Patent ID: 6725836
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: F02B,F02D,F02M,Y02T

Abstract:
A method of operating an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:drawing air into a combustion chamber through a throttling device that includes a throttle valve; causing a fuel injector to directly inject a fuel into the combustion chamber during one of an intake phase in a first mode of operation and a compression phase in a second mode of operation; in the first mode of operation, drawing an air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber through a fuel tank vent; in the second mode of operation, drawing a lean air-fuel mixture into the combustion chamber through the throttle valve and through the fuel tank vent; injecting an additional mass of the fuel, the additional mass of the fuel being determined as a function of a total fuel mass to be injected and a mass of the fuel contained in the lean air-fuel mixture drawn in through the throttle valve and through the fuel tank vent, a mass of the fuel drawable from the fuel tank vent being determined in advance; and igniting the lean air-fuel mixture by using the additional mass of the fuel that is injected into and ignited in the combustion chamber.