US 6,308,677 B1Granted

Overhead rotary valve for engines

OwnerWilliam Louis Bohach, Christopher Scott Bohachinventors

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Abstract

An overhead rotary valve fitted into a cylinder head with diametrical polygonal openings formed therein for use in combination with an internal combustion engine, driven to bring intake and exhaust ports into and out of alignment with passages leading to and from the combustion chamber. Sleeve bearings are fitted in the cylinder head that provide surface sealing, and annular sealing members prevent the air/fuel mixture or exhaust gases from flowing into regions intermediate ports and individual cylinders. Utilizing this overhead rotary valve and associated seals and bearings increases the efficiency and performance of an internal combustion engine. The overhead rotary valve rotating, at one quarter the speed of the crankshaft, minimizes wear and noise levels, self cleans the ports, allows the engine to operate at higher rpm and imparts proper opening and closing of passages at the proper sequence of valve timing without concern of valve float. The instant invention removes the need for reciprocating intake and exhaust valves, camshafts, rocker arms, lifters, push rods, valve guides and retainers, and other related hardware for actuation, significantly increasing the reliability and effectiveness of the internal combustion engine, while reducing overall manufacturing costs.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An overhead rotary valve assembly and a cylinder head that operates with a conventional internal combustion engine block, consisting of a plurality of cylinders and the cylinder head with upper and lower intake gas passages and an upper and lower exhaust gas passages with an overhead rotary valve spool being mounted in the cylinder head for rotation, which has ports or bores for intake and exhaust gases that become aligned with the upper and lower intake passages and the upper and lower exhaust passages in the cylinder head, depending on the angle of rotation and the rotary valve assembly has a plurality of oil-lubricated, surface seal sleeve bearings and annular sealing rings comprised of a low friction fluoropolymer supported by a sinter metal and annular sealing rings being retained in corresponding grooves, that surround said valve spool that are axially adjacent to the ports in the rotary valve member where the overhead rotary valve annular seals provided between the valve member and the cylinder head inhibit encircling leakage of gases there between and the bearings and seals have an anti-friction fluoropolymer material on the sliding surfaces thereof and,

the invention in which said rotation further consists of:
a driving sprocket, a driven sprocket and a timing belt or a chain, with the driving sprocket being fastened to a crankshaft and the driven sprocket being secured to the one end of the rotary valve member for driving the valve shaft in synchronism with the reciprocation of the pistons in the cylinder.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.