A spark ignition internal combustion engine includes: intake and exhaust valves disposed at a ceiling part of a combustion chamber; and a fuel injection valve including a tip end portion including injection holes, and being structured to inject fuel through the injection holes toward a crown of a piston, wherein the tip end portion of the fuel injection valve is arranged in a region of the ceiling part surrounded by the intake and exhaust valves. A fuel injection control includes: determining a tip end portion fuel temperature directly or indirectly, which is a temperature of fuel at the tip end portion of the fuel injection valve; and setting a fuel injection timing advanced, in response to a condition that the tip end portion fuel temperature is higher than a temperature threshold value, wherein the temperature threshold value relates to flash boiling of fuel at the injection holes.

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 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 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.

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.

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 engine includes a lower cavity, an upper cavity, and a lip portion therebetween. 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 load is lower than the load in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller sets the timing of the pilot injection(s) so that the distribution ratio of the fuel spray of the pilot injection(s) for the lower cavity is higher when the engine operates in the first state than when in the second state.

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 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 load is lower than the load in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller outputs a control signal to a fuel injection valve so that a distribution ratio for the upper cavity is higher when the engine operates in the second state than when in the first state.

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 engine includes a lower cavity, an upper cavity, and a lip portion therebetween. 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 load is lower than the load in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller sets the timing of the pilot injection(s) so that the distribution ratio of the fuel spray of the pilot injection(s) for the lower cavity is higher when the engine operates in the first state than when in the second state.

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.

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 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 load is lower than the load in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller outputs a control signal to a fuel injection valve so that a distribution ratio for the upper cavity is higher when the engine operates in the second state than when in the first state.