ROTARY VALVE CAM ENGINE

• US 3,805,749 A
• Filed: 11/01/1972
• Issued: 04/23/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paul Karlan
• Original Assignee: Paul Karlan
• Inventors: Karlan, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre, Charles J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Argenbright, Tony
• Application Number:
  US05/302,823
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 123/58A,58AB,58AA,58AM,195H,193H
• US Class Current: 123/53.6
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 3/045 by two or more curved surfaces, e.g. for two or more pistons in one cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/26 Engines with cylinder axes coaxial with, or parallel or inclined to, main-shaft axis; Engines with cylinder axes arranged substantially tangentially to a circle centred on main-shaft axis

Abstract

A rotary valve cam engine of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,630, in which the overall length of the engine along its principal axis is substantially shortened by providing the reciprocating plates which transmit motion from cylinder connecting rods to the main cams with a centrally disposed opening, and positioning the cams within the opening, such that during reciprocation, the entire longitudinal path of travel lies within the length of the cam. Means is also provided to accommodate for guide rod alignment with the occurrence of differential thermal expansion between the cylinder block and the reciprocating plates. An improved cam follower construction permitting higher operational speed is provided.

Claims

1. In a cam type internal combustion engine having a relatively stationary frame element, a motion output shaft having a principal axis supported for rotation in said frame element, at least one barrel cam mounted on said shaft, said cam having a continuous undulating lobe having axially opposed first and second cam faces, and cylinders surrounding said shaft and having principal axes parallel to that of said shaft, at least one reciprocating plate, the plane of which is perpendicular to the axes of said cam and cylinders and interconnected to piston rods slidably moved by pistons in said cylinders along an axis parallel to that of said cylinders, the improvement comprising:

said reciprocating plate having a centrally disposed opening, said barrel cam being disposed within said opening, and being of axial length sufficient to overlie the entire path of reciprocation of said plate;

first and second cam follower elements mounted on axially opposed surfaces of said plate, each contacting one of said first and second cam faces, each of said cam followers including a mounting block having an elongated bore the axis of which is parallel to the plane of said plate, a pair of bearings disposed in said bore, a shaft rotatably supported by said bearings, and having an end portion thereof projecting externally of said bore and forming a cylindrical surface contacting a cam face of said barrel cam.

2. In a cam type internal combustion engine, as defined in claim 1, the improvement comprising:

said reciprocating plating being slidably carried by a plurality of parallel guide rods supported by a cylinder block, and means for compensating for differential thermal expansion between said block and said reciprocating plates.

3. Structure in accordance with claim 1, further characterized in the provision of a rotary valve unit including a valve body and a valve housing surrounding said body, and at least partially positioned between opposed pairs of cylinders, said housing having through bores communicating with aligned opposed cylinders to equalize internal pressure differentials therebetween and provide for the substantial simultaneous ignition of a charge in one cylindEr upon the ignition of a charge in the other cylinder.