Mazda Motor Corporation

Toshihide Yamamoto

Masashi Marubara

Tsutomu Shimizu

Yoshiyuki Shinya

Kazuhiko Hashimoto

Shinichi Sugihara

Tsunehisa Okuda

Yoshihiko Imamura

Yoshihisa Noh

Shinji Kishi

Yasuaki Hasegawa

A method of controlling an intake air passage of an internal combustion engine is provided. The intake air passage cyclically communicates to a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, thereby inducting fresh air into said combustion chamber. The cyclic communication of the intake air passage to the combustion chamber generates a pressure wave in the intake air passage. The method comprises reducing an effective length of a transmission path of the pressure wave in an upstream direction of the intake air passage as a desired air flow to the combustion chamber decreases. In accordance with the method, the effective length of the pressure wave transmission path is reduced as desired air flow decreases. With the reduced effective length, the pressure wave bounces back and forth between ends of the transmission path more often before the next cyclic communication. The more bouncing attenuates the pressure wave at the next cyclic communication. Therefore, the cylinder air charge can be stabilized when the desired air flow is decreased.

Control of engine intake system

An apparatus for controlling a rotational phase is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an input member provided so as to be rotatable, an output member co-axially provided with the input member so as to be rotatable, a planetary gear mechanism co-axially provided with the input member and the output member for connecting the input member with the output member, the planetary gear mechanism including three elements, namely a sun gear, a planetary carrier supporting planetary gears and a ring gear, a drive apparatus connected with one of the three elements of the planetary gear mechanism for shifting a rotation phase, the drive means including two members which are rotatable with respect to each other. One of the input member and the output member is connected with the ring gear, and the other of the input member and the output member is connected with the planetary carrier. The two members of the drive apparatus is co-axially provided with the planetary gear mechanism. One of the two members is secured to the fixed side, and the other of the two members is connected with the sun gear.

Apparatus for controlling rotational phase

A combustion chamber for an engine is provided between a cylinder bore formed in a cylinder block, a generally conically-shaped wall formed in an under wall of a cylinder head, and a piston in the cylinder bore. The combustion chamber has a structure into which an intake port opens so as to introduce an intake air flow closer to a marginal portion than a central portion of the combustion chamber, thereby generating a swirl flow of intake air in the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber also includes a curved air flow guide wall formed in the generally conically-shaped wall which extends from near the intake port so as to approach the cylinder bore surface gradually, thereby generating what is termed a squish flow of intake air.

Combustion chamber structure for an engine

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Higashihiroshima, Japan

Toshihide Yamamoto