Homogenous charge compression ignition and barrel engines

Details Homogenous charge compression ignition and barrel engines Homogenous charge compression ignition and barrel engines

2001-10-30

2004-03-02

Richter, Sheldon J. (Department: 3748)

Internal-combustion engines

Rotary

With compression, combustion, and expansion in a single...

C123S0430AA, C123S0430AA

Reexamination Certificate

active

06698394

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to homogenous charge compression ignition engines and barrel engines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Internal Combustion Engine Configurations
Internal combustion engines have wide applicability in both mobile and stationary power production applications. The most common type of internal combustion engine is a crank driven reciprocating piston engine. This type of engine includes a cylinder with a moveable piston position therein, and defines a combustion chamber between a closed end of the cylinder and the piston. A rod interconnects the piston with an offset journal on a rotatable crankshaft such that rotation of the crankshaft causes the piston to reciprocate upwardly and downwardly within the cylinder. While traditional crank driven engines are the most common, numerous other engine configurations have been proposed and used. One example is the Wankel rotary engine wherein a lobed rotor rotates within a housing to create expanding and contracting combustion chambers.
Another internal combustion engine configuration is shown in FIG.
1
. This engine configuration has gone by various names, including barrel engine, axial engine, axial piston or cylinder engine, cam engine, swash ring or plate engine, crank plate engine, cam or wave cam engine, wobble plate engine, and radial or rotary engine, among others. For purposes of the present application, these types of engines will be referred to as barrel engines. However, it should be understood that the term “barrel engine,” as used herein, is not limited to the specific configurations illustrated, but instead refers to similar designs as well.
The engine
10
in
FIG. 1
is merely representative of the general configuration of the engine referred to herein as a barrel engine. It includes a crankshaft or power shaft
12
with a plurality of cylinders arranged about the power shaft
12
, though single cylinder variations are possible. The central axis of each of the cylinders
14
may be generally parallel to the power shaft
12
. Alternatively, the axes of the cylinders
14
may be tilted outwardly or inwardly with respect to the power shaft
12
. A cam plate or track
16
is preferably connected to the power shaft
12
such that the two rotate in unison. The track
16
surrounds and extends outwardly from the power shaft
12
and has an undulating cam surface
18
. As the power shaft
12
is rotated about its longitudinal axis, the cam surface
18
of the track
16
undulates closer to and farther from the cylinders
14
. Pistons
20
are moveably positioned in the cylinders
14
and define a combustion chamber
22
between each piston and the upper end of its respective cylinder
14
. The pistons
20
are interconnected with the track
16
such that as the track rotates, the pistons are caused to reciprocate within the cylinders
14
. In the illustrated embodiment, connecting rods
24
have upper ends interconnected with the pistons
20
and lower ends with rollers
26
that ride on the cam surface of the track
16
. Alternatively, pistons in such an engine may be more directly interconnected with the track, such as rollers or slides directly connected to the pistons.
As will be clear to those of skill in this art, as the power shaft
12
rotates and the pistons
20
reciprocate within their respective cylinders, the various strokes of a combustion cycle can be defined. Typically, the cam surface
18
of the track
16
has a generally sinusoidal shape, thereby corresponding to the reciprocal motion typical of a crank driven piston. Also, the track is generally disposed in a plane perpendicular to the power shaft and the cam surface is generally disposed at a constant distance from the axis of the power shaft.
Barrel engines maybe either single ended or double ended. In a single ended design, cylinders and pistons are provided in the end of the engine on one side of the track, such as above the track as illustrated in FIG.
1
. In double ended designs, cylinders and pistons are provided on both ends of the engine (both above and below the track when positioned as shown in FIG.
1
). Another variation includes a track at both ends of the engine and opposed pistons extending towards one another from the two tracks. The tracks typically rotate in unison causing two pistons to reciprocate towards and away from one another within a common cylinder.
Applicant's prior applications, referred to in the Reference to Related Applications, and incorporated herein by reference, discuss various engine designs generally referred to as Inverse Peristaltic Engines. Applicant considers barrel engines to be a variation within the general class of Inverse Peristaltic Engines, as described in these applications. Other variations on Inverse Peristaltic Engines share certain functional attributes with barrel engines as described within the present application. It should be noted that some aspects of the present invention may be used with engine configurations other than the particular configurations illustrated or described.
Another engine design that has some functional and/or structural similarities to barrel engines, as thus far described, is a type of engine often referred to as a wobble plate engine.
FIG. 2A
illustrates a schematic of a portion of a wobble plate engine
30
. In the barrel engine
10
, the track
16
is illustrated as having two low points and two high points corresponding to a complete set of four strokes for a combustion engine. In the wobble plate engine, a plate
32
is interconnected with the longitudinal powershaft
34
. The plate
32
is generally planar, but is angled with respect to the powershaft
34
such that it has high and low portions. That is, rather than the
32
being perpendicular to the shaft
34
, it is tilted somewhat. Pistons
36
and
38
are in mechanical communication with the plate
32
, in a manner similar to in FIG.
1
. However, because the plate
32
is generally planar instead of being more complexly shaped, such as the track
16
, only two strokes are defined within a single rotation of the plate
32
. That is, if the shaft
34
is rotated through one complete revolution, each of the pistons
36
and
38
would experience only a single top-dead center and bottom-dead center. With the barrel engine of
FIG. 1
, on the other hand, a single rotation of the track
12
causes each of the pistons
20
to travel to top-dead center twice and bottom-dead center twice. Designs similar to the engine
30
have been used for wobble plate compressors. In these compressors, the angle of the plate may be adjusted to adjust the compression ratio of the compressor. Typically, such a compressor has spherical rollers interconnecting the pistons with the plate. An engine may be constructed similarly. The design of FIG.
2
A and compressor-like variations are considered to be barrel engines, as defined herein.
Referring now to
FIG. 2B
, another version of an engine
40
is illustrated. In this engine
40
a shorter longitudinal powershaft
42
connects with an angled cam
44
, that is generally triangular in cross-section. The powershaft
42
and angled cam
44
rotate in unison. A wobble plate or piston support plate
46
rides on the upper surface of the angled cam
44
, but does not rotate therewith. Therefore, as the angled cam
44
rotates, the piston support plate
46
tilts back and forth. Pistons are interconnected with the piston support plate
46
such that movement of the plate
46
causes reciprocal motion of the pistons. This is again considered a type of barrel engine as defined herein. It differs from the two previous designs in that the piston support plate
46
replaces the rollers for communicating movement between the cam
44
and the pistons.
Other versions of barrel engines, as defined herein, include a type of engine called nutating engine. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,992,357 and 6,019,073, both of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. Anothe

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