Rotary cylinder head for barrel type engine

• US 5,103,778 A
• Filed: 05/15/1990
• Issued: 04/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Louis N. Usich Jr
• Original Assignee: Jonathan D. Usich
• Inventors: Usich, Louis N. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): KOCZO JR, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US07/523,882
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 123/43 A, 123/43 AA, 123/58 A, 123/58 AA, 123/58 AB, 123/58 B, 123/58 BA, 123/58 BB, 123/190 BD, 123/190 D, 123/190 E, 123/190 DA, 91/503
• US Class Current: 123/56.8
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 3/04 the piston motion being transmitted by curved surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 7/029 having the rotational axis of the valve parallel to the cylinder axis
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a rotating cylinder head for use on a barrel type engine. The cylinder head rotates about the central axis of the engine driven by the main drive shaft. The cylinder head contains an intake port and exhaust port. As the cylinder head rotates, it is timed so that the intake port and the exhaust port become positioned over a pre-selected pair of cylinders which are in respective intake and exhaust cycles. In this manner, the cylinder head functions as a valve assembly. This type of rotary valve is advantageous because it allows the engine to operate at speeds limited only by the piston assembly and not limited by the poppet valve assembly found on more conventional internal combustion engines.

Claims

1. An engine comprising:

an engine block having four parallel cylinder chambers;

a piston slidably mounted in each of said chambers to define four compression chambers;

rotary cylinder head means rotatably attached to said engine block, said cylinder head means including an exhaust duct and an intake duct;

valve insert means in at least one of said intake and exhaust ducts, said valve insert means having an opening with a geometry which is different from the geometries of said intake and exhaust ducts, said valve insert means rotating within one of said intake and exhaust ducts to change the orientation of said valve insert means opening with respect to said intake and exhaust ducts; and

transmission means for reciprocating said pistons within said cylinder chambers in synchronization to the rotation of said cylinder head means on said engine block wherein said rotating cylinder head means selectively communicates with said exhaust duct and one of said compression chambers in an exhaust cycle, and with said intake duct and one of said compression chambers in an intake cycle.

2. The engine of claim 1 further including a shaft rotatably mounted along a longitudinal axis of said cylinder block and wherein said transmission means comprises:

first rotating means mounted on said shaft for reciprocating said piston; and

second rotating means connected to said shaft for rotating said cylinder head means.

3. The engine of claim 2, wherein:

said first rotating means comprises a cam mounted on said shaft.

4. The engine of claim 1 wherein:

said exhaust duct includes turbine means to transfer exhaust stream energy to cylinder head means rotational energy.

5. The engine of claim 1 wherein:

said valve insert means includes turbine means to transfer exhaust stream energy to cylinder head means rotational energy.

6. The engine of claim 1 wherein:

said valve insert means opening comprises an oblong opening.

7. The engine of claim 1 wherein said valve insert means has an exterior surface and further including:

a radial groove on said exterior surface of said valve insert means;

metering block means in said intake and exhaust ducts, said metering block means communicating with said radial groove to define a pair of first and second cavities, a first opening through said metering block means for supplying oil to said first cavity and a second opening through said metering block means for supplying oil to said second cavity;

a first oil passage for metering oil to said first opening; and

a second oil passage for metering oil to said second opening.

8. The engine of claim 1 including:

limiting means for limiting the rotation of said valve insert means.

9. The engine of claim 1 wherein:

said valve insert means opening has a minimum width dimension equal to the diameter of one of said four cylinder chambers; and

said valve insert means opening has a length dimension greater than the diameter of one of said four cylinder chambers.

10. The engine of claim 1 including:

valve insert means in both of said intake and exhaust ducts.

11. The engine of claim 1 including:

ignition means in said cylinder head means for igniting a fuel mixture.

12. The engine of claim 7 including:

metering valve means for selectively metering oil to said first or second opening and for selectively bleeding oil from said first or second passage.

13. The engine of claim 7 wherein said first and second passage each further includes:

a circumferential groove on a drive shaft of said transmission means;

a first conduit in said rotary cylinder head means between said metering block means and said circumferential groove; and

a second conduit in said engine block extending from said circumferential groove.

14. The engine of claim 13 including:

metering valve means communicating with said second conduit for selectively metering oil to said first or second opening and for selectively bleeding oil from said first or second conduit.

15. An engine comprising:

an engine block having at least one cylinder chamber;

a piston slidably mounted in said chamber to define a compression chamber;

rotary cylinder head means rotatably attached to said engine block, said cylinder head means including an exhaust duct and an intake duct;

valve insert means in at least one of said intake and exhaust ducts, said valve insert means having an opening with a geometry which is different from the geometries of said intake and exhaust ducts, said valve insert means rotating within one of said intake and exhaust ducts to change the orientation of said valve insert means opening with respect to said intake and exhaust ducts; and

transmission means for reciprocating said piston within said cylinder chamber in synchronization to the rotation of said cylinder head means on said engine block wherein said rotating cylinder head means selectively communicates with said exhaust duct and said compression chamber in an exhaust cycle, and with said intake duct and said compression chamber in an intake cycle.

16. The engine of claim 15 further including a shaft rotatably mounted along a longitudinal axis of said cylinder block and wherein said transmission means comprises:

first rotating means mounted on said shaft for rotating said piston; and

second rotating means connected to said shaft for rotating said cylinder head means.

17. The engine of claim 16 wherein:

said first rotating means comprises a cam mounted on said shaft.

18. The engine of claim 15 wherein:

said exhaust duct includes turbine means to transfer exhaust stream energy to cylinder head means rotational energy.

19. The engine of claim 15 wherein:

said valve insert means includes turbine means to transfer exhaust stream energy to cylinder head means rotational energy.

20. The engine of claim 15 wherein:

said valve insert means opening comprises an oblong opening.

21. The engine of claim 15 wherein said valve insert means has an exterior surface and further including:

a radial groove on said exterior surface of said valve insert means;

metering block means in said intake and exhaust ducts, said metering block means communicating with said radial groove to define a pair of first and second cavities, a first opening through said metering block means for supplying oil to said first cavity and a second opening through said metering block means for supplying oil to said second cavity;

a first oil passage for metering oil to said first opening; and

a second oil passage for metering oil to said second opening.

22. The engine of claim 15 including:

limiting means for limiting the rotation of said valve insert means.

23. The engine of claim 15 wherein:

said valve insert means opening has a minimum width dimension equal to the diameter of one of said four cylinder chambers; and

said valve insert means opening has a length dimension greater than the diameter of one of said four cylinder chambers.

24. The engine of claim 15 including:

valve insert means in both of said intake and exhaust ducts.

25. The engine of claim 15 including:

ignition means in said cylinder head means for igniting a fuel mixture.

26. The engine of claim 21 including:

metering valve means for selectively metering oil to said first or second opening and for selectively bleeding oil from said first or second passage.

27. The engine of claim 21 wherein said first and second passage each further includes:

a circumferential groove on a drive shaft of said transmission means;

a first conduit in said rotary cylinder head means between said metering block means and said circumferential groove; and

a second conduit in said engine block extending from said circumferential groove.

28. The engine of claim 27 including:

metering valve means communicating with said second conduit for selectively metering oil to said first or second opening and for selectively bleeding oil from said first or second conduit.