Internal-combustion engines – Rotary – With transfer means intermediate single compression volume...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2001-07-10
Koczo, Michael (Department: 3746)
Internal-combustion engines
Rotary
With transfer means intermediate single compression volume...
C418S175000, C418S226000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257195
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to internal combustion engines and, in particular, to rotary internal combustion engines and turbine engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internal combustion engines are generally characterized by discrete cycles of compression and combustion in time sequential order. In the case of the prevalent four stroke engine, the cycle is subdivided into to functional subdivisions defined by the fuel intake, the compression, the combustion, and the exhaust. In order to avoid pulsations in the power output, these cycles are simultaneously run with a time delay and chronological overlap on a number of combustion chambers that are housed within the same block.
The compression of the combustible fuel (i.e., fuel/air mixture) is typically effected by the same member that is also subject to the power transfer upon the combustion of the fuel. In the context of the Otto cycle, for example, the piston first reduces the volume of the combustion chamber to compress the fuel and then is ejected from the cylinder head by the combustion to drive the output shaft.
Similarly, most prior art rotary engines utilize the rotor to compress the fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber (e.g. Wankel engine). The rotor is thereby radially asymmetric, it is mounted eccentrically relative to the rotor chamber, or the chamber is not circular. Examples of such engines are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,981 to Durst, 3,301,233 to Dotto et al., and 3,782,110 to Kobayashi, respectively. An alternative design was recently proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,084 to Cherry et al. where the rotor and the chamber are radially symmetrical and the combustion chambers are instead formed laterally on either sides of the rotor. Several vanes move axially to close off the combustion chambers. The compression “stroke” is effected by the narrowing of the combustion chamber during the angular displacement of rotor relative to the rotor housing (the stator) and the reduction in chamber volume effected by the respective vane.
Various engines have been proposed with concentric rotors. Typically, such engines have a flat-cylindrical or doughnut-type housing and a central rotor that drives and output shaft or input shaft. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,880 to Harrold teaches a steam engine with a central rotor that carries two radial vanes. The vanes pass by two kidney-shaped turning valves.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,268,794 to Harris et al. teaches a convertible engine/pump. Turning valves mesh with teeth at the grooves of a periphery of the rotor and several pistons mesh with kidney-type indentation in two turning valves. The Harris et al. engine provides for two rotors and the pistons are offset between the two rotors so as to obtain a smooth pulse distribution in the timing of the explosions in the combustion chambers.
A system with separate combustion chamber and fuel pressurization was disclosed in British Patent Specification 265,659 to Bernhard. Fuel is pressurized in a compressor and the pressurized fuel is fed from the pump to the engine through a port assembly. A single piston and a single abutment define the combustion chamber.
The prior art engines have in common that fuel is cyclically combusted and the power output, as a result, is subject to pulsating output peaks. Sporadic air and fuel injection is more complicated and difficult to measure than continuous or nearly continuous injection. Most of the prior art engines, furthermore, contain a plurality of reciprocating parts which are subject to constant momentum changes and attendant energy losses. Even the rotary Wankel engine, for instance, is not a completely round system since its excentric rotor is subject to lateral displacement which causes further mechanical losses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an internal combustion engine, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which is further improved in terms of efficiency and strain on mechanical components constituting the engine and which allows essentially continuous power output with substantially continuous combustion.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a rotary internal combustion engine, comprising:
a toroidal body formed with an inner wall, two sidewalls, and a peripheral housing wall and defining a substantially toroidal chamber;
a blade attached to and projecting radially inward from the peripheral housing wall, the blade substantially sealing against the sidewalls and the inner wall;
a vane projecting substantially radially through the toroidal chamber and dividing the toroidal chamber into an exhaust chamber disposed on one side between the blade and the vane and a combustion chamber on another side between the vane and the blade;
a power output axle centrally disposed in the toroidal body, the peripheral wall being rigidly connected to the power output axle and the peripheral wall and the blade rotating about the axle in a given direction; and
a fuel injection system for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber and an ignition system for igniting the fuel and forcing the blade away from the vane and thereby outputting power via the power output axle.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the vane is a rotary vane formed of a plate disposed to rotate about an axis substantially orthogonal to the power output axle, the plate having a cutout formed therein substantially corresponding to a shape of the blade, allowing the blade to periodically pass through the vane.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, an air injection system is disposed to inject air into the combustion chamber independently of the fuel. In a preferred embodiment, the air injection system includes an impeller disposed to pump air from an air intake pipe into the combustion chamber. The impeller is preferably a variable speed impeller.
The impeller system as disclosed provides for a substantially continuous air flow into the combustion chamber with a minimum in pulsations. Any backpressure from the combustion chamber into the air intake is safely blocked off by the walls of the double-impeller system. At least one continuous wall, preferably two complete walls, are at all times established by the rotating impeller blades and the relative alignment of the impellers.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the impeller is a double worm spindle impeller. The double worm spindle has two stacked, mutually inter-engaging impeller blade configurations which rotate about spaced-apart parallel axes.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, a mechanical linkage is disposed between the peripheral wall and the impeller for driving the impeller when the peripheral wall rotates about the power output axle.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the toroidal body is formed with an exhaust opening just upstream of the vane in the direction of rotation of the blade.
The novel internal combustion engine is thus characterized with the injection of fuel and/or air by way of two or more intertwined worm spindles. The spindles are closed by a shaft and they are positioned and formed to define a substantially airtight or fluidtight displacement system.
One of the important features is that the blades of the impeller system are almost flat, i.e., their attack angle relative to backpressure is close to perpendicular so that they will not be turned by a pressurized backflow. The impeller rotation that is introduced via the spindle shafts, however, leads to a volume displacement towards the chamber to be pressurized. The impeller system can be driven with variable speed, which translates proportionally in a variable pressure buildup.
The novel combustion engine is further characterized with the virtually continuous injection of air and/or air-fuel mixture and the attendant, substantially continuous combustion reaction. The syste
Greenberg Laurence A.
Koczo Michael
Lerner Herbert L.
Stemer Werner H.
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