Internal combustion engine with arrangement for adjusting the compression ratio
AssigneeSinus Holding AS
InventorLeif Dag Henriksen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The internal combustion engine has a plurality of cylinders which are arranged in an annular series about a common central drive shaft. Each cylinder includes a pair of opposed pistons which are movable towards and away from each other while defining a combustion chamber therebetween. Each piston is connected to a piston rod which causes rotation of a cam guide device secured to the drive shaft. At least one cam guide device is provided with an annular flange which subdivides a pressure oil chamber at the end of the drive shaft into two sub-chambers. Pressure oil can be delivered to one or the other of the sub-chambers in order to move the cam guide device axially thereby changing the compression ratio in the combustion chamber between the two pistons.
Claims20
Arrangement in a combustion engine (10) having internal combustion, comprising a number of engine cylinders (21), arranged annularly around a common drive shaft (11) and having cylinder axes running parallel to the drive shaft, each cylinder including a pair of pistons (44, 45) movable towards and away from each other and a common, intermediate working chamber (K) for each pair of pistons, while each piston (44, 45) is equipped with its respective axially movable piston rod (48, 49), the free outer end of which is supported via a support roller (53) against its respective “sine”-like curve shaped, cam guide device (12a, 12b). arranged at opposite ends of the cylinder (21) and which controlling movements of the piston relative to the associated cylinder, characterised in
- that at least one (12b) of the cam guide devices (12a, 12b) is axially displaceable in relation to a one-piece drive shaft (11) and is provided with a hydraulic mechanism, for separately adjusting in axial direction the position of said at least one cam guide device (12b) including regulation of the relative spacing between the pistons (44, 45), especially for regulation of the compression ratio in a common working chamber (K) between the pistons,
- said hydraulic mechanism includes an annular pressure oil chamber (13b) and a simulator piston (12b′),
- said simulator piston (12b′) partitions said annular pressure oil-chamber (13b) into two sub-chambers, and
- each sub-chamber is connected to a respective one of two pressure oil circuits.
Arrangement in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that
- the pressure oil chamber (13) is defined in a spacing between the drive shaft (11) and the cam guide device (12b), and
- said simulator piston (12b′) is projecting from said cam guide device (12b) radially inwardly in said chamber (13a).
In combination
- a rotatable drive shaft;
- an engine block having a plurality of cylinders disposed in parallel relation about a common central axis;
- a pair of pistons disposed in facing relation to each other in at least one of said cylinders to define a combustion chamber therebetween, each said piston being reciprocally mounted in said one cylinder;
- a pair of piston rods, each piston rod being connected to a respective one of said pistons for movement therewith and extending outwardly of said engine block;
- a drive shaft disposed on said central axis and extending through said engine block;
- a pair of cam guide devices connected to opposite ends of said drive shaft, each cam guide device having a curved cam surface in contact with a respective one of said piston rods for rotation of said cam guide device in response to an axial movement of said one piston rod and for rotating said drive shaft therewith;
- said drive shaft having an annular pressure oil chamber at at least one end thereof;
- at least one of said cam guide devices being slidably mounted on a said drive shaft to move axially thereof, said cam guide device including an annular flange sub-dividing said annular pressure oil chamber into two sub-chambers;
- and
- oil guide means for supplying pressure oil to and from said sub-chambers to effect axial movement of said one cam guide device whereby said combustion chamber between said pistons is varied in volume.
In combination
- a rotatable drive shaft;
- an engine block having a plurality of cylinders disposed in parallel relation about a common control axis;
- a pair of pistons disposed in facing relation to each other in at least one of said cylinders to define a combustion chamber therebetween, each said piston being reciprocally mounted in said one cylinder;
- a pair of piston rods, each piston rod being connected to a respective one of said pistons for movement therewith and extending outwardly of said engine block;
- a drive shaft disposed on said central axis and extending through said engine block;
- a pair of cam guide devices connected to opposite ends of said drive shaft, each cam guide device having a curved cam surface in contact with a respective one of said piston rods for rotation of said cam guide device in response to an axial movement of said one piston rod and for rotating said drive shaft therewith, said curved cam surface of one of said cam guide devices having portions thereof in phase-displaced relation to portions of said curved cam surface of said other of said cam guide devices and portions thereof in mutually-phased relation to portions of said curved cam surface of said other of said cam guide devices;
- at least one of said cam guide devices being axially movable of said drive shaft;
- and
- means for regulating the axial position of at least one of said cam guide devices relative to said drive shaft whereby said combustion chamber between said pistons is varied in volume to regulate the compression ratio therein.
In combination
- a rotatable drive shaft;
- an engine block having a plurality of cylinders disposed in parallel relation about a common control axis;
- a pair of pistons disposed in facing relation to each other in at least one of said cylinders to define a combustion chamber therebetween, each said piston being reciprocally mounted in said one cylinder;
- a pair of piston rods, each piston rod being connected to a respective one of said pistons for movement therewith and extending outwardly of said engine block;
- a drive shaft disposed on said central axis and extending through said engine block;
- a pair of cam guide devices connected to opposite ends of said drive shaft, each cam guide device having a curved cam surface in contact with a respective one of said piston rods for rotation of said cam guide device in response to an axial movement of said one piston rod and for rotating said drive shaft therewith;
- at least one of said cam guide devices being axially movable of said drive shaft;
- and
- hydraulically controlled means for regulating the axial position of at least one of said cam guide devices relative to said drive shaft whereby said combustion chamber between said pistons is varied in volume to regulate the compression ratio therein, said means including an annular pressure chamber in said drive shaft, an annular flange on said one cam guide device sub-dividing said annular chamber into two sub-chambers and an oil guide means for supplying pressure oil to and from a respective sub-chamber to effect axial movement of said one cam guide device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.