US3747578A

US3747578A - Oscillating cylinder internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: US3747578A
Application number: US00192042A
Authority: US
Inventors: P Pickens
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-10-26
Filing date: 1971-10-26
Publication date: 1973-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-24

Abstract

A modified two-cycle internal combustion engine with cylinders generally radially mounted within a housing and oscillating from true radial disposition during each cycle of the engine, the trunnions supporting the cylinders being fixed relative to the housing and being tubular and functioning as fuel inlets with valving ports to the cylinders closed and opened as the cylinders oscillate. As disclosed the engine is of pancake form with a master bearing plate rotatively mounted on a single throw crankshaft and connected by wrist pins with pistons. Each cylinder has an individual jacket and coolant is circulated from exterior of the housing into these jackets individually and thence into the relatively large volume interior of the housing and then returned for maximal cooling and since the coolant will ordinarily be oil in a closed pressurized system this oil also provides adequate lubrication.

Description

[111 3,747,578 July 24, 1973 Primary Examiner--Al Lawrence Smith Assistant Examiner-Michael Koczo, Jr. AttorneyRoy L. Knox [57] ABSTRACT A modified two-cycle internal combustion engine with cylinders generally radially mounted within a housing and oscillating from true radial disposition during each cycle of the engine, the trunnions supporting the cylinders being fixed relative to the housing and being tubular and functioning as fuel inlets with valving ports to the cylinders closed and opened as the cylinders oscillate. As disclosed the engine is of pancake form with a master bearing plate rotatively mounted on a single throw crankshaft and connected by wrist pins with pis tons. Each cylinder has an individual jacket and cool- 91/213, 92/119 F02b 59/00 9l/212, 213, 417/465 United States Patent Pickens [76] Inventor:

[22] Filed:

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mvsz v'rox PAUL D. PICK E NS OSCILLATING CYLINDER INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The principle of the two-cycle engine is notoriously old and oscillating cylinders are not new, being disclosed in several patents and having been actually developed in a few forms. Radial engines of several types have been used successfully and connection of several pistons are usually spaced along a multi-throw crankshaft in in-line arrangement rather than in so-called pancake engine form. The use of trunnions for tilting or oscillating cylinders has been previously developed but not combined with fuel inlet valving by inlet ports in the trunnions opened and closed directly by the oscillation of the cylinders. Exhaust of the cylinders through the respective trunnions and forced routing of the coolant along the cylinders to spill into the larger space within the housing are not found in prior art structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As claimed, this engine has cylinders radially mounted for oscillation on fixed trunnions within a housing, the trunnions being inlets for fuel fed under pressure, through ports in the trunnions and registering openings in the cylinders, these ports being opened and closed by the oscillation of the cylinders, and the oscillation being generated indirectly by the throw of the crankshaft which is linked to the pistons by wrist pins in a master bearing plate to transmit the generally radially inward thrust of the pistons to the crankshaft. The cooling system is unique in the provision of individual jackets for the cylinders fed from the exterior of the housing and opening, at the radially inward ends of the jackets, into the relatively large space within the housing, thus assuring a large volume of coolant, good heat transfer and at the same time giving good lubrication of the moving parts when oil is used as the coolant. A refinement of the structure involves spring biased saddles mounted on the radially outward ends of the oil coolant jackets with tubular extensions through the housing for connection with a source of pressurized coolant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the basic engine; FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a similar sectional view showing the intake valve action; and

FIG. 6 is a similar sectional view showing a fuel injector and igniter incorporated in the cylinder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT This invention is conceived as adaptable for use in a diesel or semi-diesel engine as well as in engines relying entirely on spark plug ignition. As illustrated, the engine is designed for two-cycle operation with pressurized fuel injection.

The engine is ideally constituted for flat or pancake construction, the housing 10 having a base plate 12 and a peripheral wall 14 and what may be termed a top plate 16, shown as circular. The

plates

12 and 16 have aligned

bearings

18 and 20 and oil seals 22 whereby a crankshaft 24 is journalled axially of the housing, a throw portion of the crankshaft being shown in full lines at 26 and the axial position of the crankshaft in dash line at 24 in FIG. 2.

The number of cylinders is indeterminate but to accomodate two or more cylinders in the same general plane a master bearing plate 28 is mounted on the crankshaft, with the requisite number of bearing elements 30 to accept wrist pins 32 whereby pistons 34 are indirectly connected in driving relation to the crankshaft.

Cylinders 36 are pivotally mounted on trunnions 38 which are mounted for fine rotative adjustment and locking as at 40. The cylinders 36 oscillate about the trunnions 38 as indicated in FIG. 2, the trunnions being tubular and serving as fuel inlets as well as exhaust pipes and also as pivotal supports for the cylinders. Each trunnion has fuel intake ports 42, preferably in slot form as indicated in FIG. 3, and the adjacent portions of the cylinders have correspondingly dimensioned ports 44, arranged so that with the cylinders in one position the ports 44 register with the adjusted ports 42 to permit pressurized fuel to enter the cylinders as illustrated in FIG. 5. In another position of the cylinders the ports are closed as illustrated in FIG. 4, for the compression and power stroke phases as the cylinders oscillate.

Exhaust port structure includes primary exhaust ports 46 in the side of the cylinders, an elbow conduit 48 leading therefrom to the exhaust ports 50 defined by tubular portions in said trunnions 38, the exhaust ports 50 being separated from the intake ports 42 by a solid portion or wall 52. It will be understood that suitable conduits will connect the intake and exhaust ends of the trunnions, respectively, to a source of pressurized fluid fuel and further exhaust handling means as required.

Around each cylinder are jackets 54 which preferably extend the full length of the cylinders 36 and slightly therebeyond as illustrated in FIG. 3 to define the end chambers 56 which may communicate with the respective coolant inlet pipes 58 leading to the exterior of the housing 10 for connection to a source of pressurized coolant, substantial sealing of the coolant inlet pipes to the jackets 54 being accomplished by saddles 60 riding on the ends of the jackets and biased inwardly by springs 62 encircling the pipes 58 and compressed between the casing and the outer surfaces of the saddles. It is important that the coolant be a lubricant so that the bearings 64 mounting the cylinders 36 and jackets 54 on the trunnions are lubricated through channels such as that indicated at 66 in FIG. 3. Since the jackets 54 are open toward the crankshaft the entire internal space 68 is bathed in coolant and all the moving parts, such as the wrist pins 32 and crankshaft 24, are lubricated. A distribution oil manifold 70 may be used to feed the coolant pipes 58 and a similar provision may be made for connection to coolant outflow openings 72 as desired. The particular structure of the manifolding is thought to be unimportant in this disclosure, except that it should be understood that some means such as a pump, internal or external, is required to assure forced circulation through the individual jackets for maximal cooling.

Fuel injection means somewhat diagrammatically indicated at 74 with ignition means 76, are incorporated in the cylinder head portion as shown in FIG. 6, and sealing snap-in plugs 78 or the equivalent are used to retain the integrity of the jackets 54. It will be understood that flexible conduits and electric leads will connect the fuel injection and ignition means with exterior sources, not shown, of pressurized fluid fuel and properly timed electrical impulses, all of which structure is well known prior art and unchanged by this invention.

The operation of the engine will be obvious from the foregoing description and drawings since the general principles of two-cycle operation are adhered to strictly. The engine will run in either direction depending upon which direction it is started, the starting means being outside the scope of this disclosure, and after starting the piston at the top of its power stroke will be disposed as indicated at the top of FIG. 2 and its valve 38 is closed as indicated in FIG. 4. The piston at the bottom of FIG. 2 is at the bottom of its stroke, its valve 38 again closed, and the other pistons are in intermediate positions, one cylinder as indicated in FIG. 5 having its inlet valve 38 open for injection of pressurized fuel, all according to well known two-cycle operation. At this same instant the exhaust ports 46 in another cylinder are fully opened, as indicated in the lower part of FIG. 3, for purging of that cylinder through elbow 48 and the trunnion exhaust port 50. The elimination of all valves as such greatly simplifies the engine structure. It is noteworthy also that since each cylinder is independent of the others in operation, the trunnions 38 can be precisely and independently adjusted and re-locked in position for perfect timing of the opening of the ports for fuel intake and the closing of these ports for compression and subsequent ignition. This feature adds materially to the efficiency in operation.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine:

an engine housing;

a crankshaft operatively mounted in said housing;

a plurality of cylinders arranged radially within said housing, each cylinder having a piston connected to the crankshaft by an intervening master bearing plate rotatively mounted on the crankshaft, said pistons being connected to said bearing plate by individual wrist pins, with all said pistons and cylinders and said bearing plate being in generally coplanar arrangement, said cylinder having trunnion structure whereby the cylinder is pivotally mounted on said housing to oscillate about the axis of said trunnion structure; said trunnion structure being at least in part tubular to define a fuel inlet, andsaid trunnion structure and cylinder having registering rotary valve openings directly communicating said tubular trunnion structure with said cylinder in one position of the oscillating cylinder, and said openings in the trunnion structure being closed in another position of the cylinder. 2. An internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein each cylinder has an individual jacket; and means for circulating liquid coolant through the jackets.

3. An internal combustion engine according to claim 2 wherein said coolant substantially fills said housing, and cylinders and jackets are at least partially immersed in said coolant.

4. An internal combustion engine according to claim 2 wherein said housing has a coolant port and individual saddles in bearing relationship with radially outermost ends of said jackets; and said saddles having tubular portions extending to the exterior of said housing and supporting the saddles in spaced relation on said housing, whereby pressurized coolant is circulated into and out of said housing as well as along said jackets for maximized cooling of said cylinders.

5. An internal combustion engine according to claim 4 and wherein said saddles are spring biased into substantially sealed connection with said jackets.

6. An internal combustion engine according to claim 2 wherein said trunnion structure has tubular portions defining exhaust ports connected with exhaust ports in said cylinders.

7. An internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said cylinders and wherein the trunnion structure defining the fuel inlet of each cylinder is independently adjustable for precise timing of the opening and closing of said openings.

Claims

1. In an internal combustion engine: an engine housing; a crankshaft operatively mounted in said housing; a plurality of cylinders arranged radially within said housing, each cylinder having a piston connected to the crankshaft by an intervening master bearing plate rotatively mounted on the crankshaft, said pistons being connected to said bearing plate by individual wrist pins, with all said pistons and cylinders and said bearing plate being in generally coplanar arrangement, said cylinder having trunnion structure whereby the cylinder is pivotally mounted on said housing to oscillate about the axis of said trunnion structure; said trunnion structure being at least in part tubular to define a fuel inlet, and said trunnion structure and cylinder having registering rotary valve openings directly communicating said tubular trunnion structure with said cylinder in one position of the oscillating cylinder, and said openings in the trunnion structure being closed in another position of the cylinder.

2. An internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein each cylinder has an individual jacket; and means for circulating liquid coolant through the jackets.