C.r.f. Societa Consortile Per Azioni

Chiara Altamura

Raffaele Ricco

Sergio Stucchi

Onofrio De Michele

Carlo Mazzarella

Mario Ricco

Francesco Vattaneo

Marcello Gargano

Domenico Lepore

Antonio Gravina

An internal-combustion engine has a plurality of cylinders each with two intake valves driven by respective pumping pistons operatively associated to cams of a camshaft, by respective hydraulic circuits. The hydraulic has its pressure chamber communicating with hydraulic actuators of the two intake valves, so that the two intake valves of each cylinder are controlled, via two different hydraulic circuits, by cams associated to two different cylinders. Each cam is configured to give rise to a cycle of opening and closing of each of the intake valves in an angular range of rotation of the crankshaft less than 180° such that, in each operating cycle of a cylinder, only the first intake valve initially opens and closes while the second intake valve remains closed, and then the second intake valve opens and closes while the first intake valve remains closed.

Multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, with cylinders equipped with intake valve variable actuation systems having hydraulic circuits which cross each other

An engine includes at least one cylinder, a first intake valve and a second intake valve associated with the cylinder, to control a flow of intake air from a first intake duct and a second intake duct, respectively. The two intake ducts communicate with a common intake manifold, so as to receive air at the same pressure. During the intake stage, in each cylinder operating cycle, initially an opening and closing movement of only the first intake valve is activated, while the second intake valve remains closed and, subsequently, an opening and closing movement of only said second intake valve is activated, while the first intake valve remains closed. In this way, the two air flows at the same pressure entering the cylinder give rise to a high turbulent kinetic energy, to the advantage of combustion efficiency and reduction of harmful exhaust emissions.

Internal combustion engine with fast combustion, and method for the internal combustion engine

In an internal combustion engine provided with an electro-hydraulic system for variable actuation of the intake valves of the engine, each cylinder has two intake valves, which are associated with two intake conduits and are controlled by a single cam of a camshaft through a single hydraulic circuit. The communication of the hydraulic actuators of the two intake valves with a discharge channel is controlled by two electrically-actuated control valves, both of an on/off two-position type, arranged in series with each other along a hydraulic line for communication between the a pressure volume and the discharge channel.

System and method for variable actuation of valves of an internal combustion engine

A system for variable actuation of an engine valve of an engine includes a master piston driven by a cam of a camshaft. A slave piston is driven by the master piston by a volume of pressurized fluid. The slave piston causes the engine valve to open, against the action of a spring. A control valve controls a communication between pressurized fluid and an environment at lower pressure, with which a fluid accumulator is in communication. A control unit is programmed for controlling the control valve according to one or more different valve modes. When one of these valve modes is actuated, the control valve opens the communication in advance with respect to the end of the lift cycle of the cam, and not after closing of the engine valve to prevent or reduce a decrease in pressure in the volume of pressurized fluid after closing of the engine valve.

System and method for variable actuation of a valve of an internalcombustion engine, with an electrically operated control valve having an improved control

An electrically actuated control valve has three mouths and three operating positions, in which the three mouths includes a first mouth for inlet of a working fluid, and a second mouth and a third mouth for outlet of the working fluid. The three operating positions include a first operating position in which a passage of fluid from the first mouth to the second mouth and the third mouth is enabled, a second operating position in which a passage of fluid from the first mouth to only one of said second and third mouths is enabled, and a third operating position in which the passage of fluid from the first to the second mouth and the third mouth is disabled. The control valve includes an electric or electromagnetic actuator for controlling the passage of fluid from the first mouth to the second and third mouths providing the aforesaid three operating positions.

Three-way three-position control valve having a piezoelectric or magnetostrictive actuator, and fuel-injection system comprising the aforesaid valve

An internal-combustion engine includes a three-way, three-position solenoid valve, having an inlet communicating with a pressurized-fluid chamber and with a hydraulic actuator of an intake valve, and two outlets communicating with an actuator of another intake valve of a cylinder and the exhaust channel. The solenoid valve has a first position, in which the inlet communicates with both outlets, a second position, in which the inlet communicates only with the outlet connected to the actuator of the intake valve and a third position, in which the inlet does not communicate with any of the two outlets. During at least part of an active stroke of a tappet, the solenoid valve is kept in the third position to render the first intake valve active. During the active stroke of the tappet, the solenoid valve is never brought into the second position so that the second intake valve always remains closed.

Internal-combustion engine having a system for variable actuation of the intake values, provided with three-way solenoid valves, and method for controlling said engine in 'single-lift' mode

An internal-combustion engine includes a system for variable actuation of intake valves, including a control valve for each cylinder, which controls communication of a pressurized-fluid chamber with a discharge channel. The control valve has at least three different positions, namely, a first completely open position, a second partially open position, and a third completely closed position. Electronic control means are programmed for keeping the control valve in its closed position in operating stages in which the intake valve must remain coupled to the respective cam and for bringing the control valve from its completely closed position to its partially open position or to its completely open position in operating stages in which the intake valve must be uncoupled from the respective cam, selection between the first position and said second position of the control valve being made as a function of one or more operating parameters of the engine.

Internal-combustion engine having a system for variable actuation of the intake valves, provided with an electrically actuated valve having two ways and three positions

The fuel injection system comprises a fuel injector controlled by commands of a control unit. The fuel injector comprises a metering servo valve having a control chamber provided with an outlet passage that is opened/closed by an open/close element that is axially movable. The open/close element is carried by an axial guide element that is separate from an armature of an electromagnet. The open/close element is held in the closing position by a spring acting through an intermediate body. In some instances, the strokes of the open/close element and of the armature are chosen so as to eliminate, upon closing of the servo valve, the rebounds of the open/close element subsequent to the first rebound. The control unit controls a fuel injection comprising a pilot fuel injection and a main fuel injection, via two distinct electrical commands, which are spaced apart by a dwell time such as to occur in an area of reduced variation of the amount of injected fuel. Therefore, the stability of operation of the fuel injection system increases as the dwell time varies.

Fuel injection system with high repeatability and stability of operation for an internal-combustion engine

A solenoid valve comprises a first mouth for an inlet of a working fluid and a second mouth and a third mouth for an outlet of the working fluid. The valve has a first operating position in which a passage of fluid from the first mouth to the second mouth and the third mouth is enabled, a second operating position in which a passage of fluid from the first mouth to only one of the second and third mouths is enabled, and a third operating position in which the passage of fluid from the first to the second mouth and the third mouth is disabled.

Solenoid valve

A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine, comprising: at least one fuel electroinjector; and one electronic control unit designed to supply the fuel electroinjector, in a fuel injection phase in an engine cylinder, with at least a first electrical command to perform a pilot fuel injection, and a second electrical command to perform a main fuel injection. The first and second electrical commands are separated in time by an electrical dwell time such that the main fuel injection starts without interruption with respect to the pilot fuel injection. The electrical dwell time between the first and second electrical commands belongs to an electrical dwell time range in which the total fuel amount injected in the pilot and main fuel injections in a fuel injection phase in an engine cylinder is substantially constant.

High operation repeatability and stability fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine

A metering servovalve for a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine has an electro-actuator and a fixed valve body, which defines a control chamber communicating with an inlet and with an outlet channel. The outlet channel has at least one calibrated restriction and exits through the lateral surface of an axial stem, on which a sleeve slides, in a substantially fluid-tight manner, to open/close the outlet channel and so vary the pressure in the control chamber. The outlet channel is closed by an end portion of the sleeve that is elastically deformable in a radially outward direction, under the thrust of the fuel pressure, to increase the diameter at which the seal against the valve body is formed, with respect to a non-deformed state, and to generate an axial unbalancing force on the sleeve upon opening when the outlet channel is closed.

Metering servovalve and fuel injector for an internal combustion engine

The metering servo valve comprises a valve body, an open/close element, and an electromagnet, and is housed in a shell of the injector. The electromagnet actuates a mobile armature for a travel defined by an arrest element, carried by the electromagnet, which is housed in a casing, fixed in the shell by means of a threaded ring nut. Said ring nut is screwed with a pre-set tightening torque on a thread of the shell. The casing has a resting surface designed to engage a shoulder of the shell. The surface is carried by an area of the casing designed to undergo deformation as a function of the tightening torque of the ring nut so as to enable fine adjustment of the travel of the armature.

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Taranto, Italy

Chiara Altamura