Hypocycloid mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to a hypocycloid mechanism comprising: a shaft (4); a gearwheel (7) rotatable about its center and coupled to the shaft (4); a pinion (8) parallel to the gearwheel (7), the pinion being rotatably mounted on an axle eccentrically passing through the gearwheel (7); a cylinder (1) having a piston (2); a connecting rod (3), one side of which is connected to the piston (2) and the other side of which is rotatably connected to the pinion (8), such that the rotation of the gearwheel (7) and the pinion (8) is associated with the reciprocating movement of the piston (2); at least one bearing-supported stationary part (6) in which the gearwheel (7) is rotatably mounted. The present invention is characterized in that: a fixed member (6) is an annular member provided with teeth on the inner side, and a pinion gear (8) provided with teeth on the outer side and meshing with internal teeth (6 ') of the fixed member (6); the gearwheel (7) is provided with teeth on the outside and is rotatably mounted in the stationary part (6) by means of a bearing (6 '') such that the teeth (6 ') of the stationary part (6) extend over a portion of the thickness of the stationary part, and the stationary part further comprises a toothless surface extending over a portion of the thickness of the stationary part and having a bearing support (6''), a gearwheel (7) having a toothless surface complementary to the bearing (6 '') of the stationary part, the gearwheel (7) being coupled by its teeth (7'') to the shaft (4); the connecting rod (3) has two arms (3a, 3b) extending on both sides of the gear assembly (7, 8) wherein a first arm (3a) is connected to the pinion (8) at a first pivot point (O) on one side of the gear assembly (7, 8) and a second arm (3b) is connected to the pinion (8) at a second pivot point (O) on one side of the gear assembly (7, 8). And the second arm (3b) is connected to the pinion (8) at a second pivot point (O ') on the other side of the gear assembly (7, 8) wherein the orthographic projection of the first point (O) on the plane of the gearwheel (7) and the orthographic projection of the second point (O') on the same plane of the gearwheel (7) are always equal. The invention also relates to an engine and a compressor comprising such a mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The object of the present invention relates to a hypocycloid mechanism, comprising: a shaft; a large gear rotating around its center and coupled to the shaft; a small gear parallel to the large gear, the small gear being rotatably mounted on an axle passing eccentrically through the large gear; a cylinder having a piston; a connecting rod connected on one side to the piston and rotatably connected on the other side to the small gear, so that the rotation of the large gear and the small gear is associated with the reciprocating motion of the piston; and at least one bearing-supported fixed component in which the large gear is rotatably mounted. Background Art

[0002] A hypocycloid engine is an engine that uses a hypocycloid mechanism to convert reciprocating motion into rotational motion. This mechanism is an alternative to the crankshaft and connecting rod combination used in most modern internal combustion engines. The other components of a hypocycloid engine remain essentially the same as a traditional piston engine.

[0003] The hypocycloid engine has an important advantage: because it wastes less energy in friction between the piston and cylinder, it is more economical than a traditional piston engine with a crankshaft and connecting rod.

[0004] Engine designs incorporating hypocycloidal mechanisms are known from the prior art. One example is the so-called Wiseman engine (Priyesh Ray and Sangram Redkar, "Analysis and Simulation of the Wiseman Hypocycloidal Engine," Cogent Engineering, 2014, Vol. 1, pp. 1-10, DOI: 10.1080 / 23311916.2014.988402; HAL: hal-03029156; and Thomas Conner, "A Critical Assessment of the Wiseman Hypocycloidal Engine," Master's thesis, Arizona State University, 2011).

[0005] Application PL 408050 A1 discloses a hypocycloid slider-crank mechanism in which a main drive crankshaft is supported longitudinally in the mechanism's body. The crank journal is connected via a crank beam to the eccentric journal of a rotatable drum supported longitudinally by the mechanism, and to the crank journal of a synchronous crankshaft also supported longitudinally by the mechanism. The crank beam is a split element consisting of an upper crossbeam and a lower crossbeam connected to each other by bolts. Split holes in the crank beam house cups, around which plastic rings are arranged.

[0006] Patent No. PL 203459 B1 discloses a hypocycloid mechanism comprising a crankshaft with a crank and a connecting rod, and a drive shaft equipped with coaxial gears that cooperate with the gears of a rotatable drum supported on an axis by bearings and equipped with eccentric openings. These openings contain cylindrical bushings arranged in bearings, in which two semi-cylinders with hemispherical hollows are arranged, while the spherical end of the crankshaft rests in the cylindrical bushings.

[0007] US Patent Application No. 20100031916A1 discloses an hypocycloidal motor assembly comprising a pinion shaft and a gear having teeth disposed on its inner side. The pinion shaft comprises a pinion shaft body having a longitudinal axis and defining an opening for receiving a drive journal; a cylinder piston journal generally adjacent to the pinion shaft body and having a longitudinal axis generally parallel to and laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of the pinion shaft body, the cylinder piston journal being adapted to receive the drive journal. An outer surface of the pinion shaft meshes with the teeth of the gear.

[0008] However, existing engine designs based on cycloid mechanisms have the following disadvantages:

[0009] - bulky structure,

[0010] - bulky,

[0011] - In the case of multi-cylinder engines, they are also heavier and larger.

[0012] These drawbacks stem from the asymmetric nature of this type of engine. It consists of two discs, one large and one small, that rotate about their axes. Axles extend from one side of the discs, while pins rotatably connect them to the other side, located near the circumference of the axles. These discs must be strong and large to maintain sufficient rigidity in this asymmetric arrangement.

[0013] The present invention aims to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art solutions. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The present invention relates to a hypocycloid mechanism, comprising: a shaft; a large gear rotatable about its center and coupled to the shaft; a small gear parallel to the large gear, the small gear being rotatably mounted on an axle eccentrically passing through the large gear; a cylinder having a piston; a connecting rod connected on one side to the piston and rotatably connected on the other side to the small gear, such that rotation of the large gear and the small gear is coupled to reciprocating motion of the piston; and at least one bearing-supported fixed component in which the large gear is rotatably mounted, wherein:

[0015] The fixed part is an annular part with teeth on the inside, and the pinion gear is provided with teeth on the outside and meshes with the internal teeth of the fixed part.

[0016] The large gear is provided with teeth on the outside and is rotatably mounted in the fixed part by means of a bearing support, so that:

[0017] The teeth of the fixing member extend over a portion of the thickness of the fixing member, and the fixing member further comprises a toothless surface extending over a portion of the thickness of the fixing member and having a bearing support,

[0018] The gearwheel has a toothless surface that complements the bearing support of the stationary component.

[0019] The large gear is connected to the shaft through its teeth,

[0020] The connecting rod has two arms extending on both sides of the gear assembly, wherein a first arm is connected to the pinion at a first pivot point on one side of the gear assembly and a second arm is connected to the pinion at a second pivot point on the other side of the gear assembly, the orthographic projection of the first point on the plane of the large gear 7 and the orthographic projection of the second point on the same plane of the large gear always being equal.

[0021] Advantageously, the periphery of the pinion fits inside the gearwheel, the teeth of the pinion extending over a portion of the thickness of the pinion and beyond the thickness of the gearwheel, so that the pinion meshes with the internal teeth of the fixed part.

[0022] Advantageously, the pinion and the gearwheel lie in different parallel planes.

[0023] Advantageously, the gearwheel is coupled to the shaft via a toothed gear or pinion shaft mounted on the shaft.

[0024] Advantageously, the mechanism has two fixed parts situated on either side of the gearwheel.

[0025] More advantageously, the mechanism has a second pinion on the other opposite side of the gearwheel, which is mounted on the same axle as the pinion, wherein the first arm of the connecting rod is connected to the pinion at a first pivot point and the second arm of the connecting rod is connected to the pinion via the second pinion at a second pivot point.

[0026] Even more advantageously, the second pinion is provided with teeth on the outside and meshes with an internal toothing of the fixed part.

[0027] Furthermore, the mechanism advantageously has a first counterweight located on the gearwheel and a second counterweight located on the pinion.

[0028] The invention also relates to an internal combustion engine comprising at least one such mechanism.

[0029] Advantageously, the engine is a hydrocarbon fuel burning engine.

[0030] The object of the present invention is also a reciprocating compressor equipped with such a mechanism.

[0031] To summarize: the large gear is symmetrical and rotates on bearings near the gear's periphery (the large gear is not on a shaft); the small gear is also symmetrical and rotates on an axle that passes through the large gear; the connecting rod is forked, with one arm passing through the two gears on one side and the other arm passing through the other side; the large gear meshes with the engine shaft on its periphery.

[0032] The entire arrangement thus provides rigidity without being particularly "robust" and bulky. Furthermore, in the variant with a second pinion, the system is symmetrical, which further increases its rigidity. Furthermore, multiple systems, the subject of the present invention, can be connected to a common motor shaft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The subject matter of the invention is illustrated in its embodiments in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 Shows a schematic diagram of the mechanism according to the present invention viewed from both sides; Figure 2 shows a schematic operation of the mechanism according to the present invention; Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a motor equipped with four mechanisms according to the invention; Figure 4 shows a specific embodiment of the mechanism according to the present invention; and Figure 5 A further embodiment of the mechanism according to the invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] As can be seen in the figure, in one embodiment, the hypocycloid mechanism includes:

[0035] Axis 4,

[0036] A large gear 7, rotatable about its center and coupled to the shaft 4,

[0037] The small gear 8 is parallel to the large gear 7 and is rotatably mounted on an axle that eccentrically passes through the large gear 7.

[0038] Cylinder 1, with piston 2,

[0039] The connecting rod 3 is connected to the piston 2 on one side and is rotatably connected to the pinion 8 on the other side, so that the rotation of the large gear 7 and the small gear 8 is linked to the reciprocating motion of the piston 2.

[0040] At least one bearing-supported fixed part 6 in which a gearwheel 7 is rotatably mounted.

[0041] The fixed member 6 is an annular member provided with teeth on the inner side, and the pinion 8 is provided with teeth on the outer side and meshes with the inner teeth 6' of the fixed member 6.

[0042] The gear wheel 7 is provided with teeth on the outside and is rotatably arranged in the fixed part 6 via a bearing support 6 ″, so that:

[0043] The teeth 6 ′ of the fixing part 6 extend over a portion of the thickness of the fixing part, and the fixing part also comprises a toothless surface with a bearing support 6 ″ which also extends over a portion of the thickness of the fixing part,

[0044] The gear wheel 7 has a toothless surface complementary to the bearing support 6 ″ of the fixed part,

[0045] The gear wheel 7 is coupled to the shaft 4 via its teeth 7',

[0046] The connecting rod 3 has two arms 3a and 3b, which extend on both sides of the gear assemblies 7 and 8 respectively, wherein the first arm 3a is connected to the pinion 8 at a first pivot point O on one side of the gear assemblies 7 and 8, and the second arm is connected to the pinion 8 at a second pivot point O' on the other side of the gear assemblies 7 and 8, and the orthographic projection of the first point O on the plane of the large gear 7 and the orthographic projection of the second point O' on the same plane of the large gear 7 are always equal.

[0047] Figure 4 An embodiment is shown in which pinion 8 is located on one side of gearwheel 7. Pinion 8 rotates on an axle that passes eccentrically through gearwheel 7 and meshes with fixed element 6. Pinion 8 is connected to connecting rod arm 3a at a first pivot point O and, on the other side of gearwheel 7, to connecting rod arm 3b at a second pivot point O' via the axle of pinion 8 and an additional connecting element. Furthermore, pinion 8 has a counterweight 8', and the connecting element also has a corresponding counterweight.

[0048] Figure 1 An advantageous embodiment is shown in which the entire mechanism is symmetrical with respect to the plane of gearwheel 7. A pinion 8, located on one side of gearwheel 7, corresponds to a second, symmetrical pinion 8a, located on the other side of gearwheel 7. Pinions 8 and 8a mesh with fixed element 6, are connected to link arms 3a and 3b at pivot points O and O', and to counterweight 8". An advantageous feature of the mechanism is its symmetrical structure with respect to the plane of gearwheel 7; this feature limits the stresses induced in the components of the mechanism.

[0049] exist Figure 5 In the embodiment shown in , the mechanism also has a symmetrical structure relative to the plane of the large gear 7. The periphery of the small gear 8 fits inside the large gear 7, and the teeth 8' of the small gear extend over a portion of the thickness of the small gear and extend beyond the thickness of the large gear 7, so that the teeth of the small gear mesh with the internal teeth 6' of the fixed part 6. In this embodiment, the small gear 8 rolls within the periphery of the large gear 7, and only the protruding teeth of the small gear mesh with the teeth 6' of the fixed part 6.

[0050] like Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 As can be seen in one advantageous embodiment, the gearwheel 7 can be coupled to the shaft 4 via a gear or pinion shaft 5 mounted on the shaft 4 .

[0051] In an advantageous embodiment, the mechanism has two fixing parts 6, which are located on either side of the gearwheel 7. The figures show a variant with two fixing parts 6, but it is obvious that there can be only one such fixing part, which meshes with the pinion 8 and supports the gearwheel 7, respectively.

[0052] In a likewise advantageous embodiment, the mechanism has a first counterweight 7 ″ located on the gearwheel 7 and a second counterweight 8 ″ located on the pinion 8 . These counterweights can be seen in the drawings of all the embodiments, but they are not essential for the operation of the mechanism.

[0053] Figure 2 The principle of the mechanism is shown as follows:

[0054] - the movement of the piston 2 is coupled to the movement of the connecting rod 3,

[0055] - the movement of connecting rod 3 is linked to the movement of a first point O on pinion 8 (the axle connects this gear to connecting rod 3),

[0056] - when the pinion 8 meshes with the fixed annular part 6 of the motor, the movement of the first point O on the pinion is converted into a movement of the axle of the pinion 8 around the axle of the gearwheel 7,

[0057] - The rotation of the gearwheel 7 is coupled to the rotation of the shaft 4 .

[0058] Figure 3 An internal combustion engine according to the present invention is shown. The engine shown in the figure includes four hypocycloid mechanisms according to the present invention, but it will be apparent that it may include any number of hypocycloid mechanisms suitable for the engine application. In any of the variations of the embodiments discussed above, the engine may include multiple mechanisms. In an advantageous embodiment, the engine is a hydrocarbon fueled internal combustion engine.

[0059] This mechanism can also be used in a reciprocating compressor (not shown), which is also the subject of this invention. In this application, piston 2 can draw gas into cylinder 1 at low pressure through one cylinder valve and force the gas into an external container at high pressure through a second cylinder valve. This compressor can include the mechanism in any of the variations of the embodiments discussed above.

[0060] Obviously, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the features indicated in the claims can be combined arbitrarily depending on the specific application of the solution.

Claims

1. A hypocycloid mechanism, comprising: Axis (4), a large gear (7) rotatable about the center of the large gear and coupled to the shaft (4), A small gear (8) is parallel to the large gear (7) and is rotatably mounted on a wheel shaft, and the wheel shaft eccentrically passes through the large gear (7). A cylinder (1) having a piston (2) a connecting rod (3) connected on one side to the piston (2) and rotatably connected on the other side to the pinion (8) so that the rotation of the gearwheel (7) and the pinion (8) is coupled to the reciprocating motion of the piston (2); at least one bearing-supported fixed component (6), in which the gearwheel (7) is rotatably mounted; Its characteristics are: The fixed component (6) is formed as an annular component with teeth provided on the inner side, and the pinion (8) is provided with teeth on the outer side and meshes with the inner teeth (6') of the fixed component (6). The large gear (7) is provided with teeth on the outside and is rotatably arranged in the fixed component (6) via a bearing (6''), so that: The teeth (6') of the fixing part (6) extend over a portion of the thickness of the fixing part, and the fixing part further comprises a toothless surface extending over a portion of the thickness of the fixing part and having the bearing support (6'), The large gear wheel (7) has a toothless surface complementary to the bearing support (6") of the fixed part, The large gear (7) is coupled to the shaft (4) via the teeth (7') of the large gear, The connecting rod (3) has two arms (3a, 3b) extending on both sides of the gear assembly (7, 8), wherein the first arm (3a) is connected to the small gear (8) at a first pivot point (O) on one side of the gear assembly (7, 8), and the second arm (3b) is connected to the small gear (8) at a second pivot point (O') on the other side of the gear assembly (7, 8), wherein the orthographic projection of the first point (O) on the plane of the gearwheel (7) and the orthographic projection of the second point (O') on the same plane of the gearwheel (7) are always equal.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The periphery of the pinion (8) fits inside the large gear (7), and the teeth (8') of the pinion extend over a portion of the thickness of the pinion and extend beyond the thickness of the large gear (7), so that the pinion meshes with the internal teeth (6') of the fixed component (6).

3. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The small gear (8) and the large gear (7) are located in different parallel planes.

4. The mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The large gear (7) is coupled to the shaft (4) via a toothed gear or pinion shaft (5) mounted on the shaft (4).

5. The mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The mechanism has two fixed parts (6) located on both sides of the large gear (7).

6. The mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that The mechanism has a second pinion (8a) on the other opposite side of the large gear (7), the second pinion being mounted on the same axle as the pinion (8), the first arm (3a) of the connecting rod (3) being connected to the pinion (8) at the first pivot point (O), and the second arm (3b) of the connecting rod (3) being connected to the pinion (8) at the second pivot point (O') via the second pinion (8a).

7. The mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that The second pinion (8a) is provided with teeth on the outside and meshes with the internal teeth (6') of the fixed part (6).

8. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The mechanism has a first counterweight (7'') located on the large gear (7) and a second counterweight (8'') located on the small gear (8).

9. An internal combustion engine, characterized in that The internal combustion engine comprises at least one mechanism as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The internal combustion engine according to claim 9, characterized in that The internal combustion engine is a hydrocarbon fuel internal combustion engine.

11. A reciprocating compressor, characterized in that: The reciprocating compressor comprises a mechanism as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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