초록 ▼

Internal combustion engine and method with compression and expansion chambers of variable volume, a combustion chamber, a variable intake valve for controlling air intake to the compression chamber, a variable outlet valve for controlling communication between the compression chamber and the combust

Internal combustion engine and method with compression and expansion chambers of variable volume, a combustion chamber, a variable intake valve for controlling air intake to the compression chamber, a variable outlet valve for controlling communication between the compression chamber and the combustion chamber, means for introducing fuel into the combustion chamber to form a mixture of fuel and air which burns and expands in the combustion chamber, a variable inlet valve for controlling communication between the combustion chamber and the expansion chamber, a variable exhaust valve for controlling exhaust flow from the expansion chamber, means for monitoring temperature and pressure conditions, and a computer responsive to the temperature and pressure conditions for controlling opening and closing of the valves and introduction of fuel into to the combustion chamber to optimize engine efficiency over a wide range of engine load conditions. The relative volumes of the compression and expansion chambers and the timing of the valves are such that the pressure in the combustion chamber remains substantially constant throughout the operating cycle of the engine, and exhaust pressures are very close to atmospheric pressure regardless of the load on the engine. The engine runs so quietly and burns so cleanly that in some applications it may not require a muffler and/or a catalytic converter.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. An internal combustion engine having expansion and compression cylinders, pistons movable between top dead center and bottom dead center positions within the cylinders, an intake valve for controlling air flow to the compression cylinder, an outlet valve for controlling

The invention claimed is: 1. An internal combustion engine having expansion and compression cylinders, pistons movable between top dead center and bottom dead center positions within the cylinders, an intake valve for controlling air flow to the compression cylinder, an outlet valve for controlling flow from the compression cylinder, an inlet valve for controlling flow to the expansion cylinder, an exhaust valve which normally opens after the piston in the expansion cylinder has passed its bottom dead center position and is traveling toward its top dead center position, and means active during coasting of a vehicle in which the engine is installed for enhancing engine braking by advancing the opening of the exhaust valve so that the exhaust valve opens when the piston in the expansion cylinder is at or near its bottom dead center position. 2. An internal combustion engine having expansion and compression cylinders, pistons movable in upward and downward directions between top dead center and bottom dead center positions within the cylinders, a combustion chamber in which air from the compression cylinder and fuel are mixed and burned to form hot expanding gas which is delivered to the expansion cylinder to drive the piston in the expansion cylinder in the downward direction, with the pressure in the expansion chamber dropping below atmospheric pressure before the piston reaches its bottom dead center position and work input being required to complete the downward movement of the piston, an exhaust valve which in normal operation of the engine is held closed until the work input has been recovered during upward movement of the piston, and means operable to provide braking of a vehicle in which the engine is installed by reducing the amount of fuel in the combustion chamber and opening the exhaust valve before all of the work input has been recovered. 3. The engine of claim 2 including means for varying the opening of the exhaust valve to vary the amount of braking provided. 4. The engine of claim 2 including means for maintaining a substantially constant pressure in the combustion chamber during normal operation of the engine. 5. The engine of claim 2 including means for increasing air flow through the engine when the engine is operating at high altitude, high ambient temperatures, and/or high RPM, and/or when engine breathing is otherwise limited. 6. An internal combustion engine having expansion and compression cylinders, pistons movable in an upstroke and a downstroke between top dead center and bottom dead center positions within the cylinders, an intake manifold, an intake valve for controlling communication between the intake manifold and the compression cylinder, an outlet valve for controlling flow from the compression cylinder, means active during coasting of a vehicle in which the engine is installed for holding the outlet valve closed, keeping the intake valve open so that air is drawn into the compression cylinder during the entire downstroke of the compression cylinder piston, closing the intake valve at or near the bottom dead center position of the piston in the compression cylinder, and opening the intake valve at or near the top dead center position of the piston in the compression cylinder to release pressure from the compression cylinder to the intake manifold. 7. The engine of claim 6 including a one-way valve which permits outside air to be drawn into the intake manifold but prevents air from being discharged from the manifold to the atmosphere. 8. The engine of claim 6 wherein the intake manifold includes an additional chamber for receiving the air which is discharged into the manifold from the compression cylinder. 9. The engine of claim 6 including a small chamber for increasing the volume of the compression cylinder to prevent over pressure in the compression cylinder when air is being compressed in the compression cylinder during the upstroke of the piston in the compression cylinder, and a valve for controlling communication between the compression cylinder and the chamber. 10. An internal combustion engine, comprising: an intake manifold, a compression chamber, an intake valve between the intake manifold and the compression chamber, a combustion chamber, an outlet valve between the compression cylinder and the combustion chamber, a fuel inlet for providing fuel to be burned in the combustion chamber, and a control system for adjusting the timing of the valves to allow pressurized air to escape from the compression chamber to the intake manifold for compression release braking. 11. The engine of claim 10 including means for maintaining a substantially constant pressure in the combustion chamber during normal operation of the engine. 12. The engine of claim 10 including means for increasing air flow through the engine when the engine is operating at high altitude, high ambient temperatures, and/or high RPM, and/or when engine breathing is otherwise limited. 13. An internal combustion engine, comprising: a compression chamber, an intake valve to the compression chamber, a combustion chamber, an outlet valve between the compression cylinder and the combustion chamber, a fuel inlet or providing fuel to be burned in the combustion chamber, an expansion chamber, an inlet valve between the compression chamber and the expansion chamber, an exhaust valve for controlling exhaust flow from the expansion chamber and a control system for adjusting the timing of the valves to allow pressurized air to escape from the compression chamber through the intake valve and/or from the expansion chamber through the exhaust valve for compression release braking. 14. The engine of claim 13 wherein the compression and expansion chamber comprise cylinders with pistons therein. 15. The engine of claim 14 including a crankshaft interconnecting the pistons for reciprocating movement between top and bottom dead center positions in the cylinders, wherein the control system adjusts the timing of the valves to allow pressurized air to escape from at least one of the cylinders for compression release breaking during each revolution of the crankshaft. 16. The engine of claim 13 including an additional chamber and a one-way valve for permitting air to escape from the compression chamber to the additional chamber in the event that pressure in the compression chamber reaches a predetermined level before the intake valve opens. 17. The engine of claim 13 including a one-way valve for permitting air to escape from the compression chamber in the event that pressure in the compression chamber reaches a predetermined level before the intake valve opens. 18. The engine of claim 13 including means for maintaining a substantially constant pressure in the combustion chamber during normal operation of the engine. 19. The engine of claim 13 including means for increasing air flow through the engine when the engine is operating at high altitude, high ambient temperatures, and/or high RPM, and/or when engine breathing is otherwise limited.