Stratified charge engine

Claim 1

A stratified charge engine comprising an engine block, a cylinder within said block, a piston mounted for reciprocation within said cylinder and defining therewith a main combustion chamber, a pre-combustion chamber in open communication with said main combustion chamber, first and second valve bodies adjacent said cylinder, a first inlet passage for transmitting a lean fuel/air charge from a metering device to said first valve body, a second inlet passage for transmitting a rich fuel/air charge from a metering device to said first valve body, a first inlet port in said first valve body for establishing communication between said first inlet passage and said main combustion chamber upon rotation of said valve body to a predetermined position, a second inlet port in said first valve body for establishing communication between said second inlet passage and said pre-combustion chamber upon rotation of said valve body to such predetermined position, an exhaust port defined through said second valve body for registry with said main combustion chamber upon rotation of said second valve body to a predetermined position, means responsive to engine load for adjusting timing of the establishment of sequential communication of said first inlet port and said exhaust port with said first inlet passage and said exhaust manifold respectively wherein the time of communication is controlled in response to engine load when the piston is adjacent top dead center and also when the piston is adjacent bottom dead center during normal intake and exhaust cycles of the engine.