Self-pressure-regulating compressed air engine comprising an integrated active chamber

An engine with active chamber, comprising at least one cylinder (1) and one piston (2) which is mounted to slide in the cylinder (1) and which drives a crankshaft (5) by means of a conventional connecting rod-crank device (3, 4), in which the volume of the cylinder (1) swept by the piston (2) is divided into two distinct parts, a first part constituting the active chamber (CA) which is included in the cylinder and a second part constituting the expansion chamber (CD), the cylinder (1) being closed in its top part by a cylinder head (6) including at least one duct and one intake orifice (7) and at least one duct and one exhaust orifice (8), and which is arranged in such a way that, when the piston (2) is at its top dead center point, the residual volume contained between the piston (2) and the cylinder head (6) is, by construction, reduced to the very minimum gaps enabling the contactless operation between the piston and the cylinder head, and in which compressed air, or any other gas under pressure, supplied from a storage tank of compressed air, or of any other gas under pressure, is admitted into the cylinder (1) above the piston, and, under the continuous thrust of the compressed air, or any other gas under pressure, the volume of the active chamber (CA) increases while producing work, the intake of the compressed air, or any other gas under pressure, into the cylinder is blocked when the maximum volume of the active chamber (CA) is reached, and the quantity of compressed air, or any other gas under pressure, contained in said active chamber then expands while pushing back the piston over the second part of its stroke while producing work thus ensuring the expansion phase, the piston having reached its bottom dead center point, the exhaust orifice is then opened to ensure the exhaust phase while the piston rises up over all of its stroke, characterized:

• in that the storage tank (12) of compressed air at high pressure, or of any other gas under pressure, directly feeds the intake of the engine cylinder (1);
• in that the active chamber (CA) in the cylinder is filled at a constant intake pressure on each engine revolution, this intake pressure decreasing as the pressure in the storage tank (12) decreases during the emptying of this tank,
• in that the maximum volume of the active chamber (CA) is variable and increases progressively as the pressure in the storage tank (12) which determines said intake pressure decreases;
• in that means (7, 9) for opening and closing the intake of the compressed air into the active chamber (CA) make it possible not only to open the intake orifice and duct (7) substantially at the top dead center point of the stroke of the piston, but also make it possible to modify the duration and/or the angular sector of the intake, as well as the passage section of the opening;
• in that the maximum volume of the active chamber (CA) is dimensioned for the maximum storage pressure, then is progressively increased so that, depending on the intake pressure, on the ratio of volumes between the included active chamber (CA) and the expansion chamber (CD), the pressure at the end of expansion before the opening of the exhaust (8) is close to atmosphere pressure.