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US 9,909,492 B2Granted
Opposed piston internal combustion engine with inviscid layer sealing
AssigneePrime Group Alliance, LLC
InventorWilliam Jeswine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An opposed-piston engine that forms an inviscid layer between pistons and the respective cylinder walls. In an aspect, the opposed-piston engine utilizes a Scotch yoke assembly that includes rigidly connected opposed combustion pistons. In an aspect, the Scotch yoke assembly is configured to transfer power from the combustion pistons to a crankshaft assembly. In an aspect, the crankshaft assembly can be configured to have dual flywheels that are internal to the engine, and can be configured to assist with an exhaust system, a detonation system, and/or a lubrication system.
Claims26
An opposed piston engine comprising:
- a) an engine case comprising:
- i) a pair of combustion cylinders aligned with one another;
- and
- ii) a crankcase, wherein the pair of combustion cylinders are separated by the crankcase;
- and
- b) a scotch yoke assembly housed within the crankcase, the scotch yoke assembly comprising:
- i) a scotch yoke base;
- ii) a scotch yoke guide shaft rigidly connected to the engine case within the crankcase;
- and
- iii) a pair of combustion pistons rigidly connected to the scotch yoke base, wherein each one of the pair of combustion pistons is configured to annularly move within one of the pair of combustion cylinders without actual contact between the combustion pistons and walls of the combustion cylinders, wherein the combination of the combustion pistons moving within the combustion cylinders forms an inviscid layer between walls of the combustion cylinders and heads of the pistons, the inviscid layer forming a seal between the walls and the heads of the combustion pistons, the inviscid layer consisting of air or a mixture of air and fuel that eliminates the need for a lubricant within the combustion cylinders.
7 more elements
An opposed piston engine, comprising:
- a) an engine case comprising:
- i) a pair of combustion cylinders aligned with one another;
- ii) a pair of compression cylinders aligned with one another and in parallel with the pair of combustion cylinders, wherein the pair of compression cylinders are configured to collect ambient air in the compression cylinders;
- and
- iii) a crankcase, wherein the pair of compression cylinders and the pair of combustion cylinders are separated by the crankcase;
- b) a scotch yoke assembly housed with the crankcase, the scotch yoke assembly comprising:
- i) a scotch yoke base;
- ii) a slotted raceway within the scotch yoke base;
- iii) a scotch yoke guide shaft rigidly connected to the engine case within the crankcase;
- iv) a pair of combustion pistons rigidly connected to the scotch yoke base by combustion connecting rods, wherein each one of the pair of combustion pistons is configured to annularly move within one of the pair of combustion cylinders;
- and
- v) a pair of compression pistons rigidly connected to the scotch yoke base by at least one compression connecting rod, wherein each one of the pair of compression pistons is configured to annularly move within one of the pair of compression cylinders to compress the ambient air, wherein the combination of the scotch yoke base, the scotch yoke guide shaft, the combustion connecting rods, and the at least one compression connecting rod combustion pistons assist in aligning the scotch yoke base and place the combustion pistons in close proximity of walls of the combustion cylinders without actual contact between the combustion pistons and walls of the combustion cylinders, wherein the combination of the combustion pistons moving within the combustion cylinders in close proximity to the walls of the combustion cylinders forms a seal consisting of an inviscid layer between the walls of the combustion cylinders and the combustion pistons, the inviscid layer consisting of air or a mixture of air and fuel that eliminates the need for a lubricant within the combustion cylinders;
- and
- c) a crankshaft assembly comprising a bearing assembly configured to interact with the slotted raceway of the scotch yoke assembly and a rod journal of the crankshaft assembly, wherein the scotch yoke assembly is configured to transfer power from the pair of combustion pistons to the crankshaft assembly through the bearing assembly.
11 more elements
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a) at least one combustion cylinder;
- b) at least one combustion piston configured to operate within the at least one combustion cylinder in close proximity to walls of the combustion cylinder without actual contact between the at least one combustion cylinder and the at least one combustion piston;
- and
- c) a seal consisting of an inviscid layer of a mixture of air and fuel formed from the at least one combustion piston moving quickly within the at least one combustion cylinder eliminating the need of a lubricant within the at least one combustion cylinder.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.