US 4,741,164 AGranted

Combustion engine having fuel cut-off at idle speed and compressed air starting and method of operation

OwnerEldon E. Slaughterinventor

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Abstract

A rotary internal combustion engine which includes a lobed combustion rotor and a similar compression rotor on a common shaft and firing chambers external to the combustion and compression cavities. The compression rotor compresses excess amounts of air during normal operation which is stored in a tank. During operation, the rotational speed of the engine shaft and the position of an accelerator are sensed. The engine may be run in a non-idle mode by inhibiting the flow of fuel and air to the firing chambers and inhibiting the spark plugs when an idle speed accelerator position and an idle engine speed are sensed, to shut down the engine. When the accelerator is afterwards pressed, the engine is restarted by valving stored compressed air to the combustion cavity to cause the combustion rotor to turn.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A non-idle method of operating an internal combustion engine including a rotary engine shaft;

fuel supply means to supply fuel to said engine to cause the operation of said engine;
an air compressor driven by rotation of said shaft and communicating with said engine to supply compressed air thereto for mixing with fuel to form a combustible mixture;
spark means associated with said engine and controllable to cause the ignition of a fuel-air mixture therein to cause the rotation of said shaft;
a compressed air reservoir storing excess compressed air from said compressor;
an air valve connecting said reservoir with said compressor and said engine to control the flow of compressed air from said compressor to said reservoir and from said reservoir to said engine;
an accelerator movable to operatively control the rotational speed of said engine shaft;
shaft encoder means generating a shaft speed signal indicative of the rotational speed of said engine shaft;
and an engine controller operatively interconnected with said fuel supply means, said spark means, said valve, said accelerator, and said shaft encoder, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) running said engine;
(b) storing excess compressed air in said reservoir during the running of said engine;
(c) sensing the rotational speed of said engine shaft;
(d) sensing the position of said accelerator;
(e) upon sensing that said accelerator is on an idle speed position and that said engine shaft has slowed to an idle rotational speed, controlling said fuel supply means and said spark means by said engine controller to be inhibited to cause the shutdown of said engine;
and
(f) upon sensing that said accelerator is in a position indicating a demand to an increase in engine shaft speed, controlling, by said engine controller, said air valve to cause the communication of compressed air to said engine to cause the rotation of said engine shaft and controlling said fuel supply means and said spark means to be reactivated to thereby restart said engine.

12 more elements

An internal combustion engine capable of operation in a non-idle mode comprising:

(a) an engine housing forming a combustion cavity;
(b) an engine shaft rotatably mounted on said housing and extending through said cavity;
(c) an air compressor operatively connected to said shaft and compressing air upon the rotation of said shaft;
(d) a compressed air reservoir communicating with said compressor and storing excess compressed air from said compressor;
(e) an air valve connecting said reservoir with said compressor and said engine to control the flow of compressed air from said compressor to said reservoir and from said reservoir to said engine;
(f) fuel supply means operative to supply a combustible fuel, said fuel supply means cooperating with said compressor to form a fuel-air mixture which is cyclically communicated to said engine cavity;
(g) timed igniter means operative to ignite said mixture;
(h) volume element means movably positioned in said cavity and operatively connected to said shaft, said volume element means cyclically increasing the working volume of said cavity thereby rotating said shaft in response to the ignition of said mixture in said cavity and decreasing said working volume to exhaust combusted gases from said cavity;
(i) an accelerator movable to operatively control the rotational speed of said engine shaft;
(j) shaft encoder means generating a shaft speed signal indicative of the rotational speed of said engine shaft;
and
(k) engine controller means operatively interconnected with said fuel supply means, said igniter means, said valve, said accelerator, and said shaft encoder;
whereby upon sensing that said accelerator is in an idle speed position and that said engine shaft has slowed to an idle rotational speed, said engine controller means controls said fuel supply means and said igniter means to be inhibited to cause the shutdown of said engine and whereby upon sensing that said accelerator is in a position indicating a demand for an increase in engine shaft speed, said controller means controls said air valve to cause the communication of compressed air to said engine to rotate said engine shaft and controls said fuel supply means and said igniter means to be reactivated to thereby restart said engine.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/045,153Filed 30 Apr 1987 · continuation
Priority: 15 Oct 1985
Granted: 3 May 1988
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F02N 9/04
Starting of engines by supplying auxiliary pressure fluid to their working chambers: the pressure fluid being generated otherwise, e.g. by…
F02D 17/04
Controlling engines by cutting out individual cylinders; Rendering engines inoperative or idling: rendering engines inoperative or idling, e.g.…
F02B 1/04
With positive ignition: with fuel-air mixture admission into cylinder
F02B 2053/005
Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines: wankel engines