Variable-displacement piston-cylinder device

Abstract

A variable-displacement piston-cylinder device may be adapted for providing work output, and/or for pumping or compressing fluids. The piston-cylinder device defines two or more coaxial cylindrical expansion chambers between a piston having two or more coaxial and conjoined piston members, and a correspondingly-shaped cylinder. Substantially any combination of the expansion chambers may be activated or deactivated in order to vary the effective displacement of the piston-cylinder device. The effective displacement of each piston-cylinder may be changed in mid-operation in order to reduce power output and fuel consumption (or pumping or compressing capacity), without introducing vibration. In addition, a control system is provided for managing the effective displacement of each piston-cylinder according to output required, desirable operating parameters, and other parameters that can effect the operation of the device.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to piston-cylinder devices, and in particular, to piston-cylinder devices for engine, pumping, and compressing applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is sometimes desirable to configure a piston-cylinder device, such as an internal combustion engine, so as to be operable at less than full displacement capacity. For example, in automotive applications, it is known to configure eight-cylinder engines so that less than all eight cylinders are operable at any given time. However, conventional multi-cylinder piston-cylinder devices are highly susceptible to vibration when less than all of the cylinders are operating due to unevenly-timed application of power strokes to the crankshaft as it rotates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a variable-displacement stacked piston device that may be adapted for use in a combustion engine, a steam or air engine, a compressor, a pump, or the like. The piston-cylinder device defines two or more cylindrical expansion chambers between a “stacked” piston formed of piston members in a coaxial conjoined relationship, and a correspondingly-shaped cylinder, in which substantially any combination of the expansion chambers may be activated or deactivated in order to vary the effective displacement of the piston-cylinder device regardless of the total number of cylinders and pistons in the device. This arrangement may be particularly useful in combustion engines that operate with multiple cylinders, where known methods of shutting off one or more cylinders generally lead to vibration problems that must be addressed in other ways. The piston-cylinder device of the present invention is operable to selectively reduce the effective displacement of each piston-cylinder in mid-operation in order to reduce power output and fuel consumption (or pumping or compressing capacity), without introducing vibration. In addition, a control system is provided for managing the effective displacement of each piston-cylinder according to output required, desirable operating parameters, and other parameters that can effect the operation of the device.

According to one form of the present invention, a variable-displacement piston-cylinder device includes a cylinder defining at least two generally cylindrical chambers of different diameters in substantially coaxial arrangement, and a correspondingly-shaped piston defining at least two conjoined piston members in substantially coaxial arrangement having different diameters corresponding to the diameters of the cylindrical chambers of the cylinder. Each of the at least two cylindrical chambers includes an inlet and an outlet for selectively conducting fluids into and out of a respective one of the chambers. Each of the at least two piston members is reciprocally received in a respective one of the at least two chambers of the cylinder in order to define a displacement volume for each of the cylindrical chambers. A controller is provided for selecting whether the fluid is conducted into the chambers via the inlets. Further, the controller is operable to independently activate and deactivate the at least two chambers by controlling whether the fluid is conducted into either of the at least two chambers.

In one aspect, the cylinder defines at least three generally cylindrical chambers having different diameters. The piston also defines at least three piston members corresponding to the at least three generally cylindrical chambers.

In another aspect, the piston-cylinder device is a combustion engine, a steam engine, an air engine, a fluid pump, a fluid compressor, or a combination thereof.

In yet another aspect, the piston-cylinder device is a combustion engine having an ignition source at each of the chambers. The controller is operable to independently activate and deactivate each of the ignition sources.

In another aspect, the piston-cylinder device is a compression ignition engine.

In still another aspect, each of the inlets includes a valve that is independently operable by the controller to open and close a respective one of the inlets.

In another aspect, at least one of the at least two cylindrical chambers has two inlets, each inlet for conducting a different fluid into the cylindrical chamber. Optionally, at least one of the chambers is operable as either a combustion engine or a fluid pump or compressor.

In a further aspect, the displacement volume of each of the cylindrical chambers is approximately one unit volume larger or smaller than an adjacent one of the cylindrical chambers.

In still another aspect, the displacement volume of each of the cylindrical chambers is approximately twice the volume of the next-smallest chamber.

Optionally, the cylindrical chambers may have different compression ratios from one another, and may be operable on different fuels.

In yet another aspect; the controller receives chamber status data and throttle position data to select which of the at least two chambers to activate or deactivate. Optionally, the controller further receives data pertaining to any of fuel type, engine temperature, exhaust gas properties, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, barometric pressure, emissions, crankshaft angle, engine speed, transmission speed, emission timing, valve timing, vehicle braking status, traction control status, brakes status, suspension status, navigational data, safety systems status, active strategy; transient mode, or operator profile. Data pertaining to various other piston-cylinder parameters, vehicle parameters, and the like may also be collected and used by the controller for controlling piston-cylinder device operations or vehicle operations, for example.

According to another aspect, the piston-cylinder device includes two or more cylinders with corresponding pistons. The pistons each have a connecting rod coupled to a crankshaft so that multiple pistons and cylinders can be joined. The controller is operable to activate and deactivate the same chambers of each cylinder so that each cylinder has substantially the same displacement as the other cylinders at any given moment.

Thus, the present invention provides a variable-displacement stacked piston device that is operable to adjust its effective displacement while it is operating, and/or can adjust its mode of operation to provide different functions (e.g. power output, compression, pumping, etc.) by selecting which inlets and outlets (and/or ignition sources) are activated and operable at any given time. When multiple stacked piston devices are combined into a single operating unit, such as a multi-cylinder engine, the effective displacement may be continuously varied depending on the demands and operating parameters, without imparting vibration to the system due to unbalanced loads. A method of operation includes independently controlling fluid flow into fluid inlets, and/or independently controlling fluid flow out of fluid outlets, and/or independently controlling ignition sources at the cylindrical chambers.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side and partial-cutaway view of a variable-displacement piston-cylinder device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1A is a side and partial-cutaway view of an open exhaust valve and valve actuator;

FIG. 2 is a side and partial-cutaway view of a multi-cylinder stacked piston device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view diagram of a stacked piston and expansion chambers;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view diagram of a stacked piston moving through one expansion and compression cycle;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the various effective displacements that can be achieved in a three-chamber stacked piston device;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the various effective displacements that can be achieved in a four-chamber stacked piston device;

FIG. 7 is a side diagram view of a three-chamber piston-cylinder device for producing a power stroke corresponding to each revolution of a four-stroke cycle;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a three-chamber piston-cylinder device having two separate fluid inlets and two separate fluid outlets at each cylinder portion;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a sensor, controller, and actuator layout scheme, useful with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a control system useful with the variable stacked piston device of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram and flow chart of a controller logic scheme; and

FIG. 12 is a displacement instrument useful with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a variable-displacement piston-cylinder device 10 provides variable-output capability for a single cylinder, such as for producing power, or for pumping or compressing fluids, or for performing a combination of those tasks, as will be described below. It will be understood that multiple piston-cylinder devices can be combined to provide a multi-cylinder device, such as that depicted in FIG. 2.

In the description that follows, it should be noted that the term “displacement” is used to refer to the volumetric differences of expansion chambers with piston members positioned between bottom dead center (BDC) and top dead center (TDC) in respective cylinder sections, while the term “effective displacement” is used to refer to the volumetric differences of only the activated expansion chambers.

Piston-cylinder device 10 includes a stacked piston 12 that is reciprocally received within a stacked cylinder 14 to define a plurality of expansion chambers 16a-d (FIG. 1). Stacked piston 12 includes four distinct piston members 12a-d of increasing diameter, while stacked cylinder 14 defines cylindrical chamber sections 14a-d of correspondingly increasing diameter. Piston members 12a-d are substantially coaxial and conjoined at their ends to one another, and arranged according to size such that the largest-diameter piston member 12d is at an end opposite the smallest-diameter piston member 12a. Smallest piston member 12a is joined to another piston member 12b that is larger in diameter than piston member 12a, while piston member 12b is smaller than the second-largest piston member 12c to which second-smallest piston member 12b is joined.

Each of stacked cylinder sections 14a-d is sized to correspondingly receive a respective one of stacked piston members 12a-d, with expansion chambers 16a-d defined generally between upper surfaces of stacked piston members 12a-d and upper surfaces and inner cylindrical surfaces of corresponding stacked cylinder sections 14a-d. In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, expansion chamber 16a has a solid cylindrical shape, while expansion chambers 16b-d are hollow cylindrical chambers with hollow frusto-conical upper portions defined primarily between the top surfaces of stacked piston members 12b-d and the top inner surfaces of cylinder sections 14b-d. Because the displacement volume of each expansion chamber 16a-d is defined between TDC and BDC, the displacement volumes may be calculated as solid or hollow cylinders. For purposes of calculation, it is assumed that each piston member's outer diameter is equal to the inner diameter of the corresponding cylinder section. It will be appreciated that in addition to the generally cylindrical and hollow cylindrical chambers, at least a small amount of expansion chamber volume exists between an outer cylindrical surface of each piston member 12a-d and an inner cylindrical surface of each respective cylinder section 14a-d; and above and below each piston ring 18a-d.

At least one piston ring 18a-d is installed at a respective one of stacked piston members 12a-d in order to substantially seal against the inner cylindrical surfaces of corresponding stacked cylinder sections 14a-d. Of course, multiple piston rings may be installed at each piston member to provide additional sealing (such as at least one ring 18a-d near the top of each piston member 12a-d and at least one other ring 19a-d closer to or near the bottom of each piston member), in order to maintain gas pressure in expansion chambers 16a-d and to prevent lubricating oil from entering the chambers.

Stacked piston 12 reciprocates back and forth within stacked cylinder 14 between a TDC position (as in FIG. 1) to define minimum volumes for expansion chambers 16a-d, and a BDC position in which the respective volumes of expansion chambers 16a-d are at their maxima. A connecting rod 20 is pivotally coupled to the lowermost member 12d of stacked piston 12, and may be conventionally coupled thereto, such as by a wrist pin 22, for connection to a rotatable crankshaft (not shown in FIG. 1). Connecting rod 20 may be coupled at other locations along stacked piston 12, such as closer to the middle of piston 12 (as in wrist pin 22′ along piston member 12c, for example), in order to more evenly distribute loads or stresses along piston 12.

Although shown and described with stacked pistons and cylinders defining three or four expansion chambers, it will be appreciated that the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device of the present invention may be achieved with only two or more expansion chambers per piston-cylinder device, and is not limited to devices having only two or three or four expansion chambers per cylinder, and may include more than four expansion chambers per cylinder; theoretically without limit.

Stacked cylinder 14 includes a plurality of fluid inlets 24a-d, with at least one inlet corresponding to each expansion chamber 16a-d. Similarly, stacked cylinder 14 includes a plurality of fluid outlets 26a-d, with at least one outlet corresponding to each of the expansion chambers 16a-d. Each fluid inlet 24a-d is selectively opened and closed by a corresponding inlet valve 28a-d, and each fluid outlet 26a-d is selectively opened and closed by a corresponding outlet valve 30a-d. Inlet valves 28a-d and outlet valves 30a-d are independently actuatable by actuators such as rotating cam 31 (FIG. 1A) or a hydraulic actuator, an electrohydraulic actuator, an electro-mechanical actuator, or the like so that each of fluid inlets 24a-d and fluid outlets 26a-d are openable and closable fully independently of the other inlets and outlets. For example, suitable electrohydraulic actuators are marketed as the “Active Valve Train” system by Lotus Engineering of Ann Arbor, Mich. and Eaton Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio; an electro-hydraulic valvetrain system (“EHVS”) by Robert Bosch GmbH of Gerlingen, Germany; and the VTEC® mechanical-hydraulic valve train by Honda Motor Co. of Tokyo, Japan. In addition, valve timing may be variable according to various parameters such as fuel type, piston speed, throttle position, and the like. Variable valve-timing may be provided by any of the exemplary systems listed above, for example.

In the illustrated embodiment, each expansion chamber 16b-d is at least somewhat larger than the expansion chamber immediately above, and each chamber's volume is variable according to the position of piston 12 in cylinder 14. Optionally, and for example, top expansion chamber 16a has one unit volume of displacement (e.g. ten cubic inches), second expansion chamber 16b has two units volume of displacement (e.g. twenty cubic inches), expansion chamber 16c has three units volume displacement (e.g. thirty cubic inches), and fourth expansion chamber 16d has four units volume displacement (e.g. forty cubic inches), such that each expansion chamber 16b-d is incrementally or sequentially larger than the expansion chamber immediately above by a factor of one “unit volume,” where each unit volume is ten cubic inches in the given example. According to another embodiment, each expansion chamber has double the displacement volume of the expansion chamber immediately above, so that each chamber volume is a “binary increment” larger than the one above. It will be appreciated that the expansion chambers may have substantially any displacement volume, and need not be limited to having sequentially larger volumes, proportional volumes, or the like.

In addition, the top surface area of each piston member 12a-d may be varied to control the work output or work input that is characteristic of each expansion chamber 16a-d. Because the fluid pressure in each expansion chamber 16a-d acts upon connecting rod 20 with a magnitude equal to the fluid pressure multiplied by the surface area of each piston member's top surface, the magnitude of the force applied to (or by) connection rod 20 by (or to) piston 12 can be varied by varying the top surface area of each piston member. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the fluid pressure in any given expansion chamber also acts upon the surface area of that piston member's corresponding piston ring (which adds to the force applied to/by connecting rod), and also upon the surface area of the conjoined smaller piston's piston ring, if any, but these other pressures cancel each other out to some degree and are generally considered negligible for purposes of this discussion.

The relationships between radius (or diameter) and volume of each expansion chamber, and the potential benefits derived therefrom, may be more fully understood by considering the geometrical implications of selecting specific dimensions of each chamber. For example, it may be desirable to provide a sequential progression of expansion chamber displacement volumes from top expansion chamber 16a to bottom expansion chamber 16d; where the displacement volume of top chamber 16a is one unit volume, the displacement volume of top-middle chamber 16b is two units volume, the displacement volume of bottom-middle chamber 16c is three units volume, and the displacement volume of bottom chamber 16d is four units volume, etc. To achieve these ratios for any given length stroke of piston 12, the radius of top chamber 16a will be one unit length, the radius of top-middle chamber 16b will be about 1.73 (the square root of three) units length, the radius of the bottom-middle chamber 16c will be about 2.45 (the square root of six) units length, and the radius of the bottom chamber 16d will be about 3.16 (the square root of ten) units length.

To derive the proper radius for each of chambers 16a-d to achieve a sequential progression of displacement volumes, it should be understood that the volume of each solid or hollow-cylindrical expansion chamber is calculated by multiplying the surface area of the corresponding piston member 12a-d by the piston stroke ‘h’. Thus, the volume of a solid cylinder is equal to Pi multiplied by radius squared, multiplied by height (i.e. piston stroke), or V=πr²h, while the volume of a hollow cylinder is equal to Pi multiplied by the resultant of the outer radius squared minus the inner radius squared, multiplied by height, or V=π(r_o²−r_i²)h. Because Pi and h are constant, volume (V) is varied only by changing radii. Thus, to achieve a displacement volume of top-middle expansion chamber 16b that is twice the volume of top expansion chamber 16a, where the inner radius r_i of top-middle expansion chamber 16b is, by definition, equal to the radius r of top expansion chamber 16a (which is taken to be one unit length), V_top=πr²h, which equals πh with r equal to unit length. Since V_top-middle=π(r_o²−r_i²)h, which equals π(r_o²−1)h for r_i=1, and is further equal to twice the displacement volume of top expansion chamber 16a (i.e. V_top), then it follows that πh(r_o²−1)=2πh. Accordingly, r_o²−1=2 and r_o=√3 or approximately 1.73 when the radius r of top expansion chamber 16a is equal to 1. By using similar formulae, the radii of every other expansion chamber may be derived to achieve the sequential progression of displacement volumes described above. Thus, for a given radius ‘r’ of top expansion chamber 16a, the outer radius of top-middle expansion chamber 16b will be r√3, the outer radius of bottom-middle chamber 16c will be r√6, and the outer radius of bottom chamber 16d will be r√10 to obtain a sequential progression of expansion chamber displacement volumes.

It may further be desirable to provide a binary progression of expansion chamber displacement volumes from top expansion chamber 16a to bottom expansion chamber 16d, where the displacement volume of top chamber 16a is one unit volume, the displacement volume of top-middle chamber 16b is two units volume, the displacement volume of bottom-middle chamber 16c is four units volume, and the displacement volume of bottom chamber 16d is eight units volume. The corresponding ratios of radii for expansion chambers 16a-d to obtain a binary progression of expansion chamber displacement volumes may be derived in a similar manner as described above with reference to the sequential progression, by taking into account that each successively larger expansion chamber has twice the displacement volume of the one immediately above. Performing the calculations of each expansion chamber's radius, taking the radius of top expansion chamber 16a to be one unit length, results in top-middle expansion chamber 16b being about 1.73 (the square root of three) units length, the radius of the bottom-middle chamber 16c being about 2.65 (the square root of seven) units length, and the radius of the bottom chamber 16d being about 3.87 (the square root of fifteen) units length. In other words, for a given radius ‘r’ of top expansion chamber 16a, the outer radius of top-middle expansion chamber 16b will be r√3, the outer radius of bottom-middle chamber 16c will be r√7, and the outer radius of bottom chamber 16d will be r√15 to obtain a binary progression of expansion chamber displacement volumes.

Because expansion chamber volumes are calculated by multiplying the surface area of each piston member 12a-d by piston stroke ‘h’ (area being measured as πr² for piston member 12a and π(r_o²−r_i²) for piston members 12b-d), with stroke ‘h’ being a constant, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the areas of the top surfaces of the piston members 12a-d will also follow either a sequential or binary progression if the radii are selected to achieve a sequential or binary progression of expansion chamber displacement volumes.

For example, given the sequentially larger expansion chambers 16a-d described above, if top piston member 12a has a top surface area of one unit area, top-middle piston member 12b has a top surface area of two units area (i.e. two times the area of piston member 12a), bottom-middle piston member 12c has a top surface area of three units area, and bottom piston member 12d has a top surface area of four units area, and if each expansion chamber 16a-d has a compression ratio equal to every other expansion chamber, then the forces applied by each piston member 12a-d is similarly proportional. That is, given the above assumptions and an equal fluid pressure in each of expansion chambers 16a-d, piston member 16b exerts twice the force on connecting rod as piston member 16a, piston member 16c exerts three times the force on connecting rod as piston member 16a, and piston member 16b exerts four times the force on connecting rod as piston member 16a. This characteristic or ability to increase or decrease the force exerted upon connecting rod 20 by even increments, by activating and deactivating certain expansion chambers, enhances the smoothness with which the effective displacement of each cylinder is changed.

A plenum or manifold 32 is installed at fluid outlets 26a-d to collect fluids exhausted through the fluid outlets, while a similar plenum or manifold (not shown in FIG. 1) may be provided at fluid inlets 24a-d in order to direct a desired fluid into expansion chambers 16a-d. In embodiments having at least one expansion chamber producing output power, connecting rod 20 is reciprocally driven by piston 12 in order to turn a crankshaft. Alternatively, where none of the expansion chambers produce power and are instead used for pumping, compressing, or the like, a crankshaft coupled to connecting rod 20 is driven by an outside power source in order to cause piston 12 to reciprocate within cylinder 14.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, a multi-cylinder device 34 includes four separate variable-displacement piston-cylinder devices 10a-d linked together via a crankshaft 36 to provide a four cylinder inline-configuration engine or pump or compressor (or combination thereof). As shown in FIG. 2, piston-cylinder devices 10a, 10d are at their top dead center (TDC) configurations, while piston-cylinder devices 10b, 10c are at their respective bottom dead center (BDC) configurations. When multi-cylinder device 34 is arranged in a conventional four-stroke configuration, piston-cylinder device 10a is at the end of its compression or exhaust stroke, while piston-cylinder device 10d is at the end of its exhaust or compression stroke (whichever is the opposite of device 10a), and piston-cylinder device 10b is at the end of its expansion or intake stroke while piston-cylinder device 10c is at the end of its intake or expansion stroke (whichever is the opposite of device 10b). Thus, when multi-cylinder device 34 is in normal four-stroke operation, variable-displacement piston-cylinder devices 10a-d may be timed or coordinated to operate in a substantially conventional manner relative to one another, with each cylinder firing once for every two revolutions of crankshaft 36. However, as will be described in greater detail, each piston-cylinder device 10a-d may be configured or controlled to have more than one power stroke for every two revolutions of crankshaft 36, or may be configured or controlled to provide a combination of power-production, fluid compression, and/or fluid pumping.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, a three-member stacked piston 112 is shown along with the displacement volumes represented by expansion chambers 116a-c defined between piston members 112a-c and portions of a corresponding stacked cylinder, which is omitted in FIGS. 3-5 for clarity. Top expansion chamber 116a has a solid cylindrical shape, while expansion chambers 116b, 116c are hollow-cylinder or donut-shaped volumes above the top surfaces of stacked piston sections 112b, 112c. Stacked piston 112 reciprocally translates between TDC and BDC, as shown in FIG. 4, which shows five positions (I-V) of piston 112 in one reciprocating cycle. In position I, piston 112 is at TDC (wherein displacement volumes, represented by expansion chambers 116a-c, are at their respective minima), while in position II, piston 112 is halfway between TDC and BDC. In position III, piston 112 is at BDC, at which displacement volumes 116a-c are at their respective maxima. In position IV, stacked piston 112 is again halfway between BDC and TDC, while in position V, piston 112 is once again at TDC and the displacement volumes 116a-c are at their respective minima.

It will be understood that each expansion chamber may have a different compression ratio from the other chambers, and that each chamber may be configured for operation as a combustion engine on different fuels (such as relatively low compression for gasoline operation and relatively high compression for diesel operation). Such configurations may be useful, for example, to ease starting of an engine that operates primarily on diesel fuel, with one of the smaller chambers adapted for starting the engine on gasoline, which is easier to ignite at cold temperatures, before diesel fuel is admitted to the other chambers. The operation of engines in accordance with the present invention, with two or more different inlet fluids, is described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 8.

In operation, each expansion chamber 116a-c may be independently “activated” and “deactivated” in order to control the output power, pumping capacity, or compression volume or pressure, such as depicted in FIG. 5, in which expansion chambers 116a-c are depicted as either lightly-shaded to signify deactivated chambers (e.g. state I of FIG. 5) or darkly-shaded to signify activated chambers (e.g. state VII of FIG. 5). In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 5, three-chamber stacked piston 112 includes three separate and independently-activatable expansion chambers 116a-c according to seven possible states of operation (states I-VII).

In state I of FIG. 5, each of expansion chambers 116a-c is deactivated such that no work is provided or performed by stacked piston 112. In state II, top expansion chamber 116a is active while the middle and bottom expansion chambers 116b-c are inactive, in order to provide a minimum level of work by piston 112. In state III, middle expansion chamber 116b is active while top expansion chamber 116a and bottom expansion chamber 116c are inactive, in order to provide a sequentially greater amount of work than in state II, assuming expansion chamber 116b is greater than expansion chamber 116a. In state IV, bottom expansion chamber 116c is active while top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b are inactive, in order to provide a sequentially yet greater amount of work by stacked piston 112, assuming that expansion chamber 116c is somewhat larger than expansion chamber 116b. In state V, top expansion chamber 116a and bottom expansion chamber 116b are active while middle expansion chamber 116b is inactive, in order to provide a sequentially greater amount of work by piston 112. In state VI, middle expansion chamber 116b and bottom expansion chamber 116c are active, while top expansion chamber 116a is inactive, to provide sequentially yet greater amount of work by piston 112. In state VII, each of expansion chambers 116a-c is active, in order to provide a maximum amount of work by piston 112.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, an eighth state would also be available in the of activation of top expansion chamber 116a and middle expansion chamber 116b, combined with the inactivation of a bottom expansion chamber 116c. Where the displacement volume of expansion chamber 116b is one unit volume larger than top expansion chamber 116a, and bottom expansion chamber 116c is one unit volume larger than middle expansion chamber 116b, activating only top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b would provide the same effective displacement volume as state IV of FIG. 5. This “equivalence” may be useful, for example, such as for controlling wear or cooling, or other aspects, as will be discussed below.

It can now be appreciated that if top expansion chamber 116a is “one unit” of displacement volume, while middle expansion chamber 116b is “two units” of displacement volume, and bottom expansion chamber 116c is “three units” of displacement volume (such as, for example, ten cubic inches, twenty cubic inches, and thirty cubic inches, respectively), then each of states I-VII of FIG. 5 represents what is substantially a sequentially greater amount of work capacity by piston 112. Where the displacement volumes of expansion chambers 116a-c are ten cubic inches, twenty cubic inches and thirty cubic inches, respectively, then state I represents a zero displacement state (i.e. no work is being done), ten cubic inches of displacement are at work in state II, twenty cubic inches of displacement are at work in state III, and thirty cubic inches of displacement are at work in state IV. States V-VII use combinations of expansion chambers 116a-c to achieve even greater total effective displacement volumes, i.e. state V represents forty cubic inches of displacement, state VI represents fifty cubic inches of displacement, and state VII represents sixty cubic inches of displacement. The three chamber stacked piston 112 in the illustrative example is thus capable of operating with as little as zero displacement and at any of six different non-zero displacements that are sequentially variable by increments of ten cubic inches or integer multiples thereof.

When a given expansion chamber is deactivated, all valves are generally closed and the chamber is doing no useful work. The piston portion corresponding to the particular expansion chamber is compressing and decompressing trapped chamber air (or other fluid), which offers little drag or parasitic losses to the piston due to the “spring” action of the compressed air in the chamber. With intake and exhaust valves held open, the chamber pumps uncompressed air into and out of the chamber via the fluid inlets and fluid outlets, such as for cooling and/or emission purposes. Although this operational configuration generally induces more drag on the piston (by pumping a gas in and out of the expansion chamber(s)) than when all valves are held closed, this configuration still offers generally little drag and may be used such as for reducing the power needed to drive the crankshaft and piston during cold starting operations.

In a “compressor” setting, intake valves open and close to admit air or other compressible fluid into the expansion chamber during a piston down-stroke, and compress the fluid during a piston up-stroke. During the compression stroke, a compressor exhaust valve opens to admit the compressed air or compressible fluid into a holding tank for later use. Alternatively, the compressed air or fluid can be used to “supercharge” another expansion chamber of the device via a selectively openable conduit connecting one expansion chamber to another.

Thus, it may be observed that by combining two or more cylinders with the stacked pistons 112, one may obtain an engine or pump or compressor having two or more cylinders, in which the effective capacity of the engine (or pump or compressor) may be varied by controlling the effective displacement of each cylinder in the same manner as the other cylinders, so as not to cause imbalance by having cylinders of different output capacity linked together. That is, when multiple piston-cylinder devices of the present invention are combined into a single engine or pump or compressor, each individual piston-cylinder device may be controlled in the same manner as all of the other piston-cylinder devices so that each device is operating at substantially the same output capacity so as not to impart vibration or imbalance to the combined system.

Optionally, it is envisioned that the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device of the present invention may be combined with known methods of varying the effective displacement of piston-cylinder devices, such as changing the lengths of connecting rods or changing the positions or volumes of cylinder heads, in order to achieve a “hybrid” variable-displacement piston-cylinder device, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is envisioned that substantially all improvements and developments currently underway in developments for engines, pumps, and compressors using pistons and cylinders are compatible with the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a four-chamber stacked piston 212, similar to stacked piston 12 of FIG. 1 but including four coaxial, joined piston cylinders 212a-d having different diameters with the smallest piston cylinder 212a being at the top and progressing with successively larger diameter cylinders to the largest piston cylinder 212d at the bottom. Piston 212 defines four expansion chambers 216a-d (labeled as such only on state I of FIG. 6), where each of expansion chambers 216b-d is a “binary increment” larger than the expansion chamber immediately above. In other words, where the top expansion chamber 216a is taken to be one unit volume, the top-center expansion chamber 216b would be two units volume, the bottom-center expansion chamber 216c would be four units volume, and the bottom expansion chamber 216d would be eight units volume. In FIG. 6, sixteen states of operation are depicted in a similar manner to the seven states of FIG. 5, using dark shading and light shading to indicate active and inactive expansion chambers, respectively. In the “binary displacement” embodiment of FIG. 6, however, each of the sixteen operating states is unique, such that there is no available state that provides the same effective displacement beyond those which are illustrated in FIG. 6.

Accordingly, state I represents zero displacement, state II represents one unit volume of displacement, state III represents two units volume of displacement, state IV represents three units volume of displacement, state V represents four units volume of displacement, state VI represents five units volume of displacement, state VII represents six units volume of displacement, state VIII represents seven units volume of displacement, state IX represents eight units volume of displacement, state X represents nine units volume of displacement, state XI represents ten units volume of displacement, state XII represents eleven units volume of displacement, state XIII represents twelve units volume of displacement, state XIV represents thirteen units volume of displacement, state XV represents fourteen units volume of displacement, and state VXI represents fifteen units volume of displacement. Accordingly, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the use of expansion chambers having binary incremental displacement volumes maximizes the number of effective displacement volumes possible with a given number of piston members in a cylinder device, while avoiding the possibility of redundant states that provide equal effective displacements using different combinations of expansion chambers. This effect increases with the number of expansion chambers associated with each cylinder. For example, in a three-chamber cylinder, a binary configuration yields seven volumetric states as opposed to six for the sequential configuration, while in a four-chamber cylinder, a binary configuration yields fifteen volumetric states as opposed to ten for the sequential configuration

As described briefly above, the independent control of each fluid inlet and fluid outlet for each expansion chamber permits the optional use of a piston-cylinder device for two or more different functions, or to provide more than one power stroke for every two revolutions during four-stroke cycle operation (FIG. 7). As explained below, by offsetting the operation of the fluid inlets and outlets of the top and middle chambers 116a, 116b in FIG. 7 by 180 degrees (of rotation of a corresponding crankshaft) from the operation of the inlet and outlet of the bottom chamber 116c, it will be observed that every down-stroke of piston 112 is a power stroke driven by the same volume of displacement upon each revolution or reciprocation of piston 112.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 7, stacked piston 112 and its three members 112a-c are acted upon by combustion gases or compressed gases in expansion chambers 116a-c. The effective displacement volume of the combination of top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b is equivalent to the displacement volume of bottom expansion chamber 116c. In FIG. 7, dark shading is used to indicate expansion chambers undergoing a power stroke, cross hatching is used to indicate input or intake strokes, light shading is used to indicate compression strokes, and mottled or speckled shading is used to indicate exhaust strokes, for a four-stroke internal combustion engine.

In state I of FIG. 7, top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b are undergoing a power stroke while bottom expansion chamber 116c is undergoing an intake stroke. In state II, expansion chambers 116a-b are undergoing an exhaust stroke, while bottom expansion chamber 116b is undergoing a compression stroke. In state III, top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b are undergoing an intake stroke, while bottom expansion chamber 116c is undergoing a power stroke. In state IV, top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b are undergoing a compression stroke, while bottom expansion chamber 116c is undergoing an exhaust stroke. Accordingly, top and middle expansion chambers 116a-b are undergoing a conventional four-stroke cycle that is 180 degrees out-of-phase with the conventional four-stroke cycle of bottom expansion chamber 116c. In this manner, every revolution of a crankshaft that is associated with stacked piston 112 receives a power stroke that results from the combustion of gases having the same quantity as the gases driving the previous power stroke, which permits smooth operation and increased power from the device for a given effective displacement.

It will be appreciated that the expansion chambers 116a-c may be operated in-phase (i.e. all chambers firing upon the same stroke) or 180 degrees out-of-phase, and switched between these modes at will. For example, when additional power is desired, all three expansion chambers 116a-c may be operated in-phase to achieve an effective six units volume of displacement firing in synchronization, while it may be desirable to operate the piston-cylinder device at 180 degrees out of phase (firing three units volume of displacement in alternating expansion chambers at each downstroke, for example) for reduced power operation.

Optionally, the various expansion chambers of the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device may be simultaneously used for different purposes. For example, large volumes of low-pressure fluid may be pumped by a piston-cylinder device of the present invention, by using one or more smaller expansion chambers as an engine (e.g. internal combustion engine) while a lower and larger chamber or chambers are used for pumping or compressing fluid. Similarly, relatively small amounts of high-pressure fluid may be pumped or compressed by using the larger chambers as an engine, while using the upper or smaller chambers as compressors or pumps.

Optionally, and with reference to FIG. 8, the operation of a piston-cylinder device 310 of the present invention may be controlled between power-producing and fluid-pumping or compressing configurations. Device 310 includes three cylinder portions 314a-c, each portion having a first fluid inlet 324a-c and a second fluid inlet 325a-c, and each portion 314a-c further having a first fluid outlet 326a-c and a second fluid outlet 327a-c. First fluid inlets 324a-c are associated with a first fluid intake manifold 332 and second fluid inlets 325a-c are associated with a second fluid intake manifold 333, while first fluid outlets 326a-c are associated with a first fluid exhaust manifold 334 and second fluid outlets 327a-c are associated with a second fluid exhaust manifold 335. Optionally, such as when piston-cylinder device 310 functions at least partially as an internal-combustion engine, each cylinder portion 314a-c includes an ignition source 336a-c such as a spark plug, a glow plug, or the like, which is selectively energized by a respective ignition wire 338a-c.

Each fluid inlet and each fluid outlet is sealable by an actuatable valve 340, where each valve 340 is selectively operable and closable by a respective actuator 342, which may be a cam (like cam 31 of FIG. 1A), a hydraulic actuator, an electrohydraulic actuator, an electromechanical actuator, or the like. Each actuator 342 is independently controllable by a controller 400 and is linked thereto by a transmission device 344, which may be an electronic signal wire, a mechanical connection, or the like.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, first fluid intake manifold 332 receives fuel from a fuel source 346 (such as a carburetor or fuel injector downstream of a throttle body, or the like) and air or oxygen from another source 348, and directs it into one or more of first fluid inlets 324a-c when a respective valve 340 is opened by a respective actuator 342. Optionally, piston-cylinder device 310 may be equipped for direct-injection of fuel into cylinder portions 314a-c to avoid injecting or conducting fuel through one of intake manifolds 332, 333. Second fluid intake manifold 333 receives a fluid 350, such as a compressible gas for compressing or pumping, or a substantially incompressible liquid for pumping, and directs it into one or more of second fluid inlets 325a-c when a respective valve 340 is opened by a respective actuator 342. First fluid exhaust manifold 334 receives combustion gases 352 from the burning of fuel and directs it away from one or more of first fluid outlets 326a-c when a respective valve 340 is opened by a respective actuator 342. Second fluid exhaust manifold 335 receives higher-energy fluid 350′ (e.g. higher pressure, higher velocity, higher heat, higher potential energy, etc.) that was previously received as lower-energy fluid 350 by second fluid intake manifold 333, and directs the fluid 350′ away from one or more of second fluid outlets 327a-c and, optionally, into a pressure tank or holding tank or the like.

In operation, piston-cylinder device 310 may operate solely as a combustion engine, via coordinated operation of any combination of first inlet valves 324a-c and respective first outlet valves 326a-c, with ignition provided by ignition sources 336a-c. In order to increase operating efficiency and power output, second inlet valves 325a-c and second outlet valves 327a-c may be used to input fuel/air and to exhaust combustion gases, respectively.

Piston-cylinder device 310 may also be operated as a combination engine/pump or engine/compressor, such as by using cylinder portion 314c as an internal-combustion engine as described above, while operating first inlet valve 324c, second outlet valve 326c, and ignition source 336c, and by using cylinder portions 314a-b for pumping fluid 350 via second inlet valves 325a-b and second outlet valves 327a-b. When used as an engine/pump or engine/compressor combination, controller 400 controls each valve 340 and ignition source 336a-c independently (leaving closed the valves 340 associated with each of first fluid inlets 324a-b, first fluid outlets 326a-b, second fluid inlet 325c, and second fluid outlet 327c, and disabling ignition sources 336a-b during such operation) in order to direct fuel and air through first inlet manifold 332 and into an expansion chamber contained in cylinder portion 314c, to direct combustion gases out of the expansion chamber contained in cylinder portion 314c out through first exhaust manifold 334, and to direct a fluid for pumping or compression into and out of expansion chambers defined by cylinder portions 314a-b, via second inlet manifold 333 and second outlet manifold 335. It will be appreciated that each expansion chamber associated with each of cylinder portions 314a-c may be used as either an engine or as a pump/compressor, that the respective expansion chambers may be adapted to perform different functions by independently controlling actuators 342 and ignition sources 336a-c, and that the function of each expansion chamber can be changed without halting operation of piston-cylinder device 310. For example, first fluid inlets 324a-c and first fluid outlets 326a-c may be adapted from combustion/exhaust operation to pumping/compression operation simply by turning off fuel source 346 and disabling ignition sources 336a-c. It will further be appreciated that substantially any number of fluid inlets, fluid outlets, and manifolds may be used to accommodate various engine or pumping/compressing needs, and that certain expansion chambers may have dedicated purposes (e.g. pumping only), without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Piston-cylinder device 310 may also operate solely as a fluid pump or compressor, via coordinated operation of any combination of second inlet valves 325a-c and respective first outlet valves 327a-c, with ignition sources 336a-c disabled. Optionally, such as in order to increase operating efficiency while pumping or compressing fluid 350, first inlet valves 324a-c and second outlet valves 326a-c may be used to input fluid 350 and to exhaust higher pressure fluid 350′, respectively, in the same manner as second inlet valves 325a-c and second outlet valves 327a-c. During operation of piston-cylinder device 310 solely as a pump or compressor, a piston inside cylinder portions 314a-c is reciprocally driven by an external source, such as by a connecting rod connected to a crankshaft driven or rotated by an external power source or engine, and it may generally be desirable for controller 400 to disable ignition sources 336a-c such as by providing two or more isolated fluid inlets (such as inlets 324a-c) and two or more isolated fluid outlets (such as outlets 326a-c) at each cylinder portion 314a-c for each expansion chamber, as described above with reference to FIG. 8.

Thus, by supplying a fuel/air mixture to one fluid inlet, with a corresponding combustion gas exhaust fluid outlet and manifold, along with a pumping-fluid inlet and outlet for each expansion chamber, the valves controlling each fluid inlet and outlet may be independently controlled so that any given expansion chamber can be automatically configured to operate as either an engine for driving the piston (by selectively opening and closing only the fluid inlet and outlet associated with the fuel/air mixture) or for pumping or compression operation by closing the fluid inlet and outlet associated with the fuel/air mixture and selectively opening and closing the fluid inlet and outlet associated with the pumping or compressing action.

In operation as an engine, such as an internal combustion engine (gasoline, diesel, propane, compressed natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, ethanol, biofuels, etc.; two-stroke cycle, four-stroke cycle, Otto cycle, Atkinson cycle, Miller cycle, etc.), a steam engine, or an air engine, each expansion chamber may be independently activated and deactivated according to the required power output of the device. For example, when low-power operation is suitable or desired, only the smallest expansion chamber or chambers may be activated, while larger amounts of power may be produced by using larger expansion chambers or combinations thereof, up to a maximum of all expansion chambers being activated for use in producing power. In operations where power requirements are highly variable, such as in motor vehicle operations that may include anything from idling to coasting or other low-powered operation, to hill-climbing, rapid acceleration, towing, or other high-powered applications, it is desirable to quickly adapt the operation of the piston-cylinder device to the situation.

As discussed above, individual expansion chambers can be activated by selectively opening and closing inlet valves 28a-d and outlet valves 30a-d of fluid inlets 24a-d and fluid outlets 26a-d of piston-cylinder device 10 (FIG. 1). Controller 400 may be electrically coupled, via wires 402, to wired sensors 404 (e.g. throttle position sensors) and/or to wired actuators 406 (e.g. valve actuators) (FIG. 9). Controller 400 may be coupled to a wireless transceiver 408 for sending and receiving signals to and from wireless sensor units 410, wireless actuators 412, and optionally, remote computers 414 (FIG. 9).

Because controller 400 is responsible for the timing, synchronization, and actuation characteristics (e.g. valve opening, closing, duration, travel distance, etc.) of the various parts and components of the piston-cylinder device of the present invention, it is desirable to minimize response time between the generation of a sensor signal (e.g. throttle position) and a responsive action (e.g. activation of a previously deactivated expansion chamber and/or activation of a direct fuel injector). For example, when a direct fuel injector (for injecting fuel directly into an expansion chamber) is to be activated, it may be required to inject multiple pulses of fuel at precise moments during the piston stroke. Thus, to minimize communication times between controller 400, sensors 414, 410 and actuators 406, 412, it is envisioned that Direct Memory Access (DMA) in controller 400, high speed buses (cables, fiber-optic lines, etc., such as wires 402), and/or high speed wireless connections 416 may be utilized.

For example, individual wired sensors 404 and actuators 406 may be attached to controller 400 via dedicated buses, shared buses, or combinations of dedicated or shared buses, while wireless sensors 410 and wireless actuators 412 may be in wireless communication with controller 400 via wireless transmission 416, or by a combination of wireless 406 and wired 402 transmission paths. By employing multiple methods of communication, controller 400 may select the fastest communication method at any given time, and permits redundancy of data paths so that the system may continue to operate even with one or more data paths disabled. For example, if a sensor signal arrives at controller 400 via two or more data paths, the controller may disregard “copies” of the signal that arrive after the fastest signal path delivers the signal. Remote computers 414 may be in wireless communication with controller 400 for exchanging data therewith. For example, remote computers 414 may be diagnostic computers, software update/upload computers, or high-level controllers of larger systems, of which controller 400 and its associated piston-cylinder device are only a part.

Controller 400 may be used to execute algorithms that consider input data 418 (FIG. 10) in order to select which expansion chambers should be activated or deactivated, or which chambers should be used for producing power and which should be used for other functions such as pumping or compressing fluids. Input data 418 may include, for example, fuel and/or fluid type, piston-cylinder device temperature, exhaust gas properties (temperature, chemical makeup, etc.), ambient temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, emissions, throttle position, chamber status (i.e. active or inactive), crank angle (i.e. crankshaft degree of rotation), engine speed, transmission speed, emission timing, valve timing, vehicle braking status, traction control status, etc.

Controller 400 may incorporate multiple high speed processors including chip “sets” that contain multiple CPU's (central processing units), with each CPU accessing its own Random Access Memory (RAM) or shared RAM, and is capable of sampling input data 418 at very high rates, such as one thousand samples per second or tens of thousands of samples per second. Optionally, controller 400 is capable of sampling input data 418 at hundreds of thousands of samples per second, such as to facilitate response times of 1/1000^th second. Exemplary processors that are currently available include, for example, the XEON® quad-core multi-core processor by Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., and the OPTERON® quad-core multi-core processor by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. High sampling rates permit controller 400 to adapt to the current conditions represented by input data 418 so that the activation, inactivation, and/or function (e.g. work-producing or pumping or compressing) can be nearly instantaneously adapted and changed as appropriate. In addition, an operator may wish to select between various settings for controller 400 that bias the controller toward a certain priority of operation, such as high-power, high-efficiency, cool operation, low emissions, or other desirable criteria.

Optionally, controller 400 is permanently installed or imbedded in the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device or multi-cylinder device, so that it cannot be removed, modified, or tampered with. In one embodiment, the controller would detect unauthorized attempts to tamper with or modify the controller, and would render itself inoperable in such an event. Further, the controller may include encryption technology to prevent hacking or unauthorized modifications, and may include battery backup. In addition, controller 400 may provide continuous diagnostic checking of all critical processes. In addition to processes directly related to operation of an engine, for example, the controller could monitor other systems, such as transmission, brakes, suspension, emissions, GPS or navigation data, cooling, safety systems, etc., such as in a motor vehicle. In addition, controller 400 may continuously transmit an electronic serial number to allow real-time tracking of its whereabouts. Controller 400 may adjust control parameters of critical processes, such as in response to wear, age, use cycles, and other effects upon operation of the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device. Operational data may be continuously logged and stored throughout the device's lifetime and stored in a hardened “black box” device to preserve the data in the event of an accident or mechanical or electrical shock or other damage.

Optionally, controller 400 may be capable of wireless data transmission, such as Wi-Fi data transfer, for transferring data to an engine or vehicle-diagnostics device, and/or for loading changes or updates to the programming of the controller. Controller 400 may be configured to transmit environmental and location information to serve as a “sensor node” for a higher-level system such as weather monitoring and forecasting, and may be configured to transfer data to/from other “nodes” or similar controllers. By storing lifetime operational history, controller 400 may provide operational data to assist in diagnosing problems such as abnormal wear, malfunctions, and the like. Optionally, a displacement gauge 420 (FIG. 12) may be installed at a variable-displacement piston-cylinder device, or on a vehicle or apparatus incorporating such a device, in order to provide a visual indication of the current effective displacement of the device. Gauge 420 may continuously receive effective displacement data from controller 400, such as via a wired or wireless transmission to a receiver 422, and may be used by an operator to confirm the current working capacity of the piston-cylinder device.

In FIG. 11, a controller logic algorithm 424 summarizes one possible program or decision-process by which controller 400 may select which expansion chambers are activated or deactivated based on input data 418 (FIG. 10). Initially, controller 400 may log an initial data point 426 including function codes (such as, for example, an “active strategy,” “transient mode,” or “operator profile,” as described below), date, time, etc. In the event that an abnormal operational condition exists, such as a problem with a sensor, an actuator, or software, an error routine 428 is initiated and controller 400 determines how to react to the error, such as by disabling an expansion chamber from further use until the problem is resolved. Next, a transient routine 430 may be initiated to handle transient conditions, such as cold starting or chamber cooling, for example, which are routines that are only expected to be active for a relatively short period of time before controller 400 reverts to a different routine such as a “normal” routine. Once the transient routine 430 is bypassed, controller 400 determines the current “active strategy” 432, in which controller 400 is directed to use a set of “rules” for operating the device. The active strategy 432 may be user-selectable, such as to bias the device toward maximum power output, or for fuel economy, or for emissions control, for example. Active strategy 432 may be preprogrammed, such as for an unmanned surveillance aircraft requiring a power-biased takeoff routine, an economy-biased cruising routine, and a speed-biased return or escape routine, for example. In addition, an operator profile 434 may be used to create operating limitations (e.g. speed, range, time, etc.) that may be applied to different operators or classes of operators who identify themselves or “log on” to the system.

Controller 400 then determines which expansion chambers are currently active and the purpose for which each active expansion chamber is being used, and calculates the optimum operational change 436 given the input data 418, active strategy 432, and operator profile 434. For example, operational change 436 may be warranted based on temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, current status of the device, and operator input (such as throttle position), in addition to current active strategy 432 and operator profile 434. Next, an “alert subsystems” routine 438 may be used to send a preparatory signal to other subroutines (e.g. chamber activation/deactivation routine) before a change is actually ordered, so that the subroutine being alerted has time to obtain sensor information or take other preparatory action before making a change, which enables very fast response times by using so-called “anticipatory actions.”

Optionally, controller 400 may utilize “fuzzy logic” or “neural logic” to alter the operation of the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device under certain conditions. The envisioned logic scheme would monitor various parameters and order a change in the operating conditions of the piston-cylinder device when multiple parameters reach predetermined ranges, even though no single parameter is in a range that would, taken in isolation, warrant a change in device operating conditions.

A scheduler routine 440 coordinates actions between various subsystems. For example, for deactivating a chamber, this may involve shutting off a fuel source, shutting off spark ignition, and closing the valves that serve the particular cylinder. Controller 400 monitors the position of the pistons to ensure that scheduler routine 440 performs smooth transitions to new states of operation. For example, scheduler routine 440 may wait for one operation to be completed before another operation is begun. Optionally, the piston-cylinder device may be an “interference engine” in which valves could be struck by the piston if opened when the piston is at TDC, causing damage to the device if operational changes were not properly timed.

Single-chamber piston-cylinder devices generally exhibit low power at low engine speed, maximum power at a higher engine speed, and somewhat reduced power at a still higher engine speed (operating along or exhibiting a “power curve”). The variable-displacement piston-cylinder device of the present invention exhibits separate power curves for each expansion chamber of each device, such that the group of power curves may overlap one another within certain ranges. An engine of the present invention thus possesses more than one peak power capability, and can provide a corresponding peak efficiency at each of its power output levels rather than just one peak efficiency, as in a conventional single-displacement piston-cylinder device. Thus, different states of operation may be used to satisfy a desired output level, and the precise selection of chambers may be determined based upon active strategy 432, operating limits (such as according to operator profile 424), and environmental data. For example, it may be desirable to occasionally use a generally inactive expansion chamber in order to keep it near an operational temperature, or to spread wear more evenly across all piston sections and cylinder sections. In addition, one or more chambers may be used simply because a preferred chamber or combination of chambers has been disabled due to a perceived error, such as a stuck valve, inoperative ignition source, inoperative fuel injector, or the like.

Thus, the variable-displacement piston-cylinder device is operable to change its output capacity, in the form of power output or pumping or compressing capacity, during operation in order to tailor its performance to desired output, operating limitations, environmental factors, and other factors. In addition, the piston/cylinder device may be configured with two or more separate intake ports and exhaust ports at each expansion chamber, in order to change the function of each chamber between one of power production and fluid pumping or compressing. A controller samples all of the relevant available input data at a very high sampling rate so that the output of the device, and/or the type of work performed by the device, may be quickly and smoothly adjusted for optimum performance given a set of desired operating limitations and parameters.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

1. A variable-displacement piston-cylinder device comprising: a cylinder, said cylinder defining at least two generally cylindrical chambers in substantially coaxial arrangement and having different diameters;an inlet at each of said at least two chambers, each of said inlets being adapted to selectively conduct a fluid into a respective one of said at least two chambers;an outlet at each of said at least two chambers, each of said outlets being adapted to conduct a fluid out of the respective one of said at least two chambers;a piston, said piston comprising at least two piston members joined to one another in substantially coaxial arrangement and having different diameters corresponding to the different diameters of said cylindrical chambers, wherein each of said at least two piston members is movably and reciprocally received in a respective one of said at least two chambers to define a displacement volume for each of said cylindrical chambers;a controller, said controller being operable to select whether the fluid is conducted into either of said at least two chambers via said inlets; andwherein each of said at least two chambers is independently activatable and deactivatable by said controller selecting whether the fluid is conducted into either of said at least two chambers via said inlets.

2. The piston-cylinder device of claim 1, wherein said cylinder defines at least three generally cylindrical chambers having different diameters and said piston comprises at least three piston members.

3. The piston-cylinder device of claim 1, wherein said piston-cylinder device comprises at least one chosen from a combustion engine, a steam engine, an air engine, a fluid pump, or a fluid compressor.

4. The piston-cylinder device of claim 3, wherein said piston-cylinder device comprises a combustion engine and wherein the fluid comprises a combustible fluid.

5. The piston-cylinder device of claim 4, wherein said combustion engine comprises an ignition source at each of said chambers; and wherein said controller is operable to independently activate and deactivate each of said ignition sources.

6. The piston-cylinder device of claim 4, wherein said piston-cylinder device comprises a compression-ignition combustion engine.

7. The piston-cylinder device of claim 4, wherein said piston-cylinder device comprises a combustion engine and at least one chosen from a fluid pump and a fluid compressor.

8. The piston-cylinder device of claim 7, wherein at least one of said at least two generally cylindrical chambers comprises at least two of said inlets for conducting at least two different fluids into said at least one of said cylindrical chambers.

9. The piston-cylinder device of claim 8, wherein said at least one of said cylindrical chambers is operable as either a combustion engine or a fluid pump.

10. The piston-cylinder device of claim 9, wherein said controller is operable to change the operation of said at least one of said cylindrical chambers between operation as a combustion engine and operation as a fluid pump while said piston-cylinder device is operating.

11. The piston-cylinder device of claim 1, further comprising a valve at each of said inlets, each of said valves being independently operable by said controller to open and close a respective one of said inlets.

12. The piston-cylinder device of claim 1, wherein said displacement volume of each of said cylindrical chambers is approximately one unit volume larger or smaller than an adjacent one of said cylindrical chambers.

13. The piston-cylinder device of claim 1, wherein said displacement volume of each of said cylindrical chambers is approximately one-half the displacement volume and/or double the displacement volume of an adjacent one of said cylindrical chambers.

14. The piston-cylinder device of claim 1, further comprising: at least two of said cylinders;at least two of said pistons corresponding to said cylinders;a connecting rod pivotally coupled to each of said pistons via a wrist pin;a crankshaft, said crankshaft coupled to said pistons by said connecting rods; andwherein said controller is operable to simultaneously control the activation and deactivation of the respective chambers of each of said cylinders in a substantially identical manner so that each of said cylinders exhibits a substantially identical effective displacement.

15. A variable-displacement reciprocating combustion engine comprising: a cylinder, said cylinder defining at least two generally cylindrical chambers in substantially coaxial arrangement and having different diameters;an inlet at each of said at least two chambers, each of said inlets comprising a valve to selectively conduct a combustible fluid into a respective one of said at least two chambers;an outlet at each of said at least two chambers, each of said outlets comprising a valve to selectively conduct a fluid out of the respective one of said at least two chambers;a piston, said piston defining at least two piston members joined to one another in substantially coaxial arrangement and having different diameters corresponding to the different diameters of said cylindrical chambers, wherein each of said at least two piston members is movably and reciprocally received in a respective one of said at least two chambers to define a displacement volume for each of said cylindrical chambers;a controller, said controller being operable to select whether the fluid is conducted into either of said at least two chambers via said inlets; andwherein each of said at least two chambers is independently activatable and deactivatable by said controller selecting whether the combustible fluid is conducted into either of said at least two chambers via said inlets.

16. The combustion engine of claim 15, further comprising an ignition source at each of said chambers, each of said ignition sources being independently energizable by said controller, wherein each of said at least two chambers is independently activatable and deactivatable by said controller selecting which of said ignition sources is energized to cause combustion of said fluid.

17. The combustion engine of claim 15, wherein said combustion engine comprises a compression-ignition engine.

18. The combustion engine of claim 17, further comprising an ignition source at least one of said chambers, each of said ignition sources being independently energizable by said controller to cause combustion of said fluid.

19. The combustion engine of claim 18, wherein said at least one generally cylindrical chamber comprising said ignition source exhibits a different compression ratio than the other generally cylindrical chambers.

20. The combustion engine of claim 19, wherein at least one generally cylindrical chamber comprising said ignition source is operable on a different combustible fluid than the other generally cylindrical chambers.

21. The combustion engine of claim 15, wherein each of said at least two chambers is further independently activatable and deactivatable by said controller selecting whether the combustible fluid is conducted out of either of said at least two chambers via said outlets.

22. The combustion engine of claim 15, wherein said cylinder defines at least three generally cylindrical chambers having different diameters and said piston comprises at least three piston members.

23. The combustion engine of claim 22, wherein said cylinder defines at least four generally cylindrical chambers having different diameters and said piston comprises at least four piston members.

24. The combustion engine of claim 15, wherein said controller receives chamber status data and throttle position data to select which of said at least two chambers to independently activate or deactivate.

25. The combustion engine of claim 24, wherein said controller receives data chosen from at least one of fuel type, engine temperature, exhaust gas properties, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, barometric pressure, emissions, crankshaft angle, engine speed, transmission speed, emission timing valve timing, vehicle braking status, traction control status, brakes status, suspension status, navigational data, safety systems status, active strategy, transient mode, or operator profile.

26. The combustion engine of claim 15, wherein said displacement volume of each of said cylindrical chambers is approximately one unit volume larger or smaller than an adjacent one of said cylindrical chambers.

27. The combustion engine of claim 15, wherein said displacement volume of each of said cylindrical chambers is approximately one-half the displacement volume and/or double the displacement volume of an adjacent one of said cylindrical chambers.

28. The combustion engine of claim 15, comprising: at least two of said cylinders;at least two of said pistons corresponding to said cylinders;a connecting rod pivotally coupled to each of said pistons via a wrist pin;a crankshaft, said crankshaft being rotatably drivable by said connecting rods in response to reciprocating motion of said pistons; andwherein said controller is operable to simultaneously control the activation and deactivation of the respective chambers of each of said cylinders in a substantially identical manner so that each of said cylinders exhibits a substantially identical power output.

29. A method of controlling a variable-displacement piston-cylinder device, said method comprising: providing a cylinder defining at least two generally cylindrical chambers in substantially coaxial arrangement and having different diameters;providing a piston comprising at least two piston members joined to one another in substantially coaxial arrangement and having different diameters corresponding to the different diameters of said cylindrical chambers;providing a controller;positioning the piston in the cylinder so that each of the piston members is movably and reciprocally received in a respective one of the chambers to define a displacement volume for each of the cylindrical chambers;independently controlling, via the controller, fluid flow through fluid inlets to any single cylindrical chamber or combination of the cylindrical chambers; andindependently controlling, via the controller, fluid flow through the outlets out of any single cylindrical chamber or combination of the cylindrical chambers.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing a combustible fluid to at least one of the generally cylindrical chambers.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising: operating the at least one of the generally cylindrical chambers receiving the combustible fluid as a combustion engine; andoperating another of the generally cylindrical chambers as a fluid pump or compressor.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising: providing an ignition source at the at least one of the generally cylindrical chambers receiving the combustible fluid as a combustion engine; andcontrolling the ignition source via the controller.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said independently controlling fluid flow through fluid inlets comprises opening and closing valves in the fluid inlets, and wherein said independently controlling fluid flow through the outlets comprises opening and closing valves in the fluid outlets.