US3910238A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Piston power unit with stratifying ignition system
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1974-06-10
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Granted: 1975-10-07
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Expires: 1994-06-10
Abstract
Abstract A piston power unit having curved opposed pistons moving in a correspondingly curved cylinder and driving one or two crankshafts, said cylinder having a fuel intake port and an exhaust port. An ignition chamber is provided in the wall of the cylinder and in communication with the latter through an ignition port, said chamber including a fuel injector and a spark plug. During the compression strokes of the pistons, a lean fuel mixture in the cylinder and the ignition chamber is compressed and while one of the pistons is covering the ignition port, the mixture in the ignition chamber is enriched with fuel by means of the injector and then ignited, the ignition being transmitted to the fuel in the cylinder when the ignition port is uncovered by the piston. One piston uncovers the exhaust port before the other piston uncovers the intake port, said pistons closing the ports at substantially the same time.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard James
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 17:53
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02B; F02B53/00; F02B53/02; F01; F01C; F01C9/00; F01C9/002; F02B1/00; F02B1/02; F02B1/04; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
202 words
In a piston power unit having first and second opposed pistons mounted in a curved cylinder for movement towards and away from each other around a center in compression and power strokes respectively and constrained to move around said centre, each piston having a head at one end thereof facing the opposed piston, an exhaust port and a fuel inlet port closed by said pistons during compression strokes thereof and uncovered when said pistons near the ends of their power strokes, and crankshaft means; an improvement comprising an ignition chamber in communication with the cylinder through an ignition port positioned between said pistons, connecting means between each piston and said crankshaft means, the location of said ignition port and said connecting means being such that the first piston covers or substantially covers the ignition port at the end of the compression stroke thereof following which the pistons move in the same direction until the second piston reaches the end of the compression stroke thereof, means in the ignition chamber for injecting fuel therein while said port is covered or partially covered by the first piston near the end of the compression stroke, and means in the ignition chamber for igniting said fuel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
202 words
In a piston power unit having first and second opposed pistons mounted in a curved cylinder for movement towards and away from each other around a center in compression and power strokes respectively and constrained to move around said centre, each piston having a head at one end thereof facing the opposed piston, an exhaust port and a fuel inlet port closed by said pistons during compression strokes thereof and uncovered when said pistons near the ends of their power strokes, and crankshaft means; an improvement comprising an ignition chamber in communication with the cylinder through an ignition port positioned between said pistons, connecting means between each piston and said crankshaft means, the location of said ignition port and said connecting means being such that the first piston covers or substantially covers the ignition port at the end of the compression stroke thereof following which the pistons move in the same direction until the second piston reaches the end of the compression stroke thereof, means in the ignition chamber for injecting fuel therein while said port is covered or partially covered by the first piston near the end of the compression stroke, and means in the ignition chamber for igniting said fuel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A power unit as claimed in claim 1 in which said connecting means is such that said first piston during the power stroke thereof starts to uncover the exhaust port before said second piston starts to uncover the inlet port.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
A power unit as claimed in claim 1 in which said crankshaft means comprises a crankshaft having two circumferentially spaced cranks, and said connecting means comprises a connecting rod for each piston, each connecting rod being pivotally connected at one end to the respective piston and at an opposite end to one of said cranks, each connecting rod being connected to a different crank from the other rod.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
A power unit as claimed in claim 3 in which each connecting rod is connected to its respective piston by a wrist pin, and the wrist pin of the first piston being spaced farther from the head of said first piston than the spacing of the wrist pin of the second piston from the head of the latter piston.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
A power unit as claimed in claim 3 in which each connecting rod is connected to its respective piston by a wrist pin, and the wrist pin of the first piston being closer to said centre than the wrist pin of the second piston.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A power unit as claimed in claim 3 in which the throw of the crank to which the connecting rod of the first piston is connected is greater than the throw of the crank to which the second piston is connected.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
77 words
A power unit as claimed in claim 1 in which said crankshaft means comprises first and second crankshafts, interconnecting means for the crankshafts to cause said crankshafts to rotate together, and said connecting means comprises a connecting rod for each piston, each connecting rod being pivotally connected at one end to the respective piston and at an opposite end to one of said crankshafts, each connecting rod being connected to a different crankshaft from the other rod.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
A piston power unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ignition chamber is substantially spherical, and said ignition port is a tangential outlet to the cylinder convergent with the cylinder axis in the direction of movement of the first piston during the compression stroke thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
A piston power unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein said fuel injecting means is axially aligned with said tangential outlet.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
A piston power unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said igniting means comprises a spark plug.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
110 words
A piston power unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ignition chamber communicates with the cylinder at a position substantially equidistant from both ends of the cylinder, and wherein each connecting rod is connected to its respective piston by a wrist pin, and the wrist pin of the first piston being spaced farther from the head of said first piston than the spacing of the wrist pin of the second piston from the head of the latter piston, whereby when the second piston is at the end of its compression stroke, the piston heads are substantially equidistant from the position at which the ignition chamber communicates with the cylinder.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A piston power unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ignition chamber communicates with the cylinder at a position offset from the cylinder center towards the first piston, and wherein said first and second pistons are of equal length.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
A piston power unit as claimed in claim 1, and comprising a sealed crankcase enclosing said crankshaft means, said crankcase having an inlet for fuel vapour and passage means connected to said inlet port whereby, upon pressurization of the crankcase during downward movement of the pistons, fuel vapour is pumped from the crankcase to the cylinder.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
180 words
The method in the operation of a piston power unit of the type having first and second pistons connected to crankshaft means and mounted in a curved cylinder for movement towards and away from each other in compression and power strokes respectively, which comprises directing a lean charge of fuel into the cylinder when the pistons are near the end of the power strokes thereof, moving the pistons through a compression stroke, injecting a rich charge of fuel into an ignition chamber which communicates with the cylinder through an ignition port while said port is covered or partially covered by the first piston near the end of the compression stroke, moving the pistons in the same direction with a space therebetween and containing the compressed lean mixture as the second piston nears the end of its compression stroke, igniting the rich charge in the ignition chamber so as to cause the burning rich charge to ignite the compressed lean charge between the pistons, and exhausting gases from the cylinder as the first piston near the end of the power stroke.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
180 words
The method in the operation of a piston power unit of the type having first and second pistons connected to crankshaft means and mounted in a curved cylinder for movement towards and away from each other in compression and power strokes respectively, which comprises directing a lean charge of fuel into the cylinder when the pistons are near the end of the power strokes thereof, moving the pistons through a compression stroke, injecting a rich charge of fuel into an ignition chamber which communicates with the cylinder through an ignition port while said port is covered or partially covered by the first piston near the end of the compression stroke, moving the pistons in the same direction with a space therebetween and containing the compressed lean mixture as the second piston nears the end of its compression stroke, igniting the rich charge in the ignition chamber so as to cause the burning rich charge to ignite the compressed lean charge between the pistons, and exhausting gases from the cylinder as the first piston near the end of the power stroke.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method as claimed in claim 14 which comprises maintaining said pistons spaced substantially the same distance apart while the pistons are moving in the same direction near the end of the compression stroke of the second piston.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as claimed in claim 14 which comprises starting to exhaust the gases from the cylinder before starting to direct a lean charge into the cylinder.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-06 | 1979-04-07 | 1979-10-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-06 | 1983-04-07 | 1983-10-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-06 | 1987-04-07 | 1987-10-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |