Reciprocating piston engines

• US 6,868,815 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Inventors: Carden, Philip James
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamen, Noah P.
• Application Number:
  US10/482,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 123/192.1, 123/192.2, 745/72
• US Class Current: 123/192.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4833 Step up or reduction gearing driving generator, e.g. to operate generator in most efficient speed range
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/1812 three
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/20 with cylinders all in one line
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 15/046 of the planetary type
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/264 Rotating balancer shafts F16F15/262 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/211 Eccentric

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes one or more pistons (3) connected to a common crankshaft (4), a balancer shaft (10) connected to the crankshaft (4) to be rotated thereby at the same speed as the crankshaft (4) but in the opposite sense, the balancer shaft (10) carrying mutually offset eccentric weights (14) at its ends and an integrated starter generator unit (26) including a stator (27) and a rotor (23). The rotor (23) is mounted to rotate about the axis of the balancer shaft (10) and is connected to the balancer shaft (10) by step up gearing (18, 20, 22) such that the rotor (23) rotates in the same sense as the balancer shaft (10) but at a substantially greater speed.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine including one or more pistons (3) connected to a common crankshaft (4), a balancer shaft (10) connected to the crankshaft (4) to be rotated thereby at the same speed as the crankshaft (4) but in the opposite sense, the balancer shaft (10) carrying mutually offset eccentric weights (14) at its ends, characterised in that an integrated starter generator unit (26) is provided including a stator (27) and a rotor (23) and that the rotor is mounted to rotate about the axis of the balancer shaft (10) and is connected to the balancer shaft (10) by step up gearing (18, 20, 22) such that the rotor (23) rotates in the same sense as the balancer shaft (10) but at a substantially greater speed.

2. An engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the step up gearing comprises an epicyclic gear set, the annulus (20) of which is fixed, the sun wheel (22) of which is connected the rotor (23) and the planet wheels (18) and carrier (12) of which are connected to the balancer shaft (10) to be rotated thereby.

3. An engine as claimed in claim 1 in which the step up gearing (18, 20, 22) has a gear ratio of between 2.5:

1 and 5;

1.

4. An engine as claimed in claim 2 in which the step up gearing (18, 20, 22) has a gear ratio of between 2.5:

1 and 5;

1.