GB2576903A - A rotary valve internal combustion engine - Google Patents

A rotary valve internal combustion engine Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2576903A
GB2576903A GB1814502.9A GB201814502A GB2576903A GB 2576903 A GB2576903 A GB 2576903A GB 201814502 A GB201814502 A GB 201814502A GB 2576903 A GB2576903 A GB 2576903A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
rotary valve
valve
driven gear
gear
internal combustion
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB1814502.9A
Other versions
GB2576903B (en
GB201814502D0 (en
Inventor
Lawes Keith
Mason Brian
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
RCV Engines Ltd
Original Assignee
RCV Engines Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by RCV Engines Ltd filed Critical RCV Engines Ltd
Priority to GB1814502.9A priority Critical patent/GB2576903B/en
Publication of GB201814502D0 publication Critical patent/GB201814502D0/en
Priority to TW108101968A priority patent/TWI825062B/en
Priority to BR112021004246-6A priority patent/BR112021004246A2/en
Priority to PCT/EP2019/073559 priority patent/WO2020049032A1/en
Priority to AU2019333865A priority patent/AU2019333865A1/en
Priority to EP19772652.4A priority patent/EP3847347B1/en
Priority to GB1912694.5A priority patent/GB2576982A/en
Priority to CN201980059398.7A priority patent/CN112703301B/en
Priority to JP2021512237A priority patent/JP7479612B2/en
Priority to US17/272,800 priority patent/US11377983B2/en
Publication of GB2576903A publication Critical patent/GB2576903A/en
Priority to CONC2021/0002958A priority patent/CO2021002958A2/en
Priority to PH12021550465A priority patent/PH12021550465A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2576903B publication Critical patent/GB2576903B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01L—CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F01L7/00—Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements
    • F01L7/02—Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements with cylindrical, sleeve, or part-annularly shaped valves
    • F01L7/021—Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements with cylindrical, sleeve, or part-annularly shaped valves with one rotary valve
    • F01L7/023—Cylindrical valves having a hollow or partly hollow body allowing axial inlet or exhaust fluid circulation
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01L—CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F01L1/00—Valve-gear or valve arrangements, e.g. lift-valve gear
    • F01L1/02—Valve drive
    • F01L1/026—Gear drive
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01L—CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F01L7/00—Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements
    • F01L7/02—Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements with cylindrical, sleeve, or part-annularly shaped valves
    • F01L7/028—Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements with cylindrical, sleeve, or part-annularly shaped valves having the rotational axis coaxial with the cylinder axis and the valve surface not surrounding piston or cylinder
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01L—CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F01L2301/00—Using particular materials
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01L—CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F01L2303/00—Manufacturing of components used in valve arrangements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01L—CYCLICALLY OPERATING VALVES FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F01L2313/00—Rotary valve drives

Abstract

A rotary valve internal combustion engine comprising a valve housing 8 fixed at an outer portion of the combustion end of a cylinder 2 and defining a bore and a rotary valve 5 rotatable in the bore about a rotary valve axis 5a. The rotary valve having a hollow valve body subjected to combustion gases throughout the combustion process, and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing The rotary valve is mounted in the valve housing for rotation by the crankshaft 3 through a gear drive train 11, the drive train comprising a drive gear 10 connected to the crankshaft via bevel gears, the drive gear being meshed with a driven gear rotatable about the rotary valve axis, the driven gear being rotationally fast with the rotary valve.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):
RCV Engines Limited (Incorporated in the United Kingdom) 4 Telford Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, WIMBORNE, Dorset, BH21 7QL, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):
Keith Lawes
Brian Mason (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:
Jensen & Son
366-368 Old Street, LONDON, EC1V 9LT, United Kingdom (51) INT CL:
FOIL 7/02 (2006.01) (56) Documents Cited:
GB 2467947 A
EP 1043481 A1
US 2377336 A
US 1726299 A
FOIL 1/02 (2006.01)
GB 1516092 A
US 2413820 A
US 2118571 A (58) Field of Search:
INT CL FOIL
Other: EPODOC, WPI, Patent Fulltext (54) Title of the Invention: A rotary valve internal combustion engine
Abstract Title: A gear driven rotary valve for an internal combustion engine (57) A rotary valve internal combustion engine comprising a valve housing 8 fixed at an outer portion of the combustion end of a cylinder 2 and defining a bore and a rotary valve 5 rotatable in the bore about a rotary valve axis 5a. The rotary valve having a hollow valve body subjected to combustion gases throughout the combustion process, and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing The rotary valve is mounted in the valve housing for rotation by the crankshaft 3 through a gear drive train 11, the drive train comprising a drive gear 10 connected to the crankshaft via bevel gears, the drive gear being meshed with a driven gear rotatable about the rotary valve axis, the driven gear being rotationally fast with the rotary valve.
1
-ια
FILL 1
12 19
FIG. 3
A rotary valve internal combustion engine
The present invention relates to a rotary valve internal combustion engine in which the control of the intake and exhaust gases of combustion gases is achieved by means of a rotary valve.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine is known comprising: a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, the cylinder having a combustion end, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston and the combustion end of the cylinder, a valve housing fixed at an outer portion of the combustion end of the cylinder and defining a bore and a rotary valve rotatable about a rotary valve axis in the bore in the valve housing, the rotary valve having a hollow valve body having an interior volume forming a part of the combustion chamber, wherein the interior volume of the hollow valve body is subjected to combustion gases throughout the combustion process, and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing.
The present invention seeks to provide such an engine with improved constructional features.
According to the present invention there is provided a rotary valve internal combustion engine comprising a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, the cylinder having a combustion end, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston and the combustion end of the cylinder, a valve housing fixed at an outer portion of the combustion end of the cylinder and defining a bore and a rotary valve rotatable about a rotary valve axis in the bore in the valve housing, the rotary valve having a hollow valve body having an interior volume forming a part of the combustion chamber, wherein the interior volume of the hollow valve body is subjected to combustion gases throughout the combustion process, and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the rotary valve is mounted in the valve housing.for rotation by the crankshaft through a gear drive train, the drive train comprising a drive gear connected to the crankshaft through a bevel drive arrangement, the drive gear being meshed with a driven gear rotatable about the rotary valve axis, the driven gear being rotationally fast with the rotary valve.
In a preferred embodiment, the driven gear is located in the correct timing position relative to the rotary valve by a locating pin and is secured to the rotary valve by a securing device which also locks the locating pin in position.
Preferably, when the driven gear is secured to the rotary valve there is provided a predetermined gap between the driven gear and the bearing in which the rotary valve is mounted.
In another embodiment, the bearing in which the rotary valve is mounted comprises a single race ball bearing, the predetermined gap being between the driven gear and the inner race of the bearing.
Preferably, the driven gear has an out-of-balance mass to counter-balance an out of balance mass in the rotary valve body.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a single cylinder air cooled rotary valve internal combustion engine,
Figure 2 is an enlarged schematic view of part of the rotary valve body and drive gear, and
Figure 3 shows a plan view of the rotary valve drive and driven gears.
Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a single cylinder air cooled engine. The engine has a cylinder housing containing the cylinder 2. A piston 1 is connected in the conventional manner to a crankshaft 3 mounted for rotation in a crankcase 14 for reciprocation in the cylinder 2. The upper part of the cylinder 2 is closed by a combustion chamber 4 in a combustion chamber housing. The flow of inlet air/fuel mix and exhaust gas into and out of the combustion chamber 4 is controlled by a rotary valve 5. In this embodiment, the valve 5 is rotatable in a valve housing 8 in the combustion chamber housing about an axis 5a which is co-axial with the axis of the cylinder 2. In other embodiments, the axis of rotation of the valve body is offset from the axis 5a of the cylinder 2.
At its end remote from the combustion chamber 4, the rotary valve 5 has a concentric drive shaft 6 carrying a single race ball bearing 7 which rotatably supports the valve 5 in the valve housing 8. The valve driveshaft 6 is secured to a coaxial driven gear 9 which meshes with a drive gear 10 of a drive arrangement 11 through which the driven gear 9 and hence the rotary valve 5 is connected to the crankshaft 3. The drive arrangement 11 includes a drive shaft 12 which is located in a channel or tube 17 in the cylinder housing and mounted for rotation in an upper bearing 18 adjacent the drive gear 10 and a lower bearing 13 adjacent the crankshaft 3. The channel or tube 17 is cast into the cylinder housing. The channel or tube 17 is formed integrally with the cylinder housing, which may be formed by a casting process. The driveshaft carries a bevel gear 15 which meshes with a corresponding bevel gear 16 secured on the crankshaft for rotation with the crankshaft 3. Thus, the rotation of the crankshaft 3 and hence the piston movement is coordinated with the rotation of the rotary valve 5 so that the engine operates on the conventional four stroke cycle. To achieve this, the diameter of the driven gear 9 is twice that of the drive gear 10 so that the rotary valve 5 rotates at half engine speed.
Referring now to Figure 2 also, there is shown more detail of the rotary valve 5 which comprises a generally cylindrical rotary valve body 5 rotatable about a rotary valve axis 5a with a close sliding fit in the bore in the valve housing 8, the rotary valve 5 having a hollow valve body having an interior volume 19 forming a part of the combustion chamber. The valve has a generally cylindrical body part comprising the valve body 19 itself which is slightly larger in diameter than the shaft 6, which forms a shoulder 14 against which the inner race 28 of the ball bearing 7 is located. The valve body 19 extends into the combustion chamber and has in its interior a volume 20 which forms part of the combustion chamber 4 and which is subject to combustion gases at all stages of the combustion process. The valve body 19 is rotatable in a bore in a valve housing 8 with a close sliding fit.. The valve 5 and the valve housing 8 are formed of aluminium.
The shaft 6 part of the rotary valve 5 is only slightly smaller in diameter than the valve body 19 to provide the shoulder 14. The shaft is solid to provide a good path for conducting heat from the valve body 19 to the exterior
The rotary valve body port 21, during rotation of the valve, enables fluid communication successively to and from the interior volume of the valve and hence the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing. In this embodiment the port 21 is in the form of a recess formed in the lower peripheral edge 22 of the wall 23 of the valve body adjacent to the combustion chamber 4 the recess extending upwardly from this lower edge of the wall of the valve to form the port 21 in the side of the valve
Referring further to Figure 2 and Figure 3, there is shown the connection between the driven gear 9 and the rotary valve 5. The driven gear 9 is secured coaxially to the rotary valve 5 by means of a counter sunk screw 30. The driven gear 9 has a concentric recess which accommodates the outer end of the shaft 6 and the recess has an annular ring 31 which is aligned with the inner race 28 of the ball bearing 7. A small axial clearance 32 is provided between the annular ring 31 and the inner race 28 to allow a small degree of axial float which means that the valve 5 is not clamped to the inner race 28 and can therefore move slightly radially to accommodate any small concentrically offset between the bearing 7 and the valve bore in which the rotary valve rotates.
The correct location of the rotary valve 5 relative to the valve gear, which determines the timing of the engine, is achieved by a timing pin 33. The drive gear 10 has a timing mark 34 which indicates when the engine is at top dead centre. The driven gear 9 connected to the rotary valve has a timing hole 35 adapted to receive the timing pin 33 and the driven gear has a corresponding timing hole through which the timing pin is inserted to secure the driven gear 9 to the rotary valve 5 to hold the rotary valve in its top dead centre position. The counter sunk screw 30 is then inserted to secure the driven gear 9 to the rotary valve 5 in the correct timing position and the counter sunk head of the screw 30 engages the end of the timing pin 30 to secure this in position. Other means such as a washer on the screw 30 may be used to secure the timing pin 33 in position.
Because the rotary valve has a port 21 cut in its peripheral wall, it is recognised that the mass of the valve is not uniformly disposed about its periphery and this generates out of balance forces as the rotary valve rotates in practice. In a further embodiment of the engine, a counterbalance or counterbalancing mass is created on the valve train, particularly by adding material to the driven gear 9 or by removing material at an appropriate position in the driven gear 9.

Claims (5)

1. A rotary valve internal combustion engine comprising: a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, the cylinder having a combustion end, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston and the combustion end of the cylinder, a valve housing fixed at an outer portion of the combustion end of the cylinder and defining a bore and a rotary valve rotatable about a rotary valve axis in the bore in the valve housing, the rotary valve having a hollow valve body having an interior volume forming a part of the combustion chamber, wherein the interior volume of the hollow valve body is subjected to combustion gases throughout the combustion process, and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, a sealing function being carried out between the surface of the main body of the rotary valve and a contiguous surface of the bore in the valve housing, wherein the rotary valve is mounted in the valve housing for rotation by the crankshaft through a gear drive train, the drive train comprising a drive gear connected to the crankshaft through a bevel drive arrangement, the drive gear being meshed with a driven gear rotatable about the rotary valve axis, the driven gear being rotationally fast with the rotary valve.
2. A rotary valve internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the driven gear is located in the correct timing position relative to the rotary valve by a locating pin and is secured to the rotary valve by a securing device which also locks the locating pin in position.
3. A rotary valve internal combustion engine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the driven gear is secured to the rotary valve there is provided a predetermined axial gap between the driven gear and the bearing in which the rotary valve is mounted.
4. A rotary valve internal combustion engine according to claim 3 wherein the bearing comprises a single race ball bearing, the predetermined axial gap being between the driven gear and the inner race of the bearing.
5. A rotary valve internal combustion engine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the driven gear has an out-of-balance mass to counter-balance an out of balance mass in the rotary valve body.
Intellectual
Property
Office
Application No: GB1814502.9
Examiner: Mr Gareth Bond
GB1814502.9A 2018-09-06 2018-09-06 A rotary valve internal combustion engine Active GB2576903B (en)

Priority Applications (12)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1814502.9A GB2576903B (en) 2018-09-06 2018-09-06 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
TW108101968A TWI825062B (en) 2018-09-06 2019-01-18 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
GB1912694.5A GB2576982A (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
US17/272,800 US11377983B2 (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 Rotary valve internal combustion engine
AU2019333865A AU2019333865A1 (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
EP19772652.4A EP3847347B1 (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
BR112021004246-6A BR112021004246A2 (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 internal combustion engine with rotary valve
CN201980059398.7A CN112703301B (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 Rotary valve internal combustion engine
JP2021512237A JP7479612B2 (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 Rotary valve internal combustion engine
PCT/EP2019/073559 WO2020049032A1 (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
CONC2021/0002958A CO2021002958A2 (en) 2018-09-06 2021-03-04 An internal combustion engine with rotary valve
PH12021550465A PH12021550465A1 (en) 2018-09-06 2021-03-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1814502.9A GB2576903B (en) 2018-09-06 2018-09-06 A rotary valve internal combustion engine

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201814502D0 GB201814502D0 (en) 2018-10-24
GB2576903A true GB2576903A (en) 2020-03-11
GB2576903B GB2576903B (en) 2022-10-05

Family

ID=63921236

Family Applications (2)

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GB1814502.9A Active GB2576903B (en) 2018-09-06 2018-09-06 A rotary valve internal combustion engine
GB1912694.5A Withdrawn GB2576982A (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1912694.5A Withdrawn GB2576982A (en) 2018-09-06 2019-09-04 A rotary valve internal combustion engine

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (2) GB2576903B (en)
TW (1) TWI825062B (en)

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1726299A (en) * 1929-08-27 Internal-combustion engine
US2118571A (en) * 1933-01-20 1938-05-24 Adolphe C Peterson Charge stratification dual charging internal combustion engine
US2377336A (en) * 1942-11-23 1945-06-05 Briggs Mfg Co Engine
US2413820A (en) * 1943-12-24 1947-01-07 Briggs Mfg Co Engine
GB1516092A (en) * 1974-06-05 1978-06-28 Aspin Power Ltd Internal combustion engines
EP1043481A1 (en) * 1999-04-08 2000-10-11 Tecumseh Products Company Overhead ring cam engine with angled split housing
GB2467947A (en) * 2009-02-20 2010-08-25 Rcv Engines Ltd Rotary valve internal combustion engine

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB231381A (en) * 1924-08-12 1925-04-02 Richard Saville Clement Lucas Improvements in and connected with valve mechanism of internal combustion engines
US4773364A (en) * 1984-11-15 1988-09-27 Hansen Engine Corporation Internal combustion engine with rotary combustion chamber
GB2309742B (en) * 1996-02-01 1999-05-12 Bernard Hooper Stepped piston internal combustion engine
GB0322353D0 (en) * 2003-09-24 2003-10-22 Rcv Engines Ltd Cooling mechanisms for rotary valve cylinder engines

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1726299A (en) * 1929-08-27 Internal-combustion engine
US2118571A (en) * 1933-01-20 1938-05-24 Adolphe C Peterson Charge stratification dual charging internal combustion engine
US2377336A (en) * 1942-11-23 1945-06-05 Briggs Mfg Co Engine
US2413820A (en) * 1943-12-24 1947-01-07 Briggs Mfg Co Engine
GB1516092A (en) * 1974-06-05 1978-06-28 Aspin Power Ltd Internal combustion engines
EP1043481A1 (en) * 1999-04-08 2000-10-11 Tecumseh Products Company Overhead ring cam engine with angled split housing
GB2467947A (en) * 2009-02-20 2010-08-25 Rcv Engines Ltd Rotary valve internal combustion engine

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2576982A (en) 2020-03-11
GB2576903B (en) 2022-10-05
GB201912694D0 (en) 2019-10-16
TWI825062B (en) 2023-12-11
GB201814502D0 (en) 2018-10-24
TW202010925A (en) 2020-03-16

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