In an intake structure of an internal combustion engine, on an intake upstream side from a valve seat of an intake port, a convex portion is provided which protrudes to an inside of the intake port in a place near an outer circumferential portion of a cylinder chamber when viewed from an upper side of the cylinder chamber. The convex portion includes an upstream guide surface extending from an apex of the convex portion to the intake upstream side, and a downstream guide surface extending from the apex to an intake downstream side and including a curved surface recessed inside the convex portion at a middle portion thereof.

Provided is an in-combustion chamber flow control device used in an engine having an intake passage connected to an intake opening formed in a ceiling surface of a combustion chamber, at an angle inclined with respect to a direction of an axis of a cylinder. This in-combustion chamber flow control device comprises a plasma actuator (28) disposed inside the combustion chamber (16). The plasma actuator comprises: a dielectric body (38) disposed along the ceiling surface (16a) of the combustion chamber, at a position closer to a center of the ceiling surface than the intake opening (18a); an exposed electrode (40) disposed on one side of the dielectric body facing the combustion chamber; and an embedded electrode (42) disposed on a side opposite to the exposed electrode across the dielectric body. The embedded electrode is disposed at a position closer to the intake opening than the exposed electrode.

Provided is an in-combustion chamber flow control device used in an engine having an intake passage connected to an intake opening formed in a ceiling surface of a combustion chamber, at an angle inclined with respect to a direction of an axis of a cylinder. This in-combustion chamber flow control device comprises a plasma actuator (28) disposed inside the combustion chamber (16). The plasma actuator comprises: a dielectric body (38) disposed along the ceiling surface (16a) of the combustion chamber, at a position closer to a center of the ceiling surface than the intake opening (18a); an exposed electrode (40) disposed on one side of the dielectric body facing the combustion chamber; and an embedded electrode (42) disposed on a side opposite to the exposed electrode across the dielectric body. The embedded electrode is disposed at a position closer to the intake opening than the exposed electrode.

A control apparatus for an engine includes an engine, a state quantity setting device, a spark plug, and a controller. The spark plug ignites air-fuel mixture at predetermined ignition timing so that unburned air-fuel mixture combusts by autoignition after start of combustion of the air-fuel mixture by the ignition, and the controller adjusts a heat amount ratio in accordance with an operation state of the engine through change of the ignition timing, the heat amount ratio representing an index associated with a ratio of an amount of heat generated when the air-fuel mixture combusts by flame propagation with respect to a total amount of heat generated when the air-fuel mixture combusts in the combustion chamber.

A free piston apparatus includes a piston receptacle in which a piston device having a piston is reciprocable along an axis. The piston receptacle includes a combustion chamber delimited by a wall arrangement forming an inlet opening for the supply of fresh gas and an outlet opening for the removal of exhaust gas. The free piston apparatus includes an inflow device, which has the inlet opening and is configured such that fresh gas flowing into the combustion chamber is directed to an incident flow region in the combustion chamber arranged offset axially to the inlet opening, which incident flow region is arranged off-center relative to the axis. A method for operating a free piston apparatus includes operating an inflow device which has an inlet opening configured such that fresh gas is directed to an incident flow region in a combustion chamber offset axially to the inlet opening.

A free piston apparatus includes a piston receptacle in which a piston device having a piston is reciprocable along an axis. The piston receptacle includes a combustion chamber delimited by a wall arrangement forming an inlet opening for the supply of fresh gas and an outlet opening for the removal of exhaust gas. The free piston apparatus includes an inflow device, which has the inlet opening and is configured such that fresh gas flowing into the combustion chamber is directed to an incident flow region in the combustion chamber arranged offset axially to the inlet opening, which incident flow region is arranged off-center relative to the axis. A method for operating a free piston apparatus includes operating an inflow device which has an inlet opening configured such that fresh gas is directed to an incident flow region in a combustion chamber offset axially to the inlet opening.

In a spark-ignition internal combustion engine in which a protrusion including an intake-side inclined surface and an exhaust-side inclined surface is formed on a top surface of a piston, and a cavity is formed in the protrusion at a position associated with a spark plug, the intake-side inclined surface and the exhaust-side inclined surface are formed in such a way that a ratio of a length of the exhaust-side inclined surface with respect to a length of the intake-side inclined surface is 1.25 or larger in a cross section passing through a center axis of the piston and orthogonal to an axis direction of a crankshaft.

In a spark-ignition internal combustion engine in which a protrusion including an intake-side inclined surface and an exhaust-side inclined surface is formed on a top surface of a piston, and a cavity is formed in the protrusion at a position associated with a spark plug, the intake-side inclined surface and the exhaust-side inclined surface are formed in such a way that a ratio of a length of the exhaust-side inclined surface with respect to a length of the intake-side inclined surface is 1.25 or larger in a cross section passing through a center axis of the piston and orthogonal to an axis direction of a crankshaft.

An intake device for an internal combustion engine, the intake device includes: a housing constituting an intake passage; a valve element including a valve portion arranged to open and close a part of the intake passage, and thereby to strengthen an intake air flow; and a receiving portion which is formed on a bottom wall of an aeration passage of the housing, and which is recessed in an arc shape along a movement trajectory of the valve portion, the valve portion including an outer side surface which confronts a bottom surface of the receiving portion, which has an arc shape, and which includes a seal portion that has a raised shape, and that extends along an edge portion on an upstream side of an intake direction.

In an engine (1), an ignition plug (22) is arranged between a first intake port (6) and a second intake port (7). In a case where a downstream end portion (71) of the second intake port (7) is divided into a first intake port (6) side and an opposite first intake port (6) side, an inner wall surface (71a) of an opposite first intake port (6) side portion extends in a direction toward the first intake port (6) as extending from an upstream side to a downstream side of the second intake port (7).