GB2126279A

GB2126279A - Concerting reciprocating to rotary motion in i.c. engines

Info

Publication number: GB2126279A
Application number: GB08224852A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stanley Edwin Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-08-31
Filing date: 1982-08-31
Publication date: 1984-03-21
Also published as: GB2126279B

Abstract

The cam 6 is rotated by the pistons 1, 14 acting through rollers 3, 12 linked to fixed pivots 5, 11 by levers 4, 10. Cams rotating in opposite directions (Fig. 5) and driven by pistons in adjacent parallel cylinders provide for reduction of forces on the engine mountings. A grooved barrel cam (Fig. 4) may be rotated by a pair of linked pistons. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to internal combustion engines I, Stanley Edwin Williams of 'Coombe Croft' School Road, Kelvedon Hatch, Bentwood, in the County of Essex, a British Citizen, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me; and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement.

This invention relates particularly to internal combustion engines, although not exclusively as could be developed for manual, electrical, pneumatic and/or hydraulic mechanisms.

It is well known as far as the internal combustion engine is concerned, that a crank mechanism is used; thus the power at the instant of ignition, that is, when maximum pressure is available from the explosion and the crank mechanism is at T.D.C.; the maximum force produced at this position tends to bend the crank shaft (thus the reason for three and five bearing mountings). It also loads the crank shaft bearings, therefore the bearings need to have a much greater load factor than should be required. The force available is only dissipated to the drive shaft as the sine of the angle through which the crank has moved from T.D.C. This disadvantage causes the crank to be manufactured much stronger, and of greater mass than would be the case if the force available at T.D.C., of the piston was converted directly to a torque.

It is the primary object of the invention, therefore, to provide a mechanism which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and is compact, and may readily be adapted to the conventional internal combustion engine to improve its power to weight ratio.

it is another object of the invention to improve the efficiency of the prime mover.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a such mechanism, formed of a number of separate identical units attached thereto, such that the number of additional cylinders attached thereto determines the type of engine being produced; the additional units being manufactured in a manner as to be readily attached one to another.

The invention consists of utilising a particulate method whereby the simple harmonic motion of the linear piston movement is matched to a form of mechanical rotary simple harmonic motion. It is a known fact that a crank mechanism of infinite length will generate simple harmonic motion; it is intended to constrain the connecting rod to move in more or less a straight line. The most simple method would be to utilise horizontally opposed cylinders which would automatically produce the desired effect.

The output of the horizontally opposed pistons could be utilised to rotate a cylinder 3, the periphery of which has formed on it an internal cam formation generated in the form of a sine wave as shown in fig. 4.

Such a configuration could be utilised for the manufacture of motor generators, where the simple harmonic motion of the piston could rotate the field of a generator with a fixed armature, giving a sine wave output. However this particulate method will not be elaborated on further, but a second method will be discussed with reference to the included diagrams.

In the following method the simple harmonic motion obtained from the pistons is matched to a mechanism designed in the form of a camgear, each of the teeth or lobes are cut in the form of a sine wave, then as the camgear rotates it generates a sine wave at the follower or driver as the case may be. This mechanical profile of the sine wave is matched to the simple harmonic motion of the piston; to offset the line of action of the force due to the explosion pressure on the piston, a lever is used between the connecting rod and the driver/follower. This lever enables the maximum force derived at T.D.C., to be transmitted to the output shaft as a driving torque.If six teeth or lobes are used in the form of two camgears then a torque applied at each of the six lobes moves the cam gear through one and a half complete revolutions; the force supplying the torque is maintained for 60 degrees on each lobe, that is 360 degrees for one and a half complete revolutions.

Considering a four cylinder engine this means that the four cylinders will have fired 1.5. times, for three complete cycles of the four cylinders the main drive will have turned through two complete revolutions. The arrangement is such that an oversquare configuration can be utilised in the design giving a high torque output.

Methods of timing and ignition similar to the conventional internal combustion engine can be used.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of one embodiment of the invention.

in carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient form, by way of example only, as applied to a four cylinder engine, two cylinders only being shown. The preferred embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 is an elevation of the drive mechanism from the piston to the drive shaft.

Fig. 2. is an elevation of an engine based on a horizontally opposed air cooled assembly.

Fig. 3. is an elevation of the connecting rod, lever and camgear assembly.

Fig. 4. shows a diagram of a cylinder with internally cut sine wave cam.

Fig. 5. is an elevation showing a dual in line cylinder arrangement, which at present shows the most promising arrangement.

Referring to fig. 1 and 5 the mechanism includes an assembly of one of the units, two of which are identical for a four cylinder internal combustion engine.

In fig. 1, pistons 1 and 14 are horizontally opposed, piston 1 is at T.D.C., either on the suction stroke or the firing stroke, whilst piston 14 is at B.D.C., either on the exhaust stroke or the compression stroke, being dependent on the timing mechanism.

Consider piston 1 to be on the firing stroke then a force is transmitted via the connecting rod 2, via the operating lever 4, via the coupling 5 through the roller 3 to the trailing face of camgear 6. Lever 4 is of hollow section allowing camgear 6 to pass through the centre, this method of design has been used to allow camgear 6 to be symmetrically loaded, fig. 3; and as near as possible straight line motion to be maintained on connecting rod 2. A roller at 3, attached to the control lever 4, transmits force from the connecting rod 2 as a moment to the camgear 6; thus providing a torque at the output shaft 8.

Shaft 18 shown in fig. 5, could be used to drive the timing mechanism.

Lever 4 is connected to the main engine casting at pivot 5, and will provide an arcuate movement of roller 3 about the pivot 5, this creating a torsional movement of camgear 6 about shaft 8, and at the extremity of its stroke will rotate camgear 6/7 to the T.D.C., position of the next firing stroke.

The roller 3 attached to the control lever 4 is used to reduce the coupling friction to as low as value as possible. Roller 3 under the action of the piston force acting through connecting rod 2 will move the camgear 6 one tooth pitch from A to B, shown on fig. 1 and 5, in an anticlockwise direction, a moment of force being continually applied between A and B. The mechanism can be likened to a pulsed spur gear, except that with the spur gear the force is applied at the P.C.D., and moves outwards to the circumference, and with the cagmear as described the force is applied at the circumference and moves towards the centre.

In each case the gear is advanced one tooth pitch.

Four cylinders will advance the camgear two thirds of one complete revolution, the output will be a high torque output relative to the conventional I/C engine for the same power rating.

Referring to fig. 1., the lever 9 is a timing lever maintaining pistons 1 and 14 in synchronisation.

The direction of camgear 6/7 in fig. 1., is in an anticlockwise direction, whilst with fig. 5., camgear 6 is moving in an anticlockwise direction and camgear 7 is moving in a clockwise direction. However, in both cases the leading faces of the camgears. are acted upon by rollers 3 and 12 on the exhaust and compression strokes, while the trailing faces are acted upon by rollers 3 and 12 on the firing and suction strokes, the suction stroke being induced by the action of lever 9, for the arrangement shown in fig. 1., the lever 9 during this action being in tension.

With reference to fig. 5., the timing lever 9 is now no longer required, it is replaced by gears, 20, 21, 22 and 23; if the ratio of the gears 20/22 and 21/23 are chosen with a 2;3 ratio, then the valve timing mechanism as fitted to the conventional I/C engine can be fitted to gear 22, and the output taken from gear 21, this will help to distribute the loading on the mechanism. Since the camgears 6 and 7 and the spur gears 20, 21, 22 and 23 are interconnected the whole mechanism is kept in synchronisation, this is where the design of fig. 5., has the advantage over the design of fig. 1., the design is self synchronising.

The spur gears 20,21,22 and 23 will remain constant whether two, four or six cylinders are used, as the additional camgears required for the additional cylinders will be an integral part of the drive shafts 8 and 18.

Referring to fig. 5., the carburetter is mounted centrally between the two/four cylinders, and the separate exhaust manifolds are connected to the outsides.

Lever 4 and lever 10 shown in fig. 1., are combined to form a single lever assembly in fig.

5., the rollers 3 and 13 connected to the combined lever assembly are operating in antiphase, and since the camgears 6 and 7 are mechanically coupled by gears 20,21,22 and 23, the rollers 3 and 13 are kept in constant contact with the camgears 6/7 throughout the cycle.

The physical mass of the camgear together with the control lever will be considerably less than the crank shaft mechanism used on the conventional I/C engine for the same power rating.

The individual parts are simple to manufacture, parts can be easily balanced since the mechanism is symmetrical, the design being basically a pulsed gear type of rotary engine.

The momentum of the piston and connecting rod assembly will be considerably reduced relative to that of the piston and connecting rod of the conventional I/C engine since it is not mechanically coupled to the camgear.

Fig. 3., shows the action of control lever 4 relative to the connecting rod 2, an identical action takes place for lever 10 and connecting rod 1 3 shown in fig. 5., The control lever 4 operating about pivot 5 causes an arcuate movement of roller 3 shown at x and y; this will cause the connecting rod 2 to be displace by a small angle from the inline position. At A, shown in fig. 1 and 5, the roller 3 is on the centre line as shown at x, fig. 3., relative to the centre line of motion. At the extremity of motion of piston 1 there is a slight displacement shown at P fig. 1., and 3. This displacement is used to advantage as it enables the moment of force to be maintained from A to B, maintaining the torque at the output shaft up to the moment of the next firing stroke.

Claims

1. A particulate mechanism whereby linear oscillating motion is converted into rotary motion with a minimum of useful energy loss during the transfer, or conversion.

2. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, used in an internal combustion engine, as described in one convenient form of the application; the invention has the effect of having ail the advantages of the long bore cylinder, combined with the advantages of the over-square piston system.

3. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 2, a new and novel type of engine eliminating the necessity for a crank shaft.

4. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, and Claim 2, using the simple harmonic motion of the piston of an internal combustion engine and matching it to a mechanical camgear, the profile of which is formed as a sine wave, maintaining the simple harmonic motion throughout the mechanism.

5. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, and Claim 2, used to produce an increase in the power to weight ratio, due to the smaller mass of the camgear used in the invention in relation to the crank shaft assembly of the conventional I/C engine.

6. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, using the maximum pressure produced on the piston by the detonation of the fuel, to produce maximum force on the connecting rod at T.D.C.; this maximum force being converted to a high torque at the output shaft via the camgear, for the total duration of the applied force.

6. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, and Claim 2, using the maximum pressure produced on the piston by the detonation of the fuel, to produce maximum force on the connecting rod at T.D.C.; this maximum force being converted to a high torque at the output shaft via the cam gear, for the total duration of the applied force.

7. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 , to produce a much more rapid respone to the controls, since the momentum of the piston assembly has been greatly reduced since the camgears are detached from the main rotating mass of the mechanism; unlike the conventional internal combustion engine where the piston assembly is wholly connected to the crank mechanism.

8. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, using the form shown in fig. 5, the contra-rotating camgears will tend to cancel any inherent vibration set up in the mechanism, and this will facilitate engine mounting.

9. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, and Claim 8, using contra-rotating camgears; the moment of momentum of the rotating mass will cancel, this will eliminate the gyroscopic torque set up by the rotating mass of the camgears, and will give zero reaction at the engine mountings, this too will facilitate engine mounting.

10. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the said camgears are substantially the same in external shape, being simple to manufacture using conventional machine tools.

The mechanism is of symmetrical design resulting in an easily dynamically balanced system.

11. A mechanism substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 26 April 1983.

Superseded claim 1, 3 to 6.

New or amended claims

1. A particulate mechanism whereby linear oscillating motion is converted to rotary motion with a minimum of useful energy loss during the transfer or conversion.

One embodiment of the mechanism is, as described in the specification: a dual in-line internal combustion engine, either two stroke or four stroke, the cylinders of which operate contrarotating drive shafts via a system of levers, gears and camgears, as shown in Fig. 5.

The projected saving in energy produced by the invention for a four cylinder engine is illustrated on the enclosed graph Fig. 'A'. A curve for the M.E.P. of a given cylinder shown as a chain dotted line, is converted to work done, for:- a) Conventional I/C engine using a crank mechanism; shown as a dotted line.

b) the invention, a camgear engine; shown as a solid line.

Similar parameters for the calculations have been used at intervals of 1 0 degrees past T.D.C.

3. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, a new and novel type of engine eliminating the necessity for a crank shaft.

4. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, using the simple harmonic motion of the piston of an internal combustion engine and matching it to a mechanical camgear, the profile of which is formed as a sine wave, maintaining the simple harmonic motion throughout the mechanism.

5. A mechanism as claimed in Claim 1, used to produce an increase in the power to weight ratio, due to ihe smaller mass of the camgear used in the invention in relation to the crank shaft assembly of the conventional I/C engine.