Three-stroke internal combustion engine, cycle and components
OwnerClaudio Barberatoinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A three-stroke internal combustion engine completes a complete combustion cycle of exhaust, intake, compression, ignition, and expansion within a single revolution of a crankshaft by a single stroke of a first piston and a single stroke of a second piston within a single cylinder.
Claims20
A three-stroke internal combustion engine having first and second pistons movably connected to a single crankshaft for reciprocating motion toward and away from each other within a single cylinder during a single revolution of said crankshaft, said single revolution including an exhaust/intake stroke, a compression stroke, and an expansion stroke, the cylinder having a first open end proximate said crankshaft and having inlet ports proximate the first end, and the cylinder having a second end distant from said crankshaft and closed by a head having formed therein an exhaust passage, said pistons defining therebetween an intake chamber and said second piston defining with the head a combustion chamber within the cylinder, wherein during at least a part of said exhaust-intake stroke, the exhaust passage is open to said combustion chamber, and said crankshaft causes said second piston to move toward the head, thereby exhausting burned gases from said combustion chamber, and during at least another part of said exhaust-intake stroke, said crankshaft causes said first piston to move away from said second piston, thereby opening said inlet ports to said intake chamber so as to aspirate an air-fuel mixture into said intake chamber;
- wherein, during said compression stroke, the exhaust passage and said inlet ports are closed, and said crankshaft causes said first piston to move toward said second piston, thereby forcing the air-fuel mixture past said second piston into said combustion chamber;
- wherein, the exhaust passage and said inlet ports remaining closed, ignition of the air-fuel mixture to form burned gases, and consequent expansion of the burned gases in said combustion chamber, causes motion of said pistons away from the head, at least said first piston causing said crankshaft to move through said expansion stroke of said single revolution, said expansion stroke being followed by said exhaust-intake stroke.
The three-stroke internal combustion engine according to claim 11, further comprising an injector disposed in said at least one bypass channel.
The three-stroke internal combustion engine according to claim 11, said second piston defining a top dead center plane at said second piston's closest approach to the head, said at least one bypass channel extending axially through said top dead center plane.
A three-stroke internal combustion engine comprising:
- an intake manifold having an inner wall with inlet ports formed therein;
- opposed journals rigidly connected to said intake manifold, and defining therebetween a crankshaft axis;
- a cylinder mounted to said inner wall of said intake manifold, the cylinder having an inner surface extending from a first open end adjacent said intake manifold to a second end closed by a head with an exhaust passage formed therein, said inner surface defining a cylinder axis and including axially extending bypass channels near said second end;
- an exhaust valve disposed within the exhaust passage for motion between an open position and a sealed position;
- a crankshaft rotatably mounted in said journals for rotation about said crankshaft axis, said crankshaft including a crank surface in registration with the cylinder axis and further including a cam substantially adjacent to said crank surface;
- a connecting rod having upper and lower ends joined by a web, the lower end of said connecting rod being pivotally connected to said crank surface;
- a first piston pivotally connected to the upper end of said connecting rod and slidably movable within the cylinder along the cylinder axis, said first piston defining with the head a compression chamber within the cylinder, and said first piston including holes substantially parallel to the cylinder axis, said holes extending from said compression chamber through said first piston;
- a cam follower base disposed between said first piston and said crankshaft so as to be cyclically movable by said cam;
- and
- a second piston slidably movable within the cylinder along the cylinder axis and disposed between the first piston and the head, said second piston being rigidly connected to said cam follower base by push rods extending through said holes of said first piston, and said second piston defining with said first piston an intake chamber within the cylinder,
- wherein rotation of said crankshaft about said crankshaft axis causes sequential revolution of said crank surface and said cam about said crankshaft axis, such that said connecting rod causes said first piston to move toward the head during a compression stroke and said cam follower base causes said second piston to move toward the head during an exhaust-intake stroke, and such that said first and second pistons move together away from the head during an expansion stroke.
A method for cyclically obtaining mechanical power from combustion of an air-fuel mixture, said method comprising the repeated steps of:
- opening first and second openings while expanding an intake chamber and simultaneously contracting an adjacent combustion chamber, thereby aspirating the air-fuel mixture into said intake chamber through said first opening while expelling burned gases from said combustion chamber through said second opening;
- closing said first and second openings while contracting said intake chamber to compress the air-fuel mixture while passing the air-fuel mixture from said intake chamber to said combustion chamber;
- igniting the air-fuel mixture in said combustion chamber;
- and
- permitting the burned gases to expand said combustion chamber, thereby obtaining mechanical power from the combustion of the air-fuel mixture.
A piston for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising a substantially solid body having opposed upper and lower surfaces joined by an outer circumferential surface, the outer surface defining a piston axis, said body having a plurality holes extending from said upper surface to said lower surface substantially parallel to the piston axis.
A piston for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a disc having opposed upper and lower surfaces joined by an outer circumferential surface, the outer surface defining a piston axis;
- a plurality of rods extending from said lower surface substantially parallel to the piston axis;
- and
- a base having two side members and two end members defining therebetween a rectangular opening substantially symmetric about the piston axis, said side members defining curvilinear profiles in planes substantially parallel to and substantially symmetric offset from the piston axis, said side members including a plurality of supports, each support being rigidly joined to one of said plurality of rods.
A piston assembly for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a substantially solid piston body having opposed upper and lower surfaces joined by an outer circumferential surface, the outer surface defining a piston body axis, said body having a plurality of holes extending from said upper surface to said lower surface substantially parallel to the piston body axis, said body further including a yoke protruding from said lower surface, said yoke defining a slot substantially symmetric about a piston body midplane including the piston body axis, said yoke having formed therein a first wrist pin hole substantially perpendicularly intersecting said slot;
- a connecting rod having upper and lower ends joined by a web, and having small cylinders protruding substantially perpendicularly from opposed side surfaces of said web, the upper end of said connecting rod defining a second wrist pin hole substantially perpendicular to said web, and the upper end of said connecting rod being received in said slot of said piston body with the first and second wrist pin holes substantially in registration with each other;
- a wrist pin disposed in the first and second wrist pin holes to pivotally connect the piston body to the connecting rod;
- a piston having opposed upper and lower surfaces joined by an outer circumferential surface, the outer surface defining a piston axis;
- a plurality of rods extending from said lower surface of said piston substantially parallel to the piston axis;
- and
- a base having two side members and two end members defining therebetween a rectangular opening substantially symmetric about the piston axis, said side members defining curvilinear profiles in planes substantially parallel to and substantially symmetric offset from the piston axis, each of said side members including a plurality of supports, each support being rigidly joined to one of said plurality of rods, and each of said side members including a catch formed on a surface facing said rectangular opening,
- wherein said piston body is disposed between said piston and said base, such that each of said plurality of rods is slidingly received in a corresponding one of said plurality of holes, and said connecting rod extends from said piston body through said rectangular opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.