GB2226612A

GB2226612A - Rotating and reciprocating piston machine or engine

Info

Publication number: GB2226612A
Application number: GB8928578A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Iso Wyrsch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-04-04
Filing date: 1989-12-19
Publication date: 1990-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 2007-04-03
Also published as: EP0369990B1; DE3773724D1; DE3788357D1; CA1308155C; WO1987005964A1; KR960000435B1; GB2226612B; GB8728277D0; KR880701314A; EP0240467A1; ES2026942T3; ES2048328T3; GB2226710B; GB2226710A; ATE97992T1; KR960000436B1; GB8928577D0; GB2198788B; AU7209387A; ATE68556T1

Abstract

The rotating and alternating piston machine is an alternating or free piston machine in which the pistons effect a rotating and alternating movement. Main characteristics: 1) the use of rotation or alternation/rotation, for example in order to control the ports provided in the cylinder walls of two- and four-stroke engines, pumps and compressors; 2) simple conversion of rotating and alternating movement by mechanical or electrical means. The rotating and alternating piston machine offers the possibility of: pumps, including the electric drive, in which there is only one rotating part; direct conversion of the alternating movement of the piston into electrical energy; control of the gas movement by the piston; operation of other ports having specific functions (for example, introducing additional compressed gas, discharge ports operating in succession etc.); free selection of the number of piston strokes per rotation; choice of piston stroke kinematics; powerful rotation or swirling of charge; easily designed compact and inexpensive machines; possible integration of a compressor without having to provide for an additional volume and virtually without any weight increase. In the two-stroke combustion engine, in which the gas exchange is controlled by the pistons (2 and 5), the useful power is available at the central shaft (14), which carries the rotating and alternating piston (2) in a longitudinally-slidable but rotationally-fixed manner. Movement is converted by the oscillating shaft (35) and transmission element (38). The engine is provided with four working chambers and has a 100% mass balance.

Description

ROTATING AND ALTERNATING PISTON MACHINE

TECHNICAL FIELD

Technical field of the invention are piston engines and piston machines with reciprocating and at the same time rotating pistons in the cylinder. The "classic", well known reciprocating piston engine has pistons which only execute a reciprocating motion. The piston mot'ion is in this case mostly produced by a crankshaft and a connecting rod. The disadvantages of the classic reciprocating piston engine are among other things the friction of the only reciprocating piston at the cylinder, the space required of the crank mechanism and in the most cases the necessity of separate organs for the control of the intakes and outlets. Universally usable piston engines or machines were therefore proposed which avoid these disadvantages by the piston executing with the reciprocating motion at the same time a rotating motion. This kind of machine will thereafter be called "rotating and alternating piston machine" or elrotatingreciprocating piston machine" because of the typical rotating and reciprocating motion of the piston. 'eRotating-reciprocating piston machine" means not only a machine but also an engine in the following.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

The following executions of the rotating-reciprocating piston machine are known: Kenneth R. Malby describes in patent (US 2,352,369) a piston machine by which the piston executes a reciprocating motion and at the same time a rotating motion. This motion is produced by the following device: a cam-like curved path is rotating relatively to guiding elements and makes thereby a rotating reciprocating motion relatively to the guiding elements. Eighter this cam-like curved path is fixed to the piston and the guiding elements in form of rollers etc. are fixed to the cylinder or vice versa.

2 A problem of this device is the extremly high mechanical stress in these parts. Therefore, the purpose of this present invention is to produce the rotating reciprocating motion of the piston by a device which eliminates the mentioned problems with its different executions.

STATEMENTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a piston engine or piston machine with at least one piston which is arranged to execute a rotating motion around the cylinder axis and at the same time a reciprocating stroke motion parallel to the cylinder axis, characterized in that this piston motion is produced by a bearing consisting of two parts which rotate relative to each other, whereas the axis of this bearing is not parallel to the axis of the piston or of the cylinder respectively, and in that eighter one part of this bearing is fixed at the piston or represents a part of the piston and the other part is excentrically linked with the cylinder, or in that one part of the bearing is fixed at the cylinder or represents a part of thecylinder and the other part, the short hollow shaft, is excentrically linked with the piston. This means that there exist two types and one somehowis an inversion of the other.

Other versions additionally combine the bearing with an electromotor or generator, or use the mentioned short hollow shaft to mechanically trahsmit the power, or have an adjustable stroke length or compression ratio, or use the front (working) faces of the pistons to synchronize the motion of the pistons, or are characterized by a special lubrication of the piston.

-i! DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which schematically illustrate some examples in which:- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the cylinder axis of an embodiment of an engine or machine incorporating the features of the invention; Figures 2 and 3 are schematic cross sections of a first type of arrangement for producing piston motion.

Figures 4 and 5 are schematic cross sections of a second type of arrangement for producting piston motion. Key To The Figures: 1 cylinder / la, 1b, 1c cylinder parts 2 piston which executes a rotating reciprocating motion 5 -5a =5b piston-like member which only rotates 7 working chamber; 7a dito, maximal volume 7b dito, clearance volume 9 outlet channel 11 outlet flow 8 intake channel 10 intake flow 12 14 35 spark plugs central shaft that part of the bearing which is fixed at the piston or represents a part of the piston, in disk-like form 36 that part of the bearing which is fixed at the piston or represents a part of the piston, sinked into the piston 37 geometric axis of the part 35 or 36.

38 that part of the bearing which is linked with the cylinder 39 joint point of the link of the part 38 with the cylinder hollow shaft, being that part of the bearing which is excentrically linked with the piston.

41 geometric axis of the hollow shaft (40) 42 joint point between the piston and the hollow shaft.

1 Referring now to the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section along the axis of a cylinder including sections la, lb, lc of an engine or machine with four;orking chambers (1a and 7b). The cylinder incorporates ports in the wall thereof, the ports providing for working fluid intake (8, 10) and for working fluid outlet (9, 11). The ports are opened and closed by a piston (2) and by only rotating piston-like members (5). But referring now to the object of this part of the patent application, the motion of the rotating reciprocating piston (2) is produced in the following way: A bearing, consisting of two parts (35 and 38), is disposed in an inclined way relative to the piston, that means, the axis (37) of this bearing is not parallel to the axis of the piston. The inner part (35) of the bearing is fixed at the piston (2). The outer part (38) of the bearing is linked with the cylinder (1) at the articulating joint point (39). The two parts (35 and 38) of the bearing are rotatable relative to each other around their axis (37). The pistons (2) make one reciprocating cycle, that is one forward and back motion, per revolution. The power transmission from the piston to the outside or vice versa is made by means of a central shaft (14). The pistons (2) are connected in such a way to the central shaft (14) that they are movable along the central shaft in a longitudinal way, but that they are transferring the torque on the central shaft (14).

Figure 2 and 3a,3b show two examples of embodiments of the same type of mechanism which guides the piston (2) to a rotating reciprocating motion according to the present invention. In figure 2 and 2a details of the sections along the cylinder axis of a rotating reciprocating piston machine are drawn. This mechanism corresponds to the mechanism illustrated in figure 1, but the inner part (36) of the bearing is sinked in the piston (2). The outer part (38) of the bearing is rotating relatively to the axis (37) I - 5 of the bearing and is linked to the cylinder (1) by means of a joint (39). The articulating point (39) must be movable relative to the cylinder. Or that part (38) of the bearing which is linked with the cylinder has to grant a change in the length of the distance between its mounting on the cylinder and its mounting on the shaft.

Figure 4 and 5 show two examples of embodiments of another type of mechanism which guid4s the piston (2) to the rotating reciprocating motion according to the invention. Details of the section along the cylinder axis are drawn. The hollow shaft (40) rotates around its own axis (41). The piston (2) is connected to the hollow shaft (40) at an excentrically situated point (42). When the hollow shaft (40) is rotating, the piston (2) is rotating too and is additionally executing a reciprocating motion. The articulating joint between the hollow shaft (40) and the piston (2) fulfils the following conditions: it must admits swivelling movements between the piston and the hollow shaft around all three or at least around two coordinate axes. In the examples of figure 4 and 5, a ball joint admits swivelling movements around all three coordinate axis. In case of the version with two swivelling axes these two coordinates must lay relative to the hollow shaft (40) in that plane which lays perpendiculary to the rotation axis (41) of the hollow shaft. Additionally, in case of all the versions the joint is movable in approximately radial direction to the rotating axis (41) of the piston (2) or in approximately radial direction to the rotating axis (41) of the hollow shaft.

1 DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a piston engine or piston machine with at least one piston (2) which is arranged to execute a rotating motion around the cylinder axis and at the same time a reciprocating stroke motion parallel to the cylinder axis, characterized in that this piston motion is produced by a bearing consisting of two parts which rotaterelative to each other. The axis of this bearing (37 respectively 41) is not parallel to the axis of the piston or of the cylinder respectively. According to the type illustrated in figures 2 and 3, one part of this bearing (35/36) is fixed at the piston (2) or represents a part of the piston and the other part (38) is excentrically linked with the cylinder (1). According to the other type illustrated in figures 4 and 5, one part of the bearing is fixed at the cylinder or represents a part of the cylinder and the other part, the hollow shaft (40), is excentrically linked with the piston. - Thus, the piston executes one reciprocating cycle per revolution. The kinematics of this motion is dependent of the geometrical details of the embodiment and can differ from the sinusoidal form. The kinematics is influenced for example by the degree of the angle of the axis of the bearing; by the distance between the middle axis of the bearing and the joint point (39 respectively 42) which. connects one part of the bearing to the cylinder respectively to the piston; by the design of this articulating joint, especially of the execution of the device for the longitudinal displacability of the link, and by displacing the joint (39 respectively 42) in the direction parallel to the axis of the bearing.

Other versions are characterized in that the two parts of the bearing which rotate relative to each other are made in such a way that together they incorporate an electromotor or electric generator. In this way one part of the bearing is for example made as the armature or rotor 1 1 7 and the other part of the bearing functions as the stator.

An other version is characterized in that the power is mechanically transmitted to the outside of the engine or machine by means of the mentioned hollow shaft (40).

An other version is characterized in that the length of the stroke or the compression ratio or both is adjustable by varying the angle which the axis (37 respectively 41) of the bearing shows to the axis of the piston or of the cylinder respectively. This is realized by the bearing being fixed in a swivelling way at the piston respectively at the cylinder.

An other version is characterized in that the two neighbouring front (working) faces of two pistons (2) or of a piston (2) and a piston-like member (5) are always meshing with each other like claws. - Thereby the motion of the neighbouring pistons is synchronized.

An other version is characterized in that the piston bear upon a lubrication film, whereas, if the lubrication fluid must not get into the working chamber, the lubrication fluid is kept away from the working chamber or the ports by a scraper ring or other sealing element. The rotating component of the motion of the piston is advantageous for a hydrodynamic lubrication. The sealing element is for example mounted at the cylinder.

BEST EXECUTIONS OF THE INVENTION The working chamber (7) is limited by two pistons (2) which both execute a rotating reciprocating motion. The motion of the piston is for example guided by the type of mechanism schematically illustrated in fig. 4 or 5. The hollow shaft (40) of that mechanism is also transferring the power to the outside of the engine or machine: Therefore the hollow shaft is geared on its outside and is transferring the output on a gear which is at the outside of the cylinder. This gear driven by the hollow shaft (40) is connected to the corresponding gear of the neighbouring hollow shaft.

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Claims

1. A piston engine or piston machine with at LEkast one piston which executes a rotating motion around the cylinder axis and at the same time a reciprocating stroke motion parallel to the cylinder axis, characterized in that this piston motion is arranged by a bearing consisting of two parts which only rotate relative to each other, whereas the axis of this bearing (31 respectively 41) is not parallel to the axis of the piston or of the cylinder respectively, and in that eighter one part of this bearing (35,36) is fixed at the piston (2) or represents a part of the piston and the other part (38) is excentrically linked with the cylinder (1), or in that one part of the bearing is fixed at the cylinder (1) or represents a part of the cylinder, and the other part, the hollow shaft (40), is excentrically linked with the piston.

2. A piston engine or piston machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the two parts of the bearing which rotate relative to each other are made in such a way that together they incorporate an electromotor or an electric generator.

3. A piston engine or piston machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the power is mechanically transmitted to the outside of the machine or engine by means of the rotating hollow shaft (40).

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4. A piston engine or piston machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the length of the stroke or the compression ratio or both is adjustable by varying the angle which the axis (37 respectively 41) of the bearing shows to the axis of the piston or of the cylinder respectively, by means of the bearing being fixed in a swivelling way at the piston respectively at the cylinder.

5. A piston engine or piston machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two neighbouring front (working) faces of two pistons (2) or of a piston (2) and a piston-like member (5) are always meshing with each other like claws.

6. A piston engine or piston machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the piston (2) bear upon a lubrication film, whereas, if the lubrication fluid must not get into the working chamber or into the ports, the lubrication fluid is kept away from the working chamber or from the ports by a scraper ring or other sealing element.

7. A piston engine or piston machine constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with respect ot the various embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings.

Published 1990atThe Patent Office. State House. 66 71 High Holoorn LcndonWCI-4'l'P Purther copies maybe obtained from The Patent Office