Internal-combustion engines – Adjustable combustion chamber – Piston in head adjusted
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-10-16
Argenbright, Tony M. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Adjustable combustion chamber
Piston in head adjusted
C123S0480AA, C123S0780AA
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302067
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine.
A “segregating engine” is an engine where the bulk of the fuel does not begin to mix with the bulk of the air inducted by the engine until near the end of the compression stroke, just before ignition, and various internal combustion engines which can be classified as segregating engines are known, for example from GB-A-2155546, GB-A-2186913, GB-A-2218153, GB-A-2238830, GB-A-2246394, GB-A-2261028, GB-A-2268544, GB-A-2279407, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,026. The engines of these documents are now known in the literature as the Merritt engines.
The diesel engine is also a segregating engine whereas the spark ignition gasoline engine (SIGE) compresses a pre-mixed mixture of fuel and air.
An important characteristic of segregating engines such as the diesel and Merritt engines is the confinement of the fuel, away from most of the air, until just before the moment of ignition, and the rapid delivery of the fuel into the combustion chamber near the end of the compression stroke.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the Merritt engines fuel can enter a second cylinder/piston arrangement during the exhaust and/or induction strokes of the larger conventional piston and is confined to the second cylinder by the second piston, where it is substantially vaporised whilst being kept away from most of the air, until near the end of the compression stroke. At the moment the second piston delivers this fuel to the combustion chamber. The Merritt engine has some similarity with the diesel engine but it allows the fuel time to vaporise and mix with some air to form a rich gaseous mixture before it enters the combustion chamber. Like a diesel engine, the Merritt engines can operate without throttling the air intake, from full power down to idling.
When using spark ignition, the Merritt engines seek to ensure that the spark plug is provided with a fuel/air mixture which can be ignited cycle after without malfunction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide an improved internal combustion engine, in particular to provide the means of providing the spark plug with a closely controlled fuel/air mixture under all fuelling conditions.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an internal combustion engine comprising:
at least one pair of first and second cylinders, the first cylinder having a larger swept volume than the second cylinder;
respective first and second pistons reciprocable in said cylinders, the second piston dividing the second cylinder into a first volume and a second volume, the second volume being between the two-pistons;
air inlet means communicating with the first cylinder;
exhaust means communicating with the first cylinder;
means defining a common combustion space between said pistons when said pistons are substantially at their inner dead centre positions, said combustion space including said second volume;
transfer means enabling gas flow from said first volume into said second volume towards the end of the compression stroke of the second piston;
inhibiting means for inhibiting movement of fuel/air mixture from said first volume into said second volume until towards the end of the compression stroke of said second piston;
a first fuel source for providing fuel to the first volume;
drive means for driving said second piston;
cavity means formed in a side wall of the second cylinder and opening into said second cylinder through aperture means;
spark ignition means located in said cavity means;
characterised by fuel delivery means for supplying a quantity of fuel into said cavity means to form a spark-ignitable fuel/air mixture inside the cavity means, said quantity of fuel being determined independently of the amount of fuel delivered by the first fuel source to meet the engine's power demand.
It is a feature of the invention that during the compression stroke of the first piston substantially pure air is delivered into the cavity means through the aperture means to mix with the quantity of fuel delivered into the cavity means, the fuel delivered into the cavity means being quantified irrespective of the overall fuel quantity delivered to the engine to meet its power demand.
Preferably, the fuel delivery means delivers substantially liquid fuel into the cavity means. Preferably also, the first fuel source is also the fuel delivery means. Desirably, the aperture means is aligned with the first fuel source.
Desirably, the crown of the second piston obscures the aperture means from the first fuel source during part of its range of movement, and exposes the aperture means to the first fuel source during another part of its range of movement.
Alternatively, the fuel delivery means is connected to a wall of the cavity means. In such embodiments, the fuel delivery means may deliver substantially liquid fuel or substantially gaseous fuel into the cavity means.
Preferably in the alternative embodiments, the first fuel source delivers a fuel quantity directly into the first volume, and the fuel delivery means delivers another fuel quantity directly into the cavity means. It will be understood that the fuel quantity delivered by the first fuel source is governed by the engine's power demand and is independent of the requirement for reliable and efficient spark ignition, whilst the fuel quantity delivered by the fuel delivery means is not governed by the engine's power demand but is chosen to enable reliable and efficient spark ignition.
Preferably the drive means includes means for maintaining the second piston substantially stationary at or adjacent its inner dead centre position during at least a portion of the expansion stroke of the first piston.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1283331 (1918-10-01), Seitz
patent: 1719752 (1929-07-01), Brown
patent: 3970056 (1976-07-01), Morris
patent: 4104995 (1978-08-01), Steinbock
Argenbright Tony M.
Flanagan John K.
Flanagan John R.
Flanagan & Flanagan
Harris Katrina B.
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