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US 2014/0366818 A1Published application
Rotary valve internal combustion engine
AssigneeRcv Engines Limited
InventorsKeith Lawes, Brian Mason
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AssigneeRcv Engines Limited
InventorsKeith Lawes, Brian Mason
Estimating the term…
A rotary valve internal combustion engine has a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston. The engine has a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the rotary valve is rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft, the valve being mounted in a bearing arrangement which restrains the valve from movement in the axial direction but permits movement in the radial direction.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine having a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston, and a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the rotary valve is rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft, in which the volume in the rotary valve body leads to a passageway, the passageway directing the flow of combustion gases between the volume in the valve and the cylinder, the passageway also defining, in part, the combustion chamber, the passageway being a substantially wedge-shaped volume inclined relative to the axis of the valve towards the cylinder at an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees from the axis of rotation of the valve, wherein the part of the valve body containing the volume defining part of the combustion chamber lies at least partially radially inwardly of the circumference of the cylinder to overlie the piston.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine having a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston, and a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the valve is mounted in a bearing arrangement which restrains the valve from movement in the axial direction but permits movement in the radial direction, wherein the bearing arrangement comprises a single race ball bearing, wherein the valve body is coaxial with a drive shaft of smaller diameter, the drive shaft extending through the inner race of the bearing with a clearance therebetween to enable the valve to move in the radial direction, the shoulder formed between the valve body and the shaft abutting the inner race to restrain axial movement of the valve when it is subject to positive combustion pressure, wherein the shaft has a flange overlapping the side face of the inner bearing race away from the valve body, the flange restraining movement of the valve towards the cylinder, there being a clearance between the flange and the said inner race such that the valve is not clamped between the inner race but is able to float radially within the inner race.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine having a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston, and a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the inlet and exhaust ports are substantially parallel, and the axes of the inlet and exhaust ports are orthogonal to the axis of the cylinder the ports being on opposite sides of the valve housing and being positioned and sized to provide the required valve timing.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine having a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston, and a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, the base material of the valve housing being aluminium, wherein a band or bands of metal having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than aluminium is incorporated in the valve housing co-axial with the axis of rotation of the valve to control the thermal expansion of the valve.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine having a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston, and a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the valve body has an annular part cylindrical sealing sleeve secured to the body for rotation therewith but movable radially relative to the body and being arranged such that combustion gases enter between the body and the seal to urge the seal into engagement with the valve housing, the sleeve being resiliently biased outwardly into the housing to provide an initial seal, the inner diameter of the sleeve is larger than the external diameter of the valve body to form a gap between the sleeve and the valve body, wherein the sleeve has a gap substantially the same size as the port in the valve body, to which the gap is aligned, the sleeve extending over substantially the entire length of the valve body so that the sleeve completely covers the inlet and exhaust ports during the compression and combustion strokes.
A rotary valve internal combustion engine having a piston connected to a crankshaft and reciprocatable in a cylinder, a combustion chamber being defined in part by the piston, and a rotary valve rotatable in a valve housing fixed relative to the cylinder, the rotary valve having a valve body containing a volume defining, in part, the combustion chamber and further having in a wall part thereof a port giving, during rotation of the valve, fluid communication successively to and from the combustion chamber via inlet and exhaust ports in the valve housing, wherein the rotary valve is rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft, wherein the drive to the valve is transmitted through a pair of toothed pulleys comprising a drive pulley on the crankshaft and a driven pulley secured to the valve, the driven pulley being secured to the valve on its side remote from the combustion chamber, drive being transmitted between the two pulleys by means of an endless toothed belt, wherein the engine includes a contra rotating balance shaft, said balance shaft having a driven pulley driven by said endless belt, which belt comprises a double toothed endless belt having teeth on both its opposed inner and outer surfaces, the teeth engaged with the crankshaft pulley being on the opposite side to the teeth engaged with the balance shaft pulley.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.