초록 ▼

A two-stroke internal combustion engine (30) is disclosed. Fuel efficiency is improved and extended over a wide power band by an inlet air valve (108) which controls the air charge and maintains a constant compression ratio. An integrated positive displacement supercharger (50) provides adequate air

A two-stroke internal combustion engine (30) is disclosed. Fuel efficiency is improved and extended over a wide power band by an inlet air valve (108) which controls the air charge and maintains a constant compression ratio. An integrated positive displacement supercharger (50) provides adequate air charge at all power levels and recovers compressor power from unused supercharged air. An integrated post combustion chamber (48) extends the power stroke by mixing combustion gases with ambient air for farther expansion and power production. Exhaust noise is reduced because the combustion gases are vented from the engine at lower pressure, lower velocity and temperature. The opposed cylinder design provides nearly continuous power by combining supercharger power recovery with extended power strokes.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A two-stroke internal combustion engine with opposed cylinders which utilizes an integrated positive displacement supercharger and regenerator comprising: at least one cylinder housing assembly forming two opposed cylinders sharing a common axis, each cylinder having an outward facing end, an inw

1. A two-stroke internal combustion engine with opposed cylinders which utilizes an integrated positive displacement supercharger and regenerator comprising: at least one cylinder housing assembly forming two opposed cylinders sharing a common axis, each cylinder having an outward facing end, an inward facing end facing the other cylinder and, between the ends, a fixed annular partition extending radially inward in the cylinder and having a supercharger side and a regenerator side;two double piston assemblies encircled by the cylinder housing assembly, wherein each double piston assembly includes a hollow cylindrical body having an outer end and an inner end and defining a combustion chamber;an annular supercharger piston affixed at the outer end of the hollow cylindrical body, wherein said hollow body has circumferential perforations adjacent the supercharger piston; and a regenerator piston affixed at the inner end of the hollow cylindrical body, wherein the regenerator piston has at least one integrated exhaust valve suitable for fluid flow in the inward direction; and the inner end of the hollow cylindrical body is controllably sealed with an integrated transfer valve enabling fluid flow out of the combustion chamber in the inward direction with respect to the cylinder housing assembly;in each cylinder, a supercharger chamber;in each cylinder, a regenerator chamber separate from the supercharger chamber;an inlet valve assembly at the outward facing end of each cylinder, anda crankpin mounted on the cylinder housing assembly between the opposed cylinders, the crankpin having integrated cam lobes to actuate the at least one exhaust valve and being orientated such that the axis of the crankpin is perpendicular to the common axis of the cylinder housing assemblywherein the fluid flow out of the combustion chamber flows into the regenerator chamber, but fluid does not flow from the regenerator chamber into the combustion chamber. 2. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein each hollow cylindrical body is sealed at the outer end by the inlet valve assembly and sealed at the inner end by the transfer valve; wherein the combustion chamber receives air through the circumferential perforations from the supercharger chamber, receives fuel from the inlet valve assembly, and discharges combustion gases through the transfer valve into the regenerator chamber; wherein the hollow cylindrical body is operably associated with the crankpin; and wherein a cam lobe on the crankpin actuates said transfer valve. 3. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the inlet valve assembly comprises a slideable inlet valve and a rotating riser encircling an injector barrel, each of the slidable inlet valve, rotating riser and injector barrel being concentrically aligned with the hollow cylindrical body, wherein rotation of the riser causes axial sliding motion of the inlet valve thus controlling fluid communication from the supercharger chamber to the combustion chamber while altering the volume of the combustion chamber and thus maintaining a constant compression ratio within the combustion chamber. 4. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein each supercharger chamber is defined by one of the opposed cylinders, one of the supercharger pistons, one of the hollow cylindrical bodies and one of the fixed annular partitions; wherein ambient air is drawn into the supercharger chamber through a plurality of one-way valves within said one of the fixed annular partitions; and wherein the air in the supercharger chamber is discharged into the combustion chamber through circumferential perforations in the hollow cylindrical body. 5. The internal combustion engine according to claim 4, wherein the supercharger chamber is self-regulated and returns any power consumed in compressing unused air to an output drive mechanism. 6. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein each supercharger chamber is defined by one of the opposed cylinders, one of the supercharger pistons, one of the hollow cylindrical bodies and one of the fixed annular partitions; wherein ambient air is drawn into the supercharger chamber through a plurality of one-wa y valves within said one of the fixed annular partitions, said air fills the supercharger chamber, and the air in the supercharger chamber is fed into the combustion chamber through circumferential perforations in the hollow cylindrical body when the reciprocating combustion chamber exposes the circumferential perforations. 7. The internal combustion engine according to claim 6, wherein the supercharger chamber is self-regulated and returns any power consumed in compressing unused air to an output drive mechanism. 8. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein each regenerator chamber is defined by the one of the opposed cylinders, one of the regenerator pistons, one of the hollow cylindrical bodies and one of the fixed annular partitions; wherein ambient air is drawn in through a plurality of one-way valves within said one fixed annular partition; the drawn in air partially fills the regenerator chamber; combustion gases as controlled by the transfer valve mix with the drawn in ambient air; and mixed gases are discharged to the environment as controlled by the at least one integrated exhaust valve; and, said at least one integrated exhaust valve is seated on the regenerator piston and activated by a cam lobe on the crankpin. 9. The two-stroke internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein each regenerator chamber is defined by one of the opposed cylinders, one of the regenerator pistons, one of the hollow cylindrical bodies and one of the fixed annular partitions; wherein ambient air is drawn in through a plurality of one-way valves within the regenerator piston; the drawn in ambient air partially fills the regenerator chamber; combustion gases controlled by the transfer valve mix with the the drawn in ambient air; and mixed gases resulting from the mixing of the combustion gases and the drawn in ambient air are discharged to the environment as controlled by the at least one exhaust valve. 10. The two-stroke internal combustion engine according to claim 9, wherein the at least one exhaust valve is seated on the regenerator piston and activated by the crankpin. 11. The two-stroke internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the crankpin converts the reciprocating motion of the double piston assembly into rotary motion at a power take-off gear to insert or remove power. 12. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the crankpin converts the reciprocating motion of the double piston assembly into rotary motion at a power take-off gear to insert or remove power and the crankpin functions as a camshaft to actuate the at least one exhaust valve and the transfer valve. 13. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein each regenerator chamber is defined by the one of the opposed cylinders, one of the regenerator pistons, one of the hollow cylindrical bodies, and one of the fixed annular partitions; wherein ambient air is drawn in through a plurality of one-way valves within the regenerator piston; said drawn in air partially fills the regenerator chamber; combustion gases as controlled by the transfer valve mix with the drawn in ambient air; and mixed gases are discharged to the environment as controlled by the at least one exhaust valve; and said at least one exhaust valve is integrated seated on the regenerator piston and activated by cam lobes on the crankpin. 14. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the inlet valve assembly has a fixed fuel injector barrel, a slideable inlet valve and a rotating riser.