US 2010/0050978 A1 · Lubrication system for the piston ring and cylinder liner of an internal combustion engine

Abstract

An improved lubrication system for an internal combustion engine that includes an inertia reactive oil injector in a piston that reacts to the movement of the piston and conveys a predetermined measure of lubricating oil to the space between the piston and its adjacent cylinder wall immediately below the upper piston rings as the piston reaches top dead center of its stroke cycle. A first embodiment utilizes a tunnel passage and reservoir formed beneath the side surface of a piston with inlet and outlet ports at each end. The oil injector receives oil under pressure when the piston is at its BDC position and the carries the oil past the intake/exhaust ports of the cylinder until the piston decelerates while approaching its TDC position. During that deceleration, the oil carried by the injector reservoir is delivered through the outlet port into the space between the piston and the cylinder liner. A second embodiment utilizes a groove of predetermined length formed in the outer surface of the piston. A reservoir is formed in the groove and defines inlet and outlet ports at each end.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for lubricating the inner cylinder wall of an internal combustion engine immediately below the upper piston rings of a reciprocating piston by providing a predetermined measure of lubricating oil into said cylinder near the top dead center position of the stroke of said piston, comprising:

a piston configured for reciprocating movement longitudinally along an axis within a cylinder and contains an oil injector with an inlet port and an outlet port in said piston wall that conveys a controlled amount of lubricating oil from a pressurized oil supply source and to said outlet port on said piston wall that allows oil to enter into the space between said piston wall and the cylinder wall adjacent to said upper piston rings;
an oil reservoir formed within said oil injector that is in communication to receive said lubricating oil through said inlet port from said oil supply source when said piston is near the bottom dead center position of its stroke cycle and to retain said oil during the next portion of the stroke cycle towards the top dead center position;
wherein said oil in said oil reservoir reacts to deceleration forces provided by said piston to directly exit said outlet port of said oil injector and provide a predetermine amount of lubricating oil into said space as said piston reaches the top dead center position of its stroke cycle.

A method of lubricating the upper piston rings of a piston and the inner cylinder wall of an internal combustion engine below said rings, comprising the steps of:

providing a piston configured to provide communication and passage of lubricating oil from a supply source to the space between the outer piston wall and cylinder wall adjacent to and immediately below the uppermost movement of said upper piston rings;
providing an outlet port on the outer wall of said piston that allows oil to leave said piston and to enter into said space;
providing an inlet port on the outer wall of said piston that allows oil to enter said piston as said piston approaches and leaves the area of bottom dead center during its stroke cycle;
providing a passage within said piston that is in open communication with both said inlet port and said outlet port to receive said lubricating oil through said inlet port from said supply source;
said passage is oriented in said piston to be substantially parallel with the axis of piston reciprocation and said oil in said passage reacts to the movement of said piston to force a predetermined measure of lubricating oil through said outlet port and into said space as said piston approaches top dead center of its stroke cycle;
providing a reservoir in said piston in open communication with said passage to retain a portion of oil in said passage during piston movement from the area of bottom dead center;
and
allowing said oil from said reservoir to flow uninterrupted from said reservoir through said passage to exit said outlet port in response to deceleration forces when said piston approaches the top dead center position of its stroke cycle.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Lubrication system for the piston ring and cylinder liner of an internal combustion engine

Life of this patent

Lubrication system for the piston ring and cylinder liner of an internal combustion engine

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20