Air injection control into a combustion chamber

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to internal combustion engines, combustion systems that include such internal combustion engines, and controls for controlling operation of the combustion engine. The internal combustion engine may include one or more mechanisms for injecting fuel, air, fuel-air mixture, or combinations thereof directly into one or more cylinders, and controls may operate or direct operation of such mechanisms.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A controller for operating an internal combustion engine that includes one or more housings defining one or more combustion chambers, one or more air injectors including at least one of a gasoline direct injection (GDI) fuel injector or a fuel-stratified injection (FSI) fuel injector secured to corresponding ones of the one or more housings and in fluid communication with a source of compressed air, no air intake valves for opening and closing air flow into the one or more combustion chambers other than the one or more air injectors, and an output shaft rotatable in response to combustion of fuel in the one or more combustion chambers, the controller comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory coupled to the processor and containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the controller to perform the acts of:
 receiving one or more operation inputs related to an operating parameter of the internal combustion engine; 
 receiving one or more inputs from one or more sensors; 
 determining an amount of compressed air to inject into the one or more combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine through at least one of the GDI fuel injector or the FSI fuel injector of the one or more air injectors; and 
 operating at least one of the GDI fuel injector or the FSI fuel injector of the one or more air injectors to solely provide and directly inject into the one or more combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine only the amount of compressed air determined by the controller in a manner that produces predetermined combustion volumes in corresponding ones of the one or more combustion chambers.