Patent Application
20130180492
The present invention is generally directed toward a valve mechanism, and more specifically, a rotary valve system for internal combustion engines.
Many prior art valve mechanisms for internal combustion engines have been developed in recent years. Conventional internal combustion engines used in the automotive industry use poppet valves, which intermittently open to allow intake of air and exhaust of waste gases to permit the cylinders to carry out the compression and combustion cycles of the engine. A conventional poppet valve system is spring-loaded and operates through the movements of rocker arms, lifters, push rods, and a camshaft, which camshaft is ultimately linked to the engine crankshaft.
The cycle of valve openings and closures taking place within this high pressure and temperature environment is impeded by friction or failure of parts. Furthermore, the operation of conventional poppet valves, which depends on the interaction of numerous small parts, is subjected to excessive wear and tear and includes various inefficiencies. These inefficiencies include, for example, parasitic loss in the form of reciprocating components inertia, pre-ignition due to high exhaust valve temperatures and wear of valve guides, all of which often result in excessive fuel consumption and emissions, vibration, and noise in the engine block. Moreover, the performance of each poppet valve and various components also depends upon a significant volume of oil needed for lubrication. In addition, as there are two or more poppet valves in use per cylinder, the valve bodies, lifters, pushrods, and springs in operation for each valve all have a mass that is twice accelerated and decelerated every crankshaft revolutions. These loads are continually taking power from the engine and considerably increase with the increase of engine speed. Also, the lower part of the valve stem which is exposed to inlet charge and exhaust gases works as an obstacle in which it reduces the mass of the inlet air charge and hence reduces the volumetric efficiency of the engine. Additionally, the poppet valves may require periodic adjustment or replacement of hydraulic lifters.
There have been many attempts to produce power units which would be superior to the internal combustion engine in its usual form. Some attempts have been simply to improve breathing of the reciprocating engine by alternative designs of the valve mechanism. These projects have had the object of basic improvements, and have included engines with fundamentally different geometry.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,002,756 to Reynolds discloses a rotary valve disc 8 operated by miter gears 10, 11, to function with valves 14 and 15 and valve seats 13.
Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,084,410, to Drennon, in which rotary discs 12 and 15 are operated by gears 23 and 24.
One of the disadvantages associated with these prior art rotary valve mechanisms is the lack of simplicity in components and have many parts.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a rotary valve apparatus which requires fewer components and it is simple in design, yet performs in a superior manner over the conventional poppet and prior art valves.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there may be a significant demand in the marketplace for a rotary valve apparatus having the above-stated features of the present invention.
These problems and others are addressed by the present invention which comprises a rotary valve apparatus for an internal combustion engine having a cylindrical outer casing including an inlet port and an outlet port on an outer wall thereof, the cylindrical outer casing having a bottom opening and dimensioned configured to secure over an internal combustion engine as a cylinder head, an inner rotor having a shaft with a first end and a second end, and a lower circular member at the second end, the first end having splines on an outer surface thereof, and the lower circular member having a cutout portion, a circular end cap having an inlet port and an outlet port and disposed within the bottom opening of the cylindrical outer casing, the inner rotor rotatably mounted on the circular end cap wherein the cutout portion can align with the inlet port or the outlet port as the inner rotor rotates, and means for rotating the inner rotor.
These and other objects of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the following drawings of which:
For the purpose of promoting and understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to
The rotary valve apparatus 10 is operably disposed on a cylinder head 18 of an internal combustion engine essentially replacing the conventional cylinder head used for internal combustion engines. As best seen in
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The end cap 20 further includes a upwardly protruding member 44 disposed at a center thereof. The lower circular part 30 includes a bearing case 46, wherein the protruding member 44 is received therewithin and the lower circular part 30 is rotatably secured to the end cap 20 with a bearing apparatus 48, thereby also resulting in the inner rotator 26 freely rotating within the cylindrical outer casing 12, and also allowing the lower circular part 30 to block access to inlet 22 and outlet 24 depending on the combustion cycle of the engine.
The rotary valve apparatus 10 further comprises a plurality of vanes 50, preferably but not limited to, four vanes 50, which will be explained in greater detail herein. Each vane 50 includes an upper member 52 and a lower member 54 attached to the upper member 52 by a helical spring 56 or other biasing means. The upper member 52 and the lower member 54 can move vertically relative to one another and fit precisely inside 36. The upper member 52 of each vane 50 engages the lower circular part 12 through the corresponding slit 36, and the lower member 54 engages the upper part of end cap 20. A biasing resilient member 58 is adapted at one side of the upper member 52 and the lower member 54 of each vane 50 and provides for a lateral biasing support force when the end cap 20 is in place and engages the outer circular wall of 90 to provide a constant biasing force to prevent gas escape in the lateral direction of 90.
The elongate shaft 28 of the inner rotor 26 extends through a cylindrical bore 60 of the cylindrical outer casing 12 and rotatably engages a gear mechanism which is explained herein in a greater detail. A first helical gear 62 having a substantially cylindrical shape and configuration includes a plurality of outer teeth 64 on an outer circumferential surface thereof. The first helical gear 62 further includes central bore having a plurality of inner vertical splines 66 within the bore. The plurality of inner vertical splines 66 mesh and engage the outer vertical splines portion 33 of the elongate shaft 28. A second bearing apparatus 70 and a seal for grease 72 together with a spring washer 74 secure the first helical gear 62 on top of the elongate shaft 28 using a screw 76 having a threaded post 78 tightened within the inner threaded bore 32. Grease is used for 48 and 70 in order to smooth the rotation of inner rotor 26. It is noted that other securing means, such as, but not limited to, for example rivet or welding are contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention.
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While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration only, and this description should not be construed as limiting to the several claims appended hereto.
