Variable Valve Operating System for an Internal Combustion Engine

Abstract

A variable valve operating system for an internal combustion engine that has a plurality of electromagnetic actuators for the intake and exhaust valves in a multi-cylinder engine. This engine does not have the conventional lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, cam, timing chain and gear. Computerized software controls and executes the duration of valve opening and closing, lift, timing, and synchronization of the valve action to the crankshaft. This allows a dynamic operation of the engine to effect various selected performance modes. One mode can be selected for the desired driving condition. An engine built comprising this current invention will require fewer parts, be more reliable and less machine work to manufacture as a savings and benefit to all.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/667,793, filed 2005 Mar. 31 by the present inventors.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to a variable valve operating system for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine with a plurality of electromagnetic valve actuators matched to the valves and a computer processor that controls and executes the duration of valve opening and closing, lift, timing, duration of the fuel injector's activation and synchronization of the valves to the camshaft and crankshaft that will run in one of a selected performance mode.

2. Prior Art

Many inventors have invented electromagnetic actuators and talked about using them on internal combustion engines. The information in the listed Patents and Applications below are remiss in not mentioning a computer and appropriate software or otherwise a method that was to make the valve actuators function correctly to operate in an engine. U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,253 Alberter, Baumel, Breu, Flierl, Gramann, Hettich, Kretschmer, Maute, Schenk, Theil, Wiedemann Dec. 26, 2000 talks about the actuator shafts and a cooled intermediate level being cooled by connecting them to cooling medium channels of the cylinder head or cooling circuit of the internal combustion engine. They say, “cooling is assured for the actuator control device and actuators”. They say the actuator carrier is screwed to the head. This will conduct a substantial amount of heat from the engine. It should be insulated at least partially. Well the water of a running engine is approximately 235 to 260 degrees. You can't cool anything with this. They don't say anything about exactly how the valves are actuated or will function with a program.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,296 Wunning, Davis, Schmidt, Penick, Deiri, and Young Apr. 13, 1993 says that actuators may include electromechanical, electromagnetic, hydraulic, or piezoelectric devices. Well, these are totally different structures so they can't be the same invention. Then it says the actuators utilize hydraulic amplification, which amplifies the linear expansion of the piezoelectric actuator to provide the necessary amount of actuation. Some production engines can run up to 6000 RPM. We have determined from experts that hydraulic fluid can't move this fast. We can't see the problems they're talking about and their presentation doesn't seem to solve anything. They say that the specific circuitry to carry out the invention is a matter of design choice and is not critical to the present invention. Shouldn't the design choice be in the patent? This means their patent is not complete as far as a Control system for an Internal Combustion Engine. They are running two microprocessors and are running a tremendous number of software modules and complex calculations. Probably too many for a 6000 RPM engine. This Control system for an Internal Combustion Engine is a pile of pages and pages of confusing garble and is entirely too complicated for practical use. Japanese Patent Application 2000-081891 Mar. 23, 2000 U.S. patent application 09/810,532 Pub No. 2001/0023667 Hajime Miura Mar. 19, 2001 doesn't seem to show any purpose for this invention except that it allows the engine to work under various operation cycles. Engines do this anyway. He doesn't define all of his terms such as “Non-Throttle operation”. He talks about 2 cycle, 4 cycle, 12 cycle, and 16 cycle operations. Apparently the engine wouldn't fire half of the cylinders for a period of time and then fire every 6th or 9th revolution. The compression and expansion strokes are repeated 2 to 9 times with both valves closed without firing. Like most designers, I can't imagine how any of this could possibly work. If anything it would probably drag the engine down so bad it wouldn't run. He talks about a Control System in the Claims but it isn't very clear what the purpose is of this invention. There is virtually no definition of the Control System in the description. For a Patent Application with 30 claims I have a problem seeing the purpose for something that it is confusing to see how it could work. This patent application was filed 5 years ago. Obviously the examiners the examiners can't figure it out either.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of our variable valve operating system are:

• 1. To provide a complete workable variable valve operating system to operate the valves of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine using electromagnetic valve actuators and a computer processor with appropriate software/firmware. The design choice is included in our patent.
• 2. To provide a new design that will eliminate a substantial number of valve train parts. This will simplify manufacturing by also eliminating a substantial amount of the machine work. This will make the engine lighter in weight.
• 3. To provide an engine that will have a lower cost to manufacture and eventually improve profitability for the auto manufacturer and benefit the consumer.
• 4. To provide an engine that will operate in a plurality of performance modes dynamically and electronically. These modes can change from a stock mode to a high gas mileage mode to a high performance mode merely by selection.
  Further objects and advantages of our variable valve operating system will become apparent from consideration of the ensuing descriptions.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the variable valve operating system for an internal combustion engine it has a plurality of electromagnetic actuators for the intake and exhaust valves. A computer, including software/firmware that control the duration of valve opening and closing, lift, timing, duration of the fuel injector's activation and synchronization of the valve action to the crankshaft and operates the system electronically. This allows a dynamic operation of the engine to effect one of various selected performance modes. One mode can be selected for the desired driving conditions.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Overall Unit schematic

Reference Numerals

• 10 Our computer Module
• 12 Actuators
• 14 Crankshaft sensor Signal
• 16 Cam Sensor Signal
• 18 Manufacturers Computer Control Module
• 20 Actuator Wire
• 22 Engine

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Two embodiments are possible under the current invention. The first embodiment as the conventional engine has one intake and one exhaust valve per cylinder. The second embodiment has two intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder. This double valve arrangement allows the actuators to alternate operation and reduces the number of cycles per second per actuator. This is currently necessary because some actuators are not fast enough for some Current engines RPMs. This second embodiment is currently the preferred embodiment.

This system, utilizing the above preferred embodiment, will control the duration of the intake and exhaust valve opening and closing, the duration of the actuation of the fuel injector (for that particular cylinder) and the acceleration curve of the ignition timing system. Our additional computer control system will interface with the electromagnetic actuators controlling the activation duration for the opening and closing of the valve, interface with the vehicles current control module (which will be reprogrammed to suit our needs) as a means to control the fuel injector's activation time to correspond with the valves duration of opening and closing and the acceleration curve for the ignition timing to produce the desired mode of operation.

The actuators 12 are connected to the computer 10. Software/ firmware is installed in the computer 10. The software, which is synchronized by the cam sensor and the crankshaft sensor will actuate the valves' duration, lift, timing. Air movement fans and ducts will be mounted and connected to the tappet covers for cooling the actuators. The two Tappet covers are installed over the Actuators 12 on the head. The overall wiring is built as in FIG. 1.

Operation

To operate the variable valve operating system for an internal combustion engine one needs to start the engine with the ignition key. The system starts up in stock mode. Once the engine is in operation for a few minutes, other modes can be manually selected. The high gas mileage mode would usually be selected for highway driving. It is going to have a little less power. The high performance mode would usually be selected for passing, climbing steep grades or off road operation. This mode will have more power but less gas mileage. The stock mode is for average driving.

Thus the reader will see that an engine built comprising the current invention will provide a dynamic operation according to one selection of several possible performance modes. It is a new generation of engine design that has several operating modes in one engine that can be manufactured with fewer parts and less machine work.

Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A variable valve operating system for an internal combustion engine comprising:

(a) a plurality of electromagnetic valve actuators that are installed and attached to each of a plurality of intake and exhaust valves of a multi-cylinder engine.

(b) a computer processor and software/firmware having means to track top dead center of number 1 piston and ignition timing of number 1 cylinder.

(c) said software firmware with means to control the valve's duration of opening and closing, lift, timing, and synchronization with crankshaft.

2. The software/firmware of claim 1 wherein said means to control valve's duration of opening and closing is arranged to execute appropriately designed software/firmware to provide one each of multiple modes of performance.

3. The multiple modes of performance of claim 2 wherein performance modes can be manually selected one at a time by the operator of the vehicle to instruct said software/firmware to execute the functions necessary for the desired performance mode.

4. The electromagnetic valve actuators of claim 1 wherein the design of the tappet covers has the means to cool the actuators by a cooling medium flowing through said tappet covers and passing over said actuators.

Whereby we now have said internal combustion engine that can run as a selection of one of several different performance modes and said internal combustion engine will cost substantially less to manufacture because there is a substantial number of parts and amount of machine work that have been e