation heat of H2O can be efficiently utilized to raise the temperature of the CO oxidation catalyst so that early activation of the CO oxidation catalyst is accomplished just after an engine starts.

Abstract: A direct fuel injection internal combustion engine includes a fuel injector arranged above a center portion of the piston and positioned higher than a combustion chamber upper surface of a cylinder head. The cylinder head includes a recess portion in which a tip of the fuel injector is disposed in a cross sectional view of the cylinder head in a plane perpendicular to a fuel injection center axis. The recess portion is provided with a channel extending longitudinally away from the tip of the fuel injector configured and arranged to reduce negative pressure within the recess portion. The channel is oriented in such a direction as to avoid the interference between the channel and other parts of the cylinder head. When the fuel injector is a multi-hole fuel injector, the channel can be oriented toward a direction along a centerline between two adjacent injection vents of the fuel injector.

Abstract: An exhaust emission control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection valve placed substantially at a midpoint above a combustion chamber of the engine; a piston having an outer cavity formed substantially in a midsection of an upper surface of the piston and an inner cavity formed in a bottom surface of the outer cavity; an ignition plug placed in a region right above the outer cavity; an exhaust purifying catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the engine; and a controller. This controller is configured to carry out a stratified charge combustion when a temperature rise for the exhaust purifying catalyst is required, by forming air-fuel mixture which is richer than stoichiometric ratio and is able to be ignited by the ignition plug, within the outer cavity and in an area substantially right above the outer cavity, from a fuel injected through the fuel injection valve.

Abstract: A direct fuel injection engine is provided that an appropriate stratified fuel-air mixture is formed to conduct good stratified combustion over a wide range of loads. The engine has a fuel injection valve that is arranged at an upper surface of the combustion chamber on or near the center reciprocation axis of the piston and oriented such that the injection center axis of the fuel stream injected therefrom is slanted with respect to the center reciprocation axis of the piston. The piston is disposed in the combustion chamber to move along a cylinder center axis. The piston has a top surface having a first outer cavity having a first cavity center axis, and a second inner cavity located in the outer cavity. The second inner cavity has a second cavity center axis offset from the cylinder center axis of the piston in a direction perpendicular to the cylinder center axis.