Multicylinder internal combustion engine, especially for automobiles and method of operating same

A multicylinder internal combustion engine is provided with fuel-air mixture feed devices associated with two different cylinders or groups of cylinders, and an exhaust conduit system in which two catalyzers are disposed, one downstream of the other. The exhaust produced by the first group of cylinders impinges on both catalyzers, while the exhaust of the second group of cylinders is fed through only the second catalyzer. During a predetermined partial load range, fuel is supplied only to one of the cylinder groups, while both cylinder groups are fed with fuel once this load range is exceeded. In a preferred embodiment, the turning on of fuel to the second cylinder group is effectuated by a cam disk that also serves the function of simultaneously controlling the supply of air through throttle valves to the respective cylinder groups.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a multicylinder internal combustion engine, 
especially for automobiles, with fuel-air mixture feed devices associated 
with two different cylinders or groups of cylinders, and an exhaust 
conduit system in which two catalyzers are disposed one downstream of the 
other, associated with the cylinder groups in such a way that the exhaust 
of a first group of cylinders impinges on both catalyzers, and the exhaust 
of a second group of cylinders is taken to the exhaust system upstream of 
the second catalyzer. 
In a known multicylinder internal combustion engine of the type in 
question, one cylinder group is supplied by a carburetor with a rich 
fuel-air mixture and the other group of cylinders is supplied by a 
carburetor with a lean fuel-air mixture (U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,980). By this 
mixture regulation, the exhaust emission is improved, as opposed to that 
of an internal combustion engine in which the mixture composition is 
adapted to the engine's torque requirement, e.g. in such a way that the 
mixture composition is richer as a function of torque or power requirement 
(German AS No. 1,121,202), but the improvement is not sufficient to meet 
the requirements of anticipated legal regulations. 
To improve the exhaust emission of internal combustion engines, a switching 
arrangement is likewise known for regulation of the air-fuel mixture 
delivered to the engine, by means of an oxygen measuring sensor disposed 
in the exhaust flow of the internal combustion engine (German OS No. 
2,554,988), which produces an electric switching signal to the control 
device of a fuel injection system, as a function of the composition of the 
exhaust that results from combustion of the fuel-air mixture. In this way 
the fuel-air mixture can be adjusted to produce an exhaust that is as free 
of harmful materials as possible on a specific ratio, e.g. a 
stoichiometric relationship with the air index R=1. These oxygen measuring 
sensors have the advantage that they give a clear reliable adjustment 
signal in transition from a superstoichiometric to a substoichiometric 
composition of the exhaust at air index R=1 and vice versa. However, such 
oxygen measuring sensors in the hot-running phase of the internal 
combustion engine are without effect on the reaching of the response 
temperature of the catalyzers, which are also necessary here to satisfy 
expected legal requirements. 
To prevent power losses, and to effect a saving of fuel, in multicylinder 
internal combustion engines with a plurality of carburetors or subdivided 
carburetors for feed to the cylinders by groups via separate mixture 
conduits, by changing fuel delivery as a function of power output of the 
internal combustion engine, an intermittent regulation is undertaken so 
that one or more groups of cylinders remain without delivery of fuel 
(German Pat. No. 838,518). Exhaust emission remains essentially 
unaffected, however, in this method for intermittent regulation in 
multicylinder internal combustion engines. 
The present invention is concerned with solving the problem of creating an 
internal combustion engine of the type in question that combines the 
advantages of the described internal combustion engines and substantially 
avoids their drawbacks. 
This problem is solved according to a preferred embodiment of the invention 
in that the fuel supply to the fuel-air mixture feed device can be 
switched off for the second group of cylinders, as a function of the load 
of the internal combustion engine. The cylinder group that can switch off 
is associated with the second of two catalyzers. Upstream of the first 
catalyzer, there is an oxygen measuring sensor, and upstream of the second 
catalyzer, downstream of the supply of exhaust of the second group of 
cylinders, there is an oxygen measuring sensor. When the second group of 
cylinders is switched off, it receives only air, upstream of the fuel-air 
mixture feed device. The exhaust pipes of the first group of cylinders are 
combined upstream of the oxygen measuring sensor that is upstream of the 
first catalyzer, to form a single exhaust pipe, and the exhaust pipes of 
the second group of cylinders are combined to form a single exhaust pipe, 
upstream of the oxygen measuring sensor that is upstream of the second 
catalyzer, together with the exhaust discharge pipe of the first 
catalyzer. In idling of the internal combustion engine, a fuel-air mixture 
is supplied to the first group of cylinders and the second group of 
cylinders receives air. It has been found to be especially advantageous 
that, from the idling mode up to the end of a predetermined partial load 
range of the internal combustion engine, the quantity of fuel-air mixture 
supplied to the first group of cylinders is continuosly increased, and the 
amount of air delivered to the second group of cylinders is increased 
continuously in a first part of this partial load range, and then 
continuously reduced to practically zero in the remaining part of the 
partial load range. After passing through the predetermined partial load 
range of the internal combustion engine, fuel-air mixture is also fed to 
the second group of cylinders. It has further been found to be 
advantageous that, after passing through the predetermined partial load 
range of the internal combustion engine, the amount of fuel-air mixture 
fed to the first group of cylinders is continuously reduced and the amount 
of fuel-air mixture fed to the second group of cylinders is continuously 
increased, until the fuel-air mixture quantities will be the same for both 
groups of cylinders, and the fuel-air mixture quantities for both groups 
of cylinders then can be increased continuously by the same amount, up to 
full load. After passing through the predetermined partial load range of 
the internal combustion engine, the continuous reduction of the amount of 
fuel-air mixture fed to the first group of cylinders occurs continuously, 
to a lesser degree than the continuous increase in the amount of fuel-air 
mixture fed to the second group of cylinders. 
The arrangement of the two catalyzers one downstream of the other, and the 
separate regulation of the two groups of cylinders by their respective 
oxygen measuring sensors makes possible an optimal decontamination of the 
exhaust of both groups of cylinders, in all ranges of operation and in all 
operating conditions of the internal combustion engine, with retention of 
the advantages of fuel saving and prevention of power losses. If the 
internal combustion engine works with only the first group of cylinders, 
then all exhaust components in the exhaust of this group of cylinders are 
partly decontaminated by simultaneous oxidation and reduction in the first 
catalyzer. The second group of cylinders in this operational state of the 
engine works as an air pump because of the air that is fed to this group 
of cylinders, so that this air is fed to the exhaust of first group of 
cylinders upstream of the second catalyzer, and thus there is a 
supplementary oxidation of the exhaust from the first group of cylinders 
in the second catalyzer. In this way the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons 
in this exhaust are still further reduced. At the same time the oxygen 
measuring sensor and the catalyzer of the second group of cylinders are 
preheated by the exhaust of the first cylinder group, in case they have 
not yet reached their operational temperature, so that when the second 
group of cylinders is switched in, its exhaust decontaminating system is 
immediately ready to function. 
If both groups of cylinders are working, the mixture of exhaust gases from 
the first and second groups of cylinders is measured by the oxygen 
measuring sensor upstream of the second catalyzer, and the composition of 
the fuel-air mixture for the second group of cylinders is so controlled 
that the exhaust composition at the oxygen measuring sensor upstream of 
the second catalyzer will correspond to a fuel-air mixture composition for 
the two groups of cylinders with an air index of R=1. Thus, defects in the 
fuel-air mixture composition for the first group of cylinders would be 
taken into account by the composition of the fuel-air mixture of the 
second group of cylinders. In this operational state of the internal 
combustion engine, there is moreover oxidation and reduction of the 
exhaust from the first cylinder group, as well as of that of the second 
group. 
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become more obvious from the following description when taken in 
connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of 
illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present 
invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In FIG. 1, numeral 1 designates an eight-cylinder internal combustion 
engine that is divided into a first group of cylinders 2 and a second 
cylinder group 3, with four cylinders each. A fuel-air mixture feed device 
4 is associated with cylinder group 2, formed by an air quantity measuring 
device 5, a throttle valve 7 disposed in a suction pipe 6 which can be 
acted on by the pedal that is not shown, and a fuel injection nozzle 8. A 
fuel-air mixture feed device 9 is associated with cylinder group 3, 
comprising a device for measuring the air quantity 10, a throttle valve 12 
disposed in a suction pipe 11 and acted on by the gas pedal that is not 
illustrated, and a fuel injection nozzle 13. An air filter is designated 
14. Such fuel-air mixture feed devices are known per se. 
The exhaust from cylinder group 2 is taken to exhaust pipes 15, 16, 17 and 
18 that are combined to form a single exhaust pipe 19, and exhaust from 
cylinder group 3 is taken to pipes 20, 21, 22 and 23 that are brought 
together as a single exhaust pipe 24, with an exhaust discharge pipe 26 of 
a catalyzer 25. The single exhaust pipe 19 opens into catalyzer 25, 
catalyzer 25 being connected with another catalyzer 27 via exhaust 
discharge pipe 26. 
In the single exhaust pipe 19, upstream of catalyzer 25, there is an oxygen 
measuring sensor 28, and in exhaust discharge pipe 26 there is an oxygen 
measuring sensor 29, and exhaust pipes 20, 21, 22 and 23 empty into 
exhaust discharge pipe 26 upstream of oxygen measuring sensor 29. 
In FIG. 2, with reference to a control diagram, the delivery of fuel-air 
mixture or air is shown. This can occur by means of a cam plate or slide 
plate or the like (a preferred embodiment for which is described below in 
connection with FIG. 3). The pedal setting is shown on abscissa 30, and 
the settings of the throttle valve are on ordinate 31. Curve 32 represents 
cylinder group 2, and curve 33 represents cylinder group 3. Line 34 shows 
fuel feed for cylinder group 3. On ordinate 31, point 35 symbolizes the 
state of interrupted fuel feed, and point 36 the state of open fuel feed 
for cylinder group 3. Point 37 shows the setting of the closed throttle 
valve 5 of cylinder group 2, and point 38 shows its setting when it is 
open. Point 39 shows the setting of the closed throttle valve 10 of 
cylinder group 3 and point 40 shows the setting of opened valve 10. The 
end of a predetermined partial load range 41 is indicated by a 
dot-and-dash line 42. 
After the internal combustion engine has been put into operation, cylinder 
group 2 runs with closed throttle valve 5 in idling, and cylinder group 3 
receives air, with throttle valve 10 slightly open and the fuel feed cut 
off, so that it acts as an air pump. The exhaust from cylinder group 2 is 
first taken to catalyzer 25 and there it is partly decontaminated by 
simultaneous oxidation and reduction, and it is then taken to catalyzer 27 
in which because of the air from cylinder group 3 there is a supplementary 
oxidation of this exhaust. This exhaust also preheats oxygen measuring 
sensor 29 and catalyzer 27, insofar as they have not reached their 
operational temperature. 
From idling up to the end of the rated partial load range 41 of internal 
combustion engine 1, the amount of fuel-air mixture delivered to the first 
group of cylinders 2 is continuously increased, and the amount of air 
delivered to the second cylinder group 3 in the first part of this partial 
load range is continuously increased, and in the remaining part of the 
partial load range that follows the first, it is continuously reduced, to 
an amount that is practically zero. Up to the end of this predetermined 
partial load range, cylinder group 3 acts as an air pump. 
When the end of this partial load range of the internal combustion engine 
is reached, the fuel feed for cylinder group 3 is switched on (line 34), 
so that this group of cylinders likewise receives the fuel-air mixture. 
After passing through this partial load range of the internal combustion 
engine, the amount of fuel-air mixtures supplied to first cylinder group 2 
is continuously diminished, and the amount of fuel-air mixture supplied to 
second cylinder group 3 is continuously increased, until the fuel-air 
mixture quantities for both cylinder groups 2 and 3 are equal. Thereafter, 
the fuel-air mixure for both groups 2 and 3 is continuously increased by 
the same amount, up to full load. 
In the present example of a preferred embodiment of the invention, after 
passing through the predetermined partial load range of combustion engine 
1, the continuous reduction of the amount of fuel-air mixture fed to first 
cylinder group 2 occurs to a lesser degree than the continuous increase of 
the fuel-air mixture delivered to second cylinder group 3. Fuel-air 
mixture feed device 4 is influenced by oxygen measuring sensor 28 that is 
impinged upon by exhaust from cylinder group 2, and the fuel-air mixture 
feed device 9 is influenced by oxygen measuring sensor 29 that is impinged 
upon by the exhaust of cylinder group 2 and cylinder group 3, 
corresponding to the exhaust composition that optimizes exhaust emission. 
Turning now to FIG. 3, the intake manifolds 6 and 11 with the throttle 
valves 7 and 12 arranged on throttle valve shafts 43 and 44, respectively, 
are shown with an arrangement for turning the throttle valves under the 
control of a cam disk 45. A pivot lever 47 mounted on the throttle valve 
shaft 43 for rotation therewith and a pivot lever 48 mounted on the 
throttle valve shaft 44 for rotation therewith slide along the outline 46 
of the cam. The cam disk 45 is arranged, together with a guide disk 49, on 
a shaft 50 for joint rotation therewith. The guide disk comprises a 
continuous groove 51 in which a gas pull cable 52 is conducted. A roller 
53 is fixedly joined to the gas pull cable 52 and is arranged, to be 
secure against displacement, in an axial groove 54 on the periphery of the 
guide disk. 
On one end, the gas pull cable is connected to a restoring spring 55 and 
with the other end, guided in an adjusting means 56, the gas pull cable is 
connected to the gas pedal, not shown. Depressing of the gas pedal pulls 
the cable 52 against the force of spring 55 so as to rotate cam disk 45 in 
a counter-clockwise manner since relative movement between cable 52 and 
disk 45 is precluded by cable connected roller 53 being lodged in groove 
54. A control cam 57 is arranged at the cam disk 45 and cooperates with an 
electric switch 58. 
Control points on the cam path of the cam disk are denoted by A, B, C, D, 
E, F, G, H, and K, wherein control points C and E are arranged on a common 
control plate 59, the control points F and G are arranged on a common 
control plate 60, and the control points H and K are disposed on a common 
control plate 61. The control planes 59, 60, and 61 extend through the 
axis of rotation 62 of the cam disk 45. An idling adjustment means is 
denoted by 63. 
The operation of the cam throttle valve adjustments will now be described 
with particular reference to the control points A-H and K shown in FIGS. 2 
and 3. 
During idling of the internal combustion engine, the control lever 47 of 
the first cylinder group 2 is located at a control point A of the cam path 
46, whereby the throttle valve 7 is closed and the first cylinder group 2 
is fed, via the idling adjustment device 63, with air for the idling 
fuel-air mixture. The control lever 48 of the second cylinder group 3 is 
located at a control point B of the cam path 46, whereby the throttle 
valve 12 is opened to a minor extent, so that air is fed to the second 
cylinder group 3 when the fuel feed has been shut off. 
From idling operation up to the end of a predetermined partial load range 
of the internal combustion engine, the cam disk 45 slides along, on the 
one hand, with its cam path 46, on the control lever 47 of the first 
cylinder group 2 up to a control point C; during this step, the amount of 
fuel-air mixture supplied to the first cylinder group 2 is continuously 
increased. On the other hand, the cam disk slides, with its cam path 46, 
along the control lever 48 of the second cylinder group 3, initially up to 
a control point D symbolizing the end of the first part of the 
predetermined partial load range, up to which point the amount of air fed 
to the second cylinder group 3 is continuously increased, and thereafter 
up to a control point E symbolizing the end of the predetermined partial 
load range, up to which point the amount of air is continuously reduced 
until the air quantity approximates zero. 
By means of the control cam 57 arranged on the cam disk 45, the switch 58 
for the fuel feed to the second cylinder group 3 is simultaneously 
actuated (from the closed fuel feed level 35 to the open feed level 36) 
upon reaching the control points C and E arranged on a common control 
plane 59 extending through the axis of rotation of the cam disk 45. In an 
examplary embodiment of the invention, this is achieved by the additional 
insertion of electromagnetic injection valves, as they are utilized, for 
example, in the fuel injection systems "L-Jetronic" of Bosch (Bosch 
Technishe Unterrichtung Benzineinspritzung D- and L-Jetronic 1975). 
From control point C, the cam disk 45 slides with its cam path 46, on the 
one hand, along the control lever 47 of the first cylinder group 2 up to a 
control point F and, on the other hand, with is cam path 46 along the 
control lever 48 of the second cylinder group 3 up to a control point G 
arranged with control point F on a common control plane 60 extending 
through the axis of rotation 62 of the cam disk 45; the amount of fuel-air 
mixture fed to the first cylinder group 2 is continuously reduced, and the 
amount of fuel-air mixture fed to the second cylinder group 3 is 
continuously increased, for such a time that the quantities of fuel-air 
mixture fed to the second cylinder group 3 is continuously increased, for 
such a time that the quantities of fuel-air mixture for both cylinder 
groups in control points F and G are of the same size, and the continuous 
reduction of the amount of fuel-air mixture fed to the first cylinder 
group 2 takes place to a lesser extent than the continuous increase of the 
amount of fuel-air mixture fed to the second cylinder group 3. 
From control point F, the cam disk 45 slides, on the one hand, with its cam 
path 46 along the control lever 47 of the first cylinder group 2 up to a 
control point H and, on the other hand, with its cam path 46 along the 
control lever 48 of the second cylinder group 3 up to a control point K 
arranged with control point H on a common control plane 61 extending 
through the axis of rotation 62 of the cam disk 45 and, just as control 
point H, symbolizing the full load of the internal combustion engine, the 
cam control configurations between points F, G and H, K, respectively, are 
shaped to cause the amounts of fuel-air mixture for both cylinder groups 
to be continuously increased to the same extent. 
While we have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with the 
present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto 
but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those 
skilled in the art and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the 
details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes 
and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims: