A heating device for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine; the heating device has: a first tubular body wherein a combustion chamber is obtained; a fuel injector to inject fuel into the combustion chamber; an inlet opening, which is obtained through the first tubular body and can be connected to a fan to receive an air flow, which is directed into the combustion chamber; a hot air outlet opening to let hot air out of the combustion chamber; an outlet duct, which originates from the outlet opening; a spark plug which is mounted through a side wall of the first tubular body to trigger the combustion of a mixture of air and fuel; and a labyrinth, which surrounds a side wall of the tubular body, starts from the inlet opening, ends in the combustion chamber, and the air must necessarily flow out of the inlet opening until reaching the combustion chamber.

A control method for controlling an air intake system for an engine of a vehicle; the intake system has a main air intake coupled to an air filter provided with a heating device. The control method comprises the steps of: determining a pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter; determining a variation speed of the pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter by calculating the first derivative in time of the pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter; and turning on and/or turning off the heating device based on the variation speed of the pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter.

A control method for controlling an air intake system for an engine of a vehicle; the intake system has a main air intake coupled to an air filter provided with a heating device. The control method comprises the steps of: determining a pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter; determining a variation speed of the pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter by calculating the first derivative in time of the pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter; and turning on and/or turning off the heating device based on the variation speed of the pressure difference between upstream and downstream of the air filter.

A method for performing a regeneration cycle for regenerating a diesel particulate filter of a transport refrigeration system. The method includes increasing an air intake throttling level of an engine intake air flow by reducing an air control valve area. The method also includes supplementing the temperature increase of the air intake throttling by energizing an engine preheater.

A method for starting a compression ignition engine having at least one cylinder with a reciprocating piston located therein, an intake valve configured to control the intake of air to an intake port of the cylinder and an exhaust valve configured to control the expulsion of gas from an exhaust port of the cylinder. The method includes the steps of: cranking the engine, conditioning intake air at the intake port of the cylinder to raise the temperature of air in the cylinder, controlling a valve timing the intake valve and/or the exhaust valve to allow the piston to compress the air within the cylinder, thereby increasing the temperature of the air within the cylinder, and injecting fuel into the cylinder when the air within the cylinder has been heated to a temperature sufficient to support compression ignition of a gasoline and air mixture within the cylinder.

A method for starting a compression ignition engine having at least one cylinder with a reciprocating piston located therein, an intake valve configured to control the intake of air to an intake port of the cylinder and an exhaust valve configured to control the expulsion of gas from an exhaust port of the cylinder. The method includes the steps of: cranking the engine, conditioning intake air at the intake port of the cylinder to raise the temperature of air in the cylinder, controlling a valve timing the intake valve and/or the exhaust valve to allow the piston to compress the air within the cylinder, thereby increasing the temperature of the air within the cylinder, and injecting fuel into the cylinder when the air within the cylinder has been heated to a temperature sufficient to support compression ignition of a gasoline and air mixture within the cylinder.

A mixing connector includes an intake passage, an EGR passage that fetches a portion of exhaust gas exhausted from an engine body to use as EGR gas, and that returns the EGR gas to the intake passage, and a merging section that connects the EGR passage to the intake passage so that longitudinal directions of the intake passage and the EGR passage intersect each other. An upstream side region located on an inlet port side of the intake passage from the merging section on an opposite wall surface configuring an inner surface of the intake passage and located on a side opposite to the merging section includes a first wall surface and a second wall surface which are sequentially arranged at an interval from the merging section side toward the inlet port, and a third wall surface projecting inward of the first wall surface between the first and second wall surfaces.

An internal combustion gasoline engine includes an air heater coupled to an intake duct of the engine in a heat transfer relationship with air in the intake duct. A combustion pre-chamber is also formed in the head of the engine. The pre-chamber is at least partially separated from the combustion chamber by a wall. One or more apertures are formed through the wall and provide fluid communication paths from the combustion chamber to the pre-chamber, feeding a mixture of air and fuel from the combustion chamber to the pre-chamber. The apertures further define a plurality of combustion paths allowing ignited fuel and air from the pre-chamber to efficiently enter and combust the fuel and air mixture within the combustion chamber. The air heater and the combustion pre-chamber increase combustion efficiency from a first efficiency level to a second efficiency level greater than the first efficiency level.

An internal combustion gasoline engine includes an air heater coupled to an intake duct of the engine in a heat transfer relationship with air in the intake duct. A combustion pre-chamber is also formed in the head of the engine. The pre-chamber is at least partially separated from the combustion chamber by a wall. One or more apertures are formed through the wall and provide fluid communication paths from the combustion chamber to the pre-chamber, feeding a mixture of air and fuel from the combustion chamber to the pre-chamber. The apertures further define a plurality of combustion paths allowing ignited fuel and air from the pre-chamber to efficiently enter and combust the fuel and air mixture within the combustion chamber. The air heater and the combustion pre-chamber increase combustion efficiency from a first efficiency level to a second efficiency level greater than the first efficiency level.

A mixing connector includes an intake passage, an EGR passage that fetches a portion of exhaust gas exhausted from an engine body to use as EGR gas, and that returns the EGR gas to the intake passage, and a merging section that connects the EGR passage to the intake passage so that longitudinal directions of the intake passage and the EGR passage intersect each other. An upstream side region located on an inlet port side of the intake passage from the merging section on an opposite wall surface configuring an inner surface of the intake passage and located on a side opposite to the merging section includes a first wall surface and a second wall surface which are sequentially arranged at an interval from the merging section side toward the inlet port, and a third wall surface projecting inward of the first wall surface between the first and second wall surfaces.