The present invention relates to a gas inlet device (1) for a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The gas inlet device (1) comprises an inlet port (5), an inlet valve (4), a calibration (6) of the inlet valve (4), means for forming a tumble-type aerodynamic movement of the gas in the cylinder, and a mask (10). Furthermore, the intersection (7) between the inlet port (5) and the calibration (6) is along a straight line not parallel to the plane of the firing face (FF). In addition, the mask (10) is oriented in the same way as the end of the inlet port (5).

In a compression-ignition engine having a two-stage cavity, the distribution ratio between fuel for an upper cavity and fuel for a lower cavity is maintained even when the operational state of the engine changes. A piston of the compression-ignition engine includes a lower cavity, an upper cavity, and a lip portion between the lower cavity and the upper cavity. A controller causes a main injection and at least one pilot injection to be executed when the engine operates in a first state and a second state in which the speed is higher than the speed in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller increases an injection amount per pilot injection when the engine operates in the second state than when the engine operates in the first state.

A fuel injection control device for an engine is provided. A swirl generator generates a swirl flow inside a combustion chamber. A fuel injector with multiple nozzle holes injects fuel into the combustion chamber, and forms a lean mixture gas inside the combustion chamber. A spark plug ignites the lean mixture gas to cause a portion of the mixture gas to start combustion accompanied by flame propagation, and then combusts by self-ignition. The fuel injector has first and second nozzle holes, and a first atomized fuel spray injected from the first nozzle hole and a second atomized fuel spray injected from the second nozzle hole separate from each other by the swirl flow. The fuel injector performs the fuel injection in an intake stroke, and retards a start timing of the injection when an engine load is high compared to that when the load is low.

In a combustion cycle in which fuel for forming a homogenized air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber is injected from the first fuel injector, ignition-use fuel for forming an ignition-use air-fuel mixture in the vicinity of the electrode part is injected from the second fuel injector, and lean combustion is performed by an excess air rate of 2.0 or more, the ignition-use fuel is injected by at least an injection rate of 1.0 mm.sup.3/ms or more for a duration of 250 μs or more in an interval from a crank angle advanced by exactly 20 degrees from an ignition timing of the spark plug to the ignition timing, and the quantity of the ignition-use fuel is 2.0 mm.sup.3/st or less.

A fuel injection control device for an engine is provided. A swirl generator generates a swirl flow inside a combustion chamber. A fuel injector with multiple nozzle holes injects fuel into the combustion chamber, and forms a lean mixture gas inside the combustion chamber. An spark plug ignites the lean mixture gas to cause a portion of the mixture gas to start combustion accompanied by flame propagation, and then combusts by self-ignition. The fuel injector has first and second nozzle holes, and a first atomized fuel spray injected from the first nozzle hole and a second atomized fuel spray injected from the second nozzle hole separate from each other by the swirl flow. The fuel injector sequentially performs a first injection and a second injection in an intake stroke. The controller makes an injection amount of the second injection greater than that of the first injection.

A fuel delivery system and a direct injector for directly injecting fuel into a cylinder are provided. In one example, a direct fuel injector includes a nozzle in fluidic communication with a fuel source, the nozzle includes at least one fuel flow path that divides into two exit flow paths within the nozzle defining a plurality of exit orifices stemming from a common inlet orifice thereby improving the atomization and mixing of the fuel as it enters the cylinder. A plurality of spaced-apart divided fuel flow paths may be positioned within the nozzle to further optimize mixing and reduce wall and piston wetting.

A structure of a combustion chamber for an engine includes: a crown surface of a piston; a combustion chamber ceiling surface formed on a cylinder head; and an ignition plug mounted on the combustion chamber ceiling surface, and including an ignition portion disposed in such a way as to face the combustion chamber. The crown surface of the piston includes a cavity which is recessed in a cylinder axis direction in a region including a position below the ignition portion of the ignition plug in a plan view from the cylinder axis direction. A rim portion of the cavity includes a guide portion, raised in the cylinder axis direction with respect to an inner region of the rim portion, interposing the ignition portion when the piston is at a compression top dead center, and configured to guide an air-fuel mixture within the combustion chamber to the ignition portion.

A fuel injection device is provided with reduced adherence of fuel spray with respect to an intake valve, a wall surface in an engine cylinder, or a piston. The fuel injection device includes a valve body and a seat surface to perform sealing of fuel cooperatively and injection holes. Inlet opening surfaces are formed on the seat surface. A first injection hole and a second injection hole arranged closest to the first injection hole. The first injection hole is larger than the second injection hole in an injection hole angle to be an angle formed by a normal direction of the seat surface and a center axis of the injection hole. The second injection hole is larger than the first injection hole in an area of a cross-section perpendicular to the center axis of the injection hole.

The invention relates to an internal combustion engine and to a method for operating the internal combustion engine, which has at least one cylinder having a combustion chamber, the combustion chamber being bounded by a cylinder roof, a cylinder wall and a movable cylinder piston, a multi-hole injection nozzle and a spark plug being arranged in a central position in the cylinder roof, the multi-hole injection nozzle injecting fuel into the combustion chamber at injection pressures of >/=300 bar by means of a plurality of injection jets. It is provided that at least one injection jet (i>/=1) injects fuel into a three-dimensional space within the combustion chamber on the intake side, which space lies below an opening of at least one intake valve (104A, 104B) with respect to the direction of the longitudinal central axis (Z) of the cylinder, and at least four injections jets (i>/=4) inject fuel into a three-dimensional space of the combustion chamber on the exhaust side, which space lies below an opening of at least one exhaust valve (105A, 105B).

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods of operating a spark-ignition internal combustion engine. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed including fuel is injected centrally into a combustion chamber via at least one fuel injection device per cylinder in at least one operating range of the internal combustion engine and is ignited centrally in the combustion chamber via at least one ignition device. The fuel is injected into the combustion chamber at an injection pressure of over 500 bar in the second half of the compression stroke before the top dead center of combustion and the internal combustion engine is operated at an air-fuel ratio 1.

In at least one operating range of the internal combustion engine, the fuel is injected into the combustion chamber between 180 and 0 before the top dead center.