Internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041404-B2
Application number	US-201315106187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2013
Priority date	Dec 19, 2013
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

An internal combustion engine including a first set of cylinders includes: a first two-stroke compression cylinder housing a first compression piston connected to a first crank shaft; a first four-stroke combustion cylinder housing a first combustion piston connected to a second crank shaft, the first four-stroke combustion cylinder being configured to receive compressed gas from the first two-stroke compression cylinder; and a first two-stroke expansion cylinder housing a first expansion piston connected to the first crank shaft, the first two-stroke expansion cylinder being configured to receive exhaust gas from the first four-stroke combustion cylinder, wherein the first compression piston is positioned to reach a lower end position within the first compression cylinder and the first expansion piston is positioned to reach an upper end position within the first expansion cylinder when the first combustion piston reaches a lower end position within the first combustion cylinder; wherein the second crank shaft is configured to rotate with a speed of at least twice the speed of the first crank shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising a first set of cylinders comprising:
a first two-stroke compression cylinder housing a first compression piston connected to a first crank shaft;
a first four-stroke combustion cylinder housing a first combustion piston connected to a second crank shaft, the first four-stroke combustion cylinder being configured to receive compressed gas from the first two-stroke compression cylinder; and
a first two-stroke expansion cylinder housing a first expansion piston connected to the first crank shaft, the first two-stroke expansion cylinder being configured to receive exhaust gas from the first four-stroke combustion cylinder;

wherein the first compression piston is positioned to reach a lower end position within the first compression cylinder and the first expansion piston is positioned to reach an upper end position within the first expansion cylinder when the first combustion piston reaches a lower end position within the first combustion cylinder; wherein the second crank shaft is configured to rotate with a speed of at least twice the speed of the first crank shaft
wherein the internal combustion engine further comprises a second set of cylinders comprising:
a second two-stroke compression cylinder housing a second compression piston connected to the first crank shaft, wherein the second compression piston is positioned to reach an upper end position within the second compression cylinder when the first compression piston reaches a lower end position within the first compression cylinder;
a second four-stroke combustion cylinder housing a second combustion piston connected to the second crank shaft, the second four-stroke combustion cylinder being configured to receive compressed gas from the second two-stroke compression cylinder;

wherein the second combustion piston is positioned to reach an upper end position within the second combustion cylinder when the first combustion piston reaches an upper end position within the first combustion cylinder; and
a second two-stroke expansion cylinder housing a second expansion piston connected to the first crank shaft, the second two-stroke expansion cylinder being configured to receive exhaust gas from the second four-stroke combustion cylinder,

wherein the second expansion piston is positioned to reach an upper end position within the second expansion cylinder when the first expansion piston reaches a lower end position within the first expansion cylinder,
wherein the first combustion cylinder and the second combustion cylinder forming a first V-shaped configuration; and the first compression cylinder and the second compression cylinder forming a second V-shaped configuration.

2. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first combustion piston and the second combustion piston are positioned to reach an upper end position within the respective combustion cylinders approximately simultaneously and in a such a way that the first combustion piston is configured to be ignited at an upper end position within the first combustion cylinder when the second combustion piston is in an upper end position of the second combustion cylinder for initiation of intake of fuel therein.

3. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second combustion pistons are arranged to reach a lower end position within the first and second combustion cylinder, respectively, when the first expansion piston reaches an upper and a lower position within the first expansion cylinder.

4. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first compression cylinder and the first expansion cylinder are positioned in parallel in relation to each other; and wherein the second compression cylinder and the second expansion cylinder are positioned in parallel in relation to each other.

5. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first crank shaft is positioned in parallel to the second crank shaft, such that the second V-shaped configuration is positioned above and in parallel with the first V-shaped configuration.

6. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein a balance shaft is positioned between the first and the second crank shafts.

7. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the V-shape is arranged in a 90 degrees configuration.

8. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first compression cylinder is in fluid communication with the first combustion cylinder 06 ) by means of a first passageway.

9. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first combustion cylinder is in fluid communication with the first expansion cylinder by means of a second passageway.

10. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the second compression cylinder is in fluid communication with the second combustion cylinder by means of a third passageway.

11. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the second combustion cylinder is in fluid communication with the second expansion cylinder by means of a fourth passageway.

12. The internal combustion engine according to claim 8 , wherein each one of the first and third passageways are provided with cooling means for cooling the fluid passing there through.

13. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein each of the cylinders comprises valved inlet ports and valved outlet ports for controlling fluid transportation into and out from the respective cylinders, wherein each of the valved inlet ports and valved outlet ports are controlled by means of a common cam shaft.

14. A vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Volvo Truck Corp

Inventors

• Andersson Arne
• Jiang Bincheng
• Lundgren Staffan
• Johansson Staffan
• Johansson Bengt

Classifications

• F02B75/225

  having two or more crankshafts · CPC title

• F02B2075/027

  four · CPC title

• F16C2360/22

  Internal combustion engines · CPC title

• F02B75/02 Primary

  Engines characterised by their cycles, e.g. six-stroke · CPC title

• F02B2075/025

  two · CPC title