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US 4,494,500 AGranted
Rotary valve assembly
AssigneeHansen Engine Corporation
InventorCraig N. Hansen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A head for an internal combustion engine has a rotary valve for controlling intake and exhaust gas from the combustion chamber of a piston-type internal combustion engine. The valve has a continuous ceramic sleeve having an intake port, an exhaust port, and ignition hole. Rotatably disposed within the sleeve is a rotatable ceramic ring having a valving port open to the combustion chamber. The sleeve is rotatable by a driven body to sequentially align the valving port with the intake port, ignition hole, and exhaust port during the operation of the engine.
Claims29
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a block having at least one cylindrical wall surrounding a combustion chamber, piston means located in said combustion chamber, operable to reciprocate to piston in said chamber, head means mounted on the block covering said chamber, said head means having an air and fuel intake passage and an exhaust gas passage, a rotary valve assembly operatively associated with the head means for controlling the flow of air and fuel into the chamber and the flow of exhaust gas from the chamber, said head means having a housing with a bore open to the chamber accommodating said valve assembly, said valve assembly comprising a cylindrical sleeve located in said bore, said sleeve having an inner surface, and ignition hole, and intake and exhaust ports aligned with said intake passage and exhaust gas passage, spark generating means mounted on the housing means operable to generate a spark in said hole, rotatable valving means located within said sleeve for controlling the flow of air and fuel into said chamber and the flow of exhaust gases out of the chamber, said rotatable valving means having a valving passage open to the chamber and the inner surface of the sleeve, said rotatable valving means including means having limited lateral movement to maintain a sealing relationship with said inner surface of the sleeve to close said intake and exhaust ports, said means having limited lateral movement is a body having an outer surface engageable with the inner surface of the sleeve, and said body having the valving passage, a drive shaft for rotating said body, and a universal coupling connecting the shaft with the body whereby the body rotates about an axis offset from the axis of the shaft and means operable to rotate said rotatable valving means in timed relation with the movement of the piston means whereby said engine has intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.
A rotary valve assembly comprising:
- a housing having a bore, a gas inlet passage and a gas outlet passage open to the bore, a continuous cylindrical sleeve means located in said bore, said sleeve means having an inner surface and ports aligned with said passages, rotatable valving means located within said sleeve means for controlling the flow of gas into and out of assembly, said rotatable valving means having a valving passage open to the combustion chamber and the inner surface of the sleeve means, said rotatable valving means including means having limited lateral movement to maintain a sealing relationship with the inner surface of the sleeve means to close said ports, said means having limited lateral movement is a body having an outer surface engageable with the inner surface of the sleeve means and said valving passage, a drive shaft for rotating said body, and a universal coupling connecting the shaft with the body whereby the body rotates about an axis offset from the axis of the shaft and means operable to rotate said rotatable means whereby said valving passage sequentially moves into alignment with said ports allowing gas to flow into said inlet and outlet gas passages.
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a block having at least one cylindrical wall surrounding a combustion chamber, piston means located in said combustion chamber, means operable to reciprocate the piston means in said chamber, head means mounted on the block covering said chamber, said head means having an air and fuel intake passage, an exhaust gas passage, a rotary valve assembly operatively associated with the head means for controlling the flow of air and fuel into the chamber and the flow of exhaust gas from the chamber, said head means having a housing with a bore open to the chamber accommodating said valve assembly, said valve assembly comprising a cylindrical sleeve located in said bore, said sleeve having an inner surface, an ignition hole, and intake and exhaust ports aligned with said intake passage and exhaust gas passage, spark generating means mounted on the housing means operable to generate a spark in said hole, rotatable valving means located within said sleeve for controlling the flow of air and fuel into said chamber and the flow of exhaust gases out of the chamber, said rotatable valving means having a body and a continuous ring surrounding the body, means connecting the ring to the body whereby the ring rotates with the body, said ring having limited lateral movement relative to said body and an outer surface located adjacent said inner surface of the sleeve whereby when said ring moves into engagement with the inner surface of the sleeve adjacent said intake and exhaust ports, the ring maintains a sealing relationship with the inner surface of the sleeve to close said intake and exhaust ports, said body and ring having valving passages open to the combustion chamber and the inner surface of the sleeve, said body having an outwardly directed lower annular lip, said ring having an annular surface engageable with said lip to limit longitudinal movement of the ring relative to the sleeve, and means operable to rotate said rotatable means in timed relation with the movement of the piston means whereby said engine has intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.
A rotary valve assembly comprising:
- a housing having a bore, a gas inlet passage and a gas outlet passage open to the bore, a continuous cylindrical sleeve means located in said bore, said sleeve means having an inner surface and ports aligned with said passages, rotatable valving means located within said sleeve means for controlling the flow of gas into and out of the assembly, said rotatable valving means having a body and a continuous ring surrounding the body, means connecting the ring to the body whereby the ring rotates with the body, said ring having limited lateral movement relative to said body and an outer surface located adjacent said inner surface of the sleeve means whereby when said ring moves into engagement with the inner surface of the sleeve means adjacent said ports, the ring maintains a sealing relationship with the inner surface of the sleeve means to close said ports, said body and ring having valving passages open to the combustion chamber and the inner surface of the sleeve means, said body having an outwardly directed annular lip, said ring having a annular surface engageable with said lip to limit longitudinal movement of the ring relative to the sleeve means, and means operable to rotate said rotatable valving means whereby said valving passage sequentially moves into alignment with said ports allowing gas to flow in said inlet and outlet gas passages.
A head for an apparatus having a block, a cylinder having a chamber accommodating a reciprocating piston comprising:
- housing means having a bore open to the chamber when the housing means is mounted on the cylinder, said housing means having an intake passage and an exhaust passage open to the bore, continuous sleeve means located in said bore, said sleeve means having a cylindrical inside surface, an intake port and an exhaust port, means securing the sleeve means to the housing means to register the intake port with the intake passage and exhaust port with the exhaust passage, rotatable valving means located within said sleeve means, said sleeve means having an inwardly directed lower annular lip, said valving means having a valving passage open to the cylindrical chamber and the inside surface of the sleeve means, and an annular surface engageable with said lip to limit said longitudinal movement of the valving means relative to the sleeve means, said valving means including means having limited lateral movement whereby the valving means engages the inside surface of the sleeve means to close the intake port and exhaust port, and means for rotating said valving means in timed relation with respect to the movement of the piston whereby said valving passage sequentially moves into alignment with the intake port and exhaust port so that gas is moved into and out of the chamber in response to the reciprocal movement of the piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.