# US 10,865,746 B2 · Opposed-piston engine in a light-duty truck > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,746 B2 - Document ID: US10865746B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/414,082 - Filed: 2019-05-16 - Published: 2020-01-23 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-05-29 - Assignees: Achates Power, Inc. - Applicants: Achates Power, Inc. - Inventors: Richard D. Warlick, Jr.; Cain Piotrowski - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865746B2 ## CPC - F02M 26/04: with a single turbocharger - F02M 26/42: having two or more EGR passages; EGR systems specially adapted for engines having two or more cylinders - B60K 5/02: with the engine main axis, e.g. crankshaft axis, substantially in or parallel to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle - B60K 13/04: concerning exhaust - F01B 7/14: acting on different main shafts - F02B 75/282: {the pistons having equal strokes} - F02M 26/05: High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor - F02M 26/06: Low pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust downstream of the turbocharger turbine and reintroduced into the intake system upstream of the compressor - F02M 26/41: characterised by the arrangement of the recirculation passage in relation to the engine, e.g. to cylinder heads, liners, spark plugs or manifolds; characterised by the arrangement of the recirculation passage in relation to specially adapted combustion chambers - B60K 17/04: characterised by arrangement, location or kind of gearing - B60Y 2200/141: Light trucks - B62D 21/02: comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members - B62D 25/081: {Cowls (ventilating openings situated directly in front of the vehicle front window B60H1/28)} - B62D 25/082: {Engine compartments} - B62D 25/105: {for motor cars} - B62D 33/02: Platforms; Open load compartments {(flat wagons including posts or standards B61D3/08)} - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - F01B: MACHINES OR ENGINES, IN GENERAL OR OF POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT TYPE, e.g. STEAM ENGINES (of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F01C; of non-positive-displacement type F01D; internal-combustion engines F02B; combustion-product engine plants F02G; machines or engines, other than of positive-displacement type, for liquids F03B; positive-displacement engines driven by liquids F03C; wind motors F03D; positive-displacement machines for liquids F04B; rotary-piston, or oscillating-piston, positive-displacement machines for liquids F04C) - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract An opposed-piston engine is configured to fit in an engine compartment of a light-duty truck without compromising engine operations or the integrity of the engine compartment. The opposed-piston engine includes an air handling system and can be configured so that a cylinder assembly of the engine is tilted. The tilt of the cylinder assembly can allow for all of the components of the engine's air handling system to be located on one side of the opposed-piston engine. The air handling system of the opposed-piston engine can be configured with a cobra-head shaped intake duct assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle, comprising: a chassis with spaced-apart frame rails running in a longitudinal direction of the chassis, between front and rear ends of the truck; an engine compartment comprising and bounded by a hood, a firewall, and at least one cowl panel; an opposed-piston engine supported on the frame rails and fitted in the engine compartment; the opposed-piston engine comprising: a cylinder assembly with a longitudinal axis that is offset from a vertical plane of the engine by an angle; two crankshafts positioned at respective exhaust and intake ends of the cylinder assembly; and an air handling system that comprises an EGR loop. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, in which the vehicle either is a light-duty truck or has a maximum gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, in which the air handling system comprises an intake duct assembly configured for delivering air to a compressor of the air handling system, a portion of the intake duct assembly being located near the firewall. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The vehicle of claim 3, in which the intake duct assembly comprises a compressor inlet conduit that includes a tubular portion with a circular cross-section and flattened portion, the flattened portion including an opening configured to receive a flexible fitting to connect the opening on the flattened portion to an inlet of the compressor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vehicle of claim 4, in which the flattened portion of the compressor inlet conduit has a varying cross-section that transitions in width so that air flowing through the compressor inlet conduit does not experience resistance or a drop in volume when comparing air flow through the tubular portion and through the flattened portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The vehicle of claim 4, in which the air handling system includes an aftertreatment system comprising at least one catalyst component. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, in which the EGR loop comprises at least one of a high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation loop and a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation loop. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: a transmission located rearwardly of the engine compartment; a cargo bed; and a passenger compartment located above the transmission, behind the engine compartment, and forward of the cargo bed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8, in which the transmission attaches to the opposed-piston engine through the crankshaft at the exhaust end of the cylinder assembly. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the angle of offset between the longitudinal axis of the cylinder assembly and the longitudinal axis of the engine is in the range from about 5 degrees to about 45 degrees. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10, in which the opposed-piston engine is a compression ignition engine. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, in which the air handling system includes at least one flexible connector between conduit and/or component openings, the at least one flexible connector comprising any of a hump hose, a metal bellows connector with a smooth interior, and a metal connector with a braided mesh exterior and a smooth interior. ### Claim 13 A truck, comprising: a chassis; an engine compartment defined by a front end of the truck, a firewall, a cowl panel; and a hood; and, an opposed-piston engine supported on the chassis and fitted in the engine compartment; the opposed-piston engine comprising: a tilted inline cylinder assembly; and, an air handling system with a turbocharger situated near an exhaust end of the cylinder assembly, and an intake duct assembly for transporting intake air to a compressor of the turbocharger; the intake duct assembly having a turning bend duct adjacent the firewall for turning an inward flow of intake air in a first direction to an outward flow of intake air which is substantially opposite the first direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The truck of claim 13 in which the turning bend duct comprises a cobra-head portion with a front wall facing the front end of the truck, a back wall facing the firewall, and an air transport case defined between the front wall and the back wall, the air transport case having a first end defining a substantially tubular inlet that curves toward the front end, and a second end with an outlet comprising an annular rim formed in the front wall, facing the front end; in which the case has a shape in plan that widens in the direction of the second end; and, in which the back wall of the case has a flat wall section that faces the firewall. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The truck of claim 14 in which the air handling system further comprises an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) loop for transporting exhaust gas to the intake duct assembly, and the case has a flange formed in the front wall between the annular inlet and the annular outlet for attachment to the EGR loop, the flange defining an aperture through which the exhaust gas flows into the case. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The truck of claim 15 in which the EGR loop is a low pressure EGR loop, and the flange is coupled to an outlet of the low pressure EGR loop. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The truck of claim 16 in which the outlet of the low pressure EGR loop comprises an outlet of an EGR cooler. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The truck of claim 14 in which the cylinder assembly is tilted to locate the exhaust end of the cylinder assembly between a driver's side of the truck and a passenger's side of the truck, in the vicinity of a front axle of the truck. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The truck of claim 14, in which the air handling system further comprises a supercharger situated near an intake end of the cylinder assembly opposite the exhaust end and a charge air transport channel coupling an output of a compressor of the turbocharger with an inlet of the supercharger. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The truck of claim 19 in which the charge air transport channel comprises an intercooler between the output of the compressor and the inlet of the supercharger. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The truck of claim 19 in which the cylinder assembly is tilted to locate the exhaust end of the cylinder assembly between a driver's side of the truck and a passenger's side of the truck. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The truck of claim 19 in which the cylinder assembly is tilted to locate the intake end on a driver's side of the truck, in the vicinity of the hood, and to locate the exhaust end between the driver's side of the truck and a passenger's side of the truck. ### Claim 23 A turning bend intake duct for a vehicle, comprising: a cobra-head duct portion with a first wall, a second wall facing away from the first wall, and an air transport case defined between the first wall and the second wall; the air transport case having a first end defining a substantially tubular inlet that curves in a first direction, and a second end, opposite the first end, with an outlet comprising an annular rim formed in the front wall, facing the first direction; in which the case has a shape in a front elevation view that widens in the direction of the outlet; and, in which the back wall of the case has a flat wall section. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The turning bend duct of claim 23, in which the shape in a front elevation view is substantially the shape of a pear. ### Claim 25 A truck, comprising: a chassis with spaced-apart frame rails running in a longitudinal direction of the chassis, between front and rear ends of the truck; an engine compartment comprising and bounded by a hood, a firewall, and at least one cowl panel; an opposed-piston engine supported on the frame rails and fitted in the engine compartment; the opposed-piston engine comprising: an engine block with a cylinder assembly comprising two or more cylinders in an in-line configuration, the cylinder assembly having an intake side where intake ports of each cylinder are located and an exhaust side where exhaust ports of each cylinder are located, the cylinder assembly tilted to locate the intake side on a first side of the truck, in the vicinity of the hood; two crankshafts positioned at respective exhaust and intake ends of the cylinder assembly; and an air handling system that comprises both a high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) loop and a low-pressure EGR loop located on a second side of the truck. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The truck of claim 25, wherein the first side of the truck is a driver's side and the second side of the truck is a passenger's side. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The truck of claim 25, wherein the first side of the truck is a passenger's side and the second side of the truck is a driver's side. ### Claim 28 (depends on 25) The truck of claim 25, wherein the opposed-piston engine is a combustion ignition engine. ### Claim 29 (depends on 25) The truck of claim 25, wherein the engine block further comprises an intake plenum and an exhaust plenum, the intake plenum and the exhaust plenum each having a single fitting to the air handling system.