Claims
- 1. The combination with an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder including a piston and firing chamber, an intake duct into which air is throttled to control engine power level, a connecting rod and a crank pin, of the improvement comprising an eccentric sleeve interposed between said rod and pin, an oil circuit for lubrication, latching means carried by said sleeve and rod, and means reflective of pressures in said oil circuit operatively connected to said latching means for shifting the same into latching relationship with said rod.
- 2. The combination described in claim 1 in which said reflective means comprises means sensitive to pressure in said intake duct.
- 3. The combination described in claim 2 in which said reflective means comprises a movable push rod responsive to intake pressure.
- 4. The combination described in claim 1 in which said latching means comprises a pawl-latch movably carried by said sleeve and pocket means in said rod for receiving said pawl-latch.
- 5. The combination described in claim 4 in which said connecting rod has a plurality of spaced pockets for selective cooperation with said pawl-latch.
- 6. The combination described in claim 4 further including a hydraulic system and a control valve for controlling the supply of hydraulic fluid to said pawl-latch and operatively connected to said pressure reflective means.
- 7. The combination described in claim 6 in which said control valve includes means responsive to engine motion for periodically delivering hydraulic fluid to said pawl-latch.
- 8. The combination described in claim 7 in which said control valve responds to both said reflective means and said engine motion responsive means.
- 9. The combination described in claim 8 in which said engine motion responsive means delivers hydraulic fluid to said pawl-latch for projecting the same, during successive compression strokes of said piston, for latching said sleeve and rod, and vents said pawl-latch during successive power strokes to unlatch said sleeve and rod.
- 10. The combination described in claim 9 in which said intake pressure responsive means adjusts the timing of delivery of hydraulic fluid to said pawl-latch.
- 11. The combination described in claim 6 in which said control valve is hydraulically operated and further including a circumferential passage between said connecting rod and said eccentric sleeve, a trigger duct connecting said hydraulic system and said control valve, a vent duct connecting said control valve and said circumferential passage, and a series of lugs in said circumferential passage positioned to selectively occlude said vent duct to cause said trigger duct to actuate said control valve and open communication between said hydraulic system and said pawl-latch and drive said latch into said circumferential passage to latch together said rod and sleeve and in the interim to vent said control valve to release said rod and sleeve.
- 12. The combination described in claim 6 in which said pawl-latch is adapted to traverse a radial path in moving into and out of said latching pockets and comprises a pair of pivoted wing members forming a chamber therebetween communicating with said pockets and chamber whereby at least one of said wing members will be caused to approach the other, as said pawl-latch moves into one of said pockets to express fluid from said chamber into said latter pocket for tending to snub the movement of said pawl-latch in said latter pocket.
- 13. The combination described in claim 11 further including means normally biasing said pawl-latch to its release position out of said circumferential groove.
- 14. The combination described in claim 11 further including spring influenced accumulator means connected to said trigger passage for storing hydraulic fluid when said pawl-latch is in its release position to provide assistance in actuating said control valve and said pawl-latch when said vent duct is blocked by one of said lugs.
- 15. The combination described in claim 11 further including a dash pot device connected to said circumferential passage for cushioning said pawl-latch.
- 16. The combination with an internal combustion engine of the four stroke cycle type having at least one cylinder, piston, connecting rod, and crank pin, of an eccentric sleeve rotatably interposed between said rod and pin, a pawl-latch movably carried by said sleeve and a plurality of latch pockets in said rod adjacent approximately 180.degree. of said sleeve for selectively receiving said pawl-latch to latch together said rod and sleeve, a hydraulic system, and a control valve including a rotor moving at half engine speed and means actuable with said rotor for timely delivering hydraulic fluid for alternately projecting and retracting said pawl-latch for latching and unlatching said rod and sleeve, a window in said rotor controlling the delivery of hydraulic fluid to said pawl-latch, and a device sensitive to pressure in said intake for adjusting said rotor to vary the timing of delivery of hydraulic fluid through said window to said pawl-latch.
- 17. The combination described in claim 16 in which said pawl-latch comprises pivoted wing members forming a chamber therebetween communicating with said pockets and further including means to supply hydraulic fluid to said pockets and chamber whereby at least one of said wing members will approach the other as said pawl-latch moves into and along one of said pockets, to express fluid from said chamber into said latter pocket and thereby tend to snub said pawl-latch movement while supplying fluid to said dash pot.
- 18. The combination described in claim 16 in which said control valve further includes port means communicating with said pawl-latch, said rotor further comprising a recessed portion cooperating with said window in control of said pawl-latch.
- 19. The combination described in claim 16 further including accumulator means communicating with said latch pockets for expediting return of said pawl-latch from said pockets upon release of latching pressure thereon.
- 20. The combination described in claim 16 further including spring means resisting movement of said pawl-latch outwardly into latching position and for expediting return of said pawl-latch from latching position upon release of latching pressure thereon.
DESCRIPTION
The invention described herein was made by an employee of the U.S. Government and may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
US Referenced Citations (5)