This invention pertains to the field of internal combustion engines. Presently, the internal combustion engines being manufactured generally suffer from a plethora of problems, such as excessive weight and size, low efficiency, low power-to-weight ratio, low torque, high fuel consumption, high levels of air pollution, excessive noise and vibration, high complexity and large number of parts, which leads to decreased reliability and durability of the engine. The present invention endeavors to solve these problems to some extent, improving the relevant parameters substantially.
The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide an improved internal combustion engine; to also provide an engine of greatly improved efficiency, higher output power to weight ratio, and improved torque capabilities; to also provide such an engine, which utilizes an external air compressor and/or compressed air reservoir to inject compressed air directly into the combustion cavity, obviating the need for intake valves; to also provide such an engine, which utilizes spherical pivoting intake and/or exhaust valves; to also provide an engine which avoids the reciprocation of relatively large masses therein, thereby avoiding the conversion of the linear movement to rotary movement with the goal of improving fuel efficiency and reducing vibrations; to also provide such an engine with fewer parts and without the need for complex types of valve mechanisms, which are required in conventional reciprocating engines; to also provide a rotary engine including a lobed rotor or a rotor with retracting vanes; to also provide a rotary engine with a pluraliry of rotors; to also provide an engine, which can be powered both by fuel and compressed air; to also provide a hybrid vehicle, which can be operated using fuel, electricity, and compressed air; to also provide a hybrid vehicle with electric motor in each wheel, which would enable greater maneuverability and would decrease size and weight of the vehicle; and to also provide an automatic parking system for such a hybrid vehicle.
According to an aspect of the invention, this objective is met by the valves being of a rotary type, having a rotation body, such as a sphere, for example. The spherical valves pivot around their axes and thus control the opening and the closing of the intake and exhaust channels. The camshafts forcibly close the valves without requiring springs. This has the effect of making the engine lighter and more durable, reducing its weight and fuel consumption and eliminating improper untimely spontaneous ignition, thus resulting in overall improved power and performance.
According to another aspect of the invention, this objective is met by converting a traditional 4-stroke piston engine into an effectively 2-stroke engine by adding a source of compressed air. Compressed air is delivered from a compressor or a storage tank directly into the combustion chamber and fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber by fuel injector, thereby eliminating the intake and compression strokes of a traditional 4-stroke engine, leaving only the power and exhaust strokes. Therefore, such a 2-stroke engine would only require exhaust valves, since the need for intake valves would be obviated by direct air injection.
According to another aspect of the invention, this objective is met by the engine being of a rotary type, having a rotation body, such as a cylinder, for example. The rotor of the engine can have at least two vanes. One preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in
Each pair of vanes and the stator define a rotary combustion chamber and an exhaust chamber. This engine needs no intake or exhaust valves, nor does it need an intake manifold. This engine uses compressed fuel-air mixture (or some other fuel-oxidant mixture), which gets created by having the fuel and compressed air (or another oxidant) delivered separately prior to ignition by their respective injectors into the combustion chamber, where fuel and oxidant (such as air) get mixed immediately prior to combustion.
This has the effect of making the engine smaller, lighter and more durable; reducing fuel consumption; eliminating improper, spontaneous, and untimely ignition; increasing engine torque, speed, and power; decreasing vibration and noise; all of which leads to overall improved performance and increased expected mean time between failures (MTBF).
According to another aspect of the invention, this objective is met by utlizing a Roots-type (also referred to as rotary tooth) supercharging compressor configuration for a rotary internal combustion engine, whereby the lobes (vanes) of the rotor would not be touching the walls of the engine stator (body) when rotating. The lobes could be of various geometric shapes for increased efficiency. There could be a plurality of rotors within a single stator (engine body).
According to another aspect of the invention, this objective is met by combining the internal combustion engine with electric drive and pneumatic drive in a hybrid vehicle, capable of running on fuel, electricity, or compressed air.
According to another aspect of the invention, this objective is met by the hybrid vehicle having a separate electric motor for each wheel, enabling the vehicle to turn each of the wheels up to 90 degrees in either direction, allowing for greater maneuvaribility and substantially decreased size and weight due to the resultant absence of transmission, drive shafts, and other standard equipment, which exists in traditional vehicles.
According to another aspect of the invention, this objective is met by providing an automatic parking system for such a hybrid vehicle, whereby the vehicle's onboard computer program and ancillary equipment, such as video, infrared, utlrasound, radar, or other distance-measuring sensors would guide the vehicle into a parking space with minimal or no operator input.
Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.
The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.
Referring to the drawings, particularly to
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Referring to
Power Stroke
When piston 100 is at the upper dead center position inside cylinder 110, exhaust valve 162 is fully closed, and air/oxidant is injected under pressure via air injection control valve 280 and air injector 260 into the combustion chamber 210. At about the same time, fuel is injected through fuel injection control valve 270 and fuel injector 250 into the combustion chamber 210. This creates a compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber 210. This mixture is then ignited, either by means of spark plug 290 (in case of gasoline engines, for example), or by the pressure itself (in case of Diesel engines, for example). The force of the explosion makes piston 100 move downwards, which makes piston rod 230 go down as well, thereby turning crankshaft 231, thus translating linear motion of piston 100 into rotational motion of crankshaft 231.
Exhaust Stroke
After piston 100 reaches bottom dead center inside cylinder 110, exhaust valve 162 is opened, piston 100 begins to move upward, forcing the exhaust gases out of cylinder 110 through exhaust valve 162 and exhaust manifold 171. This process continues until piston 100 reaches top dead center and exhaust valve 162 is closed, thereby finishing exhaust stroke and starting power stroke.
Referring to
Referring to
Start-Up and Idling Mode of Operation
Battery 370 supplies electrical current to electrical motor 380, which turns rotor 350, air compressor 320, and fuel pump 330. Air or another gaseous oxidant necessary for combustion is delivered from air compressor 320 via compressed oxidant line 300 through air injection control valve 280 into injector 260, which delivers it into combustion chamber 211. Fuel is delivered from fuel pump 330 via fuel line 310 through fuel injection control valve 270 into fuel injector 250 and injected into combustion chamber 211. Ignition is accomplished by means of spark plug 290 in case of fuels requiring means of ignition, or by self-combustion due to Diesel effect. During the idling mode it is possible to only use one spark plug 290, one fuel injector 250, and one air injector 260. The periodicity of activation of spark plug 290, fuel injection control valve 270, air injection control valve 280, fuel injector 250, and air injector 260 is once per 180° turn of rotor 350.
Operation Under Low Load at Low RPM
Rotor 350 or electric motor 380 turns air compressor 320 and fuel pump 330. Compressed air (or some other gaseous oxidant) is delivered via compressed air lines 300, air injection control valves 280 and 281, and through air injectors 260 and 261 into combustion chambers 211 and 212. Fuel is delivered via fuel lines 310, through fuel injection control valves 270 and 271, and through fuel injectors 250 and 251 into combustion chambers 211 and 212. Ignition is accomplished by spark plugs 290 and 291. During low load operation spark plugs 290 and 291, fuel injection control valves 270 and 271, air injection control valves 280 and 281, fuel injectors 250 and 251, and air injectors 260 and 261 are operated periodically, once per 180° turn of rotor 350.
Operation Under Full Load at High RPM
This is similar to operation under low load at low RPM, except that during full load operation spark plugs 290 and 291, fuel injection control valves 270 and 271, air injection control valves 280 and 281, fuel injectors 250 and 251, and air injectors 260 and 261 are operated twice as frequently, once per 90° turn of rotor 350.
Reference is made to
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Similar to the embodiment shown on
Reference is made to
Another distinct feature of this embodiment, which is different from other shown embodiments, is radiating air ducts 390 of small diameter passing through each of the five lobes of each of the two rotors 357 and 358, emanating from the center of each rotor. These air ducts 390, which could be less than 1 mm in diameter, deliver compressed air from air compressor 320 via compressed air line 300, enter the housing of stator 404 and are connected to each of the hollow rotor axles, from which the air spreads through inside of the rotors, cooling them, and exiting the rotors into the inside of the stator, cooling the inner surfaces of stator 404. This serves as the cooling system of the rotary engine in this particular embodiment, which may totally obviate the need for liquid cooling.
Yet another distinct feature of this embodiment is the way the three sets of air and fuel combustion equipment—namely, the air and fuel injectors and control valves, as well as the spark plugs—are used. These could be configured in such a way as to deliver the air and fuel only into the middle combustion chamber 213, while the other two combustion chambers 211 and 212 would only be supplied with compressed air. This would serve to complete the combustion of the unburned air and fuel mixture, coming from the middle combustion cavity 213, as well as to cool rotors 357 and 358, and stator 404.
Alternatively, all three combustion cavities in the embodiment shown in
In general, the greater the number of combustion chambers, the greater the power output of the rotary engine. The number of combustion chambers may be increased by increasing the number of rotors and/or the number of rotor lobes per rotor. Furthermore, rotary engine modules of any of the above designs could be stacked together to provide even higher output power, if desired.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/511,571 filed Jul. 26, 2011 and titled “Internal combustion engine with direct air injection and hybrid vehicle based thereupon”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/483,915 filed May 9, 2011 and titled “Internal combustion engine with direct injection of air and fuel”; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/483,952 filed May 9, 2011 and titled “Rotary internal combustion engine”; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/381,948 filed Sep. 11, 2010 and titled “Mechanism of the gas distribution of internal combustion engine.”
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