US 9,194,287 B1Granted

Double cam axial engine with over-expansion, variable compression, constant volume combustion, rotary valves and water injection for regenerative cooling

OwnerBernard Bon, Jorge Martins +2inventors

InventorsBernard Bon, Jorge Martins, Francisco Brito, Tiago Costa

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Abstract

An axial engine includes a cam assembly housing moveable away from a cylinder head to reduce a compression ratio during conditions giving rise to detonation and movable towards the cylinder head to raise the compression ratio when operation allows the higher compression ratio. Piston rod ends ride in counter rotating slots balancing lateral forces on the piston rods. Piston dwell at Top Dead Center (TDC) provides for constant volume combustion and extended piston travel during the power stroke allows for over-expansion. Rotary valves improve volumetric efficiency and water injection supports increased compression ratio leading to improved thermodynamic efficiency.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A variable compression axial engine comprising:

a cylinder block having parallel cylinder bores;
a cylinder head fixed to the cylinder block
an engine housing attached to the cylinder block opposite to the cylinder head;
a cam assembly residing in the engine housing below the cylindrical block and movable in the engine housing towards and away from the cylinder head, the cam assembly including
a rotating inner cam in the cam assembly and moving towards and away from the cylinder head with the cam assembly;
and
a counter rotating outer cam in the cam assembly residing co-axial outside the inner cam and rotationally coupled to the inner cam by elements of the cam assembly to counter rotate at a same angular velocity as the inner cam, and moving towards and away from the cylinder head with the cam assembly;
a rotating engine shaft parallel to the cylinder bores, the inner cam rotationally coupled to the engine shaft;
an inner cam channel on an outside face of the inner cam;
an outer cam channel on an inner face of the outer cam;
the connecting rods having bottom ends coupled to follow the inner cam channel and the outer cam channel to couple rotational motion of the inner cam and the outer cam to reciprocating motion of the rods;
corresponding portions of the inner channel and outer cam channel are adjacent, and the bottom ends of the connecting rods include cam followers simultaneously engaging both the inner cam channel and the outer cam channel at all times;
and
pistons residing at top ends of the connecting rods.

11 more elements

A variable compression axial engine comprising:

a cylinder block having parallel cylinder bores;
a cylinder head fixed to the cylinder block;
pistons reciprocatingly residing in the cylinder bores;
piston rods attached to the pistons, extending down into the cylinder bores, and reciprocating with the pistons
an engine housing attached to the cylinder block opposite to the cylinder head;
a cam assembly residing in the engine housing below the cylindrical block and movable in the engine housing towards and away from the cylinder head;
a rotating inner cam and a rotating outer cam residing coaxially with the inner cam and counter rotating with respect to the inner cam in the cam assembly, the inner cam and the outer cam moving towards and away from the cylinder head with the cam assembly;
a rotating engine shaft parallel to the cylinder bores, the inner cam rotationally coupled to the engine shaft;
the inner cam having an inner cam channel residing on an outside face of the inner cam;
the outer cam having an outer cam channel residing on an inside face for the outer cam, corresponding portions of the inner and outer cam channels are adjacent, bottom ends of the connecting rods include cam followers simultaneously engaging both the inner channel and the outer cam channel at all times;
the inner cam channel and the outer cam channel define four engine strokes comprising:
an intake stroke wherein the piston moves away from the cylinder head;
a compression stroke wherein the piston moves towards the cylinder head;
a power stroke wherein the piston again moves away from the cylinder head;
and
and an exhaust stroke wherein the piston moves towards the cylinder head;
and
the power and exhaust strokes are longer than the intake and compression strokes providing over expansion and extracting additional mechanical energy from combustion in the axial engine;
connecting rods have bottom ends coupled to follow the inner cam channel and the outer cam channel to convert rotational motion of the inner cam and the outer cam to reciprocating motion of the rods.

16 more elements

A variable compression axial engine comprising:

a cylinder block having parallel cylinder bores;
a cylinder head fixed to the cylinder block
an engine housing attached to the cylinder block opposite to the cylinder head;
a cam assembly residing in the engine housing below the cylindrical block and movable in the engine housing towards and away from the cylinder head;
a rotating inner cam and rotating outer cam in the cam assembly moving towards and away from the cylinder head with the cam assembly;
a rotating engine shaft parallel to the cylinder bores, the rotating cam rotationally coupled to the engine shaft;
the inner cam having an inner cam channel residing on an outside face of the inner cam, the inner cam channel comprise two diverging-converging, generally sinusoidal channels, one having a greater amplitude than the other, and converging at piston Top Dead Center (TDC) at peaks at 0 degrees, 180 degrees and again at 360 degrees of engine shaft rotation;
the outer cam residing coaxially with the inner cam and counter rotating with respect to the inner cam at the same angular velocity as the inner cam, and having an outer cam channel residing on an inside face for the outer cam, corresponding portions of the inner and outer cam channels are adjacent, the bottom ends of the connecting rods include cam followers simultaneously engaging both the inner and the outer cam channels at all times;
the inner channel and the outer channel define four engine strokes comprising:
an intake stroke wherein the piston moves away from the cylinder head;
a compression stroke wherein the piston moves towards the cylinder head;
a power stroke wherein the piston again moves away from the cylinder head;
and
and an exhaust stroke wherein the piston moves towards the cylinder head;
and
the inner cam channel and the outer cam channel including a generally flat portion at Top Dead Center (TDC) between the compression and power strokes providing constant volume combustion;
connecting rods have bottom ends coupled to follow the channel to convert rotational motion of the cam to reciprocating motion of the rods;
and
pistons residing at top ends of the connecting rods.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/633,330Filed 27 Feb 2015 · us provisional application
Priority: 26 Nov 2014
Granted: 24 Nov 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

F01B 3/101
Control of working-fluid admission or discharge peculiar thereto: for machines with stationary cylinders
F01B 3/0026
Actuating or actuated elements: actuating or actuated element bearing means or driving or driven axis bearing means
F01B 3/02
Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with cylinder axes coaxial with, or parallel or inclined to, main shaft axis: with wobble-plate
F01B 3/102
For machines with stationary cylinders: changing the piston stroke by changing the position of the swash plate