EP4180625B1 - Internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an internal combustion engine according to the preamble of claim 1.

Although internal combustion engines have undergone continuous development, space requirements are a problem in the conventional design. In particular, a large crankshaft housing is required due to the space required for the counterweights on the crankshaft arms and the need to introduce force into a supporting frame (the crankshaft housing). In addition, the valves in the conventional design pose a significant problem. The valve plates form an obstacle in the gas flow. Valve springs are also required to ensure that the valves are reliably guided along the camshaft lobes.

Based on US 2 310 733 A An internal combustion engine according to the preamble of claim 1 has become known.

Based on this, the task is to improve combustion engines, especially with regard to space requirements.

This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

• eine Kurbelwelle, die zwei Kurbelwellenstümpfe und zwei Kurbelarme, deren jeweils erstes Ende fest mit den Kurbelwellenstümpfen verbunden ist und deren jeweils zweites Ende fest mit einem Kurbelzapfen verbunden ist, aufweist,
• eine Pleuelstange, die an einem ersten Ende mit dem Kurbelzapfen verbunden ist und an einem zweiten Ende mit einem ersten Kolben verbunden ist, und
• ein Zylindergehäuse, dessen Innenseite als senkrechter Kreiszylinder ausgeformt ist, wobei zwischen dem ersten Kolben und einer ersten kreisförmigen Endfläche des Kreiszylinders ein Brennraum angeordnet ist, und wobei in dem Zylindergehäuse auf der von dem ersten Kolben abgewandten Seite der Kurbelwellenstümpfe ein zweiter Kolben angeordnet ist, der mit dem ersten Kolben mittels mindestens zweier Distanzstangen verbunden ist, und wobei zwischen dem zweiten Kolben und einer zweiten der kreisförmigen Endflächen des Kreiszylinders ein zweiter Brennraum angeordnet ist, und wobei in jeder der einem Brennraum zugewandten kreisförmigen Endflächen des Kreiszylinders mindestens eine Öffnung vorgesehen ist, und wobei an jeder der einem Brennraum zugewandten kreisförmigen Endflächen des Kreiszylinders eine der Zahl der Öffnungen entsprechende Zahl von Schiebern angeordnet ist, die zum Schließen und Öffnen der jeweiligen Öffnung ausgeführt ist/sind.

A first aspect of the invention is an internal combustion engine designed as a four-stroke reciprocating piston engine, comprising

• a crankshaft having two crankshaft stubs and two crank arms, each of whose first ends is firmly connected to the crankshaft stubs and each of whose second ends is firmly connected to a crank pin,
• a connecting rod connected at a first end to the crank pin and connected at a second end to a first piston, and
• a cylinder housing, the inside of which is shaped as a vertical circular cylinder, wherein a combustion chamber is arranged between the first piston and a first circular end surface of the circular cylinder, and wherein a second piston is arranged in the cylinder housing on the side of the crankshaft stub facing away from the first piston, which is connected to the first piston by means of at least two spacer rods, and wherein a second combustion chamber is arranged between the second piston and a second of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder, and wherein at least one opening is provided in each of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder facing a combustion chamber, and wherein a number of slides corresponding to the number of openings is arranged on each of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder facing a combustion chamber, which slides are designed to close and open the respective opening.

Such an engine, known as a Müller alternating chamber engine, has the advantage that the dual-piston engine makes manufacturing the engine much easier. A particularly advantageous feature is that only one connecting rod needs to be used for two pistons. This is made possible by the fact that the two pistons are connected to one another using spacer rods. Another advantage is that two pistons can be accommodated in a single cylinder. Unlike previous designs of internal combustion engines, however, it is not necessary to deviate from the shape of the vertical circular cylinder for the crankshaft housing and/or combustion chambers.

In some embodiments, a first crankshaft stub is fixedly connected to a first receiving wheel outside the cylinder housing and is configured such that the crankshaft stub drives the first receiving wheel, which is configured to drive a first and a second flywheel, such that the second flywheel is arranged on the side of the receiving wheel facing away from the first flywheel. Furthermore, the first and the second flywheel are configured such that an axis of rotation of the respective flywheel runs parallel to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft and perpendicular to an axis of symmetry of the circular cylinder and that an intersection point of the axis of rotation of the respective flywheel and the axis of symmetry of the circular cylinder is further away from the crankshaft than the circular end surface of the circular cylinder facing the combustion chamber, and that the first and the second flywheel balance the internal combustion engine.

The crankshaft arms are no longer designed as balancing weights. In order to balance the double piston engine effectively, a support wheel is mounted on the crankshaft outside the cylinder and crankshaft housing. A flywheel is provided on each side of the support wheel. Accordingly, at least one flywheel is used as a balancing wheel for each torque applied by the respective piston. A balancing weight is used. These flywheels are driven by the crankshaft via the support wheel. The flywheels are mounted outside the engine housing. Using such flywheels means that the bearings of the crankshaft are subjected to less stress. Furthermore, the design of the crankshaft arms without balancing weights makes it possible to accommodate the combustion chamber, piston and crankshaft completely in a single cylinder housing. This cylinder housing has the shape of a vertical circular cylinder on the inside. This structure makes the manufacture of the engine much easier. In addition, this type of construction can reduce the required installation space.

In some further embodiments, a third and a fourth flywheel are attached to the internal combustion engine, the third flywheel being arranged substantially on the same axis of rotation as the first flywheel and the fourth flywheel being arranged substantially on the same axis of rotation as the second flywheel. The third and the fourth flywheel are arranged on the side of the cylinder on which a second crankshaft stub can be led out of the cylinder housing. Finally, the third and the fourth flywheel are designed to balance the internal combustion engine.

The forces on the crankshaft bearings can be further reduced by extending the axes of the first and second flywheels beyond the axis of symmetry of the cylinder housing. A third and a fourth flywheel can then be fitted on the side where the second crankshaft stub can be led out of the cylinder housing.

In the internal combustion engine, at least one opening is provided in each of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder facing a combustion chamber. On each of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder facing a combustion chamber, a number of slide valves corresponding to the number of openings is arranged, which is/are designed to close and open the respective opening.

The use of a pivoting slide that is electronically controlled makes it possible to eliminate the valves that were previously used, as their valve plates significantly impede the flow of gas. The installation of the flywheels on the sides of the combustion chamber that are far from the crankshaft is made easier by the fact that the slide that replaces the valve train and the associated control, as well as the injection and discharge of the burned gases, do not take up as much space as in a conventional engine.

In some further embodiments, in the internal combustion engine, the second crankshaft stub is fixedly connected to a second receiving wheel outside the cylinder housing and is arranged such that the second crankshaft stub drives the second receiving wheel, which is arranged such that it drives the third and fourth flywheel drive wheels.

The imbalance of the engine can be further reduced by providing both crankshaft stubs with a support wheel to drive the flywheels.

In some further embodiments, in the internal combustion engine, the axes of rotation of the first and third flywheels and of the second and fourth flywheels are each two separate half shafts, which are each firmly connected to a first bevel gear at the ends facing away from the flywheels such that the first and second flywheels rotate in opposite directions to the third and fourth flywheels.

If the flywheels are suitably designed, it is possible to make the shafts between the two flywheels from two half shafts each. Both half shafts are each provided with a first bevel gear at the end facing away from the flywheel. A second bevel gear is in engagement with both first bevel gears. The shaft of this second bevel gear runs essentially on the axis of symmetry of the cylinder housing. This construction of three bevel gears means that the two flywheels can run in opposite directions. The balancing effect of the flywheels can be further improved by the two flywheels running in opposite directions.

In some further embodiments, in the internal combustion engine, the receiving wheel or wheels drive the flywheel or flywheels by means of a traction means, in particular a chain or a belt.

Traction devices, in particular belts such as toothed belts or chains such as roller chains, can advantageously be used to drive the flywheels. Particularly common and easily available parts can be used here.

In some other embodiments, the receiving wheel or wheels on the internal combustion engine drive the flywheels by means of coupling rods.

If the pickup wheel drives the flywheels by means of coupling rods, this creates a particularly robust and low-wear form of connection between the pickup wheel and the flywheel.

In some further embodiments, the first and/or the second receiving gear on the internal combustion engine is designed as a third bevel gear. Furthermore, A fourth and a fifth bevel gear are arranged on the receiving wheel in such a way that at least one shaft coaxial with the crankshaft, which is firmly connected to the fifth bevel gear, can be driven by the internal combustion engine. The coupling rod or coupling rods are thus bridged by means of the fourth and fifth bevel gears.

If there are support wheels on both sides of the crankshaft, each of which is provided with a coupling rod, it may be necessary to realize the engine output in this way.

A second aspect of the invention is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine, composed of two internal combustion engines with two pistons as described above, in which two cylinder housings are arranged in a V-shape such that a flywheel is provided with a bevel gear for each cylinder housing such that the two flywheels are arranged to mesh with one another and serve to synchronize the two single-cylinder internal combustion engines, and in which the output shafts of the two internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear at their end facing away from the cylinder housing of the respective engine and are arranged such that the two bevel gears can engage with a further bevel gear which is arranged on a shaft running perpendicular to the plane spanned by the axes of symmetry of the two cylinder housings, which is the output shaft of the two-cylinder internal combustion engine.

To increase engine power, two of the single-cylinder combustion engines described above can be combined to form a V-engine.

A third aspect of the invention is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine, composed of two two-cylinder internal combustion engines described above, in which axes of symmetry of cylinder housings of the four single-cylinder internal combustion engines are arranged in a plane and in which the output shafts of the four single-cylinder internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear at their end facing away from the cylinder housing of the respective engine and are arranged such that the four bevel gears can engage with a common bevel gear which is arranged on a shaft running perpendicular to the plane spanned by the axes of symmetry of the four cylinder housings, which is the output shaft of the four-cylinder internal combustion engine.

Two of the V-engines according to the second aspect can be combined to form an engine in which four cylinders are arranged along the edges of a square. Such an engine is suitable for replacing the radial engines known from aircraft.

A fourth aspect of the invention is a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, consisting of at least two double-piston internal combustion engines described above, in which the shafts of the flywheels consist of half shafts which are connected by means of a second bevel gear, wherein in this engine two single-cylinder internal combustion engines are each arranged such that axes of symmetry of their cylinder housings substantially coincide and that second bevel gears of two single-cylinder internal combustion engines are connected to one another by means of a common shaft.

The cylinders are lined up along their axis of symmetry. In this way, a separate output shaft can be attached to the crankshaft of each cylinder. This is recommended, for example, to drive several wheels of a vehicle. This can be used in tracked vehicles.

A fifth aspect of the invention is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine, composed of four single-cylinder internal combustion engines described above, characterized in that axes of symmetry of the cylinder housings of the four single-cylinder internal combustion engines are arranged parallel to one another, that axes of rotation of the crankshafts of the four single-cylinder internal combustion engines are arranged in a plane such that output shafts of the four single-cylinder internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear at their end facing away from the cylinder housing of the respective engine and are arranged running towards one another along diagonals of a quadrilateral such that the four bevel gears can engage with at least one common bevel gear which is arranged on a shaft running parallel to the axes of symmetry of the four cylinder housings, which is the output shaft of the four-cylinder internal combustion engine.

Such a so-called tetra engine is particularly suitable for aircraft engines, since the output shaft is located centrally at the intersection of the axes of the crankshafts. The crankshafts form diagonals of a square. In aircraft, a pusher propeller and a tractor propeller can be driven in this way. It is also possible to provide two common bevel gears and two output half shafts so that they extend in opposite directions and rotate in opposite directions.

A sixth aspect of the invention is an internal combustion engine composed of at least two single-cylinder internal combustion engines described above, in which axes of symmetry of the cylinder housings of the at least two single-cylinder internal combustion engines are arranged parallel to one another and in one plane, and in which the receiving wheels of two adjacent single-cylinder internal combustion engines are connected to one another and/or the connecting wheels of two adjacent internal combustion engines are connected to one another.

In order to increase engine power, in-line engines with two or more cylinders can be realized in this way.

In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the internal combustion engine has a first receiving wheel and a first and a second flywheel on a first cylinder housing and a second receiving wheel and a third and a fourth flywheel on a last cylinder housing. Furthermore, these two receiving wheels are the only receiving wheels and these four flywheels are the only flywheels of the internal combustion engine.

In these embodiments, an in-line engine can be realized in a particularly compact manner. The required distance between the individual cylinder housings and the overall length of the crankshaft are significantly reduced because no space has to be provided for support wheels and flywheels.

Preferred embodiments of the internal combustion engine are described below, which, unless this is expressly excluded or technically impossible, can be combined with one another as desired and with the other aspects of the invention described.

This shows

• Fig.1 schematically an internal combustion engine;
• Fig.2 a cylinder head with an inlet and outlet opening;
• Fig.3 the drive of the slide;
• Fig.4 a cylinder head with four inlet and four exhaust ports;
• Fig.5 an internal combustion engine with counter-rotating flywheels;
• Fig.6 an internal combustion engine with drive of the flywheels by means of a traction device;
• Fig.7 variable length spacer rods for variable compaction;
• Fig.8 a V-engine with two cylinders;
• Fig.9 a diamond motor;
• Fig.10 a chain motor;
• Fig. 11 a Tetra engine;
• Fig. 12 a Tetra engine;
• Fig. 13 a Tetra engine in a compact design;
• Fig. 14 an in-line engine;
• Fig. 15 a compact in-line engine;

The Fig.1 The internal combustion engine shown is housed in a circular cylindrical cylinder housing 1. The axis of symmetry of the circular cylinder is designated 59. There is a combustion chamber 29 on each of the two circular end surfaces of the cylinder. Two pistons 3, which are firmly connected to one another by rigid spacer rods 16, move back and forth in a cylinder bore in the same direction, with ignition (external or internal ignition) taking place alternately at one or the other end of the cylinder. Flywheels 2 at the ends of the cylinder serve to balance the flywheel masses of the pistons. They balance the engine. In this example, the flywheels 2 are synchronized via coupling rods 14. A so-called receiving wheel 9 between the two flywheels 2 on one side receives the movement of the flywheels via the two coupling rods 14 of the two flywheels, which are seated on a common pin. If required, the receiving wheel 9 can be designed as a three-disk flywheel with a centrifugal clutch. Since the coupling rods prevent direct power transfer, a bevel gear set with bridging gears 10 is attached to the receiving gear to bridge the coupling rods, with the power transfer gear 11 as the outer element. The receiving gear 9 serves as the inner element. The shaft stub 12 is attached to the outside of the power transfer gear, which transfers the power of the engine to a gearbox.

Each flywheel 2 is designed as a circular, disc-shaped hollow body. A pin is attached near the outer edge of the wheel, to which the coupling rod is attached. On the side opposite the pin 22 used to anchor the coupling rod, the disc-shaped hollow body is filled with a flywheel whose job is to balance the flywheel mass of the two pistons 3. The design has a total of four such flywheel masses. However, these flywheel masses must also balance the flywheel masses of two pistons instead of just one. The flywheels are connected by a simple shaft without a bevel gear set. In this way, two flywheels each run in parallel, which is comparable to the crankshaft webs of the conventional engine, which balance the flywheel mass of the piston in pairs.

The two pistons 3 are kept at a distance by four spacer rods 16. This construction is called a piston cage. It is also possible to use only two or six appropriately arranged spacer rods instead of four.

The crankshaft 4 is constructed as follows: The connecting rod 5 is attached to the underside of one of the two pistons. This is connected to the side of the piston facing away from the combustion chamber by a piston pin 65. The connecting rod 5 ends at the short cross-segment shaft 50 between two simple crankshaft webs 52. Since both pistons are rigidly connected to one another, it is sufficient to attach an internal connecting rod 5 and an internal crankshaft to just one of the two pistons 3. An external shaft stub 53 transfers the combined force of both pistons through the cylinder housing 1 to the receiving wheel 9. This design makes a crankshaft housing separate from the cylinder, i.e. the housing of the pistons, superfluous.

The oil circuit of such an internal combustion engine is not shown here, as it essentially corresponds to that of a conventional four-stroke engine.

The cylinder head 24 is a hollow body that has the shape of a flat, circular can. It consists of a cover 26, a base 27 and a border 28. The cavity 25 is cooled with water. A closed cooling circuit is created via supply and discharge lines (not shown) and a water pump (also not shown).

In the Fig.2 and 3 an example cylinder head is shown. Unlike in these drawings, the cylinder head of the invention has not just one inlet and/or outlet opening, but at least two. Usually, at least one opening is provided for the inlet and one opening for the outlet. Since both openings open and close according to the same functional principle, only one opening is shown for better visibility, which in this example functions as both an inlet and an outlet.

The control of the intake and exhaust ports extends over three levels. The first, outer level is located above the cylinder head 24, the second level is located inside the cylinder head, i.e. in the cylinder head cavity 25, and the third level is located just below the cylinder head at the lower edge (base) of the cylinder head 27 or at the upper edge of the combustion chamber 29.

The first level, above the cylinder head, contains the control mechanism for the slide 37.

The second, middle level is the water-filled interior of the cylinder head cavity 25. The actuator 78 is coupled to the upper end of the connecting shaft 33 and moves it. This is located almost entirely in the second, middle level. The connecting shaft 33 passes through the water jacket of the cylinder head within its guide tube 35 and reaches into the combustion chamber.

The third, lower level is the upper edge of the combustion chamber or the base 27 of the cylinder head. On the underside of the base of the cylinder head, a slide 37 moves back and forth at a 60° angle without direct material contact and at a short distance from the cylinder head base. The slide opens and closes the inlet or outlet opening. The explosion pressure causes the system to seal itself. The slide is moved via the connecting shaft 33, which in turn is moved via an actuator 78.

Guide tubes 35 run between the cover and the base of the cylinder head, inside which the connecting axis 33 is located. These axes begin above the cylinder head cover 26, pass through the cylinder head and end in the combustion chamber 29 at the pivot points of the slides 37.

The slide control mechanism consists of three tubes inserted into one another, the outer guide tube 35, the inner connecting shaft 33 and a spring pin 77 in a recess within the connecting shaft. On the upper end of the connecting shaft 33, above the cylinder head cover 26, there is an actuator 78 for controlling the rotary movements of the connecting shaft. On the actuator 78 there is a control device (not shown) which electronically controls the rotary movements of the actuator 78. The problem is to decouple the radial movement of the connecting shaft and the spring-loaded axial movement of the spring pin 77. The connecting shaft is fixed by two circumferential elevations 79 in circumferential grooves 80 inside the guide tube 35. This makes the connecting shaft 33 immovable in the axial direction, but it remains rotatable in the radial direction by the actuator 78. Therefore, the spring pin has four axially extending elevations 75, which engage in axially extending grooves 76 of the connecting shaft 33. The spring pin 77 is thus given a short stretch of axial spring travel so that it can keep the slide away from the lower edge of the cylinder head, but also so that the explosion pressure can push it a short distance

The actuator control of the rotary movement of the connecting shaft eliminates the limitations of the rigid camshaft curves and makes the timing completely flexible.

Above the cylinder head cover 26 there is an actuator 78 connected to the connecting shaft 33 for the direct control of the connecting shaft. An electronic control device (it can also be the car's black box) is connected to the actuator, which electronically controls the rotary movements of the actuator 78. This removes the limits of the rigid camshaft curves. This makes the control times completely flexible. Since the slides are electronically controlled by a control device, the opening and closing times can be varied completely freely as required. This means that the opening or closing of the inlet and outlet channels can be advanced or delayed relative to the position of the piston.

The slides 37 open and close the lower opening of the intake or exhaust duct 43 and 44, which extends into the combustion chamber. Each duct opening is provided with a raised ring 74, which extends over the lower edge of the cylinder head by exactly the amount that corresponds to the distance between the top of the slide and the lower edge of the cylinder head. Since the slides close the opening coming from the side and floating completely flat close to the cylinder head base, the slides are pressed against the raised ring by the compression of the gas mixture or the explosion pressure of the combustion chamber, thereby sealing the opening completely tightly. This is a self-reinforcing type of opening closure, which corresponds to the way the valve plate of a conventional internal combustion engine works. This ensures maximum compression and maximum power output.

Since the slide does not lie flat against the underside of the cylinder head base, but is a short distance from it, each inlet or outlet port opening must be provided with an externally rounded raised ring 74 onto which the slide can run flat in order to reliably close the channel. The raised ring is raised above the cylinder head base to the same extent as the slide is raised above the cylinder head base over the lower end of the connecting axis.

Compression losses due to the closing elements of the channel openings, i.e. the slide valves, are excluded. The actuator is well protected against the heat of the combustion chamber in an air area above the cylinder head and its movement is not inhibited by the cylinder head's water jacket. The control axis 33 runs in the guide tube 35, which extends from the cover 26 through the water-filled cylinder head cavity 25 to the base 27 of the cylinder head. The control axis therefore does not run in the water, but in the guide tube, and can therefore be lubricated with oil inside the guide tube.

Thermal bridges arise because the guide tube 35 and the control axis 33 are guided through the cylinder head 24. The thermal energy that these thermal bridges dissipate from the combustion chamber is dissipated by the water cooling of the cylinder head.

In Fig.4 Among other things, a cylinder head with four pairs of slides is shown. Each slide closes or opens an inlet channel 43 or an outlet channel 44. In accordance with the arrangement of the inlet and outlet openings 45 and 46, the inlet and outlet channels 43 and 44 are adjacent to each other. They are opened and closed by the described slides, which operate horizontally within the combustion chamber on the underside of the cylinder head base.

The adjacent intake ports are connected to each other via pressure rings 7. The pressure rings 7 correspond to the injection rail in the conventional common rail system.

Fig.5 shows another embodiment of the combustion engine of the Fig.1 . Unlike in Fig.1 Here, the flywheels 2 drive a bevel gear 19 each via two half shafts 6. These bevel gears 19 are connected via a further bevel gear 20. This enables the rotation of the flywheels 2 to rotate in opposite directions. Here, at the end of the crankshaft opposite the receiving gear 9, there is a connecting gear 13 which is mounted in a bearing (not shown).

Fig.6 shows a variation of the combustion engine of the Fig.1 Here, the coupling rods attached on both sides between the flywheels are replaced by a traction device 18 such as a chain or a corresponding toothed belt. Then the coupling rods that have been eliminated no longer stand in the way of a crankshaft that extends directly from the inside of the respective cylinder through the cylinder wall to the outside. Since the advantages that allow the crankshaft to be kept simple, i.e. the flywheel mass compensation outsourced to the flywheels and the supporting effect of the rigid spacer rods, are still effective, a crankshaft housing is still not required. With this technical solution, it is sufficient to guide and support the shaft stub that leads from the cylinder to the receiving wheel through a hole in the cylinder wall, more precisely, through an elongated support sleeve 67 fitted into the cylinder wall with an internal needle bearing. With this solution, the diverter wheel and the bridging wheels are omitted.

Fig.7 shows a further possible variation of the combustion engine according to the invention with variable compression. Here, each of the Fig.1 shown spacer rods 16 into three segments. The lower and upper segments 60 are designed as immersion tubes The middle segment 61 is designed as a standpipe. The inside diameter of this standpipe 61 is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the immersion tubes 60. The immersion tubes 60 can dip into the standpipe 61. Four control legs 62 are spread apart or folded together in their crossing element 63 by a control body 64 of variable length inside the standpipe 61. This allows the length of the spacer rods to be varied. This in turn varies the compression because the length of the spacer rods influences the distance between the pistons 3. This distance between the pistons 3 is in turn a fixed part of the total internal length of the cylinder housing. Thus, by increasing the distance between the pistons 3, the distance between the pistons 3 and the cylinder head 24 at the top dead center of the piston is reduced. Therefore, by extending the spacer rods, the compression is increased. In order to change the compression of both pistons, it is necessary to also make the connecting rod 5 variable in length.

The following describes engines that have several cylinders of the type described above and are equipped with double pistons. To simplify the drawings, the bevel gears 9, 10, 11 and 13 (see Fig.5 ) as discs or spur gears. This is particularly the case in the Fig.8 , 9 , 10 and 14 .

A in Fig.8 The two-cylinder internal combustion engine shown is a so-called V-engine according to the second aspect. It is created by combining two internal combustion engines described above. It can be realized by arranging two cylinder housings 1 in a V shape in such a way that a flywheel 23 is provided with a bevel gear for each cylinder housing in such a way that the flywheels 23 provided with the bevel gear are arranged in an interlocking manner and serve to synchronize the two internal combustion engines, and that output shafts 84 of the two internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear 86 at their end facing away from the cylinder housing 1 of the respective engine and so are arranged in such a way that the two bevel gears 86 can engage with a further bevel gear 82, which is arranged on a shaft 83 running perpendicular to the plane spanned by the axes of symmetry 59 of the two cylinder housings, which is the output shaft of the two-cylinder internal combustion engine. By means of a toothing of corresponding flywheels, a frictional connection between two single-cylinder internal combustion engines arranged in a V shape is possible. If the power output is diverted between the legs of the V and combined via a bevel gear set, a high power can be generated that can be diverted via the output shaft 83.

In Fig.9 is a two V-engined Fig.8 composite four-cylinder engine. By means of a toothing of corresponding flywheels, a power connection between four alternating chamber engines arranged in a square is possible. If the power output of the output shafts 84 of the individual cylinders is diverted along the diagonals of the square and combined via a set of four bevel gears 86 arranged at the ends of the output shafts 84 and a central bevel gear 82, a high power can be generated that can be diverted perpendicular to the plane of the square via the output shaft 83, for example to a propeller 89. This design is suitable for replacing radial engines.

In Fig.10 A so-called chain engine is shown, in which several, in this case four, cylinder housings 1 are lined up along their axis of symmetry. In all cases, these are engines in which the shaft of the flywheels 2 is split. Such an engine is in Fig.5 The half shafts 6 carry bevel gears 19 at their end remote from the flywheels. These bevel gears 19 are connected via a further bevel gear 20. Because the shaft of the flywheels 2 consists of two half shafts 6, the direction of rotation of the flywheels 2 on both sides of the cylinders is opposite. Accordingly, the output shafts on both sides of the cylinders also rotate in opposite directions. If, for example, in a If synchronization of the shafts on both sides of the cylinders is required in a tracked vehicle, then a corresponding gearbox must be provided on at least one side.

The one in the Fig. 11 and 12 The Tetra engine shown consists of four cylinder housings 1 with eight combustion chambers. The cylinder housings 1 are arranged in such a way that they are similar to the four "cylinders" of a high-rise building in Munich. The rotary motion of the output shafts 84 of the four cylinders is diverted into the space between the cylinders by the belt drive of the flywheels. These four output shafts 84 run along the diagonals of a square. Each of these four output shafts carries a bevel gear 86. All four bevel gears meet in the middle of the space. All four bevel gears 86 mesh with two central gears 82, from each of which a split output shaft 83 extends, which projects beyond the front and rear limits of the Tetra engine. This output shaft 83 runs parallel to the axes of symmetry 59 of the four cylinder housings. The two half shafts of the output shaft here rotate in opposite directions. In the version of the Tetra engine shown here, a set of flywheels 2 is provided on both sides of the crankshaft of each cylinder housing 1.

In Fig. 13 A more compact design of the Tetra engine is shown. Here, a set of flywheels is arranged only on the side of the cylinder 1 that is remote from the common output shaft. This allows the output shafts 84 to be shortened.

In Fig. 14 is a series engine, which in this example is composed of four cylinder housings 1. The crankshafts of the two cylinders shown on the left in the picture are connected to each other by connecting the receiving wheels 9 by means of a bridging wheel 10. The crankshafts of the two cylinders shown on the right in the picture are also connected to each other. Both cylinder pairs are connected to one another in that the connecting wheels 13 of adjacent cylinders arranged between two flywheels 2 are connected to one another via a bridging wheel 10. In this in-line engine, the receiving wheels 9 and the two connecting wheels 13 facing one another, as well as the gears 10, are designed as bevel gears. The crankshaft of this in-line engine with four cylinders is continuous for two cylinders each. At the point where the two pairs of cylinders are connected to one another, the connecting wheels 13 are joined together by means of a bridging wheel 10. These connecting wheels 13 are not directly connected to the adjacent crankshaft stub. The connecting wheels 13 are driven via the receiving wheels 9 on the other side of the respective cylinder and the flywheel set.

Any shaft of the bridging gears 10 as well as any shaft of the bevel gears that connect the two half shafts of the flywheel drive wheels 2 can be used as the output shaft of this motor.

A more compact design of a series engine is in Fig. 15 Instead of coupling rods as in Fig. 14 Here, traction means 18 such as belts are used to connect the flywheels 2 to the receiving wheels 9. In addition, flywheels 2 are only present on the outside of the two cylinders that are at the ends of the row. The pistons of the inner cylinders are balanced by means of the flywheels of the cylinders at the ends of the row. If no flywheels are provided on the inner cylinders, a continuous crankshaft is possible, which extends through a receiving wheel 9 into the output shaft 83.

Is the area of Fig.7 If the compression adjustment shown is large enough, you can switch between diesel and gasoline engine mode. For this to happen, four conditions must be met:
The first requirement is that the power transmission from the pickup wheel to the shaft stub is interrupted via a clutch, thereby temporarily bringing the shaft stub to a standstill.

The second requirement is that, over a number of cycles, a control command to the actuator moves the slides into a position where all inlet and outlet channels are opened simultaneously, so that the old gas mixture can escape completely. This prevents the gasoline gas mixture and the diesel gas mixture from meeting in the combustion chamber and causing damage.

The third requirement is that you have two separate fuel tanks and two separate fuel lines. A switch must be placed between the two lines to allow or block the flow of the type of fuel that is currently required or blocked.

Fourthly, the pressure rings must be completely emptied before they can be filled with the new type of fuel. The piston empties the pressure rings by sucking them down and pushing out gas through the permanently open outlet openings during its upward movement. The pressure rings are emptied over several revolutions until they are completely empty. After this, operation with the new type of fuel continues under electronic control.

The single-chamber engine has only one piston, one combustion chamber and only two flywheels. It can easily be built as a small engine, e.g. for mopeds. It needs a conventional crankshaft that diverts the power to the outside. It goes without saying that no complex crankshaft construction is required here either, as the flywheels compensate for the imbalance of the piston movement. Accordingly, no complex crankshaft housing is required.

In an alternating chamber engine, the working strokes of the two combustion chambers support each other. The stroke sequence of one combustion chamber is shifted by exactly one stroke compared to the other. In stroke 3 (working stroke) of one chamber, the piston moves downwards after ignition. This piston transfers its kinetic energy to the other piston via the rigid spacer rods. This piston is currently in stroke 2 (compression stroke). The combustion energy of the first piston therefore supports the compression movement of the second piston. The second piston then reaches top dead center and is moved in the opposite direction again in stroke 3. This movement meets stroke 4 (exhaust stroke) of the first piston and amplifies its exhaust movement to remove the old gases. The intake movement (stroke 1) of the first piston then meets the exhaust movement (stroke 4) of the second piston, and then the compression movement of the first piston (stroke 2) meets the intake movement of the second piston (stroke 1). The movements of the two pistons therefore always support each other and run in the same direction, even if the support is limited by the fact that ignition only takes place every fourth stroke. The flywheels overcome the "dry spell" until the next ignition. If you work with a second cylinder, you have an ignition offset of one stroke for all four combustion chambers, so that one combustion chamber is always performing a working stroke, thus ensuring a continuous ignition sequence that constantly delivers power.

The alternating chamber engine does not require valves. This avoids valve plates that are in the middle of the gas flow and therefore severely inhibit it. This increases performance and reduces consumption. Since the gas channels are no longer opened and closed mechanically, not only valves but also camshafts are eliminated. In addition, there are no longer rigid opening and closing times caused by different cam shapes, but instead, thanks to the control of the slide infinitely variable using an electronic actuator. This opens up new scope for adjustment under changing load conditions.

In a conventional engine, there is an intake side and an exhaust side, as the overhead camshafts force a spatial separation of the intake and exhaust openings. As the intake and exhaust openings are arranged next to each other in an alternating chamber engine, fresh gas can flow into the combustion chamber from all sides. This means that the combustion chamber is completely filled, in contrast to the poorly filled "pocket" of the area opposite the intake opening in a conventional four-stroke engine. Likewise, the combustion chamber is better flushed because the exhaust openings are also opposite each other, which means that the burned old gas can be expelled from several sides. As the working stroke of one combustion chamber supports the flushing of the other combustion chamber, the alternating chamber principle also improves the flushing. In the case of two cylinders in series, this effect is increased. In a conventional four-stroke engine, the emptying of the old gases to only one side creates a poorly flushed area on the opposite intake side, in which the burned old gas remains in a "pocket". Both disadvantages of the conventional four-stroke engine lead to unclean combustion. The fresh gas flows of the alternating chamber engine, on the other hand, meet in the middle of the combustion chamber and swirl well. The inlet and outlet openings can be mixed as desired. Intake and exhaust can take place from all sides. The separation into an inlet and an exhaust side is eliminated in the alternating chamber engine. The better gas exchange reduces consumption and enables clean exhaust gases.

As a result of the elimination of valve springs, there is hardly any limit to the size of the individual displacement. The momentum compensation of the piston masses has been moved outwards into the flywheels. The support of the motional force of the two The piston is moved largely via the flywheels and the rigid spacer rods. This significantly reduces the load on the crankshaft bearings. The internal crankshaft can therefore be designed so simply that the crankshaft housing can even be omitted.

The pistons are held in place by four spacer rods. This makes it almost impossible for the pistons to tilt near the dead center. This also makes it easier to achieve large piston diameters.

The interchangeable chamber engine also has the same variability capabilities as today's modern four-stroke engine. The variable control of intake and exhaust allows the timing of injection and exhaust to be dynamically adapted to the respective load condition of the engine. This makes it possible to adjust the power and torque curve just as carefully as with a conventional four-stroke engine.

Dynamos can be attached to one or more flywheels via gear ring connections, which can feed recuperated braking energy back into the motor. The motor can therefore also be used as a hybrid motor that can recover kinetic energy and convert it back into electrical energy.

Overall, the engine is easier to repair than the conventional four-stroke engine. Since it burns very cleanly and the pistons are broadly supported by the spacer rods, wear should also be less and the service life should therefore be longer.

One advantage of the invention is that multi-cylinder engines can be manufactured using the modular principle. The sizes of the cylinder and piston are determined based on the piston stroke and the piston diameter. From these The balancing masses of the flywheels are derived from these dimensions. Multi-cylinder engines can be manufactured by simply assembling these elements. The only variables are the flywheels connecting the individual cylinders and the elements of the crankshaft or output shaft connecting the individual cylinders. Unlike conventional engines, a separate block as a housing for the crankshaft and cylinders and a cylinder head adapted to the number of cylinders are not required. In conventional engines, these elements are adapted to the respective engine. With the present invention, however, it is possible to design and build a new engine with more or fewer cylinders without great effort in the design and manufacture of the engine housing or other parts.

List of embodiments of the invention Single-cylinder engines of various designs

1. 1. Two-piston engine
2. 2. Two-piston engine with two flywheels on the same side
3. 3. Two-piston engine with two flywheels per side
4. 4. Two-piston engine with slide instead of valve
5. 5. Two-piston engine with two support wheels
6. 6. Two-piston engine with two flywheels per side and split flywheel shafts (and only one pick-up wheel or freewheel in a middle wheel)
7. 7. Motor with belt drive of the flywheel(s)
8. 8. Motor with coupling rod between the take-up wheel and the flywheel
9. 9. Motor with coupling rod between the take-up wheel and the flywheel, bridging the coupling rod with bevel gears

Multi-cylinder engines of various designs

• 10. V-engine
• 11. Two V-engines combined to form a diamond engine
• 12. Chain engine (several cylinders in a row on the same axis of symmetry)
• 13. Tetra engine (four cylinders with parallel axes of symmetry)
• 14. In-line engine
• 15. Compact in-line engine (with two sets of flywheels on the outside only)

List of reference symbols

1

Cylinder housing

2

Flywheel

3

Pistons

4

crankshaft

5

connecting rod

6

Shaft for flywheel

7

Pressure ring fuel

8th

Pressure ring air supply

9

Pick-up wheel

10

Bridging gear (fourth bevel gear)

11

Power transmission gear (fifth bevel gear)

12

Output shaft

13

Connecting wheel between two flywheels

14

Coupling rod (tie rod)

16

Spacer bar

18

Traction device

19

Bevel gear on half shaft flywheel

20

Bevel gear for connecting the half shafts of the flywheels

21

Connecting shaft between two cylinders in an in-line engine

22

Coupling rod pin

23

Flywheel with bevel gearing

24

Cylinder head

25

cooled cavity in the cylinder head

26

Cylinder head cover

27

Cylinder head base

28

Border (side wall of the cylinder head)

29

Combustion chamber

30

Pivot point slide shaft

33

Connecting shaft

34

spark plug

35

Guide tube

36

Fuel pump

37

Slider

43

Channel for inlet or outlet

44

Channel for outlet or inlet

45

Opening for inlet or outlet

46

Opening for outlet or inlet

50

Crank pin

52

Crankshaft arm

53

Crankshaft stub to the first support wheel

59

Axis of symmetry of the cylinder

60

Dip tube of the spacer rods that connect the pistons

61

Standpipe of the spacer rods that connect the pistons

62

Control leg

63

Crossing element of the control legs

64

variable length control body in the standpipe

65

Piston pin

67

Support sleeve for crankshaft in cylinder

74

Raising ring between slide and cylinder head base

75

axial elevation of the spring pin

76

axial groove of the connecting shaft

77

Spring pin in the connecting shaft of the slide control

78

Actuator

79

circumferential elevation of the connecting shaft

80

circumferential groove on the inside of the guide tube

82

Bevel gear on output shaft multi-cylinder engine

83

Output shaft multi-cylinder engine

84

Output shaft of a cylinder

86

Bevel gear on the output shaft of a cylinder

89

propeller

Claims (14)

1. Internal combustion engine which is designed as a four-stroke reciprocating piston engine, having

   - a crankshaft (4) which has two crankshaft stubs and two crank arms (52) the first end of each of which is fixedly connected to the crankshaft stubs and the second end of each of which is fixedly connected to a crankpin (50),

   - a connecting rod (5) which is connected to the crankpin (50) at a first end and is connected to a first piston (3) at a second end, and

   - a cylinder housing (1), the inner side of which is formed as a right circular cylinder,
   wherein a combustion chamber (29) is arranged between the first piston (3) and a first circular end surface of the circular cylinder, and wherein, in the cylinder housing (1), a second piston (3) is arranged on the side of the crankshaft stubs that faces away from the first piston (3) and is connected to the first piston (3) by means of at least two spacer rods (16), and wherein a second combustion chamber is arranged between the second piston (3) and a second one of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder, characterised in that at least one opening (45, 46) is provided in each of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder which face towards a combustion chamber (29), and in that a number of sliders (37) corresponding to the number of openings (45, 46) are arranged at each of the circular end surfaces of the circular cylinder which face towards a combustion chamber (29), said sliders being designed for closing and opening the respective opening (45, 46).
2. Internal combustion engine according to claim 1, characterised in that

   a first crankshaft stub is fixedly connected to a first receiving wheel (9) outside the cylinder housing (1) and is set up in such a way that the crankshaft stub drives the first receiving wheel (9), which is set up so that it drives a first and a second drive flywheel (2),

   the second drive flywheel (2) is arranged on the side of the receiving wheel (9) facing away from the first drive flywheel (2),

   the first and the second drive flywheel (2) are set up so that an axis of rotation of the respective drive flywheel (2) runs parallel to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft (4) and perpendicular to an axis of symmetry (59) of the circular cylinder, and that an intersection point of the axis of rotation of the respective drive flywheel (2) and the axis of symmetry (59) of the circular cylinder is further away from the crankshaft (4) than the circular end surface of the circular cylinder facing towards the combustion chamber, and

   the first and the second drive flywheel (2) balance the internal combustion engine.
3. Internal combustion engine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that

   a third and a fourth drive flywheel (2) are attached, wherein the third drive flywheel (2) is arranged substantially on the same axis of rotation as the first drive flywheel (2) and the fourth drive flywheel (2) is arranged substantially on the same axis of rotation as the second drive flywheel (2),

   the third and the fourth drive flywheel (2) are arranged on the side of the cylinder housing (1) on which a second crankshaft stub can be led out of the cylinder housing (1), and

   the third and the fourth drive flywheel (2) are set up in such a way that they balance the internal combustion engine.
4. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second crankshaft stub is fixedly connected to a second receiving wheel (9) outside the cylinder housing (1) and set up in such a way that the second crankshaft stub drives the second receiving wheel (9), which is set up in such a way that it drives the third and the fourth drive flywheel (2).
5. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the axes of rotation of the first and third drive flywheel (2) and of the second and fourth drive flywheel (2) are each two half-shafts (6) separated from each other, which are respectively fixedly connected to a first bevel gear (19) at the ends facing away from the drive flywheels (2), and in that the half-shafts (6) are connected by means of a second bevel gear (20) such that the first and the second drive flywheel (2) rotate in the opposite direction to the third and the fourth drive flywheel (2).
6. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that
   the receiving wheel (9) or the receiving wheels drive(s) the drive flywheel (2) or the drive flywheels in each case by means of a traction means (18), in particular a chain or a belt.
7. Internal combustion engine according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that
   the receiving wheel (9) or the receiving wheels drive(s) the drive flywheels (2) by means of coupling rods (14).
8. Internal combustion engine according to claim 7, characterised in that

   the first and/or the second receiving wheel (9) is designed as a third bevel gear, and

   for each third receiving wheel (9) designed as a bevel gear, a fourth (10) and a fifth (11) bevel gear are arranged in such a way that at least one shaft (12), which is substantially coaxial with the crankshaft (4) and is fixedly connected to the fifth bevel gear (11), can be driven by the internal combustion engine, and

   the coupling rod or coupling rods (14) are bridged by means of the fourth (10) and the fifth (11) bevel gears.
9. Two-cylinder internal combustion engine, composed of two internal combustion engines according to claim 6 or 8, characterised in that

   two cylinder housings (1) are arranged in a V-shape in such a way that, for each cylinder housing (1), a drive flywheel (23) is provided with a bevel gearing in such a way that the drive flywheels (23) provided with the bevel gearing are arranged in an interlocking manner and serve to synchronise the two internal combustion engines, and

   output shafts (84) of the two internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear (86) at their end facing away from the cylinder housing of the respective engine and are arranged in such a way that the two bevel gears (86) can engage in a further bevel gear (82) which is arranged on a shaft (83) extending perpendicular to the plane spanned by the axes of symmetry (59) of the two cylinder housings (1), said shaft being the output shaft of the two-cylinder internal combustion engine.
10. Four-cylinder internal combustion engine, composed of two two-cylinder internal combustion engines according to claim 9, characterised in that

    axes of symmetry (59) of cylinder housings (1) of four internal combustion engines according to one of claims 5 to 7 are arranged in a plane, and

    output shafts (84) of the four single-cylinder internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear (86) at their end facing away from the cylinder housing (1) of the respective engine and are arranged in such a way that the four bevel gears (86) can engage in at least one common bevel gear (82) which is arranged on a shaft (83) extending perpendicular to the plane spanned by axes of symmetry (59) of the four cylinder housings (1), said shaft being the output shaft of the four-cylinder internal combustion engine.
11. Multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, consisting of at least two internal combustion engines according to claim 5, characterised in that
    two internal combustion engines are respectively arranged in such a way that axes of symmetry (59) of their cylinder housings (1) substantially coincide, and that second bevel gears (20) of two internal combustion engines are connected to each other by means of a shaft (21) common to the second bevel gears (20).
12. Four-cylinder internal combustion engine, composed of four internal combustion engines according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that

    axes of symmetry (59) of the cylinder housings (1) of the four internal combustion engines are arranged parallel to one another,

    axes of rotation of the crankshafts (4) of the four internal combustion engines are arranged in a plane in such a way that output shafts (84) of the four internal combustion engines are each provided with a bevel gear (86) at their end facing away from the cylinder housing (1) of the respective engine and are arranged extending towards each other along diagonals of a square in such a way that the four bevel gears (86) can engage in a common bevel gear (82) which is arranged on a shaft (83) extending substantially parallel to the axes of symmetry (59) of the four cylinder housings (1), said shaft being the output shaft of the four-cylinder internal combustion engine.
13. Internal combustion engine composed of at least two internal combustion engines according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that

    axes of symmetry (59) of the cylinder housings of the at least two internal combustion engines are arranged parallel to each other and in a plane, and

    the receiving wheels (9) of two adjacent internal combustion engines are connected to each other and/or the connecting wheels (13) of two adjacent internal combustion engines are connected to each other.
14. Internal combustion engine according to claim 13, characterised in that

    a first receiving wheel and a first and a second drive flywheel are present on a first cylinder housing,

    a second receiving wheel and a third and a fourth drive flywheel are present on a last cylinder housing, and

    these two receiving wheels are the only receiving wheels and these four drive flywheels are the only drive flywheels of the internal combustion engine.

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