Camcon granted IVA patent

announced yesterday, 23rd January, that it has been granted a patent for its Intelligent Valve Actuation (IVA) technology, which is set for use in diesel and petrol engines.

The patent has been awarded across Europe, in the UK, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal. The company also holds the IVA patent in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, India, Thailand, Russia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the US.

IVA is an extension of the company’s Camcon Binary Actuation Technology. It allows each valve of the engine to be independently controlled for the precise delivery of fuel.

Camcon’s binary actuator saves power by keeping valves in the up or down position with no holding current. Power is only applied to move them. It also allows intermediate lift positions. The valve configuration uses a spring to store energy from the last motion. It then uses the stored energy to kick off the next action.

The IVA technology makes the camless engine a possibility as it supplies power when required and is not dependent on the motion of a cam.

“By storing and reclaiming energy through each action, the engine employing the solution is very efficient,” says Ian Anderson, Chief Operations Officer of Camcon. “There are significant reductions in emissions and fuel consumption, and improved performance.”

The system was prototyped for 12V operation, suitable for car batteries, but other applications for 42V operation are possible. It can be implemented in a variety of industries, including automotive, aviation and agriculture.