Combustion engine with double-ended pistons and transfer passages

• US 3,878,821 A
• Filed: 11/15/1973
• Issued: 04/22/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Norman C. White
• Original Assignee: Norman C. White
• Inventors: White, Norman C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre, Charles J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, William C.
• Application Number:
  US05/416,264
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 123/45R,65VD,61V,7R,7V,61R
• US Class Current: 123/61.00R
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 59/00 Internal-combustion aspects of other reciprocating-piston engines with movable, e.g. oscillating, cylinders with yieldable walls F02B75/38

Abstract

An engine block is provided having a crankshaft journaled therethrough including at least one pair of longitudinally spaced eccentric crankpin portions. A double-ended piston has its midportion journaled on each pin portion and the pistons are slidable in a pair of cylinder bodies supported in the block for reciprocal sliding therein transversely of the crankshaft and the cylinder bodies. A pair of intake ports are formed in the block and the opposite ends of a first cylinder includes end walls having inlet openings formed therethrough registrable with the intake ports, and also outlet transfer openings registrable with the inlet ends of transfer passages in the block having outlet ends with which the inlet transfer openings in end walls carried by the second cylinder are registrable. Also, the second cylinder end walls further include outlet openings registrable with exhaust ports formed in the block and the transfer passages include ignition structure. The various openings formed in the cylinder end walls are registrable with the corresponding ports and opposite ends of the transfer passage in timed sequence to support (1) the alternate intake of a combustible air and fuel mixture in the opposite ends of the first cylinder, (2) the alternate discharge of the combustible air and fuel mixture from the first cylinder into the transfer passages on successive strokes of the first cylinder piston, (3) the burning of the combustible mixture in the transfer passages (4) the admission of the burning mixture into the opposite ends of the second cylinder (5) and the timed registry of the outlet openings of the second cylinder body with the exhaust ports to exhaust the by-products of combustion from the second cylinder body in correct timed sequence. Also, structure is provided whereby the available volume of the transfer passage in which ignition of the combustible air and fuel mixture takes place may be varied so that the effective compression ratio at the time of ignition may be varied.

Claims

1. A combustion engine including a block structure from which a crankshaft including a pair of axially spaced crankpin portions is journaled, a pair of cylinder assemblies guidingly supported from said block structure with said assemblies extending normal to the axis of rotation of said crankshaft and said assemblies mounted for guided lateral shifting transversely of said crankshaft, said cylinder assemblies including central opposite side peripherally extending slots through which axial portions of said crankshaft pass, a pair of double-ended pistons reciprocal in said cylinders and journaled on said crankpin portions, said cylinder assemblies each including opposite end walls through each of which inlet and outlet openings are formed, said block structure including opposing portions between and relative to which the opposite end walls of said cylinder assemblies are slidable, each of said opposing portions including (1) an intake port with which the corresponding inlet openings of one of said assemblies are registrable, (2) an exhaust port with which the corresponding outlet openings of the other of said assemblies are registrable, (3) and a combined compression, combustion and transfer passage including inlet and outlet ends with which the outlet and inlet openings of the corresponding end walls of said one and other cylinder assemblies, respectively, are registrable, each of said opposing portions of said block including volume varying means operative to adjustably vary the effective volume of the corresponding transfer passage.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said opposing portions comprise removable cylinder head portions of said block structure.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said other cylinder assembly includes integral opposite end exhaust outlet passages including inlet ends opening through a side wall portion of said other assembly at their inlet ends, said opposing portions including connecting exhaust ports having inlet ends and outlet ends opening into the first-mentioned exhaust ports, the outlet ends of said exhaust outlet passages being registrable with the inlet ends of said connecting exhaust ports, the inlet ends of said exhaust outlet passages being positioned to be uncovered by the opposite ends of the double-ended piston in said other cylinder assembly, said opposite ends closely approaching their inwardmost limits of movement away from the adjacent opposing portions of said block structure.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the crankpin portion upon which the piston in said one cylinder assembly closely trails the other crankpin portion relative to the direction of intended rotation of said crankshaft.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inlet ends of said transfer passages include check valve means for preventing reverse flow of compressed gases from said transfer passages into said one cylinder assembly.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said transfer passages includes a branch passage intermediate its opposite ends, said branch passages each having a piston slidably disposed therein, said volume varying means comprises shifting means operative to shift said pistons in said branch passages toward and away from the ends thereof opening into said transfer passages.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said shifting means includes fluid supply and vent means operative to selectively admit fluid under pressure into and vent fluid pressure from the portion of each of said branch passages behind the pistons therein.