1. A variable compression ratio internal combustion engine configured to operate with a plurality of compression ratios comprising:
one or more cylinder units each with expanding and contracting cylinder volume and associated stroke sequences;
each cylinder unit having an electronically controllable intake valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an electronically controllable exhaust valve component having multiple states under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an electronic fuel injector component having programmable flow rate under computer control;
each cylinder unit having an air-fuel mixture ignition means for igniting an air-fuel mixture in the cylinder volume, said ignition means under computer control;
a computer usable medium containing the program control logic;
a computer control system comprising computer readable program control logic residing in the computer usable medium for controlling cylinder component states in concert with piston sweep of cylinder volume such that the swept cylinder volume corresponds to a virtual cylinder volume determined to yield the selected compression ratio, and
a cylinder unit intake and compression stroke sequence with a spring zone contained partially in the intake stroke and partially in the compression stroke for the purposes of allowing intake valve open duration variability for controlling volume of drawn air, wherein the spring zone comprises portions of strokes cylinder state pressure falls below the intake air pressure on the intake stroke segment following intake valve closure
whereby a rarefied mixture which is compressed to the target compression ratio on the following compression stroke yields a gas mixture with compression ratio equal to the selected compression ratio.
2. A method of operating a programmable variable compression ratio internal combustion engine with at lest one cylinder unit having electronic controlled fuel injection component, electronic controlled airfuel mixture igniter component, at least two electronic controlled cylinder valve components and reciprocating piston in the cylinder, comprising:
determining cylinder unit piston position;
determining intake valve open time and open duration corresponding to the desired cylinder compression ratio;
transitioning from one intake valve open time and duration state to another intake valve close time and duration state in synchronicity with cylinder piston intake stroke position in accordance executable code in programmable computer memory;
thereby altering operation of the cylinder unit by actuating cylinder component states from one compression ratio to another compression ratio.
3. A method of operating a programmable variable compression ratio internal combustion engine as in claim 2 further comprising starting the intake valve open state substantially at piston top dead center.
4. A method of operating a variable compression ratio cylinder unit in an internal combustion engine with electronic controlled fuel injection component, electronic controlled airfuel mixture ignition component, electronic controlled cylinder valve component combustion, the method comprising:
determining the piston position;
selecting an ignition mode;
determining the volume to be compressed for a selected compression ratio from cylinder dimensions and associated piston position to achieve the volume;
determining intake valve open state time and duration from piston TDC to fill determined volume; and
actuating intake valve open state time and duration based on required intake valve open state duration to achieve a virtual volume determined to provide the selected compression ratio,
thereby operating the cylinder unit in various compression ratios responsive to and programmably computer controlled.
5. A method of operating a variable compression engine as in claim 4 further comprising an electronic ignition mode chosen from a group consisting essentially of spark ignition, compression ignition, homogeneous charge compression ignition and duel fuel ignition.
6. A method of operating a variable compression, direct fuel injection, electronic controlled ignition means, electronically controlled cylinder intake and exhaust valve, computer controlled system with programmable logic residing in programmable storage medium for execution of logic to control cylinder unit component states, internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinder units with associated components whose states are individually controlled to create cylinder unique compression states whereby compression ratios for individual cylinder units can be independently sequenced and programmably controlled.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A Hall sensor on a semiconductor substrate, the Hall sensor comprising:
a Hall plate in the semiconductor substrate, the Hall plate comprising a first zone having a first conduction type;
a second zone in the semiconductor substrate, the second zone having a second conduction type;
a space-charge zone in the semiconductor substrate, the space-charge zone separating the first zone and the second zone;
first contacts for supplying a control current to the first zone; and
second contacts for supplying a compensation current to the second zone.
2. The Hall Sensor of claim 1, further comprising a third zone of the second conduction type outside of the first zone relative to the second zone.
3. The Hall sensor of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor substrate has the second conduction type.
4. The Hall sensor of claim 1, wherein the compensation current flows parallel to the control current; and
wherein a thickness of the Hall plate is substantially constant.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first zone has an area that is one of cross-shaped, rectangular, square and circular.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second zone has an area that is one of cross-shaped, rectangular, square and circular.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first zone is N-doped and the second zone is P-doped.
8. An apparatus comprising:
a first zone having a first doping, the first zone carrying a compensation current;
a second zone having a second doping, the second zone carrying a control current;
a third zone having the first doping;
a first separation zone that separates the first and second zones, the compensation current affecting a thickness of the first separation zone; and
a second separation zone that separates the second and third zones, the control current affecting a thickness of the second separation zone.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the compensation current and the control current affect thickness of the first and second separation zones to maintain a substantially constant thickness of the second zone.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first zone has an area that is one of cross-shaped, rectangular, square and circular.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second zone has an area that is one of cross-shaped, rectangular, square and circular.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and third zones are P-doped and the second zone is N-doped.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first and second separation zones comprise space-charged zones that are not doped.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first zone comprises contacts for receiving the compensation current; and
wherein the second zone comprises contacts for receiving the control current.
15. An apparatus comprising:
a first zone having a first doping, the first zone carrying a control current;
a second zone having a second doping, the second zone carrying a compensation current; and
a separation zone that separates the first and second zones, the control current and the compensation current keeping a thickness of the first zone and a thickness of the separation zone substantially constant.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first zone has an area that is one of cross-shaped, rectangular, square and circular.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second zone has an area that is one of cross-shaped, rectangular, square and circular.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first zone is P-doped and the second zone is N-doped.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the separation zone comprises a space-charged zone that is not doped.
20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second zones comprise contacts for receiving current.