Axial piston machines
OwnerNoel Stephen Dukeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An engine/pump having a crank shaft with a shaft axis and a crank axis oblique to the shaft axis which intersect with each other. Piston/cylinder assemblies rotate about the shaft axis and have a reciprocal axis between its top dead center and bottom dead center. The reciprocal axis midway between TDC and BDC being normal to a line projected from the intersection of the shaft axis and the crank axis. A cylinder head holds the cylinders in an array, The head includes at least one port per cylinder, and a port relative to which the cylinder head moves sealably to allow timed to the reciprocal movement of each piston in its cylinder and the rotational position, the opening and closing of each cylinder. Each cylinder is indexed at a predetermined rate to the relative rotation of the crankshaft through gearing.
Claims33
A two or four stroke internal combustion engine having
- a crank shaft having a shaft axis and having a crank axis oblique to the shaft axis but aligned to intersect therewith at X,
- an array of combustion chamber and associated piston or other combustion chamber volume varying and defining member (hereinafter piston) assemblies to rotate as assemblies relative to and about said shaft axis, each said assembly having a reciprocal axis between its top dead centre (TDC) and bottom dead centre (BDC), each such reciprocal axis midway between TDC and BDC being normal to a line projected from X, each said combustion chamber(s) being of any appropriate cross section (with respect to its reciprocal axis) and the cross section of each complementary piston being complementary to the cross section of its combustion chamber,
- piston control means mounted as if journaled directly or indirectly from said crank shaft and controlling the piston moving motion directly or indirectly between TDC and BDC as required for two or four stoke operation,
- combustion chamber head providing means which holds and/or defines each combustion chamber in said array, said head providing means including at least one port per combustion chamber, and
- port providing means providing a series of intake and/or exhaust ports (and/or optionally fuel injection means and/or fuel ignition means) each connected or connectable to respectively to (i) an air intake or air and fuel mixture source and (ii) an exhaust system, said combustion chamber head providing means sealably rotatable and indexed by an indexing means relative to said port providing means to present, timed to the reciprocal movement of each piston in its combustion chamber and to the rotational position of each combustion chamber relative to said intake and/or exhaust ports (and/or optionally fuel injection means and/or fuel ignition means), said intake and or exhaust ports (and/or optionally fuel injection means and/or fuel ignition means) to said at least one port per combustion chamber as required for said two or four stroke cycle operation,
- WHEREIN
- said at piston control means is capable of conveying directly or indirectly the reciprocal motion of each said piston to said crank shaft to provide rotational output power,
- AND
- means is provided whereby, directly or indirectly (eg;
- via said crank shaft), said rotational output power can be taken off said combustion chamber head providing means or crank shaft or port providing means as each rotates relative to the other.
An engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein an output shaft is located on said shaft axis to provide a means to transmit said rotational output power.
An engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein two combustion chamber assemblies are provided on opposed sides of “X” each sealably rotatable and indexed by a said indexing means relative to two said port proving means said piston control means located between said combustion chamber assemblies, each said connection means connects to a pair of opposed pistons of each assembly, such that the piston axis of each opposed pistons are symmetrical about line projected normal to the shaft axis at X.
An engine of any one of the preceding claims Wherein said indexing is by annular sun and planetary gearing, said planetary gearing rotatably fixed to said port providing) means, and indexed with an annular gear of said combustion chamber head providing means and to a sun gear of said shaft axis.
An engine of any one of the preceding claims wherein the annular gear is carried by the cylinder head providing means, said planetary gears providing the indexing of said crank with said cylinder head providing means and having their rotatable axes fixed relative to said ported means.
An engine of anyone of the preceding claims wherein said port providing means, in sequence, presents to each said at least one port of each said combustion chamber an induction port or ports, optionally a fuel injector a fuel ignition means, and an exhaust port or ports, the presentations being timed for the piston of each combustion chamber to the fuel air induction stroke, fuel ignition and exhaust stroke respectively, thereof, the at least one port being sealed intermediate of said exhaust and induction ports during the compression and power strokes of a 4 stroke cycle spark ignition cycle.
An engine of any one of the preceding claims wherein the ratio of crank shaft rotation to piston and cylinder assemblies rotation is 3:1 in a counter-rotating direction.
An engine in any one of the preceding claims wherein there are three pairs of opposed pistons and cylinder assemblies, the associated ported means for each providing two inlet and two outlet ports.
A two or four stoke cycle internal combustion engine having
- a housing,
- a series of intake and/or exhaust ports fixed relative to said housings or embodied therein each connected to or connectable to respectively to (i) an air intake or air and fuel mixture source and (ii) an exhaust system,
- optionally fuel injection means from said housings
- optionally, an fuel ignition means,
- a shaft rotatable relative to the housing in a first rotational direction, said shaft carrying a precessing crank,
- at least one combustion chamber rotatable about the shaft axis in a second rotational directional which is in an opposite sense to said first rotational direction, each said combustion chamber being indexed at some lesser rate of rotation in said second rotational direction to the speed of rotation of said shaft in said first rotational direction and wherein each chamber includes at least one port capable during operation of being brought to the extent required into and out of an operative communication with each of said series of intake and exhaust ports, and, optionally wherein each chamber has an inlet from said optional fuel injection means,
- a piston or other combustion chamber volume varying and defining member (hereafter “piston”) for each said combustion chamber, and
- a member or members (hereinafter “wobbling member(s)”) mounted as if journalled directly or indirectly from said precessing crank and controlling directly or indirectly the piston moving motion within each combustion chamber as the shaft counter rotates relative to said combustion chamber/piston assemblies and each of said shaft and said chamber/piston assemblies rotates (but in opposite sense to the combustion chamber/piston assemblies) relative to said housing,
- wherein said operative communication of said at least one port of each chamber with each of said series of intake and exhaust ports (an optional fuel injection means and fuel ignition means) occurs during the appropriate strokes of each piston in said combustion chamber for the four or two stroke cycle of said engine.
A positive displacement machine having
- a crank shaft having a shaft axis and having a crank axis oblique to the shaft axis but aligned to intersect therewith at X,
- an array of cylinder and associated piston assemblies to rotate as assemblies relative to and about said shaft axis, each said assembly having a reciprocal axis between its top dead centre (TDC) and bottom dead centre (BDC), each such reciprocal axis midway between TDC and BDC being normal to a line projected from X, each said cylinder being of any appropriate cross section (with respect to its reciprocal axis), the cross section of each complementary piston being complementary to the cross section of its cylinder,
- connection means one for each piston to move each piston in or relative to its cylinder between TDC and BDC,
- piston control means mounted as if journaled directly or indirectly, from said crank shaft and controlling the piston moving motion of each said connection means,
- cylinder head providing means which holds and/or defines each cylinder in said array, said head providing means including at least one port per cylinder, and
- port providing means providing a series of intake and or delivery ports each connected or connectable to respectively to (i) a fluid source (ii) and delivery system, said cylinder head providing means sealably rotatable and indexed by an indexing means relative to said port providing means to present timed to the reciprocal movement of each piston in its cylinder and to the rotational position of each cylinder relative to said intake and/or delivery ports, said intake and/or delivery ports to said at least one port per cylinder as required for fluid induction and delivery cycle operation
- WHEREIN
- said at least one connection means is capable of conveying reciprocal motion to each said piston from said crank shaft via said piston control means from a rotational power providing source,
- AND
- means is provided whereby, directly or indirectly (eg;
- via said crank shaft), rotational power can be provided to said cylinder head providing means or crank shaft or port providing means as each rotates relative to the other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.