Engine valve assembly having holding tank with return valve and discharge valve in the valve assembly
First Claim
1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a cylinder, a cylinder head, and a piston movable with reciprocating motion within the cylinder, the piston motion providing a succession of four strokes including an induction stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke and an exhaust stroke, wherein a maximum spacing of the piston from the cylinder head defines a maximum volume of a combustion chamber of the engine, wherein the engine is a gasoline engine or a diesel engine;
wherein the compression stroke serves to compress a quantity of gas within the combustion chamber in preparation for the power stroke, the compression-stroke gas being a mixture of air and fuel in the gasoline engine, or air without fuel in the diesel engine, the compression stroke providing a reduction in volume of the gas characterized by a compression ratio;
the power stroke provides for an expansion in volume of a quantity of gas within the cylinder, characterized by an expansion ratio, the gas in the power stroke being a mixture of air, fuel, and products of combustion;
the engine further comprises a return manifold, and a valve assembly operative to receive from the cylinder a portion of the quantity of the gas contained within the cylinder during the compression stroke and subsequently to discharge the cylinder gas into the return manifold; and
wherein the valve assembly has a housing disposed within the cylinder head, and further comprises a holding tank with return valve and discharge valve located within the housing of the valve assembly, the return valve providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and the cylinder, and the discharge valve providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and the return manifold.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An Elevated Expansion-Ratio Internal Combustion Engine has a substantially standard repeating four-stroke sequence for each of a plurality of cylinders. The head of each cylinder has an intake valve, a combustion-gas exhaust valve, and a vapor return valve. A return manifold for vapor connects from respective ones of the cylinders via a plurality of valve assemblies, each of which includes the return valve, into a passage ahead of a beginning portion of an intake manifold. Each valve assembly also has a discharge valve coupled to the return valve via a holding tank for cylinder vapor or gas. Valve stems of the discharge and return valves are coaxial in a single section valve housing or spaced-apart in a two-section valve housing. A quantity of the vapor is received into the holding tank during the compression stroke, and subsequently transferred via the discharge valve to the return manifold.
20 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
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a cylinder, a cylinder head, and a piston movable with reciprocating motion within the cylinder, the piston motion providing a succession of four strokes including an induction stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke and an exhaust stroke, wherein a maximum spacing of the piston from the cylinder head defines a maximum volume of a combustion chamber of the engine, wherein the engine is a gasoline engine or a diesel engine; wherein the compression stroke serves to compress a quantity of gas within the combustion chamber in preparation for the power stroke, the compression-stroke gas being a mixture of air and fuel in the gasoline engine, or air without fuel in the diesel engine, the compression stroke providing a reduction in volume of the gas characterized by a compression ratio; the power stroke provides for an expansion in volume of a quantity of gas within the cylinder, characterized by an expansion ratio, the gas in the power stroke being a mixture of air, fuel, and products of combustion; the engine further comprises a return manifold, and a valve assembly operative to receive from the cylinder a portion of the quantity of the gas contained within the cylinder during the compression stroke and subsequently to discharge the cylinder gas into the return manifold; and wherein the valve assembly has a housing disposed within the cylinder head, and further comprises a holding tank with return valve and discharge valve located within the housing of the valve assembly, the return valve providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and the cylinder, and the discharge valve providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and the return manifold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A valve assembly for an engine having a cylinder, a cylinder head, and a reciprocating piston within the cylinder, wherein the valve assembly is configured for incorporation into the cylinder head, wherein a maximum spacing of the piston from the cylinder head defines a volume of a combustion chamber of the engine, wherein the valve assembly comprises:
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a housing disposed within the head of the cylinder, a holding tank with return valve and discharge valve located within the housing of the valve assembly, the return valve providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and the cylinder, and the discharge valve being operative for providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and a return manifold of the engine; wherein each of the return valve and the discharge valve has a valve head and a valve stem supporting the valve head, the valve stems of the return and the discharge valves being arranged in a coaxial arrangement and being displaceable relative to each other; the valve stem of the return valve is an inner stem disposed within the discharge valve stem, and the valve stem of the discharge valve is an outer stem disposed externally to the return valve stem; the coaxial arrangement of the valve stems positions distal ends of the inner and the outer valve stems to permit engagement with cams of a camshaft of the engine for driving the valve stems upon rotation of the camshaft; and the volume of the holding tank is preset to a value within a range of ten percent of the combustion chamber volume to a value of ninety percent of the combustion chamber volume for gasoline engines and within a range of three percent of the combustion chamber volume to fifty percent of the combustion chamber volume for diesel engines. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A valve assembly for an engine having a cylinder, a cylinder head, and a reciprocating piston within the cylinder, wherein the valve assembly is configured for incorporation into the cylinder head, wherein a maximum spacing of the piston from the cylinder head defines a volume of a combustion chamber of the engine, wherein the valve assembly comprises:
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a housing disposed within the head of the cylinder, a holding tank with return valve and discharge valve located within the housing of the valve assembly, the return valve providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and the cylinder, and the discharge valve being operative for providing fluidic communication between the holding tank and a return manifold of the engine; wherein each of the return valve and the discharge valve has a valve head and a valve stem supporting the valve head, the valve stems of the return and the discharge valves being located transversely of each other in a spaced-apart arrangement and being displaceable relative to each other; the valve stem of the return valve passes outside of the holding tank to an entrance of the holding tank for controlling a passage of engine gases into the holding tank, and the valve stem of the discharge valve enters an exit of the holding tank for controlling a passage of engine gases out of the holding tank; the spaced-apart arrangement of the valve stems positions ends of the valve stems of the return valve and the discharge valve to permit engagement with cams of a camshaft of the engine for driving the valve stems upon rotation of the camshaft concurrently with a driving of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of the engine; and the volume of the holding tank is preset to a value within a range of ten percent of the combustion chamber volume to a value of ninety percent of the combustion chamber volume for gasoline engines and within a range of three percent of the combustion chamber volume to fifty percent of the combustion chamber volume for diesel engines. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification