Abstract
The hybrid combustion mode is an ideal operation strategy for a gasoline homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. A stable and smooth spark ignition (SI)/HCCI switch has been an issue in the research on multimode combustion. In this paper, the switch process has two key issues; the cam profile and throttle opening. With the developed two-stage cam system, the valve phase strategy can be switched within one engine cycle, from the normal cam profile for the SI mode to a negative valve overlap (NVO) profile for the HCCI mode, or vice versa. For a smoother and more stable switch, the throttle change was separated from the cam profile switch, which was called the stepped switch. The effect of throttle opening on HCCI combustion was studied, and the results showed that the concept of the stepped switch was reliable. With gasoline direct injection (GDI) the combustion mode switches from both SI and HCCI sides were smooth, rapid, and robust, without any abnormal combustion such as knocking and misfiring.