Patents by Inventor Steven R. Ahern

Steven R. Ahern has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5588415
    Abstract: A method for controlling fuel supplied to an engine includes steps of conducting tests on a representative model of a family of engines to obtain constants and coefficients of operating characteristics of the representative engine under ambient and induced temperatures and pressures, and creating look-up maps from which such coefficients may be obtained to compute actual operating conditions. When an engine is used in performance of normal operations, sensors are provided to determine actual operating temperatures and pressures which are used to select appropriate constants and coefficients for calculating engine fuel requirements in accordance with an algorithm, and using the calculated result to control flow to fuel to the engine under normal operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company Pty. Limited
    Inventor: Steven R. Ahern
  • Patent number: 5427083
    Abstract: A method for controlling fuel supplied to an engine includes steps of conducting tests on a representative model of a family of engines to obtain constants and coefficients of operating characteristics of the representative engine under ambient and induced temperatures and pressures, and creating look-up maps from which such coefficients may be obtained to compute actual operating conditions. When an engine is used in performance of normal operations, sensors are provided to determine actual operating temperatures and pressures which are used to select appropriate constants and coefficients for calculating engine fuel requirements in accordance with an algorithm, and using the calculated result to control flow to fuel to the engine under normal operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company (Australia) Pty. Limited
    Inventor: Steven R. Ahern
  • Patent number: 5209200
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine having a cylinder head at one end of the cylinder, a piston mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder, a cavity in the cylinder head, and a fuel injector nozzle located in the cavity in the cylinder head to deliver fuel into the cavity in a direction towards the piston. The piston has a bowl in the top thereof, positioned to intersect the path of delivery of the fuel from the injector nozzle. A rim extends around the periphery of the bowl and is upstanding from the to surface of the piston. The bowl and rim effect containment of the fuel, particularly during high fueling rates, to control the combustion process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company (Australia) Pty. Limited
    Inventors: Steven R. Ahern, Jorge M. P. da Silva
  • Patent number: 5163405
    Abstract: A method of operating an internal combustion engine to control "knock" therein, by injecting a metered quantity of fuel entrained in a gas directly onto the engine combustion chamber and controlling the timing of injection of the fuel into the combustion chamber. The control of timing of injection being effected by setting the time of the end of the period of injection in relation to the engine cycle, and reducing the duration of the injection period in response to detection of "knock" in the engine above a predetermined level. The duration of injection is reduced in a stepwise manner one step each cycle until "knock" is eliminated or reduced below the predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
    Inventors: Steven R. Ahern, Claudio Pracilio
  • Patent number: 4993394
    Abstract: In a spark ignition engine, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder volume. In order to obtain improved levels of combustion efficiency and reduced emissions the position of the fuel cloud within the cylinder volume is varied with engine load by controlled variation of fuel injection pressure. In particular, there is disclosed a method and apparatus for injection of fuel by compressed air where the position of the fuel cloud within the cylinder volume is controlled by conjoint control of fuel and air injection pressure. The invention has particular application to two-stroke cycle engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company Propriety Limited
    Inventors: Michael L. McKay, Steven R. Ahern
  • Patent number: 4926806
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of controlling the direct injection of fuel directly into the combustion chamber of an engine by a charge of gas, wherein the control of the timing of injection of the fuel includes at the commencement of start up of the engine, adjusting the timing of injection so injection occurs at a timing earlier in the combustion chamber cycle than the normal timing of injection for idle running; and in response to the engine reaching a predetermined speed or rotation during start up, the timing of injection is progressively adjusted each engine cycle towards the normal timing of injection at idle running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Co., Proprietary Limited
    Inventors: Steven R. Ahern, Roy S. Brooks, Martin J. P. Cebis
  • Patent number: 4790270
    Abstract: In a two-stroke spark ignition engine, fuel is injected through the cylinder wall at a location opposite to and above the level of the exhaust port (120). The fuel is delivered in the form of a number of streams such as, for example, streams (60), (61), (62). One of the streams (60) is directed upwardly across the cylinder to deliver fuel towards the combustion chamber cavity (122). This stream (60) is arranged not to impinge on the spark plug (123) but is caused to create a fuel rich cloud within the cavity (122). Streams (62) are directed downwardly and outwardly from the injection location and an optional stream (61) may be directed across the cylinder towards the exhaust port side of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1988
    Assignee: Orbital Engine Company Proprietary Limited
    Inventors: Michael L. McKay, Steven R. Ahern