US1299774A - Uttebnal-combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

R. F. PIATT.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPmcmoN FILED MAR. a. |915.

1 ,299,774. Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

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RICHARD F. PIATT, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application led March 3, 1916. Serial No. 81,874.

To all whom t may conce/fn.'

Be it known that I, RIGHARD F. Pnvrr, u citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson, State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates particularly to that type of internal combustion engines used for the propulsion of automobiles and motor cars, although it may be applied to engines for other uses.

It is the object of my invention to provide a self igniting, internal combustion en gine, having a secondary or driven shaft that shall be propelled by the engine at lower rotative speeds than the crank shaft of the engine, without material loss of the power of the engine; also to utilize the heat contained in the burned gases exhausted from the engine to increase the power of the engine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical, longitudinal sectional view of a vertical two cylinder, two-stroke cycle, gasolene or oil engine, showing the self igniting device, the manner in which the secondary shaft is propelled by the crank shaft, and the manner in which the heat in the exhaust gases is utilized to add to the power of the engine.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical, transverse, ser-- tional view of the same engine.

Fig. 3 shows a vertical transverse, sectional view of a vertical, four-stroke, cycle engine illustrating the application of my invention to that type of engine.

In the drawings, Figs. l and 2, represent a vertical, multiple cylinder, two-stroke cycle, gasolene or oil engine, having combustion cylinders, pistons, connecting rods, air admission valves, by-pass ports, exhaust ports and crank shaft.

In Fig. 2, S X and Y represent an elevation of a piston having three diameters working slidably in cylinders T f and d. Cylinder T is the igniting cylinder, f the combustion cylinder and d, an annular space surrounding piston X, an air motor cylinder.

The pistons of the engine are connected todthe crank shaft by suitable connecting ro s.

In Fig. 1 the small ports P in the head of the combustion cylinder, connect that cylinder with the igniting cylinder T, about the middle of the length of the latter.

The lengthwise and cross port R, in piston S, corresponds with ports P when the iston is near the end of its compressing stroke.

The openings g into combustion cylinders j', are for the purpose of allowing gasolene or oil to be sprayed 'into the combustion cylinders at the proper time to form the working gas. I propose to spray the gasolene or oil into the combustion cylinders by means of a pump which I do not show in the drawings, as it will be the sub'ect of an application to be made by lne or a separate patent.

In Fig. l, O is an air compressor having two or more cylinders. The cylinders and crank case of this compressor are attached to the engine crank shaft and revolve with it. W is the driven shaft and forms the crank shaft of the compressor which is provided with pistons t' and connecting rods J, also inlet valves K in the heads of the cylinders and discharge valves I in the heads of the pistons, so that air compressed in the cylinders is discharged into the crank case and passes through the hollow fixed bearing N, in which the driven shaft 7 works, to the pipe K which conducts the air to the heater.

D is an air heater containing the coil E for the purpose of heating the air compressed in the air compressor O, by means of the burned gases exhausted from the engine cylinders.

C is a check valve which prevents air in pipe n from passing to the coil E, but allows air in E to pass to n.

A is an air reservoir for the purpose of storingl compressed air. B is a stop cock for the purpose of retaining the air in A.

F is a four-way cock for the purpose of controlling the air from the air compressor O, or from the air reservoir A, as it passes to the air motor.

J is a stop cock which opens pipe K to the atmosphere.

M is the exhaust port for the combustion cylinders and is connected to heater D by the pipe L.

G is a pipe leading from heater D to convey the exhaust gases to the atmosphere, o1' to an exhaust nmfiler.

H is a pipe to convey air from the fourway cock F to the atmosphere, or to an exhaust mutlier.

Pipes I, I2 connect the four-way cock F with the rotating air valves U U2 of cylinders d. The cylinders d, together with the hollow rotatin valves U U2 and the pistons Y forni an an' motor for thc purpose of utilizing the power in the air Compressed in the air compressor O, and heated and expanded in the heater D, to assist in turning the engine crank shaft.

The hollow rotating valves U U2 are air inlet and exhaust valves for the air motor cylinders d, and have parts arranged to cut off the air admission before the end of the working stroke, and are driven by a chain V from the engine crank shaft, by means of sprocket wheels on the valve shafts and the crank shaft. The air motor ma be started and run in either direction by a mitting air to the motor, either through U for one direction of rotation, or through. UZ for the opposite direction.

Fig. 3 represents the application of my invention to `the four-stroke, cycle type of internal combustion engine. In this type of e ine, the small piston S and the small cylin er T, are the same as in the two-stroke cycle, but the cylinders of the air motor h are formed by making the lower portion of the pistons e smaller than the middle portions a, and causing the portions e to work in cylinders Z, which are smaller in diameter than the engine cylinders.

The rotating air valves U U2 are used for the air admission and exhaust to the air motor in a manner similar to that in which they are described above as being used in the two-stroke cycle type of engine.

The operation of my invention is as follows When it is desired to start the engine, the air reservoir having been previously charged with air at considerable pressure, the fourway cock F is set for the direction of rotation desired and air admitted to the air motor by opening stop cock B sufficiently long to start the engine rotating. Rotation of the engine having commenced, air is drawn into the crank case chambers through the air inlet valves as the pistons rise. When the pistons descend, the'air is forced through the by-pass ports into the combustion cylinders, clearing out the burned gases through the exhaust ports and supplying fresh air for compression in the combustion cylinders of the engine. lVhen a. piston closes the inlet and exhaust ports of a combustion cylinder f, compression of the air commences in the cylinder and gasolene or oil is sprayed into the cylinder through the opening g by a pump previously mentioned in this specication, forming an explosive gas. As the piston nears the upper end of its stroke, and the gas is compressed to a considerable ressure, a small ortion of the compresse gas contained in t e combustion cylinder f enters the small igniting cylinder T and is further compressed by the small piston S to a pressure sulliciently high to cause thc gas to ignite from thel heat due to compression.

It will be noted by reference to the drawings that when the piston S has traveled about .half way up into cylinder T, the cross port R is closed by the cylinder wallsof T and the small ports l? are closed by the piston S, thus confining the air in the upper part of igniting cylinder l until the piston S reaches the end of its stroke, when the cross port R registers with the ports P allowing the gas in the igniting cylinder T, wliiclh has been ignited by the high compression occurring in that cylinder, to fiow into and ignite the gas in the combustion space of the combustion cylinder f, thus producing a. working stroke of the engine. The cross port R and the registerin ports P cause the flame incident to ignition of the highly compressed gas or mixture, to pass into the combustion cylinder at somewhat widely separated points, so that ignition takes place on opposite sides of the cylinder axis, and ignition and explosion of the mixture are hence made uniform over the piston area, a result which in practice it'is found desirable to attain. The engine having been started, as described above, the cylinders of air compressor O, being attached to the engine crank shaft, revolve with the crank shaft while the pistons of the compressor, being attached to the driven shaft W, reciprocate in the cylinders as shaft W is required to do Work and does not readily revolve.

T he reciprocating of the pistons of the compressor causes the compressor to draw in air through its inlet valves and discharge the air into its crank case, from whence it flows through the pipes provided through the air heater D to the air motor previously described. The cubical contents of the air conipressor cylinders being considerably greater than the cubical contents of the air motor cylinders, and the air being cut off from the air motor cylinders early in the stroke of the motor, and the volume of the air compressed being largely increased by being heated to a high temperature in the heater, causes a considerable air pressure to accumulate, which, when increased sufficiently, will cause the driven shaft W to revolve at a lower speed than the crank shaft.

The relation between the speed of the crank shaft and that of the driven shaft depends upon the work to lbe performed by the driven shaft' the greater the effort required to turn the shaft, the lower will be its speed as related to the speed of the crank shaft.

When it is desired to operate the engine without turning the driven shaft W, the stop cock J is opened and the air compressed in the air compressor allowed to discharge into the atmosphere.

lhen it is desired to charge the air reservoir with compressed air, the stop cock B is opened while the engine is driving the driven shaft 7.

In the arrangement of the air compressor and air motor, which I have provided for causing the driven shaft to revolve at a lower speed than the engine crank shaft, the air compressed in the air compressor, due to the difference in rotative speeds of the crank shaft and driven shaft, is utilized in the air motor to assist the engine in doing work.

I arrange the ports in the valves of the air motor so that the admission valves close early in the stroke of the pistons, thus utilizing the air expansively and in the most eco nomical manner; but as is well known in the art, it is not possible to so construct an air motor that it will develop and deliver as much power as was required to compress the air which supplies it.

Under some conditions of operation the losses occurring, were only the compressor and air motor used for the purpose intended, would be of such magnitude as to seriously interfere with the usefulness of the system.

To obviate the losses which occur, and to add to the power available for propelling the driven shaft, I employ the heater D and heat the air compressed to a very high tem perature by means of the heat contained in the exhaust gases from the engine before using the air in the motor, thus very largely increasing the volume of the air available for driving the motor and adding to the power it develops.

In practice there will ordinarily be eniployed a plurality of cylinders with their pistons, connecting rods, cranks, and other co-acting elements, though the invention may be embodied in an engine employing but one explosion cylinder and piston with the necessary coperating parts. It is Vhence to be understood that where in the claims a cylinder or piston is recited in the singular number, it is not intended to eX- clude, but rather to include, a plurality of cylinders and pistons. In other words, as it is impossible to use a plurality without of necessity using one, the singular forni is employed to cover and protect the use of one or more as may bc found expedient in any given case.

The air compressor here shown and dcscribed is illustrative only, and may be replaced by another of any suitable type. The air motor element may, when operated by the internal combustion element, or in the case of an automobile, when operated by the turning of thc engine crank-shaft through coasting and without power, act as an air compressor to store air in the reservoir.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire lo secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. An internal combustion engine comrising, in combination, an explosion cylinlder, piston, connecting rod, and crank-shaft; a power-transmitting shaft distinct from the engine crank-shaft; an air compressor interposed between the engine crankshaft and the power-transmitting shaft, and itself provided With a crank-pin; a revolving casing attached to one of said shafts and provided with cylinders; pistons movable within said cylinders; connecting rods connectin said pistons with the crankpin of the ot er of said shafts; an air motor connected with and serving to turn or aid in turning the engine crankshaft; and an air pipe communicating with the cylinders of the air com` pressor, and serving to deliver air therefrom to the air motor.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising, in combination., a cylinder having two aXlally alined portions of differing internal diameter; a piston having two portions of correspondingly diHering diameter to fit and more axially within said cylinder, one section of said cylinder together with its piston constituting an explosive engine element, and the other section of said cylinder and its piston constituting an air motor element; a crank-shaft connected with and turned by said elements; a power-transmitting shaft distinct from said crank-shaft; an air compressor interposed between and connecting said two shafts; and a connection between the compressor and the air motor element; whereby air compressed by the compressor is delivered to and caused to actuate the air motor element.

3. A self-starting internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, an internal combustion cylinder and an air cylinder; pistons working in said cylinders; a crankshaft; a connecting rod connecting said pistons and crank-shaft; a powertransmitting shaft distinct from the engine crank-shaft; an air compressor interposed between said shafts and serving to transmit motion from one to the other; an air reservoir; a pipe connecting said air reservoir with the air compressor; a pipe connecting the air reser voir with the air cylinder; a heater encompassing a portion of the air pipe connecting the reservoir and the air compressor; and a pipe leading from the exhaust of the en ine to the interior of said heater to supply ieat thereto.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, an internal combustion cylinder and an air cylinder; pistons working in said cylinders; a crank-shaft; a connecting rod connecting said pistons and crank-shaft; a power-transmitting shaft distinct from the engine crank-shaft; an air compressor interposed between said shafts and serving to transmit motion from one to the other; a pipe connecting the air com presser with the air cylinder; a heater serving to heat the air during its passage from the air compressor; and e pipe leading from the exhaust of the internal combustion engine to said heater to supply heat thereto.

5. The combination with un internal oombustion engine, a secondary or driven shaft, an air compressor connected to the engine crank Shaft and the driven shaft, an air heater and an air motor, for the purpose of propelling the driven shaft at lower rotative speeds than that of the engine crank shaft, 0l' an air reservo-ir for the purpose of storing air for starting the engine, and means for charging the air reservoir with air at high pressure, either by the air compressor, or by the air motor working` as an air compressor.

6. The combination with an internal cornbustion engine, a secondary or driven shaft,

RCHARD F. PIATT,

Vitnessesz LOUISE Soniumn, E. J. CLvGE'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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