Two-way rotary supercharged, variable compression engine

• US 5,437,251 A
• Filed: 05/16/1994
• Issued: 08/01/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hazel L. Halfman, Richard R. Anglim
• Original Assignee: Hazel L. Halfman, Richard R. Anglim
• Inventors: Anglim, Richard R., Halfman, Hazel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Okonsky, David A.
• Application Number:
  US08/243,408
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 123/58.5, 123/58.6, 123/65.5, 123/47 R, 123/47 A, 123/56.1, 123/56.3
• US Class Current: 123/56.3
• CPC Class Codes: F01L 11/00 Valve arrangements in working piston or piston-rod
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/025 two
• 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

A variable-compression internal-combustion engine has a two-stage cylinder with a relatively large diameter at a first-stage, supercharge end, which is also a power-takeoff end, than at a second-stage, combustion end of the cylinder. Intake air is drawn into the first-stage, supercharge end of the cylinder by a matching larger-diameter, first-stage, supercharge end of a two-stage piston during a compression stroke of a two-stroke cycle of the two-stage piston. During a power stroke, intake air is directed into and contained under pressure in an air-transfer passage that is positioned circumferentially and externally around an outside periphery of a bottom end of the first-stage cylinder. At a bottom end of the power stroke, intake air is directed from the air-transfer passage into a transfer conveyance extended from the supercharge end to tile second-stage head of the two-stage piston where the intake air is venturi-accelerated to the second-stage head of the two-stage cylinder while exhaust escapes through exhaust ports at a bottom of the second stage of the two-stage cylinder. Cylinder heads can be variable in distance from top dead center of piston travel to regulate compression ratio as desired for different operating conditions. Reciporcative travel of a plurality of the two-stage pistons is convened to rotary motion preferably by a pinch plate in working relationship to an angled cam plate. The pinch plate cam-drives the angled cam plate with a large contact surface for long wear life. Other rotational means can be employed.

Claims

1. An internal-combustion engine having:

at least one cylinder with a supercharge section of the cylinder at a supercharge end of the cylinder;

a power section of the cylinder at a power end of the cylinder having a selectively smaller diameter than a diameter of the supercharge section of the cylinder;

a piston having a power section of the piston in sliding-seal contact with inside peripheral walls of the power section of the cylinder and a supercharge section of the piston in sliding-seal contact with inside peripheral walls of the supercharge section of the cylinder;

exhaust ports at an exhaust end of the power section of the cylinder;

a transfer channel positioned circumferentially at an outside periphery of a bottom end of the supercharge section of the cylinder;

a plurality of outlet transfer ports in fluid communication from a low portion of the supercharge section of the cylinder to the transfer channel;

a plurality of inlet transfer ports in fluid communication from the transfer channel to a selectively higher portion of the supercharge section of the cylinder;

a one-way-inlet-valved port in the supercharge section of the cylinder;

an inlet port positioned centrally in a head of the piston;

an intake transfer conveyance within the piston positioned in fluid communication between the supercharge section of the cylinder and the intake port that is positioned centrally in the head of the piston;

an ignition means proximate a head of the cylinder; and

rotational power-takeoff means in rotational-power-takeoff relationship to the piston and the cylinder.

2. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 1 wherein:

the transfer channel has a smaller volumetric size than the supercharge section of the cylinder such that intake air is pre-compressed in the transfer channel and the intake transfer conveyance within the piston has a venturi throat such that intake air is venturi-accelerated from the inlet port in the head of the piston to a top of the power section of the cylinder while exhaust gases are being discharged from a plurality of two-stroke ports positioned circumferentially at a bottom end of the power section of the cylinder.

3. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 1 and further comprising:

a linearly-adjustable cylinder head of the cylinder; and

a means for positioning the linearly-adjustable cylinder head selectively within the power end of the cylinder.

4. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 3 wherein:

the means for positioning the linearly-adjustable cylinder head is external geared threading on an outside periphery of the linearly-adjustable cylinder head that is rotated by an adjustment gear that is in gear-drive relationship to at least one linearly-adjustable cylinder head, such that actuation of the adjustment gear rotates the linearly-adjustable cylinder head to position the linearly-adjustable cylinder head linearly as desired within internal threading in cylindrical-head walls attached to the cylinder.

5. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 4 wherein:

the rotational power-take-off means is a cam drive with a plurality of pistons in cylinders positioned circumferentially and the adjustment gear is a sun gear positioned rotatively at a position central to external geared threading on outside peripheries of a plurality of linearly-adjustable cylinder heads, such that rotation of the sun gear rotates the plurality of linearly-adjustable cylinder heads inwardly and outwardly in accordance with selected directional rotation of the sun gear.

6. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 1 wherein:

the rotation power-take-off means is a cam drive with a plurality of pistons in cylinders positioned circumferentially and having piston shafts extended from the supercharge sections of the pistons with cam-drive means on drive ends of the piston shafts in cam-drive relationship to an angled cam plate on a power-output shaft.

7. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 6 wherein:

the cam-drive means on drive ends of the piston shafts is a pinch plate in sliding contact with the angled cam plate attached centrally to an output shaft;

hemispherical ball sockets are positioned concentrically to the piston shafts of the plurality of pistons in the pinch plate;

shaft balls on drive ends of the piston shafts are positioned in the hemispherical ball sockets;

a retainer plate having shaft orifices with diameters smaller than diameters of the shaft balls and larger than diameters of the piston shafts is positioned on a piston side of the pinch plate, such that the pinch plate functions as a cam-drive plate for the plurality of pistons in cam-drive relationship to the angled cam plate.

8. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 3 and further comprising:

a sliding-seal means in sliding-seal relationship between the linearly-adjustable cylinder head and the cylinder.

9. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 4 and further comprising:

a sealing section of the linearly-adjustable cylinder head extended into the power end of the cylinder and having a sliding-seal means in pressure-sealing relationship between the linearly-adjustable cylinder head and the power end of the cylinder.

10. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 7 and further comprising:

a pinch-plate-guide means in centrally-positioning relationship to the pinch plate.

11. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 10 wherein:

the pinch-plate guide means is a plurality of guide rods extended radially from the pinch plate into guide slots in guide members positioned circumferentially to wobbling travel of the pinch plate.

12. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 1 wherein the rotation power-take-off means is a cam drive having:

a first plurality of pistons in cylinders positioned circumferentially and having piston shafts extended from the supercharge sections of the pistons with cam-drive means on drive ends of the piston shafts in cam-drive relationship to a first angled cam plate positioned centrally on a power-output shaft; and

a second plurality of pistons in cylinders positioned circumferentially and having piston shafts extended from the supercharge sections of the piston with cam-drive means on drive ends of the piston shafts in cam drive relationship to a second angled cam plate positioned centrally on the power-output shaft at an equal angle from perpendicularity to the power-output shaft as the first angled cam plate.

13. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 12 wherein;

the cam-drive means is a first pinch plate having sliding contact with the first angled plate and a second pinch plate having sliding contact with the second angled plate;

piston shafts are extended from the supercharge sections of the first plurality of pistons and from the second plurality of pistons with axes of the first plurality of pistons and axes of the second plurality of pistons positioned concentrically at respective opposite sides of the first angled cam plate and the second angled cam plate;

hemispherical ball sockets are positioned concentrically to the piston shafts of the first plurality of pistons in the first pinch plate;

hemispherical ball sockets are positioned concentrically to the piston shafts of the second plurality of pistons in the second pinch plate;

shaft balls on drive ends of the piston shafts are positioned pivotally in the hemispherical ball sockets;

retainer plates having shaft orifices with diameters smaller than diameters of the shaft balls and larger than diameters of the piston shafts are positioned on piston sides of the first pinch plate and the second pinch plate with the shaft orifices concentric with the hemispherical ball sockets, such that the first and second pinch plates function as cam-drive plates for the first and second plurality of pistons in double-acting relationship with flat surfaces of first and second pinch plates in cam-drive relationship to the first and second angled plates.

14. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 13 and further comprising:

a pinch-plate-guide means in centrally-positioning relationship to the first pinch plate and to the second pinch plate.

15. An internal-combustion engine as described in claim 14 wherein:

the pinch-plate guide means is a plurality of guide rods extended radially from the first pinch plate and from the second pinch plate into guide slots in guide members positioned circumferentially to wobbling travel of the first pinch plate and the second pinch plate on the first angled plate and on the second angled plate respectively.