Internal-combustion engines – Oscillating piston – Toroidal cylinder
Patent
1993-02-09
1994-04-26
Argenbright, Tony M.
Internal-combustion engines
Oscillating piston
Toroidal cylinder
417481, F02B 5300
Patent
active
053057163
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a rocking-type piston engine, comprising housing axis between two end walls, the housing axis and sealed with respect to both end walls, connection with the pistons, and fluid into and out of the chambers of the housing.
In a known rocking piston engine of this kind (DE 23 63 077 B2) four cylinder chambers are disposed all around the central axis of the housing; they are each defined by a circular cylindrical wall portion and two planar side wall portions converging radially outwardly in an apex. Each of the four cylinder chambers is divided into two housing chambers by a plate-like piston which is pivotably supported in the area of the apex. The total number of four pistons each are connected by a crank drive to a gear each meshing with a central gear fastened on the central shaft. In this manner the pivoting motions of the four pistons are synchronized in such a way that each of them carries out windshield wiper-like reciprocating movements during which it effects sealing with respect to the two end walls and the circular cylindrical inner wall portion.
A similar arrangement comprising only three rocker pistons is known from FR 800 753 A1.
The provision of the pistons in a rocking-type piston engine known from DE 19 47 406 A1 is inverted radially outwardly as compared to those two arrangements. In this case four pistons are supported closely adjacent one another at a central housing portion, and their radially outer edges each are movable back and forth in sealing fashion along a circular cylindrical outer housing wall portion, each of the pistons defining a housing chamber together with each of the two adjacent pistons. In contrast to the two rocking piston engines described previously, there are no partitions here between adjacent pistons.
What all three known rocking piston engines described above have in common is that good sealing between the paraxial radially outer (DE 23 63 077 B1 and FR 800 753 A1) or radially inner (DE 19 47 406 A1) sealing edges of the pistons and the corresponding circular cylindrical housing wall portions is not obtainable unless the housing is machined true to shape and size in these areas and does not become distorted under the usual loads by the influence of forces or heat. Although a compensation of forces due to inertia of the first and higher orders which occur in operation can be achieved, in principle, with the known rocking piston engines including four equal rocking pistons, this is so only by way of the crank drives which connect the pistons to the central shaft. These gear connections, however, have an inherent, unavoidable rotational elasticity so that the greatly varying forces acting on the individual pistons at any particular moment may cause vibrations of the gears and, being disturbing as such, these vibrations also may affect the mass equilibrium.
It is, therefore, the object of the invention to provide a rocking-type piston engine which is marked by improved cooperation of the individual pistons.
The object is met, in accordance with the invention, starting from a rocking-type piston engine of the kind mentioned initially, in that rolling engagement with a respective adjacent piston through meshing teeth, and engagement.
The mutual sealing engagement between the piston arms greatly facilitates the seal between the pistons and the housing. Consequently sufficient sealing effect is maintained even if the housing deforms under thermal load. The forces to be transmitted for achieving complete mass equilibrium are transmitted directly between the pistons and, therefore, largely without vibrations. While the meshing pistons rock in opposite senses, air or a fuel-air mixture can be compressed in the housing chambers at any desired ratio so that the rocking piston engine according to the invention can be designed both as an Otto engine or a Diesel engine and can be operated at high thermodynamic efficiency with any desired liquid or gaseous fuels, such as hydrocarbons.
Advantageous further developments of the invention may be gathered from
REFERENCES:
patent: 1983033 (1934-12-01), Hutchison, Jr.
patent: 3871337 (1975-03-01), Green et al.
patent: 3923013 (1975-12-01), Myers
patent: 4392458 (1983-07-01), Gummeringer
patent: 5074253 (1991-12-01), Dettwiler
Argenbright Tony M.
Macy M.
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