BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments described in the drawings and specification in no way limit or define the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view in partial section of one embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention, showing the poppet valve in the closed position.
FIG. 1B is a perspective view in partial section of one embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention, showing the poppet valve in the open position.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention showing a plurality of valve ports arranged to create a swirling action in the combustion chamber as air flows through the poppet valve.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the inner valve head of one embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention.
FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the inner valve head of another embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention.
FIG. 4A is a perspective view in partial section of one embodiment of the valve guide of the present invention showing the guide pin in the valve closed position.
FIG. 4B is a perspective view in partial section of one embodiment of the valve guide of the present invention showing the guide pin in the valve open position.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an internal combustion engine containing one embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates a method of one embodiment of the present invention for operating a poppet valve in an internal combustion engine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been illustrated in relation to embodiments which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will realize that the present invention is capable of many modifications and variations without departing from the scope of the invention.
The word “rotation” and the phrase “relative rotation” between any two components of the present invention refer to a relative rotation between the two components. As understood by one of skill in the art, “relative rotation” between a first component and a second component means that the first component may stay rotationally fixed while the second component rotates, that the first component rotates while the second component stays rotationally fixed, or that both the first and second components rotate simultaneously or at different times with respect to each other. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention which recite an inner valve rotating relative to, or with respect to, an outer valve, for example, the outer valve may be rotationally fixed while the inner valve rotates, the outer valve may rotate while the inner valve stays rotationally fixed, or both the inner and outer valves may rotate simultaneously with respect to each other. The words “align”, “aligned”, “alignment”, and “aligning” are defined herein to refer to a partial or full alignment between two components. Thus, an inner valve port is aligned with an outer valve port if there is any path through those inner and outer valve ports through which a substance, such as air, can flow, regardless of the shape or size of the path.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a poppet valve as shown in FIG. 1A. The poppet valve in FIG. 1A comprises a hollow outer valve containing an inner valve. The outer valve comprises an outer valve stem 101 and an outer valve head 106, with the outer valve head 106 having four outer valve ports 103. The inner valve comprises an inner valve stem 102 and an inner valve head 107, with the inner valve head 107 having four valve port covers 104 corresponding to the four outer valve ports 103. The inner valve head 107 also comprises four inner valve ports 105 corresponding to the four outer valve ports 103. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, one of skill in the art will see that the inner valve ports 105 comprise a closed two-dimensional area. The inner valve rotates relative to the outer valve, causing the valve port covers 104 to selectively open and close the outer valve ports 103, thereby increasing the effective valve area of the poppet valve. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A the poppet valve is in the closed position, wherein the outer valve ports 103 are obstructed by the port covers 104, preventing air from flowing through the outer valve ports 103.
FIG. 1B illustrates the poppet valve embodiment of FIG. 1A with the poppet valve in the open position. In this embodiment, the inner valve has been rotated relative to the outer valve, wherein the outer valve ports 103 are not obstructed by the valve port covers 104, and the outer valve ports 103 are aligned with the inner valve ports 105, allowing air to flow through the poppet valve by flowing through the outer valve ports 103 and then flowing through the inner valve ports 105. One of skill in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention relating to a poppet valve can be used for any purpose and with regard to any type of substance, including solids, liquids, and gases. Accordingly, while some embodiments of the present invention describe a poppet valve useable with an internal combustion engine, these embodiments are descriptive and not limiting.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a poppet valve comprising a hollow outer valve containing an inner valve, as shown in FIG. 2. The outer valve comprises an outer valve stem 202 and an outer valve head 203, with the outer valve head having one or more outer valve ports 204. The inner valve as seen in the figure comprises an inner valve stem and an inner valve head, with the inner valve head having one or more valve port covers and one or more inner valve ports corresponding to the outer valve ports 204. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the inner valve rotates relative to the outer valve, causing the valve port covers to selectively open and close the outer valve ports 204, thereby increasing the effective valve area of the poppet valve. In this embodiment, the one or more outer valve ports 204 and inner valve ports are arranged to improve mixing of the fuel charge in the combustion chamber as air flows through the poppet valve. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the outer valve ports and the inner valve ports are arranged to create a swirl or vortex in the combustion chamber as air flows through the poppet valve. The swirling action produced by the poppet valve shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2 improves mixing of the fuel and air in the combustion chamber, enabling more power to be extracted from a given amount of fuel.
The embodiment of FIG. 2 can be extended by arranging the outer valve ports 204 and inner valve ports in a variety of ways to produce different mixing effects in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. For example, in one embodiment, one or more of the outer valve ports 204 and/or inner valve ports may not be parallel to the outer valve stem 202. In another embodiment, the outer valve ports 204 and/or the inner valve ports are each directed towards one part of the combustion chamber, such as towards the center line of the combustion chamber. In yet another embodiment, the outer valve ports 204 and/or the inner valve ports are arranged such that the incoming air is directed away from the center line of the outer valve stem 202. In further embodiments, the outer valve ports 204 and/or the inner valve ports are directed to work in concert with other elements of the internal combustion engine to improve mixing of the fuel charge in the combustion chamber. For example, the outer valve ports 204 and/or the inner valve ports can be arranged to direct the fuel charge into grooves or channels in the top of the piston. One skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous outer valve port 204 and inner valve port arrangements are available to optimize the fuel charge mixing of a given internal combustion.
FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of one embodiment of an inner valve head usable with any embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention, including the poppet valves embodied in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 4A, 4B, 5, and 6. In FIG. 3A, the inner valve head is a circular disc comprising four valve port covers for obstructing flow. For illustrative and discussion purposes only, the inner valve head of FIG. 3A can be combined with the outer valve of FIG. 1A to create an embodiment of the present invention. One of skill in the art can see that the valve port cover 301 is a solid portion of the inner valve head which prevents the fuel charge from flowing through the outer valve ports 103 when the poppet valve is in the closed position. When the poppet valve is in the open position, the four outer valve ports 103 are aligned with the four inner valve ports 302, enabling air to flow through the poppet valve by flowing through the outer valve ports 103 and then by flowing through the inner valve ports 302. One of skill in the art can see that the inner valve ports 302 are closed two-dimensional areas in the current embodiment.
FIG. 3B shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an inner valve head usable with any embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention, including the poppet valves embodied in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 4A, 4B, 5, and 6. In FIG. 3B, the inner valve head comprises four valve port covers 303 as well as four inner valve ports 304. One of skill in the art will see that the inner valve ports 304 are open two-dimensional areas. For illustrative and discussion purposes only, the inner valve head of FIG. 3B can be combined with the outer valve of FIG. 1A to create an embodiment of the present invention. One of skill in the art can see that the valve port cover 303 is a solid portion of the inner valve head which prevents air from flowing through the outer valve ports 103 when the poppet valve is in the closed position. When the poppet valve is in the open position, the four outer valve ports 103 are not totally obstructed by the four valve port covers 303, enabling the fuel charge to flow through the poppet valve by flowing through the outer valve ports 103 and through the inner valve ports 304. One of skill in the art will see that the inner valve head shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3B does not have inner valve ports as in the embodiment of FIG. 3A because the area between adjacent valve port covers 303 in FIG. 3B is not closed by a connector around the circumference of the inner valve head as in FIG. 3A. Accordingly, the inner valve head depicted in FIG. 3B may have less mass than the inner valve head depicted in FIG. 3A because the valve port covers 303 are not connected as they are in FIG. 3A. Thus, the inner valve head of FIG. 3B may have less rotational inertia than the inner valve head of FIG. 3A.
Another embodiment of the present invention, as disclosed in FIG. 4A, provides a valve guide for causing the inner valve of poppet valve embodiments of the present invention to rotate relative to the outer valve of poppet valve embodiments of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 4A is usable with any embodiment of the poppet valve of the present invention, including the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 5, and 6. For illustrative and discussion purposes only, the poppet valve embodiment of FIG. 1A can be combined with the valve guide embodiment of FIG. 4A to create a further embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a guide pin 405 is located on the inner valve stem 403 and a timing window 406 is located on the outer valve stem 402. The guide pin 405 rests within the timing window 406 and the timing window 406 defines the full range of rotation of the inner valve relative to the outer valve. The “valve closed” and “valve open” positions are located within the range of rotation defined by the timing window 406.
As seen in the present embodiment, the valve guide 401 includes a recessed timing groove 407 in contact with the guide pin 405. The timing groove 407 controls the movement of the guide pin 405 as the poppet valve moves longitudinally through the valve guide 401. Thus, the timing groove 406 guides the guide pin 405 and causes the inner valve to rotate relative to the valve guide 401. One of skill in the art will understand that various means can be used to control the rotation of the outer valve relative to the inner valve in a way usable with the embodiment of FIG. 4A, including mechanical, hydraulic, or electronic means.
One embodiment for controlling rotation of the outer valve is shown in FIG. 4A. In FIG. 4A, the outer valve stem 402 includes a longitudinal ridge 404 which is located in a corresponding longitudinal groove of the valve guide 401. The longitudinal ridge 404 prevents the outer valve from rotating relative to the valve guide 401. Since the outer valve and the valve guide 401 do not rotate relative to each other, the guide pin 405 and timing groove 407 cause the inner valve to rotate relative to the outer valve, thereby selectively opening and closing the outer valve ports 103 of the poppet valve. Here, as seen in the current embodiment, the guide pin 405 is in the upper part of the timing groove 407, causing the poppet valve to be in the closed position wherein the valve port covers 104 obstruct the valve ports 103. Further, the longitudinal ridge 404 is additionally advantageous because it strengthens the outer valve stem 402. As one of skill in the art will understand, two or more guide pins, timing windows, or timing grooves may be used with embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 4B depicts the embodiments of FIG. 4A wherein the poppet valve has moved longitudinally downward through the valve guide 401. Since the poppet valve has traveled downward through the valve guide, the guide pin 405 has moved within the timing groove 407, causing the inner valve to rotate relative to the outer valve in a clockwise direction. Thus, the poppet valve is in the open position, wherein the outer valve ports 103 and the inner valve ports 105 are aligned, allowing air to flow through the poppet valve by flowing through the outer valve ports 103 and then by flowing through the inner valve ports 105. One of skill in the art will also see that the inner valve head of the embodiment of FIG. 3A or 3B can be used with the embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B.
The poppet valve and/or valve guide of each embodiment of the present invention can be used in an internal combustion engine as depicted in FIG. 5, including the embodiments discussed with regard to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, and 6. For illustrative and discussion purposes only, the poppet valve as embodied in FIG. 1A is used in the embodiment of FIG. 5. As known to one of skill in the art, an internal combustion engine includes a reciprocating piston 501 which moves linearly within a cylinder 502. The internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber 503, which is the volume between the top of the piston 501 and the cylinder head 509. A spark plug 506 may be used as an ignition source. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, air is traveling down the intake port 510 and into the combustion chamber 503. The poppet valve is in the open position, such that the air is entering the combustion chamber 503 by flowing both around the outer valve head 106 and through the outer valve ports 103 and the inner valve ports 105. One of skill in the art will understand that the internal combustion engine of embodiments of the present invention can be of numerous types, including gasoline, diesel, two-stroke, four-stroke, carbureted, fuel injected, direct fuel injected, and the like. Similarly, the internal combustion engine of embodiments of the present invention may be naturally aspirated or may use a forced induction system, including superchargers and turbo chargers as known to those skilled in the art. Also, one of skill in the art will understand that any means can be used to cause the inner valve to rotate relative to the outer valve, such as mechanical, hydraulic, and electric means.
One embodiment of the present invention for operating an intake poppet valve in an internal combustion engine is provided in FIG. 6. The internal combustion engine can be the internal combustion engine depicted in FIG. 5, but any type of internal combustion engine can be used. The method of FIG. 6 can also be used in non-engine applications as well. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the internal combustion engine comprises a cylinder head including a poppet valve, a combustion chamber, and a piston. The poppet valve of the present embodiment comprises an outer valve head and an inner valve head. The outer valve head comprises an outer valve port and an inner valve head comprising an inner valve port. The inner valve rotates relative to the outer valve to align the outer valve port with the inner valve port, creating a path through which air can flow. Any of the poppet valve and valve guide embodiments of the present invention may be used with the embodiment of FIG. 6, including the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, and 5.
First in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the piston moves 601 away from the cylinder head, increasing the volume in the combustion chamber. Second, the poppet valve extends 602 into the combustion chamber, enabling a fuel charge to flow past the outer valve head and into the combustion chamber. Next in the present embodiment, the inner valve head rotates 603 in a first rotational direction relative to the outer valve head, causing the outer valve port to align with the inner valve port, creating a path through which air can flow into the combustion chamber. As understood by one of skill in the art, steps 601, 602, and 603 may be performed in any order depending on the particular valve timing of the internal combustion engine.
Fourth in the present embodiment, the poppet valve is retracted 604 toward the cylinder head. The inner valve head is then rotated 605 relative to the outer valve head in a direction opposite of the first rotational direction, causing the outer valve port to close. Sixth, the piston moves 606 toward the cylinder head, decreasing the volume in the combustion chamber. Seventh, the outer head of the poppet valve rests 607 against the cylinder head, closing the combustion chamber. Finally, the fuel charge is ignited 608 in the combustion chamber. The inner valve head may be rotated relative to the outer valve head using at least one of mechanical, hydraulic, or electronic means as known to those skilled in the art. Steps 604, 605, and 606 may be performed in any order depending on the particular valve timing of the internal combustion engine, as understood by one of skill in the art.
In one embodiment extending the embodiment of FIG. 6, the poppet valve comprises an outer valve stem connected to the outer valve head, and an inner valve stem connected to an inner valve head, wherein a guide pin is located on the outer valve stem. In a further embodiment extending the embodiment of FIG. 6, the poppet valve further comprises a guide pin located on the inner valve stem and a timing window located on the outer valve stem, the guide pin located within the timing window to define the maximum rotation of the inner valve head relative to the outer valve head. Additionally, the poppet valve may be contained within a valve guide in the cylinder head, the valve guide comprising a timing groove on the inner surface of the valve guide and in contact with the guide pin, wherein the timing groove exerts a horizontal force on the guide pin as the poppet valve moves longitudinally relative to the valve guide, enabling the outer valve ports to selectively open and close. Further extending the present embodiment, the valve guide may include a longitudinal groove and the outer valve may include a longitudinal ridge in contact with the groove, wherein the groove and ridge prevent the outer valve from freely rotating relative to the valve guide.
In a further embodiment extending the embodiment of FIG. 6, the outer valve port and the inner valve port are designed to improve mixing of the fuel charge in the combustion chamber. One of skill in the art will understand that either one or both of the inner valve ports and the outer valve ports can be designed to improve mixing in the combustion chamber. In one embodiment, the outer valve port and the inner valve port are arranged to create a swirling action in the combustion chamber when air passes through the poppet valve. One of skill in the art will understand that every outer and inner valve port arrangement discussed with respect to embodiments of the present invention may be used with the embodiment of FIG. 6. Finally, the methods of FIG. 6 can be embedded in computer program products executable by a digital device, wherein digital devices include personal computers, laptops, personal digital assistants, digital processors embedded in automobiles, and the like.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with specific embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above-disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alternations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Specific embodiments should be taken as exemplary and not limiting.
Patent Application
20070240696
