Electronics may be poised to displace engine cams

摘要

Whether you drive a plain, old car or a fancy, top-of-the-line model, as long as your vehicle has an internal combustion engine, it has cams that drive engine valves and their timing. Under the control of cams, which are connected to the engine crankshaft, the valves allow the ignitable gas-plus-air mixture into the cylinders and the exhaust out of the cylinders at precise moments. This timing is critical to the four-stroke combustion process that is common to automobile and truck gasoline and diesel engines.