US2166211A - Double opposed lever engine - Google Patents

Description

DOUBLE OPPOSED LEVER ENGINE Fil ed June 14, 193'! s Sheets-Sheet 1 Zhwmior Edy/4rd 6 7% (I ttomegs E. GRAY DOUBLE OPPOSED LEVER ENGINE Filed June 14) 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (I tornegs July 18, 1939.

E. GRAY DOUBLE OPPOSED LEVER ENGIINE I Filed June 14, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5.

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' ,E'c/Eoa rd Gray NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE amaii DOUBLE orrossp mm mama Edward Gray, Detroit, Itch. Application June 14, 1031, Serial No. 14am 6 Claim. cl.- 123-51) The present invention relates to internal combustioii engines of the double opposed pressure ignited type and has for'its primary object to provide an engine construction which is characterized. by its extreme lightness and compactness in comparison to the power generated.

horizontal bank of cylinders each having opposed pistons reciprocal therein and between which the 10' fuel combustion takes place whereby the direction of the power stroke of the pistons is outwardlyof the cylinders. Substantially vertical levers are fulcrurned in the engine structure, each lever being fulcrumed at one end and having its swinging end disposed in alinement with the cylinder and connected to the adjacent piston therein by a connecting rod. The power shaft is disposed in a horizontal plane beneath the bank of cylinders and in a vertical plane which intersects the mid point in the length of the cylinders and it is connected to the several levers by cranks and connecting rod arrangements. The object of this arrangement is to distribute the stresses resulting from combustion and the con- 35 version of linear movement into rotary movement uniformly and substantially opposite whereby the engine structure is free from excess stresses and strains and may therefore be formed comparatively light. The engine structure may, if desired,

be formed of sheet metal parts welded together. Another object of the invention is to provide an engine of the character above referred to theengine structure from stresses and strains.

For example, the levers are formed comparatively long so that the arcuate movement of their. swinging ends varies but a ,very slight amount from a straight line movement and the power applied to the swinging ends by their respective pistons does not result inwear tendencies of the type which cause piston slapping. Also the lever fulcrum and the engine structure support- I ing the same may be relieved from excessive stresses and strains by disposing the connecting 55 rods, which are connected to the power shaft crank means, at points nearer the n ce ends of the levers than their iulcrums; Still another advantage is that the crank connecting rods are in tension at the time of the power stroke of the pistons while the engine structure supporting the lever fulcrums is in compression. In its preferred form the engine embodies a' Still another object of the invention is to provide an engine of the character above referred to embodying the novel crank case construction and crank arrangement, the purpose being to permit the cylinders -01 the engine to be closely grouped in the interest of compactness'and also to permit an extremely light weight construction. In this regard the crank case is formed of a boxlike structure having transverse webs with bearings for the power shaft and, instead of the usual lever type cranks, eccentrics are employed, there being an eccentric for each lever with the set of two eccentrics for each set of levers closely grouped. The extremely close grouping of the two eccentrics .of each set causes the opposite forces exerted on the power shaft to actthereon without setting up any bending tendency in the of burned gases and the intake of fresh air with respect to the combustion chamber comprise ports formed in'the cylinder walls and communicating with exhaust and intake manifolds respectively, The ports are covered and uncovered by the pistons as they reciprocate in their cylinders, one of the opposed pistons cooperating with the exhaust ports and the other piston cooperating with the intake ports.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for the emcient scavenging of the-burned gases and the charging of the combustion chambers with compressed fresh air in an engine em- I bodying ports'of the typeabove mentioned". To

accomplish'this object it is necessary to cause uncovering of the exhaust ports prior to uncovering of theintake ports so that the burned gases under pressure in the combustion chamopen so that the fresh air from the intake manis5 fold may expel the burner gases, and to provide for super-charging, or in other words charging of the combustion chamber with compressed fresh. air, the intake ports must remain uncovered after the exhaust ports have again been covered. In the present engine, the above mentioned functional relationship between the uncovering and covering of the intake and exhaust ports is I accomplished by connecting the opposed pistons with the power shaft eccentrics, through means of the above described levers and connecting rods, in a manner whereby the pistons, although they move equally, do not move in perfect time. That is, the piston which controls the exhaust ports completes its power stroke and starts its compression stroke at a point in the cycle of the engine which is in advance of the point where the piston controlling the intake ports completes its power stroke and starts its compression stroke. This function is accomplished by disposing the power shaft in a horizontal plane spaced above or below (shownbelow in the drawings) the horizontal plane of the points in the line 2--2 of Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The numeral I designates the base portion of a crank case having vertical end walls 2 with bearings 3 therein supporting a rotatable power shaft 4. The crank case has vertical side walls 5 united and reinforced by a plurality of transversely extending spaced apart webs 6 having bearings I mounted thereon and providing additional support for the power shaft 4. The side walls 5 have openings 3 therein. for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Supported upon the top of the crank case is a bank of cylinders 3, each having a pair of opposed pistons III and II therein. Each cylinder has means, designated at I2, for receiving a fuel injector for the purpose of supplying fuel into the space between the heads of pistons I and II. Inasmuch as fuel injectors are well known in the art no injector has been here shown.

Mounted upon the top of the bank of cylinders 9 is an air pumping apparatus I3 which communicates with the intake manifold I4, the latter communicating with intake ports I in the com-.

bustion chamber wall of the cylinder 9. Each cylinder also has an exhaust manifold I6 communicating with the exhaust ports H in the opposite end of the cylinder wall 9.

The base I of the crank case extends laterally beyond the side walls 5 and its extending portions are each reinforced by a vertical wall I3 and transversely extending webs I3. The webs I9 have bearings 20 supporting pins 2I and 22 on opposite sides of the crank case respectively. The two pins 2| and 22 reside in vertical planes spaced equally on opposite sides of the vertical plane which intersects the mid point 'in the length of the cylinders 3. On the pins 2I and 22 are fulcrumed levers. 23 and 24 respectively, the levers 23 having their upper swinging ends .25 connected by connecting rods 23 to the pistons I3 and the levers 24 having their upper ends-21 connected by connecting rods 23 to the pistons II. 7 As will be seen upon reference to Fig. l the power shaft 4 is supported in a vertical plane which intersects the mid point of the length of the-cylinders 3 and the levers 23 and 24 are sym-- metrically arranged with respect thereto. The shaft 4 has sets of eccentrics thereon, each set comprising an eccentric 29 connected by a con-.- necting rod 30 to the adjacent lever 23 and'an eccentric 3| connected by a connecting rod 32 to the adjacent lever 24. It will be seen upon reference to Fig. 2 that the two eccentrics 29 and 3| of each set are very closely grouped and the shaft portions between sets of eccentrics are sup-- ported by the bearings 1.

In describing the operation reference is had to Fig. 1 and it is assumed that with the pistons II and II positioned as shown fuel is injected between the same through the opening I2 and that the combustion of this fuel takes place. 0bviously combustion of the fuel forces the-two pistons I0 and II apart and in so doing forces the upper ends of levers 23 and 24 apart, causing the levers to swing about their respective fulcrums. Outward swinging movement of the levers 23 and 24 pulls the connecting rods 33 and 32 outwardly and imparts rotary movement about their respective eccentrics and through the latter to the shaft 4. It will be noted that the levers 23 and 24 are comparatively long and the upper swinging ends 25 and 21 respectively vary but a very small amount from a straight line movement, with the'result that the power from the pistons transmitted through the connecting rods 23 and 23 is in a substantially straight line.

It will also be noted that the connecting rods 33 and 32 are in tension during the combustion stroke of the engine and that they-exert forces in opposite directions against the shaft 4 and these forces being opposite tend to counterbalance each other with the resultthat there is very little tendency to deflect the shaft. The points in the length of the levers 23 and 24 to which the connecting rods '33 and 32 respectively are connected are disposed nearer to the ends 25 and 21 respectively-than the fulcrums 2| and 22. As a result of this arrangement the fulcrums 2| and 22 are subjected to less pressure than would otherwise be the case and the direction of this pressure is such that the crank case bottom wall I and thetransverse walls 6 and I3 are placed in compression.

In Fig. 4, the line A represents the horizontal plane in which the point of connection between the connecting rod 30 to the lever 23 and the point of connection between. the connecting rod 32 and the lever 24 both reside. Obviously, this plane shifts vertically a small amount as the levers 23 and 24 are moved, but both points move uniformly. The line, B, in Fig'. 4, represents the horizontal plane in which the power shaft 4 resides, and this plane is spaced below the plane A. With this arrangement, as the pistons I3 and II are moved apart by the force of combustion, the piston II moves slightly in advance of the piston III, and as shown in Fig. 5, the exhaust ports II are uncovered 'while the. intake ports I5 are/still covered by the piston III. This permits the burned gases to be relieved of their pressure.

As shown in Fig. 6, the intake and exhaust 30 said crank case beneath said cylinders with the ports are both uncovered, and the air from the intake manifold expels the remaining burned gases from the cylinder. This view also illustrates the connecting rod 32 as having passed its dead center position so that movement of the shaft 4 in the direction of the arrow would therefore cause the piston l I to move inwardly. The connecting rod 30, however, has just reached its dead center position, which indicates that the cycle of piston I l is placed in advance of the piston l0 due to the relationship of the shaft 4 with the points of connection of the connecting rods 30 and 32 with their respective levers.

In Fig. 7, the piston l I has covered the exhaust ports I! while the piston in has not yet reached a point where it covers the intake ports IS. The combustion chamber is at this time charged with air from the intake manifold, or in other words, it is super-charged.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention and such changes are contemplated.

What I claim is:

1. In an engine of the character described, an

engine structure having a horizontal bank of cylinders and a crank case, opposed pistons in said cylinders, levers fulcrumed at opposite sides of free ends of said levers adjacent respective cylinders, means connecting said pistons to respective free ends of said levers, a power shaft mounted in said crank case in a vertical plane intermediate the vertical planes of said lever fulcrums. sets of two eccentrics on said power shaft, and connecting rods connecting oppositely disposed sets of levers to said sets of eccentrics.

2. In an engine of the character described, an engine structure having a horizontal bank of cylinders and a crank case, opposed pistons in said cylinders, levers fulcrumed at opposite sides of said crank case beneath said cylinders with the free ends of said levers adjacent respective cylinders, means connecting said pistons to respective free ends of said levers, a power shaft mounted in said crank case in a vertical plane intermediate the vertical planes of said lever fulcrums, sets of two eccentrics on said power shaft, and connecting rods connecting oppositely disposed sets of levers to said sets of eccentrics, said connecting rods being connected to respective levers between their fulcrums and free ends whereby the power stroke of said pistons places the engine structure supporting said fulcrums in compression.

3 3. In an engine of the character described. an

engine structure having a horizontal bank of cylinders and a crank case, opposed pistons in said cylinders, levers fulcrumed at opposite sides of.

said crank casebeneath said cylinders with the free ends of said levers adjacent respective cylinders, means connecting said pistons to respective free ends of said levers, a power shaft mounted in said crank case in a vertical plane intermediate the vertical planes of said lever fulcrnms, sets of two eccentrics on said power shaft, and connecting rods connecting oppositely disposed sets of levers to said sets of eccentrics, said connecting rods being connected to respective levers at points nearer the free ends than their fulcrums whereby the engine structure supporting said fulcrums receives a minimum amount of stresses and strains during the power stroke of said piston.

4. In an engine of the character described, an

, engine structure having a horizontal bank of cylinders and a crank case," opposed pistons in said cylinders, levers fulcrumed at opposite sides of said crank case beneath said cylinders with the free ends of said levers adjacent respective cylinders, means connecting said pistons to respective free ends of said levers, a power shaft mounted in said crank case in a' vertical p i e intermediate the vertical planes of said lever fulcrums, sets of two eccentrics on said power shaft, said crank case having transverse walls disposed between sets of eccentrics and having bearings for supporting the portions of the shaft between said sets of eccentrics, and connecting rods connecting oppositely disposed sets of levers to said sets of eccentrics.

5. In an internal'combustion engine having a cylinder formation with opposed pistons reciprocally mounted therein, a pair of means arranged outwardly of the cylinder formation and fulcrumed at an end of each thereof, the free ends of said means being operatively connected to the pistons, a power take-oi! shaft, a pair of eccentrics on said shaft, and means operatively connecting each of said first means to its respective eccentric.

6. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder formation with opposed pistons reciprocally mounted therein, a pair of levers arranged outwardly of the cylinder formation and fulcrumed at an end of each thereof, the free ends of said levers being in driven connection with the pistons, a power take-oi! shaft, a pair of eccentries on said shaft, and connecting rods connected to said levers and in driving EWARD GRAY.

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