Abstract:
The system includes a metering valve for each cylinder including a main valve and an auxiliary valve. The auxiliary valve is electrically controlled ad via a mechanical, pressure controlled amplifier mechanism, the main orifice in the metering valve is opened.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a system for the introduction of fuel in a multi-cylinder combustion engine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     To provide an accurate dose to each of the cylinders, it is known that, a therein fitted common gas supply is used and that, with the help of a cut-off valve with various grooves, each of the cylinders is separately supplied with an accurately dosed quantity of gas, wherein the position of the grooves are electrically controlled and determine how much gas is injected. If such a system is connected in closed loop with a λ-probe, the present environmental requirements can be met. An example of this can be found in the European patent 0.563,223. 
     However, increasingly higher requirements are being put on the optimal fuel mixture, under changing circumstances. This can include the changing of the number of revolutions, for example, and the load of the internal combustion engines. 
     In gasoline driven internal combustion engines, controls have been developed for the intermittent or sequential introduction of (liquid) gasoline. If intermittent control takes place at an equal or higher frequency than the camshaft revolutions of the combustion engine, this control offers the possibility of supplying the optimal quantity of fuel for each combustion cycle, This is because the period required for the fuel supply is shorter than the cycle time of the combustion engine. During the switching on and off of the fuel supply, problems can occur, however, in supplying the correct quantity of fuel to the separate cylinders. By simultaneously switching the fuel supply of several cylinders on or off one or more of the cylinders receives only a part of the required fuel, whereby an incorrect mixture can result. If the control is completely sequential, that is, for each separate cylinder the correct quantity of fuel at the correct time, then the dose can also be correctly supplied during the switching on and off of the fuel supply. 
     Apart from the advantage when starting and switching off, further reductions in the emissions are achieved by sequential control by the introduction of the fuel taking place at the most optimal time for the particular cylinder. 
     From the ‘SAE Technical Paper Series’ 951913 ‘Ultra Rapid Natural Gas Port Injection’, a multi-point sequential injection system for natural gas (methane) is known. The injector used there has a disk formed metallic valve which is operated by a coil, 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Such a system functions only with a comparatively high pre-pressure (several bars), requires a considerable electrical power whereas the wear is not negligible and is higher than the lifetime of the other engine components. The dimensions of the coil, in particular, are a hindrance to realizing this construction. After all, in the modern combustion engine there is limited space available for (afterwards) fitting of injectors for gaseous fuel and a there must be a significant freedom in the installation position. By intermittently or sequentially injecting greater freedom is achieved with respect to the valve timing and manifold geometry. 
     The object of the present invention is to avoid the above mentioned disadvantages. 
     It has been found that with a comparatively simple auxiliary/main valve-construction, switching is possible at particularly high frequencies, without non-permissible deviations from the opening characteristic of the main valve occurring. This construction also gives a greater freedom with regards to the seating dimensions of the main valve and to the working pressure. 
     It is noted that from the Dutch application 9101106 a dosing valve is known for pneumatic purposes. There, an auxiliary valve is used which is connected on one side to the gas outlet. The other side of the auxiliary valve is not directly connected to the gas supply, but a membrane is connected in between. It is assumed that by the under-pressure in the outlet when the auxiliary valve is open, the membrane is sucked away from the supply so that a greater supply is released. From that known construction the membrane closes off two small pipes which are connected via a channel with the other side of the membrane and so provides the control. It is therefore possible that, during the closing movement of the membrane to the small pipes in particular, a time-lag effect is created which can culminate in a strutter behavior. 
     Such a construction is aimed for central introduction of fuel with a mixer, whilst the subject application aims the use of one or more injectors for each cylinder (multipoint injection). 
     According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a controller is present for the separate control of each of the dosing valves depending on the operational conditions of that internal combustion engine. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention the auxiliary valve is directly connected on one side with the gas supply and on the other side to the gas outlet, wherein the volume of the main valve is connected with the gas supply through a restriction, More particular the main valve comprises a membrane controlled valve, wherein on one side of the membrane the gas supply pressure acts through a restriction and wherein over a part of the other side of the membrane the same gas supply pressure acts and on a further part of said other side the gas outlet pressure applies. 
     According to a further advantageous embodiment, the gas outlet of the main and auxiliary valves is shared. 
     The membrane can comprise any material known in the art and in particular rubber materials are preferred. The auxiliary valve can be any valve known in the state of the art, such as a needle valve or a disc valve. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the main valve and auxiliary valve are made such that a maximum of 30% of the total amount of gas flows through the auxiliary valve and a minimum of 70% through the main valve. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be elucidated further below with reference to an example embodiment shown in the drawings. These show: 
     FIG. 1 very schematically, a part of an internal combustion engine provided with the system according to the invention; and 
     FIG. 2 further elaborated, the dosing valve which is incorporated in that system, 
     FIG. 3 a design of the dosing valve according to the invention, used in practice. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In FIG. 1 an internal combustion engine is shown and generally referred to with  1 . Only an application of the system in combination with this internal combustion engine is shown it will be understood that a system working on gasoline can be present, wherein, possibly, any sensors present can be shared. 
     Various pans of the internal combustion engine are schematically shown and these consist of at least two pistons  2  and two cylinders  3 . Inlet valves  5  are fitted in the inlet channels  4 , Upstream from the inlet valves is always an intake  12  present for gas which via a dosing valve  6  is connected to a branch  11  of the gas supply  10 . It is not shown how gas  10  is supplied. This can be via an evaporator or any other construction known in the art. It will be understood that the internal combustion engine can comprise a mobile as well as a stationary engine. 
     As can be seen in FIG. 2, the dosing valve  6  (injector) comprises a main valve and an auxiliary valve wherein the auxiliary valve is electrically controlled via a cable  7  which is connected to controller  8 . In controller  8  more cables come together such as cable  9 , connected to other engine sensors (not shown). 
     Such sensors can for example be fitted on the cam shaft and/or the crank shaft to accurately establish the position of the engine  1 . It is also possible to tap signals from a controller already present in the engine, such as for gasoline-injection. Cable  13  is connected to sensor  14  which observes the position of the flywheel  31  of the internal combustion engine. 
     In FIG. 2 a dosing valve  6  is further elaborated. This shows that the branch  11  passes into gas intake  22  of housing  15 . A gas outlet  23  is also fitted in housing  15  which passes into gas outlet  12 . An auxiliary valve  16  is fitted on the side of housing  15 . This consists of a stationary electrical coil  17  which is operated via an electrical cable  7 . Inside is a stem  21  of a needle valve  18  which can be moved back and forth by the interaction of the magnetic force generated by the coil  17  and spring  19 . The needle valve  18  works on a valve seating  20  which leads to an outlet channel  30 . 
     Housing  15  is separated into a chamber  25  and a ring shaped chamber  29 . Separation of these two chambers is realized by membrane  27 . Gas intake  22  is directly connected on one side with chamber  29  and on the other side, via restriction  26  is connected to chamber  25 , Chamber  25  is connected on the other side with the needle valve  18 . Moreover the membrane  27  is connected to gas outlet  23 . 
     The construction described with reference to FIG. 2 functions as follows: 
     If the needle valve  18  is closed, the membrane  27  will be pressed against sealing ring  28 , due to the dimensions of the various surfaces ,since the gas outlet  23  generally has a lower, but in any case never a higher, pressure than the gas supply pressure. Gas can therefore, neither via membrane  27  nor via the closed needle valve  18  or gas intake  22 , get into gas outlet  23 . 
     If a gas flow to gas outlet  23  is required, auxiliary valve  16  is opened by the energizing of coil  17 . Consequently, gas will flow from gas intake  22 , via restriction  26  along the needle valve  18  into channel  30 . Due to the presence of under-pressure in outlet  23  (intake pressure) and restriction  26 , the pressure in chamber  25  will be lower than the gas supply pressure that is, the pressure in chamber  29 . Consequently the membrane  27  will move upwards and a direct flow from chamber  29  to gas outlet  23  will take place. 
     If the needle valve  18  then closes, the pressure above membrane  27 , that is in chamber  25 , will rise because the effect of the restriction  26  is nullified. Consequently membrane  27  will again be pushed against ring  28 . 
     During tests it appeared that such a construction can be switched at very high speeds. Tests were done to several hundred Hertz, wherein no problems were encountered. With a normal fast rotating internal combustion engine working with the four-stroke principle, the frequency in practice will be approximately 20 Hz and the maximum driving frequency will be between 60 and 70 Hz for high revolution engines 
     AS the movement of the membrane does not have any influence on its control, as for the construction described in the Dutch patent application 9101106, the possible accompanying lag effect will not be present. That is, the gas supplied via the constriction  26  that results in a build up of pressure on the membrane  27  for a closed cut-off valve, is not lead through a restriction which depends on the position of the membrane. Due to this, a well defined opening and shutting movement can be guaranteed. 
     It will be understood that, by using suitable dimensions for the various channels and surfaces and the prevailing pressure on both sides of the membrane  27  and outlet of the restriction  26 , the opening and shutting speed of the membrane can be controlled. These and further variations are clear to those skilled in the art after reading the preceding description and are within the scope of the attached claims. With the construction according to the present invention, it is not necessary to supply the gas under high pressure. After all, the main valve has a large enough surface to also enable the introduction of gas at a comparatively low pressure, so that no problems are caused during use with gases containing butane wherein, at a high pressures the danger of transferring the liquid phase is present. The main outlet  23 , described above, can have a diameter of 3 mm for example, while the applied gas pressure can be approximately 1-2 bar over-pressure. 
     By simply varying the diameter, for example, by placing other rings or spacers in the 2-4 mm range, the valve can be adapted to a particular type of fuel and/or combustion engine. 
     It has been found that with a gas supply of approximately 5% volume through the auxiliary valve and passage of at least 95% volume of gas through the main valve, a sufficiently accurate control of the main valve can be achieved. This means that the auxiliary, valve can be produced in a particularly small and fast reacting format. 
     It will be understood that the relationship between the amount of gas that flows through the auxiliary valve and the amount which flows through the main valve is extremely dependent on the operational conditions. If the opening/closing movement takes up a comparatively large part of the opening time, the percentage of gas that flows through the auxiliary valve will considerably differ from the situation where the closing time of the various valves with respect to the opening/closing time is less relevant. Furthermore it will be understood that various auxiliary valves are connected behind each other to realize a stepped ‘amplifier’. 
     With the construction according to the invention, only a small amount of electrical power is required to drive it, in contrast to the intermittent multipoint gas injectors currently on the market. 
     In FIG. 3, a practically realized embodiment of the construction according to the invention is shown. This is generally indicated by  36 , The electrical driving cable is indicated by  37  and is connected with a controller (not shown), This provides a coil  47  with energy. The coil is provided with an armature plate  41  which is moved towards the coil when this is energized. These movements arc counteracted by a diaphragm spring  49 . The actual cut-off valve is indicated by  48  and consists of a rubber material that seals against a sitting  50 . Gas is brought in by pipe  41  and flows around coil  47 . This results in this coil  47  being provided with cooling. Gas goes through channel  54  and restriction  46  to get into chamber  55  above membrane  57 . This membrane  57  seals with respect to the sealing edge  58  where a chamber  59  can also be found. The gas outlet is indicated by  53  and this leads to a schematically shown part of an intake manifold  40 . 
     FIG. 3, shows that the apparatus can be extremely compactly built. It has proven technically possible to make the diameter of the main parts of the embodied apparatus smaller than 2 cm. 
     While the invention above is described with reference to a few preferred embodiments, it will be understood that changes can easily be made which are clear to persons skilled in the art and are within the scope of the attached claims.