Variable compression ratio engine and method of operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9175603-B1
Application number	US-201414306703-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2014
Priority date	Jun 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 3, 2015
Grant date	Nov 3, 2015

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes a piston assembly with a piston rotatably connected to a pin carrier. The piston can rotate about a cylinder axis from a low compression ratio orientation to a high compression ratio orientation when an electronically controlled pump of a compression ratio controlled fluid circuit is activated. The piston includes a plurality of first wedges in contact with a plurality of respective second wedges of the pin carrier in a hydraulic chamber. The first wedges have hydraulic surfaces exposed to fluid pressure in the hydraulic chamber in order to hydraulically rotate the piston relative to the pin carrier. The engine may be configured to burn diesel fuel and natural gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
a housing that defines a plurality of cylinders;
a piston assembly positioned to reciprocate in each of the cylinders along a cylinder axis to define a compression ratio, and the piston assembly includes a piston rotatably connected to a pin carrier to rotate about the cylinder axis;
the piston having a plurality of first wedges respectively contacting a plurality of second wedges of the pin carrier in a hydrauli…

Assignees

• Electro Motive Diesel Inc

Inventors

• Foege Aaron Gamache

Classifications

• F02D19/0613

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F02B75/044 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F02D19/10 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• Y02T10/30

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02D15/02

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic