US 12,173,664 B2
Adaptive any-fuel camless reciprocating engine
Raymond Mitchell Spearrin, Calabasas, CA (US); Tsu-Chin Tsao, Manhattan Beach, CA (US); and Peter Sinsheimer, Santa Monica, CA (US)
Assigned to THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 17, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/301,825.
Application 18/301,825 is a continuation of application No. 17/548,404, filed on Dec. 10, 2021, abandoned.
Application 17/548,404 is a continuation of application No. 16/929,544, filed on Jul. 15, 2020, granted, now 11,225,917, issued on Jan. 18, 2022.
Application 16/929,544 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2019/016416, filed on Feb. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/625,986, filed on Feb. 3, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0383705 A1, Nov. 30, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F02D 35/02 (2006.01); F01L 9/20 (2021.01); F02D 13/02 (2006.01); F02D 15/00 (2006.01); F02D 41/14 (2006.01); F02P 5/145 (2006.01)
CPC F02D 35/022 (2013.01) [F01L 9/20 (2021.01); F02D 13/0207 (2013.01); F02D 13/0253 (2013.01); F02D 15/00 (2013.01); F02D 35/025 (2013.01); F02D 41/1402 (2013.01); F02P 5/145 (2013.01); F02D 2200/021 (2013.01); F02D 2200/0611 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An adaptive camless reciprocating engine, the engine comprising:
a cylinder housing a reciprocating piston;
a valve coupled to the cylinder;
at least one electronically-controllable actuator coupled to the valve, the actuator configured to control operation of the valve;
one or more optical sensors disposed at or near the cylinder and configured to acquire optical data within the cylinder or at a location upstream or downstream from the cylinder; and
a controller coupled to the one or more optical sensors and the at least one electronically-controllable actuator in a closed control loop;
wherein the controller is configured to receive data from the one or more optical sensors and process said data to actively manage actuation of the electronically-controllable actuator according to one or more parameters calculated from the acquired optical data;
wherein the one or more optical sensors comprise:
a first optical sensor positioned at a location within an intake of the cylinder to measure one or more fluid parameters within the intake;
a second optical sensor positioned to measure one or more fluid parameters at a location within the cylinder; and
a third optical sensor positioned at a location within an exhaust of the cylinder to measure one or more fluid parameters within the exhaust; and
wherein the controller is configured to calculate one or more fluid parameters within the intake comprising fuel composition or fuel energy content, one or more fluid parameters within the cylinder comprising temperature, CO, CO2, H2O, or UHC, and one or more fluid parameters within the exhaust comprising NOx, CO, UHC, or CO2.