Stratified charge engine
A stratified charge engine is a type of internal combustion engine, used in automobiles, in which the fuel is injected into the cylinder just before ignition. This allows for higher compression ratios without "knock," and leaner air/fuel ratio than in conventional internal combustion engines.
Conventionally, a four-stroke (petrol or gasoline) Otto cycle engine is fueled by drawing a mixture of air and fuel into the combustion chamber during the intake stroke. This produces a homogeneous charge: a homogeneous mixture of air and fuel, which is ignited by a spark plug at a predetermined moment near the top of the compression stroke.
In a homogeneous charge system, the air/fuel ratio is kept very close to stoichiometric, meaning it contains the exact amount of air necessary for a complete combustion of the fuel. This gives stable combustion, but it places an upper limit on the engine's efficiency: any attempt to improve fuel economy by running a lean mixture with a homogeneous charge results in unstable combustion; this impacts on power and emissions, notably of nitrogen oxides or NOx.
Direct fueling of petrol engines offers considerable advantages over port-fueling, a type of fuel injection in which the fuel injectors are placed in the intake ports, giving homogeneous charges. Powerful electronic management systems mean that there is no significant cost penalty. With the further impetus of tightening emissions legislation, about half of all 2016 MY North American light duty vehicles used direct injection.
First, a higher mechanical compression ratio (or, with super-charged or turbo-charged engines, maximum combustion pressure) may be used for better thermodynamic efficiency. Since fuel is not present in the combustion chamber until virtually the point at which combustion is required to begin, there is no risk of pre-ignition or engine knock.
...
Wikipedia