JP2022107972A - multi-cylinder engine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a multi-cylinder engine that incorporates a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory for conversion between reciprocating linear motion of a piston and rotary motion of an output shaft and has a high degree of freedom in arrangement of a plurality of cylinders.SOLUTION: A multi-cylinder engine 10 includes, for each of a plurality of cylinders 12: a piston 13; an orbiting shaft 14; a rotating shaft 15; a linear motion-orbiting conversion mechanism 16 for converting a reciprocating linear motion of the piston 13 and an orbital motion of the orbiting shaft 14 to each other; and a rotation-orbiting conversion mechanism 17 for converting the orbital motion of the orbiting shaft 14 and the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 15 to each other and restrains an orbital trajectory of the orbiting shaft 14 to a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory. The multi-cylinder engine includes: one inflexible output shaft 11; and a transmission 20 capable of mutually transmitting rotational power between each rotating shaft 15 and the output shaft 11. Each rotating shaft 15 and the output shaft 11 have axes parallel to each other, and the transmission 20 is composed of a gear transmission or a winding transmission.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a multi-cylinder engine, and more particularly to a multi-cylinder engine that does not use a bent crankshaft as an output shaft.

A device has been proposed that incorporates a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory (for example, an elliptical trajectory) for conversion between the reciprocating linear motion of the piston and the rotational motion of the output shaft (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-214900

By the way, in a multi-cylinder engine, a bent crankshaft is used to convert the reciprocating linear motion of the piston of each cylinder into the rotary motion of the crankshaft. However, in the device described in Patent Document 1, by incorporating a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory for conversion between the reciprocating linear motion of the piston and the rotational motion of the output shaft, the crankshaft cannot be used, and it can be applied to a multi-cylinder engine. it was difficult to

Also, in a multi-cylinder engine, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of cylinders in the axial direction of the crankshaft. For example, an in-line multi-cylinder engine has one cylinder train for one crankshaft, a V-type multi-cylinder engine has two cylinder trains for one crankshaft, and a W-type multi-cylinder engine has two cylinder trains for one crankshaft. A cylinder engine has three or four cylinder trains for one crankshaft. A horizontally opposed type or a 180° V type multi-cylinder engine (also called a flat type multi-cylinder engine) differs only in the arrangement of each cylinder row, and has two cylinder rows for one crankshaft. A U-type multi-cylinder engine has one bank of cylinders for each of two crankshafts, the two crankshafts being connected to an output shaft by a transmission. In this way, a multi-cylinder engine using a crankshaft is restricted to arranging a plurality of cylinders in the axial direction of the crankshaft, and the degree of freedom in arranging the plurality of cylinders is low.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-cylinder engine that incorporates a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory for conversion between the reciprocating linear motion of the piston and the rotary motion of the output shaft and has a high degree of freedom in arranging the plurality of cylinders. be.

A multi-cylinder engine according to one aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a piston that is arranged in each of a plurality of cylinders and performs reciprocating linear motion, a rotary shaft that rotates, and the piston a linear motion orbital conversion mechanism for mutually converting the reciprocating linear motion of the rotary shaft and the orbital motion of the orbital shaft that orbits around the rotary shaft; In a multi-cylinder engine provided with a rotation orbit conversion mechanism that constrains the orbit of the orbital shaft to a orbit other than a perfect circular orbit, between one non-bending output shaft and each of the rotating shafts and the output shafts and a transmission capable of transmitting rotational power to each other, wherein the respective axes of the rotating shaft and the output shaft are parallel to each other, and the transmission comprises a gear transmission or a winding transmission. and

According to one aspect of the present invention, the rotary shaft of each cylinder and one output shaft can be mutually transmitted by a transmission device, thereby converting reciprocating linear motion of the piston and rotary motion of the output shaft. It is possible to implement a multi-cylinder engine incorporating a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory. In addition, there is no need to arrange the plurality of cylinders in the axial direction of the output shaft, and the degree of freedom in arranging the plurality of cylinders can be increased.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a multi-cylinder engine of a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 5 is an axial rear view of the output shaft illustrating the multi-cylinder engine of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an axial rear view of the output shaft illustrating a modification of the multi-cylinder engine of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an axial rear view of the output shaft illustrating the multi-cylinder engine of the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is an axial rear view of the output shaft illustrating the multi-cylinder engine of the fourth embodiment; FIG. 12 is an axial rear view of the output shaft illustrating the multi-cylinder engine of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a first modified example of the multi-cylinder engine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a second modification of the multi-cylinder engine of FIG. 1;

An embodiment of a multi-cylinder engine according to the present disclosure will be described below. In the drawing, the axial direction of the output shaft 11 of the multi-cylinder engine 10 is defined as the Z direction, and the mutually orthogonal directions on a plane orthogonal to the Z direction are defined as the X direction and the Y direction. In the figure, solid-line arrows indicate the operation of each member. In the drawings, the dimensions and the operation of each member are changed so that the configuration is easy to understand, and the ratio of the actually manufactured items and the operation of each member are not necessarily the same.

In the present disclosure, reciprocating linear motion refers to linear reciprocating motion of an object, which in this embodiment is motion performed by the piston 13 . Rotational motion refers to a motion in which an object rotates in a perfect circle about its own axis. Orbital motion is different from rotary motion in that an object revolves around an axis located at a distance from itself.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the first embodiment has one output shaft 11 and a plurality of cylinders 12, and the plurality of cylinders 12 are arranged in series in the Z direction, which is the axial direction of the output shaft 11. It is an in-line multi-cylinder engine. The multi-cylinder engine 10 is a prime mover that converts reciprocating linear motion of a piston 13 arranged inside a cylinder 12 into rotary motion of an output shaft 11 and outputs the rotary motion. Examples of the multi-cylinder engine 10 include internal combustion engines such as diesel engines and gasoline engines. The number of cylinders 12 of the multi-cylinder engine 10 is not particularly limited. The multi-cylinder engine 10 of this embodiment is a four-cylinder engine having four cylinders 12, but only two cylinders 12 are shown in the drawing.

The output shaft 11 extends in the Z direction and has a columnar shape that does not bend in the direction intersecting the Z direction at an intermediate position, and rotates around the axis. The output shaft 11 outputs rotational power to a driving mechanism such as a transmission and a propelling shaft (not shown) or receives rotational power from the driving mechanism. The cylinder 12 has a cylindrical shape, and a piston 13 is accommodated therein so as to be able to reciprocate linearly. The cylinder axis direction of the cylinder 12 is not limited to the X direction as long as it is a direction perpendicular to the Z direction.

The multi-cylinder engine 10 includes a piston 13, a rotation shaft 14, a rotation shaft 15, a linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 16, a rotation rotation conversion mechanism 17, and a transmission device 20 for each of the plurality of cylinders 12. be.

The piston 13 is arranged inside the cylinder 12 and has a cylindrical shape whose axial direction is directed in the direction of the cylinder axis of the cylinder 12 . 12 reciprocating linear motion in the cylinder axis direction. The rotation shaft 14 extends in the Z direction and is a member that rotates around the rotation shaft 15 as viewed in the Z direction. One end of the rotation shaft 14 on the front side in the Z direction is connected to the linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 16 , and the other end on the rear side in the Z direction is connected to the rotation rotation conversion mechanism 17 . The rotating shaft 15 is parallel to the output shaft 11 and extends in the Z direction, and rotates about its axis. One end of the rotating shaft 15 on the front side in the Z direction is connected to the rotation rotation conversion mechanism 17 , and the other end on the back side in the Z direction is connected to the transmission device 20 .

A linear motion orbital conversion mechanism 16 is a mechanism that is connected to each of the piston 13 and the orbital shaft 14 and converts the reciprocating linear motion of the piston 13 and the orbital motion of the orbital shaft 14 to each other. The direct-acting rotation conversion mechanism 16 of this embodiment includes a connecting rod 16a, a support member 16b, a first sliding member 16c, and a swinging member 16d.

The connecting rod 16a extends in the X direction and has one end fixed to the lower end of the piston 13 and the other end fixed to the first sliding member 16c. The supporting member 16b slidably supports both ends of the first sliding member 16c. The first sliding member 16c has a columnar shape extending in the Z direction, and linearly reciprocates in the X direction along the support member 16b. The rocking member 16d has one end located on the lower side in the X direction loosely fitted with the first sliding member 16c, and the other end located on the upper side in the X direction loosely fitted with the rotating shaft 14 . The swinging member 16d linearly reciprocates in the X direction together with the first sliding member 16c, and the other end swings circularly about one end thereof.

According to the linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 16, since the connecting rod 16a connected to the piston 13 performs only reciprocating linear motion, the tilt of the posture of the piston 13 can be suppressed. Therefore, the side pressure of the piston 13 acting on the inner wall surface of the cylinder 12 can be reduced. This is advantageous for reducing the frictional resistance in the reciprocating linear motion of the piston 13 . In addition, the connection between the piston 13 and the connecting rod 16a can be fixed, eliminating the need for a piston pin and simplifying the structure of the piston 13.

The rotation rotation conversion mechanism 17 is a mechanism that is connected to each of the rotation shaft 14 and the rotation shaft 15 and converts the rotation motion of the rotation shaft 14 and the rotation motion of the rotation shaft 15 to each other. The rotation orbit conversion mechanism 17 of the present embodiment has a cross groove 17a, a first connecting rod 17b, a second connecting rod 17c, a first elliptical joint 17d, a second elliptical joint 17e, a joint orbital shaft 17f, and a rotary joint 17g. configured as

The cross groove 17a is a through hole composed of a longitudinal groove extending in the X direction and a lateral groove extending in the Y direction. The first connecting rod 17b extends in the Z direction, both end portions of which are loosely fitted into the first elliptical joint 17d and the second elliptical joint 17e, respectively, and the middle position of which is inserted through the longitudinal groove of the cross groove 17a. The first connecting rod 17b linearly reciprocates in the X direction along the vertical groove of the cross groove 17a. The second connecting rod 17c extends in the Z direction, both end portions of which are loosely fitted to the first elliptical joint 17d and the second elliptical joint 17e, respectively, and the middle position of which is inserted into the lateral groove of the cross groove 17a. The second connecting rod 17c linearly reciprocates in the Y direction along the lateral grooves of the cross groove 17a. The first elliptical joint 17d extends in the radial direction of the circumference of the circumference shaft 14, and has one end loosely fitted to the circumference shaft 14, the other end loosely fitted to the first connecting rod 17b, and the second connecting rod at the middle position. 17c is loosely fitted. One end of the first elliptical joint 17d rotates in an elliptical orbit around the intersection of the longitudinal grooves and lateral grooves of the cross groove 17a by the reciprocating linear motion of the first connecting rod 17b and the second connecting rod 17c. The second elliptical joint 17e extends in the radial direction of rotation of the rotary joint 17g, and has an elongated hole at one end to loosely fit the rotary joint 17f of the rotary joint 17g. It is loosely fitted, and the intermediate position is loosely fitted with the first connecting rod 17b. One end of the second elliptical joint 17e rotates in an elliptical orbit around the intersection of the longitudinal grooves and lateral grooves of the cross groove 17a by the reciprocating linear motion of the first connecting rod 17b and the second connecting rod 17c. The rotary joint 17g has the rotary shaft 15 fixed at its center and a rotary joint shaft 17f fixed at its periphery. The rotary joint 17g rotates around the rotary shaft 15. As shown in FIG.

According to the rotation orbit conversion mechanism 17, the reciprocating linear motion of the first connecting rod 17b and the second connecting rod 17c inserted into the cross groove 17a converts the first elliptical segment 17d and the second elliptical segment 17e into elliptical ends. It rotates in an orbital motion. Therefore, the orbit of the orbital motion of the orbital shaft 14 can be an elliptical orbit. As a result, the moving speed of the reciprocating linear motion of the piston 13 can be decelerated in a predetermined section or increased in a predetermined section.

The rotation orbit conversion mechanism 17 of this embodiment has a structure in which the first connecting rod 17b is loosely fitted to the other end of the first elliptical joint 17d, and the second connecting rod 17c is loosely fitted to the middle position. The orbit of the orbital motion of 14 is an elliptical orbit with the minor axis directed in the X direction and the major axis directed in the Y direction. Therefore, while the orbital axis 14 moves in the section before and after the short axis of the ellipse, the amount of movement of the reciprocating linear motion of the piston 13 becomes small, and the speed of the reciprocating linear motion of the piston 13 near the top dead center is reduced. be able to. This is advantageous in suppressing a decrease in the thermal efficiency of combustion that occurs as the piston 13 moves away from the top dead center, and a combustion cycle with a high degree of constant volume can be realized.

The transmission device 20 connects the output shaft 11 and each rotary shaft 15 whose axes are parallel to each other so that the respective rotary powers can be transmitted to each other. The transmission device 20 of this embodiment is a gear transmission device provided for each of the plurality of cylinders 12, each having an output shaft gear 21, a rotation shaft gear 22, and a transmission gear 23. Configured. The output shaft gear 21 is fixed to the output shaft 11 , and the rotating shaft gear 22 is fixed to the rotating shaft 15 . Each of the output shaft gear 21 and the rotation shaft gear 22 meshes with the transmission gear 23 . The gear transmission device has at least two gears of the output shaft gear 21 and the rotating shaft gear 22, and those gears may be directly or indirectly meshed with each other. The number is not particularly limited, and a configuration without the transmission gear 23 may be used.

It is desirable that the speed transmission ratio of the transmission device 20 is a ratio of one revolution of the output shaft 11 to one reciprocation of the piston 13 . The multi-cylinder engine 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the rotary shaft 15 makes one rotation for one reciprocation of the piston by means of the linear motion revolution conversion mechanism 16 and the rotation revolution conversion mechanism 17 . Therefore, the speed transmission ratio of the transmission device 20 is the ratio of one rotation of the output shaft 11 to one rotation of the rotary shaft 15 . This makes it possible to set the phase difference between the pistons 13 based on the rotation angle of the output shaft 11 . For example, in the case of a four-cylinder multi-cylinder engine 10, the phase difference between each piston 13 is set to 180°. In FIG. 1, in order to make the operation of each member easier to understand, the phase difference in each piston 13 is shown as 90°, but the phase difference is actually 180°. The phase difference between each piston 13 is appropriately set according to the number of cylinders.

As described above, according to the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the first embodiment, the rotary shaft 15 for each cylinder 12 and one output shaft 11 can be mutually transmitted by the transmission device 20, so that the piston It is possible to implement a multi-cylinder engine 10 in which a trajectory other than a perfect circular trajectory is incorporated in the conversion between the reciprocating linear motion of 13 and the rotary motion of the rotating shaft 15 .

Further, in the multi-cylinder engine 10 of this embodiment, the plurality of cylinders 12 are arranged in series in the Z direction, but as in the second to fifth embodiments described below, the plurality of cylinders 12 are arranged in the Z direction. There is no need to arrange them, and the degree of freedom in arranging the plurality of cylinders 12 can be increased.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the second embodiment differs in cylinder arrangement from that of the first embodiment. A multi-cylinder engine 10 of the present embodiment is a four-cylinder engine as in the first embodiment, and is arranged to face a pair of cylinders 12a and 12b arranged to face each other in the Y direction (not shown). A pair of cylinders 12c and 12d are arranged separately in the Z direction. Further, in the multi-cylinder engine 10, the rotation shafts 15 of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b are arranged at equal intervals in the rotation circumferential direction of the output shaft 11 with the output shaft 11 as the center. In addition, in the multi-cylinder engine 10, the cylinder axes of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b are arranged radially with the output shaft 11 as the center.

The cylinder axes of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b are located on the same straight line. In the present disclosure, on the same straight line means on the same straight line in a three-dimensional section. In other words, when the respective cylinder axes are located on the same straight line, it means that they are located on the same straight line when viewed only in the Z direction, but also when viewed in the X and Y directions.

In addition, the paired cylinders 12a and 12b are synchronized in timing when the piston 13, which reciprocates linearly inside each cylinder, is positioned at the top dead center and the bottom dead center. When the piston 13 is positioned at the top dead center in the cylinder 12a, the piston 13 is positioned at the top dead center in the cylinder 12b.

Further, the paired cylinders 12a and 12b have opposite directions in which the pistons 13, which perform internal reciprocating linear motion, move from the top dead center to the bottom dead center. When the direction in which the piston 13 moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center in the cylinder 12a is from the left side to the right side in the Y direction in the figure, the direction in which the piston 13 moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center in the cylinder 12b is shown in the figure. It is the direction from the right side to the left side in the Y direction.

As described above, in the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the second embodiment, the positions of the pistons 13 of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b move symmetrically about the output shaft 11. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the vibrations generated in the multi-cylinder engine 10 can be suppressed by canceling out the vibrations of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b.

In the horizontally opposed type or 180° V-type multi-cylinder engine using a conventional crankshaft, the cylinder axes of the paired cylinders are only on the same straight line only when viewed in the axial direction of the crankshaft. Not co-axial in space. On the other hand, in the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the present embodiment, the cylinder axes of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b are positioned on the same straight line in the three-dimensional space, so the effect of reducing vibration is higher than in the prior art. Become. Furthermore, since the paired cylinders 12a and 12b are not separated in the axial direction of the output shaft 11, the length of the output shaft 11 can be shortened as compared with the conventional technology.

The transmission device 20 of the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the second embodiment is a gear transmission device, and connects the rotating shafts 15 and the output shafts 11 of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b so that rotational power can be transmitted to each other. . Specifically, the transmission device 20 has one output shaft gear 21, two rotation shaft gears 22, and two transmission gears 23, and one output shaft gear 21 is paired with cylinders 12a and 12b. be shared.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the second embodiment is not limited to the configuration in which the rotation shafts 15 of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b adjacent to the output shaft 11 face each other. A configuration in which cylinders 12a and 12b that form a pair adjacent to cylinder 11 face each other may also be used. In this way, by arranging the cylinders 12 around the output shaft 11 in the multi-cylinder engine 10, the plurality of cylinders can be arranged close to each other.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in cylinder arrangement. The multi-cylinder engine 10 of this embodiment is a four-cylinder engine as in the second embodiment, and includes a pair of cylinders 12a and 12b arranged opposite to each other in the X direction and a pair arranged to face each other in the X direction. It has cylinders 12c and 12d. In the multi-cylinder engine 10, cylinder axes of a plurality of sets of paired cylinders 12a, 12b and paired cylinders 12c, 12d are positioned on the same XY plane. The multi-cylinder engine 10 is configured such that the respective rotating shafts 15 are arranged at regular intervals in the rotational circumferential direction of the output shaft 11 around the output shaft 11 .

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the fourth embodiment differs from the third embodiment in cylinder arrangement. The multi-cylinder engine 10 of this embodiment is a four-cylinder engine as in the second embodiment, and is arranged point-symmetrically with the pair of cylinders 12a and 12b arranged point-symmetrically about the output shaft 11. It has a pair of cylinders 12c and 12d. In the multi-cylinder engine 10, cylinder axes of a plurality of sets of paired cylinders 12a, 12b and paired cylinders 12c, 12d are positioned on the same XY plane. Rotating shafts 15 of the multi-cylinder engine 10 are arranged at equal intervals in the rotational circumferential direction of the output shaft 11 with the output shaft 11 as the center, and cylinders 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d are arranged with the output shaft 11 as the center. are arranged radially at regular intervals.

In the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the vibrations of the paired cylinders 12a and 12b and the paired cylinders 12c and 12d cancel each other out. Vibration occurring in 10 can be suppressed. In addition, the length of the output shaft 11 of the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment is about the same as that of the single-cylinder engine. can be shortened.

In the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, similarly to the modified example of the second embodiment, the paired cylinders 12a and 12b and the paired cylinders 12c and 12d adjacent to the output shaft 11 are arranged. may face each other. In this way, by arranging the cylinders 12 around the output shaft 11 in the multi-cylinder engine 10, the plurality of cylinders can be arranged close to each other.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the multi-cylinder engine 10 of the fifth embodiment differs in the number of cylinders from the above-described embodiments. The multi-cylinder engine 10 of this embodiment is a three-cylinder engine, and the respective rotating shafts 15 are arranged at regular intervals in the rotation circumferential direction of the output shaft 11 with the output shaft 11 as the center. The cylinder axes of the plurality of cylinders 12 are arranged radially at equal intervals. Thus, when the number of cylinders 12 is odd, the effect of reducing vibration cannot be obtained, but the length of the output shaft 11 can be shortened.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the multi-cylinder engine 10 may include a transmission 30 configured as a winding transmission instead of the transmission 20 configured as a gear transmission. The transmission device 30 includes an output shaft pulley 31 , a rotary shaft pulley 32 and an endless belt 33 . The output shaft pulley 31 is fixed to the output shaft 11 , and the rotating shaft pulley 32 is fixed to the rotating shaft 15 . Each of the output shaft pulley 31 and the rotation shaft pulley 32 performs power transmission with a belt 33 wound around them. Examples of the winding transmission include those having sprockets instead of pulleys and endless roller chains instead of belts. The transmission device 30 may be any device that transmits power by contact transmission, but it transmits power between the shafts by positive transmission rather than transmitting power between the shafts by friction transmission. something is desirable. Specifically, it is desirable that the endless member of the transmission device 30 is composed of a cogged belt or a roller chain.

In addition, in order to apply the transmission device 30 configured by the winding transmission device to the second embodiment to the fifth embodiment, two pulleys or sprockets and an endless belt or A winding transmission device having a chain may be provided, and the winding transmission devices may be shifted in the Z direction so as not to overlap each other.

The linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 16 of the above-described embodiment is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment as long as it can convert the linear reciprocating motion of the piston 13 and the rotation motion of the rotation shaft 14 to each other. The linear motion rotation conversion mechanism 16 may be configured with a connecting rod 16a, a support member 16e, a first sliding member 16f, and a second sliding member 16g. The support member 16e slidably cantilevers the first sliding member 16f. The first sliding member 16f has at least an arm portion extending in the Y direction, and linearly reciprocates in the X direction along the support member 16e. The second sliding member 16g is slidably supported by the arm portion of the first sliding member 16f, and the rotating shaft 14 is loosely fitted thereon. The second sliding member 16g linearly reciprocates along the first sliding member 16f in the Y direction while linearly reciprocating in the X direction together with the first sliding member 16f.

A plurality of supporting members 16e may be provided, and may be arranged at both ends of the first sliding member 16f in the Y direction to slidably support both ends of the first sliding member 16f, as in the above-described embodiment. Further, when the first sliding member 16f is cantilever-supported by the support member 16e, it is not limited to an L-shape when viewed in the Z direction, and may be a T-shape. A shape or a U-shape may be used.

The rotation/circulation conversion mechanism 17 of the above-described embodiment is not limited to the configuration having the cross groove 17a, and is capable of converting the circular motion of the rotary shaft 14 and the rotary motion of the rotary shaft 15 to each other. I wish I had. For example, a configuration having a planetary gear mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-214900) may be used.

As exemplified in FIG. 7, the multi-cylinder engine 10 may be provided with a rotation revolution conversion mechanism 18 instead of the revolution revolution conversion mechanism 17 having the cross groove 17a. The rotation orbit conversion mechanism 18 is configured with an annular groove 18a, a node 18b, and an adjustment shaft 18c.

The annular groove 18a is a groove that surrounds the rotation shaft 15 as viewed in the Z direction and is recessed from the front side to the back side in the Z direction. The annular groove 18a may have any ring shape other than a perfect circular ring shape when viewed in the Z direction. For example, it may have an elliptical ring shape in which the short axis is directed in the X direction and the long axis is directed in the Y direction when viewed in the Z direction. . The joint 18b is a plate-shaped member that is fixed to one end of the rotary shaft 15, rotates around the rotary shaft 15, has a thickness direction in the Z direction, and has long holes 18d at both ends. be. The elongated hole 18d is an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is directed in the axial radial direction of the rotary shaft 15 when viewed in the Z direction, always overlaps the annular groove 18a, and penetrates the node 18b in the Z direction. The adjusting shaft 18c extends in the Z direction, one end in the Z direction protrudes from the annular groove 18a, and the intermediate position is inserted into the annular groove 18a. The adjustment shaft 18c functions as a counterweight.

In the rotation rotation conversion mechanism 18, the rotation shaft 14 is inserted through the annular groove 18a and the long hole 18d of the node 18b. The rotation orbit conversion mechanism 18 has the orbit of the orbital motion of the orbital shaft 14 constrained to an elliptical orbit by the annular groove 18a, and the orbital motion of the orbital shaft 14 along the annular groove 18a and the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 15 are articulated. 18b for mutual conversion.

As exemplified in FIG. 8, the multi-cylinder engine 10 may be provided with a rotation rotation conversion mechanism 19 instead of the rotation rotation conversion mechanism 17 having the cross groove 17a. The rotation rotation conversion mechanism 19 includes an annular groove 19a, a first slave shaft 19b, a second slave shaft 19c, and an endless member 19d.

The annular groove 19a is a groove that surrounds the rotation shaft 15 as viewed in the Z direction and is recessed from the front side to the back side in the Z direction. The annular groove 19a has an elliptical ring shape with a short axis directed in the X direction and a long axis directed in the Y direction when viewed in the Z direction. Each of the first slave rotating shaft 19b and the second slave rotating shaft 19c extends in the Z direction, and rotates about its own axis. The rotating shaft 15, the first slave rotating shaft 19b, and the second slave rotating shaft 19c are arranged at three points, the center O of the ellipse of the annular groove 19a and the two focal points F, respectively. The endless member 19d is composed of a cogged belt or a rotor chain, and is wound around meshing portions respectively formed on the rotating shaft 15, the circulating shaft 14, the first sub-rotating shaft 19b, and the second sub-rotating shaft 19c. Power is transmitted between the shafts by positive transmission. The endless member 19d is fixed to the rotation shaft 14 so as not to rotate.

The rotation rotation conversion mechanism 19 has the rotation shaft 14 inserted through the annular groove 19a. The rotary orbit conversion mechanism 19 has an orbital orbit of the orbital motion of the orbital shaft 14 constrained to an elliptical orbit by the annular groove 19a, and the orbital motion of the orbital shaft 14 along the annular groove 19a and the rotary motion of the rotating shaft 15 are endlessly controlled. It is a configuration in which mutual conversion is performed by positive contact of the shape member 19d.

In addition, when the rotation rotation conversion mechanism 19 is used in the multi-cylinder engine 10, the rotation shaft 15 rotates more than one rotation per one reciprocation of the piston 13. Therefore, the speed transmission ratio of the transmission device 20 is set to It is necessary to set the ratio so that the output shaft 11 rotates once per 13 reciprocations.

10 multi-cylinder engine 11 output shaft 12 cylinders 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d paired cylinders 13 piston 14 circumference shaft 15 rotation shaft 16 direct-acting circumference conversion mechanism 17 rotation circumference conversion mechanism 20 transmission device

Claims (7)

For each of a plurality of cylinders, a piston arranged inside the cylinder for reciprocating linear motion, a rotating shaft for rotating motion, a circling shaft revolving around the rotating shaft, reciprocating linear motion of the piston, and a linear motion orbital conversion mechanism for mutually converting the orbital motion of the orbital shaft; In a multi-cylinder engine equipped with a revolution conversion mechanism that constrains to
one non-bending output shaft; and a transmission device capable of mutually transmitting rotational power between each of the rotating shafts and the output shafts, wherein the respective rotating shafts and the output shafts are aligned with each other's axes. A multi-cylinder engine, characterized in that they are parallel, and said transmission comprises a gear transmission or a wound transmission. 2. A multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein the speed transmission ratio of said transmission device is a ratio of one revolution of said output shaft per one reciprocation of said piston. The number of the plurality of cylinders is an even number, and the plurality of cylinders are composed of one set or a plurality of sets of paired cylinders,
The cylinder axes of the paired cylinders are positioned on the same straight line, the points of time when the pistons are positioned at the top dead center and the bottom dead center are synchronized, and the pistons are positioned at the top dead center. 3. A multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the direction from to the bottom dead center is the opposite direction. 4. The multi-cylinder engine according to claim 3, wherein each set of said pair of cylinders is spaced apart in the axial direction of said output shaft. 4. A multi-cylinder engine according to claim 3, wherein the cylinder axes of said plurality of pairs of cylinders are located on the same plane perpendicular to the axial direction of said output shaft. 3. The multi-cylinder engine according to claim 1, wherein each of said rotating shafts is arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of rotation of said output shaft around said output shaft. 7. A multi-cylinder engine according to claim 6, wherein cylinder axes of said plurality of cylinders are arranged radially around said output shaft.

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