US 2011/0083643 A1 · Hydraulic Internal Combustion Engines

Abstract

Hydraulic internal combustion engines having at least one combustion piston not mechanically connected to a crankshaft or any other combustion piston, but instead acting on hydraulic plungers through valving that is electronically controlled to control the piston position and velocity, typically through an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a combustion or power stroke and an exhaust stroke. Electronically controlled fuel injection and electronically controlled engine valves provided great flexibility in the operating cycles that may be used, with the engine pumping hydraulic fluid to a high pressure accumulator for use in hydraulic motors or other hydraulic equipment. Embodiments using high pressure air injection to sustain combustion are also disclosed.

Claims39

Dependent claims

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a combustion piston in a combustion cylinder defining a combustion chamber above the combustion piston, the combustion chamber having electronically controlled intake and exhaust valves, the combustion piston not being mechanically connected to any other combustion piston or air compression piston;
a combustion piston position sensor;
a plurality of hydraulic plungers under the combustion piston, each in a respective hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic cylinders being coupled to electronically controlled hydraulic cylinder valving for controllably coupling each hydraulic cylinder to a high pressure hydraulic system or a low pressure hydraulic system;
and
a controller, the controller controlling the electronically controlled hydraulic cylinder valving and the electronically controlled intake and exhaust valves to control both the upward and the downward motion of the combustion piston in the combustion cylinder responsive to an output of the combustion piston position sensor.

2 more elements

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a combustion cylinder;
a combustion piston in the combustion cylinder defining a combustion chamber above a first surface of the combustion piston, the motion of the combustion piston not being mechanically fastened to move in unison with any other combustion or compression piston in the internal combustion engine;
at least one pair of first hydraulic cylinders, the first hydraulic cylinders of each pair of first hydraulic cylinders being located on opposite sides of a diameter of the combustion cylinder equidistant from a central axis of the combustion cylinder;
a plurality of first hydraulic plungers, each of the plurality of first hydraulic plungers within one of the first hydraulic cylinders and disposed with respect to a second surface of the combustion piston to reciprocate with the combustion piston;
and
at least one electrically actuated first hydraulic fluid control valve coupled to at least one of the first hydraulic cylinders to selectively couple each pair of first hydraulic cylinders to a high pressure hydraulic line or a low pressure hydraulic line.

3 more elements

An internal combustion engine comprising:

a combustion cylinder;
a combustion piston in the combustion cylinder defining a combustion chamber above a first surface of the combustion piston, the motion of the combustion piston not being mechanically fastened to move in unison with any other combustion or compression piston in the internal combustion engine;
at least one pair of first hydraulic cylinders, the first hydraulic cylinders of each pair of first hydraulic cylinders being located on opposite sides of a diameter of the combustion cylinder equidistant from a central axis of the combustion cylinder;
a plurality of first hydraulic plungers, each of the plurality of first hydraulic plungers within one of the first hydraulic cylinders and disposed with respect to a second surface of the combustion piston to reciprocate with the combustion piston;
at least two electrically actuated first hydraulic fluid control valves coupled to at least one of the first hydraulic cylinders to selectively couple each pair of first hydraulic cylinders to a high pressure hydraulic line or a low pressure hydraulic line;
a center hydraulic cylinder aligned with the central axis of the combustion cylinder;
and
a center hydraulic plunger coupled to the second surface of the combustion piston and in the center hydraulic cylinder, the center hydraulic plunger provides two opposing hydraulic control surfaces that allow the hydraulic plunger to push and pull the combustion piston along the central axis;
wherein one of the electrically actuated first hydraulic fluid control valves is coupled to the center hydraulic cylinder to selectively couple the center hydraulic cylinder to a high pressure hydraulic line independently of the first hydraulic cylinders;
a combustion piston position sensor to sense the position of the combustion piston within the combustion cylinder;
a controller coupled to the position sensor and the at least one electrically actuated first hydraulic fluid control valves to selectively provide electrical signals to the first hydraulic fluid control valves responsive to the sensor and thereby couple the first hydraulic cylinders to the high pressure hydraulic line and provide a variable and reversible force on the combustion piston, and to provide electronic control to the fuel injector and intake and exhaust valves;
an air rail;
at least one compression cylinder having a compression piston in the compression cylinder defining a compression chamber above a first surface of the compression piston;
an electronically controlled intake valve coupled to the compression chamber;
at least one pair of second hydraulic cylinders, the second hydraulic cylinders of each pair of second hydraulic cylinders being located on opposite sides of a diameter of the compression cylinder equidistant from a central axis of the compression cylinder;
a plurality of second hydraulic plungers, each of the plurality of second hydraulic plungers within one of the second hydraulic cylinders and disposed with respect to a second surface of the compression piston to cause the compression piston to reciprocate;
and
at least one electrically actuated second hydraulic fluid control valve coupled to the second hydraulic cylinders to selectively couple each pair of second hydraulic cylinders to a high pressure hydraulic line or a low pressure hydraulic line;
each combustion cylinder having an electronically controlled air injection valve for injection of air compressed by the compression cylinder into each combustion cylinder.

16 more elements

A method of operating an internal combustion engine comprising:

providing a combustion cylinder having a combustion piston in the combustion cylinder defining a combustion chamber above a first surface of the combustion piston, the motion of the combustion piston not being mechanically fastened to move in unison with any other combustion or compression piston in the internal combustion engine;
selectively operating at least one electrically actuated first hydraulic fluid control valve to selectively provide high pressure or low pressure hydraulic fluid to at least one pair of first hydraulic cylinders acting on a second surface of the combustion piston to cause the combustion piston to compress the contents of the combustion chamber in a compression stroke,
each first hydraulic cylinder including a first hydraulic plunger, each pair of the first hydraulic cylinders being substantially equal in diameter and located on a diameter of the combustion cylinder, equally and oppositely spaced from a center of the combustion cylinder, and
each of the plurality of first hydraulic fluid control valves coupled to at least one of the first hydraulic cylinders to selectively couple the first hydraulic cylinders in diametrically opposite pairs to the high pressure hydraulic line independently of the remaining first hydraulic cylinders;
providing fuel and air to the combustion chamber at least by the time the contents of the combustion chamber are compressed and ready to ignite;
and
selectively operating the plurality of first hydraulic fluid control valves to receive high pressure hydraulic fluid from diametrically opposite pairs of the plurality of first hydraulic cylinders coupled to the combustion piston during a power stroke following ignition of the fuel;
the plurality of electrically actuated first hydraulic fluid control valves being operated to control the combustion piston velocity and limits of travel during the compression and power stroke.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hydraulic Internal Combustion Engines

Life of this patent

Hydraulic Internal Combustion Engines

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims39