Internal combustion engine

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION IN AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, A CYLINDER AND A PISTON OPERATING THEREIN AND A CYLINDER HEAD DEFINING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER THEREWITH, INTAKE MEANS FOR SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER ADAPTED TO INTRODUCE AIR THEREINTO AND TO IMPART A HIGH VELOCITY OF SWIRLING MOVEMENT THERETO, A FUEL INJECTION NOZZLE CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDER HEAD TO PROVIDE A FUEL SPRAY INTO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER SO THAT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE FIRST INCREMENT OF INJECTED FUEL FORMS WITH A LOCALIZED PORTION OF SWIRLING AIR AN IGNITABLE FUEL-AIR MIXTURE ADJACENT SAID NOZZLE, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO SAID NOZZLE, IGNITION MEANS PROTRUDING INTO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER CLOSE TO SAID NOZZLE AND FUEL SPRAY THEREFROM SO THAT SAID IGNITABLE FUEL-AIR MIXTURE FORMED FROM SAID FIRST INCREMENT OF INJECTED FUEL ENVELOPS THE PROTRUDING PART OF SAID IGNITION MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY AS SOON AS IT IS FORMED, MEANS COORDINATED WITH ENGINE OPERATION FOR CONTROLLING THE START OF INJECTION OF FUEL FROM SAID NOZZLE DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE COMPRESSION STROKE OF SAID PISTON, MEANS SYNCHRONIZED WITH ENGINE OPERATION FOR ENERGIZING SAID IGNITION MEANS AT THE TIME SAID IGNITABLE FUEL-AIR MIXTURE FORMED FROM SAID FIRST INCREMENT OF INJECTED FUEL REACHES SAID PROTRUDING PART OF SAID IGNITION MEANS TO INITIATE COMBUSTION AND ESTABLISH A FLAME FRONT, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE AND DURATION OF FUEL INJECTION FOLLOWING IGNITION TO IMPREGNATE SHORTLY IN ADVANCE OF SAID FLAME FRONT ADDITIONAL QUANTITIES OF SWIRLING AIR AT A CONTROLLED FUEL-AIR RATIO TO FORM AND BURN PROGRESSIVELY ADDITIONAL COMBUSTIBLE FUEL-AIR MIXTURE IGNITED BY SAID FLAME FRONT SUBSTANTIALLY AS RAPIDLY AS FORMED TO PROVIDE THE POWER REQUIRED ON EACH CYCLE, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER BEING LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN SAID PISTON AND HAVING A CUP SHAPE WITH A CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION NORMAL TO THE PISTON AXIS TO DEFINE AN OPEN COMBUSTION CHAMBER, THE MAXIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID OPEN COMBUSTION CHAMBER EXCLUSIVE OF THE ENTRANCE CHAMBER RANGING FROM ABOUT 30% TO ABOUT 80% OF THE BORE OF SAID CYLINDER, THE CENTER LINE OF SAID FUEL SPRAY UNDER STATIC CONDITIONS BEING TANGENT TO AN IMAGINARY CYLINDER WITH AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE CYLINDER AXIS AND CENTERED WITH THE CUP SHAPED OPEN COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND HAVING A DIAMETER WHICH MAY VARY FROM ABOUT 50% TO ABOUT 80% OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER DIAMETER, THE ANGLE OF INTERSECTION BETWEEN THE STATIC FUEL SPRAY CENTER LINE AND THE ELEMENT OF SAID IMAGINARY CYLINDER TO WHICH IT IS TANGENT RANGING FROM ABOUT 15* TO ABOUT 45*, THE POINT OF INTERSECTION ON THE CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT BEING LOCATED FROM ABOUT 20% TO ABOUT 80% OF THE DEPTH OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEASURED ALONG THIS ELEMENT FROM THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER HEAD.