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Problem Statement

• Develop a electronically controlled and dynamically configurable valve actuation system for a simple internal combustion engine.

Project Summary

• In the automotive engineering world there is much interest and development occurring in the area of electronic valve control. This poses a great opportunity for the Electronic Valve Control Senior Design Project to be at the cutting edge of research and development. The demands of customers for more power and government standards demanding fewer emissions have engineers looking into new technologies for automotive combustion engines. Both power and emission by-products of combustion are a result of the air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Current engine designs open and close the intake and exhaust valves with a mechanical camshaft. This means that the valve opening profile can not be changed without changing the mechanical parts. Thus the air flow into the cylinder is restricted to the mechanical system, optimizing the engine performance for only one rpm and load range. If the air flow into the cylinders can be changed depending on the rpm and load placed on the engine by operating conditions increased power and decreased emissions will be accomplished at the same time.
• This project will analyze the valve control problem and engineer an electronic solution to opening and closing the valves. This will allow a computer program to constantly change the valve opening and closing strategies and maximize the performance for varying engine load and rpm ranges.
• For this project a single cylinder Honda engine will be modified to run with electronic valve control.

Electronic Valve Control Team

Ben, Seth, Cory, and Phil

Prototype

• The Critical Function Prototype (CFP) was built using a square wave function generator, an amplifier, a modified voice coil from a speaker, and the valve from the Honda OHV engine.

Video of CFP

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