Free piston pressure spike modulator for any internal combustion engine

Abstract

A pressure spike modulator for engagement to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. The device provides for adjustment of engine cylinder pressures using a reciprocating piston which provides a temporary increase in engine combustion chamber volume. Pressure from combustion chamber gases is communicated by the device back into the combustion chamber during the downstroke of the engine piston. Engine compression and peak combustion pressure may be modulated by adjusting pressure supplied to the device to resist incoming engine gases. Fuels for the attached engine may thereby be varied or substituted by adjusting the engine peak pressure and compression to one adequate for the chosen fuel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the device engaged and in communication with a cylinder of an internal combustion engine as an addition or OEM.

FIG. 2 depicts the device in sealed engagement to a cylinder through the spark plug hole thereby enabling a gasoline engine to operate on diesel fuel in a pressure induced combustion. Also shown are means for communication of high pressure to the high pressure area of the device to change peak pressure.

FIG. 3 depicts a mode of the device showing venting of the two portions of the device cylinder.

FIG. 3 a is a top view of the venting that may be employed around the external wall of the cylinder.

FIG. 4 depicts a particularly preferred mode of the device having a domed head allowing for better clearances of sealing rings and higher compression in the lower cylinder portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in FIGS. 1-4, wherein similar parts are identified by like reference numerals, there is seen in FIG. 1, a mode of the device integral in design and as it might be incorporated in a new engine during manufacture. In FIG. 2 the device 10 as it might be employed as a retrofit engaged to the engine cylinder 11 through the spark plug aperture 13 in the cylinder head 15 is depicted. In all modes of the device 10 it will function to modulate the peak engine cylinder 11 pressure to which it is engaged by absorbing and storing cylinder pressure during portions of the engine cylinder stroke, and communicating that pressure back into the cylinder 11 of the engine during each stroke of the engine piston 17.

Combustion commences generally at a time when a lower wall 12a of the piston 12 of the device 10 is in a lower position. A biasing is provided by back pressure communicated to the upper wall 12b of the piston 12 in the upper chamber 18 of the device 10 from a pump or steam generator, or other means for generation of pressure 20. The upper chamber 18 and lower chamber 19 are separated by a center wall 24 which allows translation of a rod portion 14 of the piston 12. This force maintains the piston 12 at a substantially lower position closest to the engine cylinder 11 until the pressure in the communicating combustion chamber 21 formed by the engine cylinder 11 above the engine piston 17, exceeds the pressure within the upper chamber 18. At this point, the piston 12 translates inside the device cylinder 22 bisected by a center wall 24 toward the upper chamber 18 and provides a means to temporarily increase the volume of the combustion chamber 21 by communicating expanding gases in the combustion chamber 21 for a time period. This temporary expansion of the combustion chamber 21 provides means to control the pressure spike in the combustion chamber 21 at the point of the ignition of fuel and air. Temporarily lowering the compression or pressure at the pressure peak, by temporarily increasing combustion chamber size, thereby eliminates high octane requirements in gasoline engines which currently must match the octane of the fuel to the compression ratio yielding the peak pressure in the combustion chamber 21 to avoid pre-ignition.

Further, such engines as they increase the power and compression of the fuel and air combusted in the combustion chamber 21 must have increasingly heavy and sturdier structural components to communicate that power to the vehicle without damage to moving structural components of the engine. This is particularly true in high compression racing gasoline engines with blowers or other means for pressurized fuel mixture input, and as required by diesel engines which employ a very high compression of the fuel mixture in the combustion chamber to increase temperatures therein sufficiently to ignite the fuel mixture.

When engaged to a gasoline engine through the spark plug hole, or a fuel injector aperture, or as original equipment with formed engine block or head passages, the device 10 will allow the use of diesel fuel in the engaged cylinder 11 thereby converting it to a diesel engine without the conventional requirement for a heavy and strengthened engine structure. This is accomplished from the temporary relief of peak pressure at the pressure spike point of ignition and subsequent communication of stored pressure and energy back to the expanding compression chamber 21 as the engine piston 17 moves away from the device 10.

In operation engaged to the combustion chamber 21 portion of the cylinder 11 of any gas or diesel engine, once a peak pressure in the combustion chamber 21 is reached, which is substantially equal to that of the upper chamber 18 of the device, the communicated gas and pressure in the lower chamber 19 is forced back into the combustion chamber 21. This is caused when the piston 12 in the device 10 moves downward away from the pressurized upper chamber 18 by the higher force of pressure in that chamber caused when the piston 12 is driven toward the upper chamber 18 by gasses from the engine combustion chamber 21.

Subsequently the gases stored under pressure in the lower chamber 19 is forced by the higher pressure in the upper chamber 18, back into the combustion chamber 21. This particularly enhances performance since it provides continued even pressure and force to the engine piston 17 of the communicating cylinder 11 to continue to drive the engine piston 17 downward. This is unlike conventional operation where pressure in the combustion chamber peaks and then drops dramatically as the size of the combustion chamber increases.

In operation the pressure of gasses in the upper chamber 18 provides means to resist movement of the piston 12 and a resulting increase in the volume into which exploding fuel mixtures in the combustion chamber 21 may expand. Thus, a unique and novel ability is provided through the increasing and decreasing of the pressure in the upper chamber 18. Increasing the pressure in the upper chamber 18 will cause the piston 12 to begin to translate toward the upper chamber 18 at a higher pressure and raise the resulting peak pressure in the cylinder combustion chamber 21. Conversely, lowering the pressure of the upper chamber will cause an earlier piston 12 translation resulting in an earlier expansion of the effective volume of the combustion chamber 21, and lowering the peak pressure in the combustion chamber 21. Thus, by regulating the pressure of the upper chamber 18, the compression ratio and volume of the combustion chamber 21 available to expanding gasses may also be adjusted. Pressure to the upper chamber 18 is provided by means for pressure generation such as an air pump engaged to the engine, or steam produced using engine exhaust heat and water. The resulting pressurized gas is fed to the upper chamber 18. A regulator 30 operatively engaged to a means for control such as an electronic control 32 that operates the regulator 30 to maintain a desired pressure in the upper chamber 18 to yield the peak pressure in the combustion chamber 21 desired.

The device 10 and method of employment thus provides a means to make an internal combustion engine operate on any octane gasoline without pre-ignition by adjusting the upper chamber 18 pressure to yield a correct peak pressure for the fuel. Infinite adjustability of the peak pressure and compression ratio of the engine combustion chambers 21 may be obtained by varying the pressure of the upper chamber 18.

The device 10 thus also provides a means for increasing the volume for expansion of exploding fuel mixtures in the compression chamber 21 and means to store the energy thereof by compressing the gas stored in the upper chamber 18 to thereafter expand and force the piston 12 to communicate the gas back into the combustion chamber 21 under force during the stroke of the piston 17 therein. This variable expansion of the combustion chamber 21 by the translating piston 12 of the engaged device 10, and the storage of energy from the exploding fuel mixture by compression in the high pressure upper chamber 18, and communication thereof back to the combustion chamber 21, also provides means for control of or elimination of the pressure spike which exists in all such internal combustion engines close to the time of detention of the fuel and air mixture in the combustion chamber 21. As such, a much smoother power stroke of the engine piston 17 is yielded by more constant communication of an even force over time from the stored energy in the device 10, back into the combustion chamber 21 as it is increasing in volume.

The use of a means for pressure generation and means to regulate the pressure in the upper chamber 18 allows the user to adjust the device to accommodate many types of fuel in the engine to which it is engaged. For instance, a piston driven airplane that runs on high quality aviation gas could use jet fuel or other fuels if needed by adjusting the pressure in the upper chamber 18 and thereby the peak pressure in the engine combustion chamber 21. Vents 23 communicate with the chambers 18 and 19 for venting of gas during their reciprocation.

While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the method and apparatus for modulation of the pressure spike occurring in internal combustion engine cylinders has been described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instance, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should be understood that such substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations are included within the scope of the invention as defined herein.

Claims

1. A pressure spike modulator for sealed engagement to the combustion chamber of a piston driven internal combustion engine, comprising: a cylinder defined by a sidewall;a piston having a first wall on a first end and having a second wall on a second end, said piston having a circumference adapted to reciprocate in said cylinder;a first chamber of said cylinder defined by an area between said sidewall and said first wall;a second chamber in said cylinder defined by a second area between said sidewall and said second wall;means for sealed engagement of said first chamber in a communication with a combustion chamber of a piston-driven internal combustion engine;means to pressurize said second chamber to a first pressure level; andsaid first pressure level determining a peak pressure achievable in said combustion chamber prior to said peak pressure causing a translation of said piston toward said second chamber and away from said first chamber.

2. The pressure spike modulator of claim 1 additionally comprising: means to regulate said first pressure level to a chosen said first pressure level in a range of pressure levels and thereby regulate said peak pressure.

3. The pressure spike modulator of claim 2 wherein said means to regulate said first pressure level comprises: a regulator positioned between a flow of pressurized gas from said means to pressurize said second chamber, and said second chamber; andsaid regulator having a set point ceasing flow of said pressurized gas once a determined said first pressure level is reached in said second chamber.

4. The pressure spike modulator of claim 3 additionally comprising: said regulator adjustable to a range of said set points;a controller engaged with said regulator; andsaid controller being user-adjustable to any set point in said range of set points to thereby provide means to vary said first pressure level.

5. The pressure spike modulator of claim 1 additionally comprising: said first chamber and said second chamber separated by a center wall communicating between said sidewall; andsaid first wall and said second wall of said piston connected by a member communicating through said center wall.

6. The pressure spike modulator of claim 2 additionally comprising: said first chamber and said second chamber separated by a center wall communicating between said sidewall; andsaid first wall and said second wall of said piston connected by a member communicating through said center wall.

7. The pressure spike modulator of claim 3 additionally comprising: said first chamber and said second chamber separated by a center wall communicating between said sidewall; andsaid first wall and said second wall of said piston connected by a member communicating through said center wall.

8. The pressure spike modulator of claim 4 additionally comprising: said first chamber and said second chamber separated by a center wall communicating between said sidewall; andsaid first wall and said second wall of said piston connected by a member communicating through said center wall.

9. The pressure spike modulator of claim 5 additionally comprising: said first chamber and said second chamber separated by a center wall communicating between said sidewall; andsaid first wall and said second wall of said piston connected by a member communicating through said center wall.

10. The pressure spike modulator of claim 5 additionally comprising: a first portion of said first chamber defined by an area between said center wall and said first wall; andmeans to vent said first portion of said first chamber.

11. The pressure spike modulator of claim 6 additionally comprising: a first portion of said first chamber defined by an area between said center wall and said first wall; andmeans to vent said first portion of said first chamber.

12. The pressure spike modulator of claim 7 additionally comprising: a first portion of said first chamber defined by an area between said center wall and said first wall; andmeans to vent said first portion of said first chamber.

13. The pressure spike modulator of claim 8 additionally comprising: a first portion of said first chamber defined by an area between said center wall and said first wall; andmeans to vent said first portion of said first chamber.

14. The pressure spike modulator of claim 9 additionally comprising: a first portion of said first chamber defined by an area between said center wall and said first wall; andmeans to vent said first portion of said first chamber.

15. The pressure spike modulator of claim 1 wherein said means for sealed engagement of said first chamber in a communication with a combustion chamber is a threaded engagement with a spark plug hole of said internal combustion engine.

16. The pressure spike modulator of claim 2 wherein said means for sealed engagement of said first chamber in a communication with a combustion chamber is a threaded engagement with a spark plug hole of said internal combustion engine.

17. The pressure spike modulator of claim 11 wherein said means for sealed engagement of said first chamber in a communication with a combustion chamber is a threaded engagement with a spark plug hole of said internal combustion engine.

18. A method of regulating the peak pressure achievable in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine using an engageable cylinder defined by a sidewall and having a first chamber defined by an area between said sidewall and a first wall of a reciprocating piston and having a second chamber in said cylinder defined by a second area between said sidewall and a second wall of said piston opposite said first wall, and a having a means for sealed engagement of said first chamber in a communication with said combustion chamber, means to pressurize said second chamber to a first pressure level, comprising the steps of: engaging said first chamber in said sealed engagement with said combustion chamber; andpressurizing said second chamber to said first pressure level to thereby set said peak pressure achievable in said combustion chamber.

19. The method of claim 18 including the steps of: ascertaining a fuel pressure level for a fuel for said internal combustion engine which avoids a pre-detonation of said fuel; andsetting said first pressure level at or below said fuel pressure level.

20. The method of claim 19 including the steps of: ascertaining said fuel pressure level when said fuel is diesel fuel;setting said first pressure level at or below said fuel pressure level for said diesel; andrunning a said internal combustion engine designed for gasoline fuel using said diesel fuel.