Method and apparatus for cold starting a spark ignited internal combustion engine fueled with an alcohol-based fuel mixture
US5146882A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 27, 1991 |
| Grant date | Sep 15, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF02P15/12
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for enhancing the cold starting performance of a spark ignition, internal combustion engine fueled with an alcohol-based fuel mixture is described. The quantity of fuel mixture delivered to the engine is regulated to establish a combustible fuel vapor-air mixture in each engine cylinder during cranking, while restricting the accumulation of unvaporized fuel in the each cylinder so as not to exceed a predetermined amount. In addition, each cylinder spark plug is provided with an ignition current having a peak magnitude sufficient to achieve voltage break down across each spark plug arc gap, when each gap is resistively loaded due to wetting in accordance with the predetermined amount of accumulated unvaporized fuel. Preferably, the quantity of fuel delivered to the engine during cranking is reduced at a substantially exponential rate as a function of the cumulative number of revolutions the engine is rotated during cranking. An ignition coil having a secondary to primary winding turns ratio in the order of 65:1, with its secondary winding wrapped onto a plurality of partitions in a segmented dielectric bobbin, is employed to provide the required ignition curre…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.