Patent ID: 7134421

Claim:
A direct fuel injection spark ignition internal combustion engine comprising: a cylinder; at least one intake port leading to the cylinder; at least one exhaust port extending from the cylinder; a piston axially movably received in the cylinder to define in the same a combustion chamber that is connectable with the intake and exhaust ports through intake and exhaust valves respectively; a fuel injection valve having a fuel injection nozzle exposed to the combustion chamber; a spark plug having electrodes exposed to the combustion chamber; an arrangement wherein when, with the piston assuming the top dead center on the compression stroke, a fuel is injected from the nozzle of the fuel injection valve, the injected fuel from the nozzle is guided to reach the electrodes of spark plug by a crown portion of the piston; and a control unit that controls the fuel injection valve and the spark plug, the control unit being configured to carry out under a given condition: controlling the fuel injection valve to start the fuel injection at a time before the top dead center (TDC) on the compression stroke, continue the fuel injection through the top dead center (TDC), and finish the fuel injection at a time after the top dead center (TDC) on the compression stroke; and controlling the spark plug to carry out the ignition at a time after the top dead center (TDC).