Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01C—ROTARY-PISTON OR OSCILLATING-PISTON MACHINES OR ENGINES
  • F01C11/00—Combinations of two or more machines or engines, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type
  • F01C11/002—Combinations of two or more machines or engines, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type of similar working principle
  • F01C11/004—Combinations of two or more machines or engines, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type of similar working principle and of complementary function, e.g. internal combustion engine with supercharger
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01C—ROTARY-PISTON OR OSCILLATING-PISTON MACHINES OR ENGINES
  • F01C1/00—Rotary-piston machines or engines
  • F01C1/30—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members
  • F01C1/34—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members
  • F01C1/356—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the outer member
  • F01C1/3566—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the outer member the inner and outer member being in contact along more than one line or surface
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
  • F02B53/00—Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines
  • F02B53/02—Methods of operating
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
  • F02B55/00—Internal-combustion aspects of rotary pistons; Outer members for co-operation with rotary pistons
  • F02B55/08—Outer members for co-operation with rotary pistons; Casings
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
  • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
  • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
  • Y02T10/12—Improving ICE efficiencies

Definitions

• the present invention relates to internal combustion engines and in particular to internal combustion engines with coupled cylinders.
• the basic principals of the four stroke internal combustion engine may be equally applied to conventional reciprocating piston engines as well as rotary engines.
• all four strokes of the cycle are performed within the same cylinder. That is, a single piston deployed within a cylinder travels through the series of intake compression combustion/expansion and exhaust strokes. Therefore, the power is generated in only one of four strokes, unlike two stroke engines in which power is generated in one of two strokes.
• toroidal cylinder configurations have emerged in which piston elements travel on a continuous path through a single toroidal chamber.
• the number of pistons has been increased. This has been done in the past by increasing the number of pistons traveling through the same toroidal chamber.
• additional toroidal chambers have been added, which include additional pistons. This alternative is basically linking two or more separate engines.
• stage 1 involving fuel charge preparation
• stage 2 involving perfonnance of work.
• Energy is consumed during the first part of the cycle while work is performed during the second part.
• stage 2 involving perfonnance of work.
• the identified coupled cylinder application offers a procedure for performing these two parts of the cycle separately from each other in different toroidal cylinders of the same design.
• different stages of the operating cycle have specific features of their own. Thus, a high efficiency of the entire operating cycle can only be achieved with account being made for the specific operating conditions.
• Type 1 cylinders will be adapted to accommodate the operating sequence as follows: filling the cylinder with incoming gas charge, charge compression, and bringing it to a ready to use state as per a preset ratio of compression.
• Type 2 cylinders will be designed to allow for a ready to use fuel charge inlet wilh no changes in charge volume and pressure, charge ignition in this operating state, charge combustion and expansion to be followed by exhaust of combustion products.
• a specific interior cylinder geometry will be applied, i.e., geometry intended to provide the least possible fuel charge flow resistance along the propagation path from the cylinder inlet to the place of ready to use charge collection to ready to ignite collection location and its size and geometiy inside the cylinder will basically depend on the preset engines specific charge compression value and on conditions of the charge transfer for ignition.
• the cylinder to cylinder charge transfer shall be capable of providing for charge transfer with the least possible losses.
• the charge inlet/outlet shall only be open for as long as the actual charge is being transferred, remaining shut throughout the rest of the cycle.
• Such charge transfer path shall demonstrate low hydraulic resistance, low intrinsic volume and total isolation of gaseous combustion products from the consecutive incoming fuel charge.
• the geometry of Type 2 toroidal cylinders will be determined based on requirements for the best possible use of the fuel charge energy. The efficiency of the heat to work transformation process will be expressed using the ratio of:
• Such an increase in the Type 2 cylinder volume can be attained either by increasing the toroidal cylinder length or by increasing the cylinder cross-section.
• the cylinder length can be achieved through incrementing the rotor diameter which in combination with the cylinder housing forms a toroidal cylinder while the increase in the cylinder cross-section can be achieved by increasing either the width of the height of a cylinder starting from the end of the charge accumulation section.
• the previously identified coupled cylinder engine features a simple engine design with two equal volume and size cylinders thus allowing the ready to ignite fuel charge to transfer sideways from one cylinder to another, i.e., from one parallel path to another.
• Figure 1 is a schematic view of an engine according to a first embodiment of the invention
• Figure 2 is a schematic representation featuring engine cylinder cross-sectional views with an interconnecting charge transfer path
• Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the transfer path opening sequence
• Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the engine
• Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a spacer ring including an arciform groove
• Figure 6A and 6B are schematic cross-sectional views showing a Type 1 cylinder and Type 2 cylinder respectively of a second embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention with the engine in a work performance position
• Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the invention showing the interconnecting charge transfer path ready to ignite fuel charge transfer position;
• Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the invention showing the interconnecting charge transfer passage;
• Figure 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the invention showing the interconnecting transfer passage.
• the first embodiment of the invention seen in Figures 1-6 includes a housing structure 10 defining a toroidal volume including first and second housing sections 12 and 14 and a rotor structure 16 mounted for rotation in the housing structure and including first and second rotor members 18 and 20 respectively coacting with the first and second housing sections to define first and second toroidal cylinders 22 and 24.
• Rotor 18 has a generally cylindrical configuration and includes a pair of diametrically opposed lobe portions 26.
• the engine further includes a pair of diametrically opposed reciprocally moveable partitions or walls 28 which are mounted in radially outwardly projecting portions 12a of housing section 12 and are spring biased radially inwardly into engagement with rotor member 18 by compression springs 30.
• Each lobe portion 26 includes, in circumferential sequence, a entry portion 26a, a dwell portion 26b and a terminal portion 26c in sealing engagement with the inner periphery 12b of housing section 12.
• Rotor member 20 has a generally cylindrical configuration.
• a pair of diametrically opposed reciprocally moveable partitions or walls 32 are mounted in rotor member 20 and are spring biased radially outwardly into engagement with the inner periphery 14a of housing section 14 by compression springs 34.
• a pair of diametrically opposed lobe portions 36 is provided on the inner periphery 14a of housing 14.
• Each lobe portion 36 includes, in circumferential sequence, an entry portion 36a, a dwell portion 36b, and a terminal portion 36c.
• the engine further includes intake manifolds 40, inlet ports 42 in the cylinder 22, ignition devices 44 communicating with the cylinder 24, exhaust ports 46 exiting cylinder 24, exhaust manifolds 48 and transfer passages 50.
• Each transfer passage 50 is a compound passage establishing communication between cylinder 22 and cylinder 24 only for the period of fuel charge passage.
• Each passage 50 includes a passage 52 opening in the radially inner end 28a of wall 28 in exposure to cylinder 22; a passage 54 in housing section 12; an arcuate slot or groove 56 in a partition 58 positioned between cylinder housing sections 12 and 14; a transfer passage 60 in rotor member 20; and a passage 62 in wall 32 opening in cylinder 24. It will be seen when these passages are in alignment, as seen in Figure 2, the passage is completed between cylinder 22 and cylinder 24. It will be seen that a passage 50 is provided at two diametrically opposed locations within the engine for selective communication between cylinder 22 and 24 at diametrically opposed locations.
• the charges are ignited using ignition devices 44 and the expanding gasses act upon the walls 32 to provide power strokes which terminate in the discharge of the dissipated gasses through the respective exhaust ports 46 for discharge through the respective exhaust manifolds 48.
• the first cylinder is undergoing a new intake and compression cycle so that when the rotors again assume the position seen in Figure 1 , new compressed charges are ready for transfer to the cylinder 24 to initiate new power and exhaust strokes in the cylinder 24.
• the cross-sectional area of the void 64 between the lobe portion 26b and the inner housing periphery 12b in the Figure 1 position is identical to the cross-sectional area of the void 66 between the outer periphery 20a of rotor 20 and lobe dwell portion 36b with the components in the Figure 1 position.
• the charge volume in the second toroidal cylinder during the transfer operation is progressively increased by an amount corresponding to the progressive decrease in the charge volume in the toroidal cylinder 22.
• the radial height of the void 66 is compensatingly less than the radial height of the void 64.
• each reciprocal wall acts as a barrier wall for coaction with a piston constituted by a respective lobe portion 26c and in the second cylinder 24 each reciprocal wall acts as a piston receiving the expanding energy of the charge in the power stroke and sweeping the exhaust gasses from a previous cycle out of the respective exhaust port.
• the second embodiment of the engine seen in Figures 7, 8, and 9 is generally similar to the embodiment of Figures 1-6 with the exception that in this case the moveable walls associated with the first cylinder as well as the moveable walls associated with the second cylinder are both mounted in their respective housing sections and are biased radially inwardly against the respective rotor members.
• the engine of Figures 7-9 includes a housing having a first section 70 and a second section 72, a rotor 74 coacting with the first housing 70 to form a first cylinder 76 and including a lobe 78, a second rotor member 80 coacting with the second housing section 72 to define the second cylinder 82 and including a lobe 84, a reciprocal wall 86 mounted in the first housing section and a reciprocal wall 88 mounted in the second housing section.
• the transfer passage 90 interconnecting cylinders 76 and 82 during the charge transfer process includes an inclined passage 92 connecting the two cylinders passing through mutually fixed parts of both the cylinder housing sections and through a coupling ring 94, a passage 96 in wall 86 opening in the first cylinder, and a passage 98 in the wall 88 opening in the second cylinder.
• the passages 96, 92 and 98 are normally disconnected to preclude interchange of charge between the cylinders.
• the transfer passage arrangement of the Figure 7-9 embodiment eliminates the arcuate groove 56 in the Figures 1-6 embodiment, reduces the transfer path length and volume, decreases the number of intermediate contacts, and enhances the reliability of the transfer operation.
• the engine of the Figures 10- and 11 embodiment is generally similar to the engine of the Figures 1-6 embodiment with exception that transfer passage between the first cylinder and the second cylinder opens in the second cylinder in the cylinder housing rather than in the reciprocal wall of that cylinder.
• the engine of Figures 10 and 1 1 includes a housing including a first section 100, a second section 102 and a rotor structure including a first rotor member 104 coacting with the first housing section 100 to define the first cylinder 106 and a second rotor member 108 coacting with the second housing section to define the second cylinder 110.
• Reciprocal walls 112 are mounted in housing section 100 for coaction with lobes
• housing section 108 for coaction with lobes 118 on the inner periphery 102a of housing section 102.
• the transfer passage 120 in this case includes a passage 122 in reciprocating wall
• the ready to ignite fuel charge transfer is initiated at the instant when the entiy portion 1 14a of lobe 1 14 lifts the reciprocal wall 1 12 up onto the lobe dwell portion 1 14b. Simultaneously the reciprocal wall 1 16 moves onto the dwell portion 118a ob lobe 1 18 whereupon the ready to ignite fuel charge, its constant volume being maintained, begins to flow into the cylinder 110 through the windows 128. During this transfer, the charge is ignited and the combustion process begins. The transfer of the ready to ignite fuel charge is completed when the reciprocal wall 1 12 travels beyond the dwell portion 114b of the lobe 1 14 and is shifted outwardly by the lobe portion 114c, thus interrupting the transfer passage between the first and second cylinders.
• the engine of the Figures 10 and 1 1 embodiment has the lowest number of contact points between the elements of the ready to ignite charge transfer passage and the shortest transfer passage length.
• the engine of the Figure 12 and 13 embodiment is similar to the engine of the
• FIGS 1-6, 7-9 and 11-12 embodiments with the exception that the moveable walls in this embodiment are mounted for pivotal rather than reciprocal movement.
• a reciprocal wall or partition has to be open to the outside atmosphere to avoid pumping of the charge into the compartment. This requires a tight sealing of the wall within the compartment. Further, pressure differences generated between the two faces of wall will force it toward the compartment wall and impede its slide. Further the spring that forces the wall toward the rotor is elongated during the work phase when the partition is outside its compartment and seals the cylinder. Force applied by the spring on the wall at this time is smaller than at the idle phase when the wall is shifted into the compartment to allow the pistons passage. Further the wall has to be light and durable. All of these disadvantages are overcome by replacing the reciprocal wall of the previous embodiments with the pivotally mounted wall seen in the Figures 12 and 13 embodiment.
• the first cylinder as seen in Figure 12 includes a housing section 130 and a rotor
• the engine further includes pivotal wall 138 mounted on the inner periphery of housing section 130 by a pin 140 for pivotal movement about an axis 142.
• a bias pin 144 is mounted in housing 130 and includes a roll 146 on its inboard end received in a cavity 138a in the wall 138. Pin 144 is biased radially inwardly by a compression spring 148 whereby to bias the wall 138 pivotally inwardly to press the free end 138b of the wall against the periphery 132a of the rotor.
• a groove 150 is machined into the inner periphery of housing 130 to accommodate wall 138 in its outwardly pivoted position.
• the back face 138c of the wall has a special profile designed to reduce the relative change in the length of the spring 148 (and therefore changes in the force that the spring applies) between the fully open and fully closed positions.
• the partition is thick in the open state and thin in the closed state.
• the charge transfer passage 152 passes along the pivotal axis 142 of the wall 138.
• the passage 152 has the form of a pipe with intake apertures 154 opening in the first cylinder and outlet apertures 156 opening in the second cylinder.
• the rotating wall rotates about the charge transfer passage and includes apertures 158 that align with apertures 154 during the charge transfer time only and seal with respect to the apertures 154 during the rest of the cycle.
• the overall efficiency of the engine is improved. Yet more specifically, the process commencement temperature T is maximized by maintaining a constant charge volume during the transfer process and the process termination temperature t is minimized by providing a larger volume for the second cylinder as compared to the first cylinder. Further, the efficiency of the charge transfer process between the first and second cylinders is optimized by keeping the transfer path open only for so long as the actual charge is being transferred and by providing total isolation of gaseous combustion products from the consecutive incoming charges. Overall, by providing different design and dimensional characteristics for the first and second cylinders, the operational aspects of each cylinder may be optimized to provide an optimized overall engine efficiency.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Cylinder Crankcases Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
• Exhaust Gas After Treatment (AREA)
• Fuel-Injection Apparatus (AREA)
• Supercharger (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=39536726

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2007
  • 2007-12-18 WO PCT/US2007/087918 patent/WO2008077032A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-12-18 CN CN200780047058A patent/CN101636574A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-12-18 US US12/519,796 patent/US20090308342A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-12-18 JP JP2009543140A patent/JP2010513792A/ja active Pending
  • 2007-12-18 EP EP07869427A patent/EP2100017A4/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events