The present invention relates to rotary engines, and more particularly to a rotary engine having a crank assembly eccentrically arranged to form a set of outer chambers for compression and a set of inner chambers for combustion, and completing two power cycles within one revolution.
The conventional internal combustion engine having reciprocal movements of the pistons and such reciprocation of pistons translated into rotation of a crankshaft via special transduction means, are well known. However, the conventional engines suffer major drawbacks such as low fuel efficiency coefficient due to losses on friction of slide between pistons and cylinders walls and transduction of reciprocal-to-rotational motion, thus excessive vibrations due to imbalances in the whole piston transduction mechanism-crankshaft system. The conventional engine requires many accessory mechanisms and thus they are heavy in weight and higher in cost.
In order to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional reciprocating internal combustion engines, rotary internal combustion engines are introduced. The rotary engines are developed as an alternative to the conventional reciprocal internal combustion engine and to deliver increased fuel efficiency. In the rotary internal combustion engine the energy of expanding gasses directly drives the rotation of the shaft. However, most of the existing models apparently suffer either from excessive complexity translatable into high weight and cost of production or do not provide notable gains in the efficiency coefficient.
The existing rotary engines also suffer from problems such as poor fuel efficiency and engine performance. Moreover, in many rotary type engines the structure is complex due to many components and tangled intrinsic system of gas conduits, and thus manufacturing costs become high. The reliability and durability of gas sealing mechanisms in the existing technical solutions also remains the matter of concern. Thus, simple and yet reliable model of rotary engine that would attract manufactures attention still remains a priority.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved rotary type internal combustion engine which is capable to address and overcome the above disadvantages of conventional engines. Accordingly it is desirable to provide an improved rotary type internal combustion engine which is simple, compact and reliable model and providing an improved fuel efficiency and increased engine performance.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotary type internal combustion engine which address and overcomes the disadvantages of conventional engines.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotary type internal combustion engine which provides improved fuel efficiency and increased engine performance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotary type internal combustion engine which is simple and compact.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary engine which completes two cycles within one revolution, and thereby improving the fuel efficiency and engine performance.
The present invention which achieves the objective relates to a rotary type internal combustion engine having a top housing constructed with air ports for suction and exhaust for the engine and a bottom housing aligned with the top housing. The bottom housing is arranged to receive a crank assembly and a cam assembly such that the crank assembly and cam assembly are assembled in between the top housing and the bottom housing. A crank plate is rotatably placed above the bottom housing through a bearing and a set of semi circular cranks are provided at the top surface of the crank plate to travel along with the crank plate.
A crank shaft is arranged to drive along with the crank plate and the cranks are positioned opposite to each other and are aligned to the crank plate. The cam assembly has a set of cams placed above the crank plate, such that the cams are guided by the cranks to revolve with the crank plate. The cams are formed with a profile such that the radius of the cams aligns with the cranks provided in the crank plate. The outer radius of the cam is always in contact with the inner wall of the outer cavity ring and the inner radius of the cam is always in contact with the outer radius of the inner cavity ring.
An outer cavity ring is placed above the crank plate is arranged to surround the crank plate and an inner cavity ring is placed at the inner side of the cranks. The cranks and the crank plate are arranged such that the center of the crank plate is having an offset with the outer cavity ring and the inner cavity ring, and the centre of the circular orbit formed by the semi circular cranks and the center of the crank plate is concentric with each other. The centre point of the crank assembly is made offset with respect to the centre of the top casing and bottom casing assembly. Thus upon rotation of the crank plate and the cranks, two variable volume outer chamber for compression is formed in between the cranks and the outer cavity ring, and two variable volume inner chamber for combustion is formed in between the cranks and the inner cavity ring.
A set of pivot pins supported from the crank plate are provided to enable pivoting of the cams. The cams and the pivot pins are provided with grooved air paths to transfer the received compressed air through the air paths in the pivot pins. A set of sealed air guide paths are formed at the bottom of the crank plate and the cranks to communicate the compression air chambers formed in between the cranks and the outer cavity ring to the combustion chambers formed in between the cranks in the crank plate and the inner cavity ring. A set of air and fire actuators are placed at the air guide path of the crank plate to channelize the compressed air from the compression air chambers to the combustion chambers through the air paths provided in the crank plate. The air and fire actuators are provided in the air paths of the crank plate such that upon reaching a predetermined position, the air actuator is getting actuated in the bottom casing and the fire actuator is actuated in the top casing through the grooves in the top and bottom casing and the air from the air paths are allowed to pass through the air paths in the crank plate.
The air enters into the compression chamber through the suction ports provided in the top housing, and the rotation of the crank plate and the cams compresses the air in the compression chambers. The rotation of the crank plate and the actuation of the air and fire actuator allow the compressed air to pass through the air paths in the crank plate. The further rotation of the crank plate actuates the roller of the air and fire actuator and allows passing the compressed air to the combustion chamber through the air paths in the crank plate, crank, cams and the pivot pins. A set of spark plugs are provided for the combustion chambers through the crank plate, such that the spark plug rotate along with the crank plate and is activated at the desired position by making it to pass through the ignition path that is given in the bottom housing. The spark plug ignites the compressed charge inside the combustion chambers and this combustion delivers power which results in driving of the crank plate and the crank shaft. The further driving of the crank plate actuates the exhaust port to exhaust the combusted gases inside the combustion chamber.
The actuation of the crank shaft draws the air through the suction port in one compression chamber and compressed air is transferred through the air paths to the combustion chamber. The crank assembly is arranged such that two outer compression chamber and two inner combustion chambers are formed, thus within one revolution the engine completes two cycles or one cycle of operation is done within half the revolution. The opening and closing of the air paths are controlled by the air and fire actuator as it passes through the predetermined position in the top and bottom housing, thus the opening and closing of air paths can be easily controlled.
The rotary engine according to the present invention can be utilized as a petrol engine by placing the spark plugs in the crank plate and configuring the spark plugs to ignite the combustion chamber upon actuation of the air and fire actuators. This engine can be used as a diesel engine by replacing the spark plugs with the fuel injectors. The ignition system can also be placed in the top casing, and the timing arrangement for the ignition system is must be coupled.
This rotary engine can also be used as an air compressor by channelizing and storing the compressed from the compression chambers. Thus the rotary engine according to present invention can be adopted for petrol engine, diesel engine and as an air compressor. The rotary engine can be adopted as an alternate to the piston cylinder application like engine, pump, compressor etc.
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and not for the purpose of limiting the same.
The present invention relates to rotary engines, and more particularly to a rotary engine having a crank assembly arranged to form a set of outer chambers for compression and a set inner chambers of combustion, thereby completing two power cycles within one revolution.
A crank shaft (5) transmitting the output from the engines is assembled to the crank plate (6) such that the crank shaft drives along with a circular crank plate (6). The top housing (1) and the bottom housing (4) are assembled to form a leak proof engine assembly. Necessary cooling circuit and oil seals are provided for cooling and lubricating all the parts of the engine. The crank assembly has a crank plate (6) rotatably placed above the bottom housing (4) through a bearing placed inside the bottom housing (4). The crank plate (6) is supported through its bottom surface through a bearing. A set of semi circular cranks (7) are arranged at the top surface of the crank plate (6) to travel along with the crank plate. An outer cavity ring (10) is provided to surround on top of the crank plate (6) and an inner cavity (11) ring is placed at the inner side of the semi circular cranks (7). The cranks are positioned opposite to each other and are aligned to the crank plate (6) to form a circular orbit. The semi circular cranks (7) and the crank plate (6) are arranged such that the center of the cranks (7) is having an offset with the centre of the outer cavity ring (10) and center of the inner cavity ring (11). The centre of the circular orbit formed by the semi circular cranks (7) and the center of the crank plate (6) are made concentric with each other.
The centre point of the crank assembly is made offset with respect to the centre of the top casing (1) and bottom casing assembly (4). The cranks (7), cam assembly and the crank plate (6) are perfectly balanced through necessary balancing mechanism (not shown) for reducing the vibrations in the engine. The cranks (7) are fixed onto the crank plate such that its inner wall touches the outer wall of inner cavity ring (11) and outer wall of the crank (7) touches the inner wall of the outer cavity ring (10). The cranks (7) and the crank plate (6) revolve to form an eccentricity with the rings (10) and (11) which enables to form variable volume chambers inside the rotary engine.
The cam assembly has a set of cams (8) placed above the crank plate (6), such that the cams (8) and the cranks (7) rotate to form an eccentricity with respect to top housing (1), bottom housing (4), inner ring (11) and outer ring (10). The cams (8) are formed with profile such that the radius of the cams (8) aligns with the cranks (7), inner cavity ring (10) and the outer cavity ring (11). A set of pivot pins (9) supported from the crank plate (6) are provided to provide pivoting and of cam (8). The cams (8) and the pivot pins (9) are provided with grooved air paths to transfer the received compressed air through the pivot pins.
The outer cavity ring (10) is placed inside the bottom housing (4) in the bearing (12) to surround the cranks (7) such that upon rotation of the cranks (7) and the crank plate (6), two variable volume outer chambers for compression is formed in between the cranks (7) and the outer cavity ring (10). The bottom housing (4) of the engine has provisions to receive and accommodate the outer cavity ring (10) in between the cranks (7) and the circumferential face of the bottom housing (4). The inner cavity ring (11) is placed inside the cranks (7) to surround the crank shaft (5), such that, upon rotation of the crank plate (6) and the cranks, two variable volume outer chambers for combustion is formed in between the cranks (7) and the inner cavity ring (11). The pivot pins (9) are placed with the crank plate (6) to pivot the cams (8) in the cam assembly.
An eccentric is formed between the crank assembly and inner and outer cavity rings (10) and (11) which are placed inside their respective housing. In order to have the complete sealing of air inside the compression and combustion chamber, the face of the crank plate (6) is bigger to compensate the gap formed due to the offset with respect to the inner and outer cavity rings (10) and (11). The semicircular cranks (7) are arranged such that, on the bottom it is fixed with the crank plate (6) on the top it slides on the inner bottom surface of the top housing (1). The two semicircular cranks (7) are placed opposite to each other over the crank plate (6) forms a circular path with gap of equal distance.
The outer radius of the cranks (7) touches the inner radius of the outer cavity ring (10) at only one point and similarly the inner radius of the cranks (7) touches the outer radius of the inner cavity ring (11) at one position with respect to the offset of the cranks (7). The outer radius on both the side of the cranks (7) is made accurately to slide on the outer and inner rings (10) and (11), and guide the cams (8) which oscillate on its pivot position. The cranks (7) are fixed on top of the crank plate (6) and made to revolve along with the crank plate (6) in concentric to the crank plate and with an offset on one axis with respect to the inner and outer cavity rings (10) and (11).
The cam (8) has radius on four sides, and a pivot projection along with air path on its bottom. The cam (8) is placed in bearing in the crank plate (6) by its pivot projection and it oscillates on the surface of the crank plate (6) and guided by semi circular cranks (7) on both sides and the other two radiuses slides on the inner cavity ring (10) and the outer cavity ring (11). The top surface of the cam (8) slides on the bottom face of the top housing (1). A set of spark plugs (not shown) are provided for the combustion chambers at the crank plate (6) to ignite the compressed charge inside the combustion chambers and this combustion delivers power which results in driving of the crank plate (6) and the crank shaft (5). The further rotation of the crank shaft (5) and the crank plate (6) actuates the exhaust port to exhaust the combusted gases inside the combustion chamber.
The air and fire actuators (15) are placed at the air guide path (16) of the crank plate (6) to travel along the air guide path at the bottom housing (4) and to channelize the compressed air from the compression air chambers to the combustion chambers through the air paths provided in the crank plate (6). The air and fire actuators (15) are provided in the air paths (16) of the crank plate (6) such that upon reaching a predetermined position, the air and fire actuators (15) are actuated. The crank assembly is arranged such that two outer compression chamber and two inner combustion chambers are formed, thus within one revolution the engine completes two cycles or one cycle of operation is done within half the revolution. The opening and closing of the air paths (16) are controlled by the air and fire actuators (15), thus the opening and closing of air paths can be easily controlled. The spark plugs are configured to ignite the combustion chamber upon actuation.
The air and fire actuator (15) is a cam with roller (17) on one side and pivot point on the other. When the actuator (15) is in closed condition it doesn't allow the air to pass through the air path (16) and it is actuated when it passes through the groove in the housing. The opening of the air and fire actuator is actuated by the spring (not shown) in the crank plate (6). The actuator (15) is made of single piece and is arranged to move up and down through the spring in the crank plate.
In operation, the crank shaft (5) connected to the crank plate (6) is driven initially by external source like motor. This driving force makes rotation of the crank plate (6) and the cranks (7) on specified path touching the inner wall of the outer cavity ring (10) and outer wall of the inner cavity ring (11). When the cranks (7) rotate, the pivoted cam (8) which is free to oscillate is guided by the crank (7) and the equidistance path formed between inner and outer rings. Since the centre of the crank assembly is made offset with respect to the centre of the rings (10, 11), and the cranks are made to revolve within the inner and outer rings, one inner and one outer chamber are formed.
The suction port (2) is aligned at a position on the top casing (1), such that when the crank shaft (5) is driven by external source the cam (8) passes the suction port. When the cam (8) passes the suction port (2) the air trapped inside the compression chamber gets compressed. The compression chamber is now simultaneously drawing air inside the chamber. At the determined position the air path (16) is opened by air and fire actuator (15) provided under the crank plate (6) by the spring as soon as it passes through the groove (13) in the bottom housing. The compressed air starts storing in the air path provided in the crank plate (6) with air sealant and to the crank (7) through the square opening (20) provided on top of the crank plate (6). Upon further rotation of the crank plate (6) the compressed air in the compression chamber gets transferred to the combustion chamber. The firing takes place for almost half of the cycle. In order to prevent any error of overlapping of operation minimum angle of interval is provided to start refilling the chamber after combustion. As the cam (8) reaches the end point of the compression chamber the air and fire actuator (15) closes transfer of the compressed air through the air guide path (16) in the crank plate (6).
The combustion chamber is formed by the semicircular cranks (7), cam (8), inner cavity ring (10), top housing (1) and the crank plate (6). This point is zero for our operation. From point zero when the crank (7) continues to rotate 3 degree to 5 degree, the air and fire actuator (15) gets actuated and compressed air and fuel mixture fills in the chamber. When the fire actuator (15) is actuated the air stored in the air guide path (19) of the crank (7) is transferred to the combustion chamber. Simultaneously the spark plug which is placed beneath the cam (8) in the crank plate (6) is activated and firing takes place in the combustion chamber.
At the position of the cam assembly in 0 degree, the air is ready to draw inside the compression chamber. The rotation of the crank plate (6) and the actuation of the air and fire actuator (15) allow passing the compressed air to the air paths (16) in the crank plate (6). The air and fire actuator (15) is kept closed during this operation and hence the compressed air starts storing in the crank (7) and the crank plate (6). When the compression completes the compressed air is stored in the crank plate (6) and crank (7), with both the actuators (15) kept closed. The compression ratio can be adjusted by adjusting the air guide path (16) acting as air storage area in the crank plate (6).
At the position of the cam assembly in 60 degree, the air drawn inside the compression chamber is compressed. Upon further rotation, the crank (7) touches the inner cavity ring (11), and the air and fire actuator (15) is further actuated. The compressed air passes through the opening provided by the air and fire actuator (15) into the air path (16) in the crank plate (6) and further travels to the crank (7) through the square opening provided on top of the crank plate (6). The compressed air fuel mixture passes through the opening in air path (16) and reaches the combustion chamber and the charge is now is ready to be fired.
At the position of the cam assembly in 120 degree, the air drawn inside the compression chamber is fully compressed and transferred to the combustion chamber. Simultaneously the further rotation of the crank plate (6) actuates the air and fire actuator (15) and allows passing the compressed air to the combustion chamber through the air guide paths (16) in the crank plate (6) and the cranks (7). The spark plug provided under the cam on top of the crank plate (6) ignites the air fuel mixture as it passes through the ignition system in the bottom casing (4). When the combustion takes place the expansion of the firing pushes the cam (8) and the crank plate (6) is driven. The further rotation of the crank plate (6), the already burnt air in the combustion chamber is exhausted through the exhaust port (3) in the top housing (1).
The operation is designed to made cyclic, such that in the first half revolution of the crank plate, the suction and compression takes place in one compression chamber and firing and exhaust takes place in the other chamber of the same cam. After half revolution the following cam does the same operation. During the other half of the revolution, the compressed in the first compression chamber is transferred through to the respective combustion chamber through the air guide paths in the crank plate and the cranks. Simultaneously the air is drawn for compression in the other compression chamber is compressed within the half revolution of the crank plate. Thus the engine continuously run and completes the compression and combustion process through the outer compression chambers and the inner combustion chambers through the common suction and exhaust ports.
The crank assembly according to the present invention allows forming two outer compression chambers and two inner combustion chambers, thus within one revolution the engine completes two cycles or one cycle of operation is done within half the revolution. The opening and closing of the air paths are controlled by the air and fire actuator as it passes through the predetermined position in the bottom housing, thus the opening and closing of air paths can be easily controlled. The spark plug is configured to ignite the combustion chamber upon actuation of the air and fire actuator.
The improved crank and cam assembly according to the present invention enables to provide an improved rotary type internal combustion engine which address and overcomes the disadvantages of conventional engines. The rotary engine according to the present invention is simple and compact. This rotary type engine has single crank plate and a set of cranks arranged to produce two compression chambers and two combustion chambers, thus enabling the engine to complete two cycles within one revolution, and thereby improving the fuel efficiency and engine performance.
The rotary engine according to the present invention can be utilized as a petrol engine by placing the spark plugs in the crank plate and configuring the spark plugs to ignite the combustion chamber upon actuation of the air and fire actuators. This engine can be used as a diesel engine by replacing the sparks are with the fuel injectors. This rotary engine can be used as an air compressor by channelizing and storing the compressed from the compression chambers. Thus the rotary engine according to present invention can be adopted for petrol engine, diesel engine and as an compressor.
The foregoing description is a specific embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that this embodiment is described for purpose of illustration only, and that numerous alterations and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations be included insofar as they come within the scope of the invention as claimed or the equivalents thereof.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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4475/CHE/2012 | Oct 2012 | IN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IN2012/000813 | 12/11/2012 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2014/064709 | 5/1/2014 | WO | A |
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3787150 | Sarich | Jan 1974 | A |
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4434757 | Walker | Mar 1984 | A |
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6158968 | Nakamura | Dec 2000 | A |
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20030131808 | Al Hawaj | Jul 2003 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20150292328 A1 | Oct 2015 | US |