Patent Publication Number: US-6705258-B2

Title: Valve system for variable displacement diesel engine

Description:
I FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an improved valve system for a variable displacement Diesel engine. 
     II BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,383 discloses a variable displacement Diesel engine for use in automotive, overland truck, locomotive, marine and industrial applications in which selected cylinders are deactivated and reactivated depending on the load that the engine encounters. The system is preferably computer controlled. If a deactivated cylinder is below the minimum temperature for combustion at the time of reactivation, the glow plugs are activated to bring the cylinder up to the temperature necessary for combustion. 
     III SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Objects of the Invention 
     One object of the present invention is to provide an improved valve system for variable displacement Diesel engines. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve system for motorcycle Diesel engines. 
     Other objects will be apparent from the following Description and Drawings. 
     B. Summary 
     In accordance with the present invention a supply valve  15  is provided in the Diesel fuel supply line  14  to a cylinder to be deactivated. A return fuel line  16  is provided. When the supply valve is open, the fuel is returned to the fuel supply tank  18 . In closed position fuel is directed to the top portion of the cylinder. The cylinder is provided with a conventional exhaust valve  24 . However, the intake valve  30  is modified to be located closer to the top  22  of the cylinder. The previous gap  31  (FIG. 2) of about ¼ inch is reduced to about 0.005 to 0.015 inches as indicated at  33  in FIG.  3 . This allows the intake valve to remain partially open instead of closed as the piston moves upwardly in the deactivated cylinder. Thus when the exhaust valve is closed, the intake valve allows air to exit from the cylinder when the exhaust valve is in the full up position of the piston. This arrangement thus avoids heat and exhaust products from non-deactivated cylinders from burning the modified intake valve. The modified intake valve is preferably operated by a cam to move the modified intake valve back and forth. The supply valve in the fuel line may be manually operated or computer controlled. This valve system is well adapted to large and small Diesel engines including motorcycle Diesel engines. 
    
    
     IV DRAWING DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation view of a Diesel engine cylinder with a conventional prior art intake and exhaust valve construction. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation view of a the Diesel engine cylinder in FIG. 1 showing the conventional intake valve and gap in open position. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation view of a Diesel engine cylinder with the improved intake valve construction with a smaller gap in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevation view of the improved intake valve cam control construction. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a variable displacement Diesel engine. 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic elevation view of a variable displacement valve control system. 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic side elevation view of a motorcycle having a variable displacement Diesel engine with the improved intake valve construction, but not shown. 
     FIG. 8 is a schematic front elevation view of a motorcycle with the improved intake valve construction, but not shown. 
    
    
     V DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In accordance with the present invention in a variable displacement Diesel engine  10 , a supply valve  12  is provided in the Diesel fuel supply line  14  to a cylinder  20  to be deactivated. The supply valve  12  in the fuel line may be a conventional lever operated ball valve or other manually operated valve with a handle  15  or be computer controlled in a manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,383 hereby incorporated into the present application by this reference, as fully set forth herein. A return fuel line  16  is provided. When the supply valve  12  is in open position the fuel is returned to a fuel supply tank  18 . In closed position fuel is directed through line  14  to the top portion  22  of the cylinder  20 . 
     The cylinder  20  is provided with a conventional exhaust valve  24 . 
     However, the intake valve  30  shown in open position in FIG. 2 is modified from the closed position location shown in FIG. 1 to be located spaced from the top  22  of the cylinder  20  as shown in FIG. 3 at  30 A. The gap  31  of about ¼ inch shown in FIG. 2 is reduced to about 0.005 to 0.015 inches as indicated at  33  in FIG.  3 . 
     This allows the intake valve  30 A to remain open instead of closed as the piston  32  moves upwardly in a deactivated cylinder  20 , when valve  12  has been activated to return diesel fuel to supply tank  18 . When the exhaust valve  24  is closed, the intake valve  30 A allows air to exit from the cylinder and relieve pressure when the piston is in the full up position. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the modified intake valve  30 A is preferably operated by a cam  40  movable about a cam shaft  42 , which engages a removable wedge  44  having a taper  46  to move the modified intake valve  30 A back and forth. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an in-line computer controlled Cummins Diesel six cylinder M 11  engine  50  including a high strength cylinder block  52  having cylinders  54  having cylinder liners  56  receiving pistons  58  with rings  60  having ring inserts  62 . 
     The pistons  58  are connected to connecting rods  64  which are in-turn connected to an induction hardened crank shaft  66 . A gear train  68  drives a cam shaft  70  having lobes  72  which control movement of push rods  74  which pivot rocker arms  76  to move valve stem  78 , and open and close valves  80 . 
     Two or more valve selectors  82  constructed in the same manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,383 including a solenoid valve  84 , actuating a piston and a blocking plate  88 , appropriately dimensioned for the M 11  engine are then installed to deactivate two or three cylinders under low or moderate load conditions when the transmission is in high and/or overdrive gear under the control of the CELECT Plus computer  90  whose program  92  is modified to include a deactivation-activation program  94  to control deactivation and activation of selected cylinders  54 , and control operation of glow plugs. 
     Alternatively the valve selector operation described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,546,734 and/or 4,615,307 may be utilized under the control of computer  90  and a deactivation-activation program 94′ may be used. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a computer  7  controlling cylinders  1 ,  2 ,  3  in an N cylinder Diesel engine with the sensors  1   s ,  2   s ,  3   s , glow plugs  1 GP,  2 GP, and  3 GP, injectors  1 I,  2 I,  3 I, intake valves  1 Vi,  2 Vi,  3 Vi, exhaust valves  1 Ve,  2 Ve,  3 Ve, and valve actuators/deactivators  1   va ,  2   va ,  3   va , for all cylinders. The computer  7  receives the cylinder temperatures from Sensors  1 S,  2 S,  3 S, the Load L from a load sensor Ls, data from other Sensors Sx, Sy, and computes which cylinders should be deactivated and activated, and if the cylinders have glow plugs, when the glow plugs of the various cylinders are to be activated. The computer then sends electrical signals to the Valve Actuator/Deactivators,  1   va ,  2   va ,  3   va , optional Glow Plugs  1 GP,  2 GP,  3 GP, and fuel injectors  1 I,  2 I,  3 I, to activate and deactivate various cylinders, depending on the load, the temperature of the individual cylinders, and other commonly computer controlled variables. The computer as an example may be the Electronic Diesel Control (EDC) processing unit described in DIESEL FUEL INJECTION, Bosh, 1994 EREF TJ 797 D55, pp 186-191. 
     In FIGS. 7 and 8 a motorcycle  150  includes wheels  152  and  154 , and a telescoping front end  160 ,  162 ,  164  and  166 . A top triple clamp  170  and a lower triple clamp  172  are also provided.