Boots – shoes – and leggings
Patent
1993-04-15
1995-10-03
Teska, Kevin J.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
36443107, 3644311, 364511, 123 9012, 123 9015, 123 9016, 123321, 137522, 1375123, 137494, 13754313, G01M 1500
Patent
active
054557720
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a method of testing an engine or a compressor. The invention also relates to apparatus used in the method.
The present invention will be discussed with reference to its application to a reciprocating internal combustion engine. However, the invention should not be considered limited to such an application since it can be equally well applied to any type of engine or compressor which uses valves to control flow of fluid and/or gas (e.g. a reciprocating compressor).
The motion of valve gear at the cylinder head is normally controlled by the rotation of one or more cam shafts. The cam shafts act to open and close the inlet and exhaust valves of the internal combustion engine. The timing of the opening and closing of the valves is determined by the profile of the cam shaft. Different cam shaft profiles are chosen for different engines. The profile of the cam shaft has a large impact on the efficiency and performance of an engine.
Generally different cam profiles are tested on a test bed arrangement. In each instance a cam shaft with a particular profile must be machined and then connected in the internal combustion engine before the particular cam profile can be tested. This is a long and costly process. The present invention provides means by which this process can be made more cost effective and can be speeded considerably.
The present invention provides a method of testing an engine or compressor wherein an inlet and/or exhaust valve is actuated by a hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement and the flow of hydraulic fluid to the piston and cylinder arrangement is controlled, variation of the motion of the valve being achieved by adjustment of the control means for controlling the hydraulic fluid.
Preferably the control means for controlling the hydraulic fluid are programmed such that the motion of the valve corresponds to the motion that would result from the use of a particular camshaft in the engine or compressor to control valve motion.
Preferably the programming of the control means is varied during testing of the engine or compressor such that the motion of the valve is varied to correspond to the motion that would result from the use of various different camshafts in the engine or compressor.
The invention also provides apparatus for testing an engine or compressor comprising valve control apparatus for controlling valve means which opens and closes an inlet or exhaust port of the engine or compressor, which valve control apparatus comprises; an actuator which comprises a piston within a cylinder, which piston is connected either directly or indirectly to the valve means such that motion of the piston causes motion of the valve means; processing means for deriving the stroke position of the engine or compressor; position measurement means for measuring directly or indirectly the position of the piston within the actuator cylinder; and control means for controlling the actuator by controlling the flow of fluid or gas into at least one of the chambers defined by the surfaces of the piston and the interior surface of the cylinder; wherein the control means controls the actuator to cause the valve means to open and close the port and wherein the control means operates with regard to the stroke position of the engine or compressor and in accordance with a programme of instructions provided by the user of the apparatus, which programme of instructions can be altered by the user as required.
Preferably a programme of instructions is provided by the user such that the motion of the valve means corresponds to the motion that would result from the use of a particular camshaft in the engine or compressor to control valve motion.
Preferably the control means for controlling the actuator comprises electrical or electronic processing means and a control valve controlled by the processing means by the use of electrical control signals, which control valve can connect at least one of the chambers of the actuator to a source of pressurised fluid or pressurised gas or to an exhaust for fluid
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Burke David
Muddell Giles
Lotus Cars Limited
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Teska Kevin J.
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