Internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9803541-B2
Application number	US-201415129834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes a first low-pressure cylinder housing a first low-pressure piston, and a first high-pressure cylinder housing a first high-pressure piston, the first high-pressure cylinder being arranged in upstream fluid communication with the first low-pressure cylinder for providing exhaust gas into the first low-pressure cylinder. The internal combustion engine further includes a second low-pressure cylinder housing a second low-pressure piston, the second low-pressure cylinder being arranged in upstream fluid communication with the first high-pressure cylinder for providing compressed gas into the first high-pressure cylinder, and a second high-pressure cylinder housing a second high-pressure piston, the second high-pressure cylinder being arranged in downstream fluid communication with the first low-pressure cylinder for receiving compressed gas from the first low-pressure cylinder, and further arranged in upstream fluid communication with the second low-pressure cylinder for providing exhaust gas into the second low-pressure cylinder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
a first low-pressure cylinder housing a first low-pressure piston; and
a first high-pressure cylinder housing a first high-pressure piston, the first high-pressure cylinder being arranged in upstream fluid communication with the first low-pressure cylinder for providing exhaust gas into the first low-pressure cylinder;
a second low-pressure cylinder housing a second low-pressure piston, the second low-pressure cylinder being arranged in upstream fluid communication with the first high-pressure cylinder for providing compressed gas into the first high-pressure cylinder; and
a second high-pressure cylinder housing a second high-pressure piston, the second high-pressure cylinder being arranged in downstream fluid communication with the first low-pressure cylinder for receiving compressed gas from the first low-pressure cylinder, and further arranged in upstream fluid communication with the second low-pressure cylinder for providing exhaust gas into the second low-pressure cylinder.

2. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second low-pressure pistons operate in a two-stroke configuration and the first and second high-pressure pistons operate in a four-stroke configuration.

3. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second low-pressure pistons are connected to a first crank shaft and the first and second high-pressure pistons are connected to a second crank shaft, wherein the second crank shaft is configured to rotate with a speed of at least twice the speed of the first crank shaft.

4. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first low-pressure piston and the second low-pressure piston are arranged in a 180 degrees crank angle offset in relation to each other, such that the first low-pressure piston is configured to reach an upper end position within the first low-pressure cylinder when second low-pressure piston reaches a lower end position within the second low-pressure cylinder.

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

6. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second high-pressure pistons are arranged to reach a lower end position within the respective first and second high-pressure cylinder when the first and second low-pressure pistons reaches an upper and a lower end position within the respective first and second low-pressure cylinder.

7. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second low-pressure cylinders are provided with liner intake ports at a lower end portion of the respective cylinders, such that gas can be provided into the respective low-pressure cylinder when the respective first and second low-pressure piston is positioned in their lower end position.

8. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first low-pressure cylinder is in fluid communication with the second high-pressure cylinder by means of a first passageway.

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

10. The internal combustion engine according to claim 8 , wherein the second low-pressure cylinder is in fluid communication with the first high-pressure cylinder by means of a second passageway, and wherein each one of the first and second passageways is provided with cooling means for cooling the fluid passing there through.

11. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the first high-pressure cylinder is in fluid communication with the first low-pressure cylinder by means of a third passageway.

12. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein the second high-pressure cylinder is in fluid communication with the second low-pressure cylinder by means of a fourth passageway.

13. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein each of the high-pressure cylinders comprises valved inlet ports and valved outlet ports for controlling fluid transportation into and out from the respective high-pressure cylinders.

14. The internal combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein each of the low-pressure cylinders comprises valved outlet ports arranged to control fluid transportation out from the respective low-pressure cylinders.

15. The internal combustion engine according to claim 13 , wherein each of the valved inlet ports and valved outlet ports are controlled by means of a common cam shaft.

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

Assignees

• Volvo Truck Corp

Inventors

• Andersson Arne
• Jiang Bincheng
• Lundgren Staffan

Classifications

• F02B33/06

  with reciprocating-piston pumps other than simple crankcase pumps · CPC title

• F02B33/22 Primary

  with pumping cylinder situated at side of working cylinder, e.g. the cylinders being parallel · CPC title

• F02B2075/027

  four · CPC title

• F02B33/02

  Engines with reciprocating-piston pumps; Engines with crankcase pumps · CPC title

• F02B41/08 Primary

  Two-stroke compound engines · CPC title