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US6575129B2 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of reducing emissions in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine

Assignee: Volvo Car Corp
•
Filing: 2002-03-15
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Granted: 2003-06-10
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Expires: 2022-03-15
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Abstract

Abstract The invention discloses a method of reducing emissions in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder to which an air/fuel mixture is supplied when a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine rotates, at least one inlet valve, at least one exhaust valve, control members for controlling the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves, and a piston reciprocating between a top dead-center position and a bottom dead-center position in the cylinder. The method includes the steps of supplying an air/fuel mixture with lambda value greater than 1 to the cylinder, controlling the internal combustion engine so that it works at high load, and controlling the inlet valve so that it opens after the piston has passed the top dead-center position. According to an embodiment of the invention, the internal combustion engine is controlled so that the crankshaft rotates at an essentially constant speed within a range of about 1000 to about 2000 rpm.

Inventors

  • 👤 Göran Almkvist
  • 👤 Karin Thorn
  • 👤 Sten Sjöström

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-28 18:52
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02D; F02D13/00; F02D13/02; F02D13/0203; F02D13/0207; F01; F01L; F01L1/00; F01L1/34; F02D13/0215; F02D13/0253; F02D13/0261; F02D13/0265; F02D41/00; F02D41/02; F02D41/021; F02D41/0235; F02D41/024; F02D13/0269; F02D2013/0292; F02D41/0002; F02D2041/001; F02D2041/026; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim 134 words
A method of reducing emissions in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder supplied with an air/fuel mixture when a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine rotates, at least one inlet valve, at least one inlet duct connected to the inlet valve, at least one exhaust valve, control members for controlling the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves, and a piston reciprocating between a top dead-center position and a bottom dead-center position in the cylinder, the method comprising the steps of: supplying an air/fuel mixture with a lambda value greater than 1 to the cylinder, controlling the internal combustion engine so that it works at high load, and controlling the inlet valve so that it opens after the piston has passed the top dead-center position.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 134 words
A method of reducing emissions in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder supplied with an air/fuel mixture when a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine rotates, at least one inlet valve, at least one inlet duct connected to the inlet valve, at least one exhaust valve, control members for controlling the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves, and a piston reciprocating between a top dead-center position and a bottom dead-center position in the cylinder, the method comprising the steps of: supplying an air/fuel mixture with a lambda value greater than 1 to the cylinder, controlling the internal combustion engine so that it works at high load, and controlling the inlet valve so that it opens after the piston has passed the top dead-center position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 35 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of controlling the inlet valve is so that it opens at a crankshaft angle of about 20° to about 100° after the top dead-center position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 32 words
The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of controlling the inlet valve is so that it opens at a crankshaft angle of about 30° after the top dead-center position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 24 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of controlling the exhaust valve so that it closes before the inlet valve opens.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 32 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of controlling the exhaust valve so that it closes in the top dead-center position, thereby minimizing exhaust gases remaining in the cylinder.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 22 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of supplying fuel to the inlet duct before the inlet valve opens.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 36 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of controlling the internal combustion engine so that the crankshaft rotates at an essentially constant speed within a range of about 1000 to about 2000 rpm.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 30 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of controlling bringing about a positive pressure in the inlet duct by means of an exhaust turbo or a compressor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 38 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of carrying out ignition of the air/fuel mixture supplied to the cylinder at a crankshaft angle of about 10° before to about 20° after the top dead-center position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 37 words
The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of carrying out ignition of the air/fuel mixture supplied to the cylinder at a crankshaft angle of about 0° to about 10° after the top dead-center position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 29 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the lambda value of the air/fuel mixture combusted during the expansion stroke lies within the range of about 1.0 to about 1.4.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 29 words
The method according to claim 11 wherein the lambda value of the air/fuel mixture combusted during the expansion stroke lies within the range of about 1.05 to about 1.2.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 20 words
The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of using the method when cold-starting the internal combustion engine.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 41 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the control members for controlling the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves are adjustable, thereby permitting the time of opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves to be varied.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2006-06-09 2006-12-09 2007-06-10 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2010-06-09 2010-12-09 2011-06-10 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2014-06-09 2014-12-09 2015-06-10 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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