Free piston engine

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of engine engineering, and particularly relates to a star-shaped structure layout for an internal combustion engine and / or an air compressor, the layout does not need a crankshaft and a connecting rod, has one or more structures surrounding a piston, and can use any type of fuel (including liquid or gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen). In this way, no emissions (for hydrogen) are achieved, and high thermodynamic efficiency is obtained with any fuel. The invention relates to an internal combustion engine and / or an air compressor having an arrangement that can convert a linear movement into a rotational movement by means of a ring structure and a connecting structure connected to an eccentric shaft; the connecting structure connects the pistons and the ring, if at least three pistons are used, the ring can be polygonal, and if one or two structures surrounding the pistons are used, a welding mode can be adopted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of engine engineering, and specifically relates to a star-shaped structural layout for an internal combustion engine and / or an air compressor, which layout does not require a crankshaft and a connecting rod, and has one or more structures surrounding the piston, and can use any type of fuel (including liquid or gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen) to achieve zero emissions (for hydrogen) and obtain high thermodynamic efficiency under any fuel conditions. Background Art

[0002] A free piston engine, also known as an opposed piston engine, is a type of internal combustion engine with a special piston configuration. Unlike a conventional piston engine, where the piston is connected to the crankshaft, the pistons in a free piston engine move independently, with no direct mechanical connection to the crankshaft.

[0003] These engines usually have two pistons that move in opposite directions in the same cylinder. Each piston has its own combustion chamber and intake and exhaust valves. Combustion occurs in each combustion chamber in turn, pushing the piston forward and backward.

[0004] The main advantage of free piston engines is the elimination of the crankshaft, which reduces mechanical losses and improves efficiency. In addition, such engines have a simpler and more compact design than conventional piston engines. They also provide more uniform and smooth combustion, with reduced vibration and noise.

[0005] Another advantage is that these engines can run on different types of fuel, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas and even hydrogen. This gives them greater flexibility in fuel choice.

[0006] However, free piston engines also present significant challenges. A major challenge is ensuring proper synchronization of the pistons to avoid collisions or interference during movement. Additionally, controlling the combustion rate and thermal management are key factors in ensuring efficient performance and durability of these engines.

[0007] But the main thing is that current free piston engines cannot transmit linear motion directly to a shaft because they have no transmission connection. Traditional models only transmit power or work through their own compressed air or other gas.

[0008] Although free-piston engines offer some interesting advantages, they are still in the development stage and have not yet been widely used in the automotive industry. However, many companies and researchers continue to explore their potential in the search for more efficient and sustainable vehicle propulsion solutions. Summary of the invention

[0009] The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine and / or air compressor having a layout capable of converting linear motion into rotary motion by means of an annular structure connected to an eccentric shaft and a connecting structure; the connecting structure connects a piston to a ring, the ring may be polygonal if at least three pistons are used, and welding may be used if one or two structures surrounding the piston are used.

[0010] The layout revealed achieves, in its different configurations, a higher thermodynamic efficiency than existing engines and also improves in all other aspects (environmental, mechanical, thermodynamic, economic, fuel consumption, etc.) because it also has a more efficient thermodynamic cycle.

[0011] In particular, the present invention relates to an internal combustion engine and / or air compressor having higher overall efficiency, better thermodynamic performance, smaller size, longer service life, higher power / weight ratio, and lower (even halved) environmental gas emissions than any other engine; and if hydrogen is used, no emissions are produced, while maintaining all the above-mentioned excellent characteristics. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to enable the present invention to be fully understood and put into practice by those skilled in the art, the present invention will be described clearly, concisely and fully based on the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0013] Figure 1 A perspective view of an engine with its components highlighted, showing an example of a layout with six pistons;

[0014] Figure 2 Represents a front view of an engine, highlighting the various components, an example of a layout with 6 pistons;

[0015] Figure 3 a perspective view showing engine components;

[0016] Figure 4 A perspective view showing an engine, exemplified by a layout consisting of 2 engines, each with 2 surrounding pistons;

[0017] Figure 5 A perspective view of the engine is shown, highlighting the components for either a 1 or 2 piston layout;

[0018] Figure 6 A PV diagram (pressure and volume diagram) representing the thermodynamics of an engine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, the internal combustion engine and / or compressor of the present invention is composed of three or more pistons (4), which are slidably connected to a polygonal ring (3) and restricted in motion by fins (8) of a fixture (6) mounted on the ring (3); an eccentric shaft (2) is arranged at the center of the ring (3), which together converts the linear motion of the piston (4) into the rotational motion of the shaft (1), and the shaft (1) is welded or fixedly connected to the eccentric shaft (2). The shaft (1) is a through-type, passing through both sides, providing the power and / or work of the engine, and quickly connecting with one or more external devices, and the two ends of the shaft are closed by two covers (not shown), which serve as the front and rear supports of the shaft, and the shaft is fixed in the block through the main support structure block (5).

[0020] Alternatively, the polygonal ring (3), the number of sides of which corresponds to the number of pistons (4), may also be cylindrical, with a proportional space for mounting the various components.

[0021] The shaft (1) of the engine rotates together with the eccentric shaft (2). However, during the rotation of the shaft (1) and the eccentric shaft (2), the polygonal ring (3) supporting the piston (4) only maintains translational motion and does not rotate because it is connected to the eccentric shaft through its inner wall and is slidably connected to the piston (4) through the outer polygon. The clamp (6) is fixed to the ring (3), allowing the piston (4) to slide inside the ring and preventing the piston from loosening.

[0022] In the present invention, the cylinder head of the combustion cylinder is placed in front of the piston (4), fixed on the structural block (5) to form a combustion chamber, and should include synchronized intake and exhaust valves.

[0023] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, as an alternative, in a layout comprising only one or two pistons, the construction is composed of a piston (4) integrated with a structural block (5A), the piston is welded to a quadrilateral polygonal ring (3) via a structure (7), the structure (7) receives the ring, the piston slides through two opposite edges, and the structure (7) is orthogonally connected to the eccentric shaft (2) and inserted into the polygonal ring (3).

[0024] The piston (4) is connected to the quadrilateral ring (3) by sliding, using only two opposite sides for sliding; the two pistons are integrated with the structural block (5A), and the pistons are connected by a structure (7), which replaces the clamp (6). In this case, the structure (7) is fixed, welded or integrally formed with the two pistons.

[0025] The piston (4) transmits its linear movement by sliding to the ring (3), which only translates, not rotates, pushing the eccentric shaft (2) to rotate, turning inside the ring and converting the linear movement of the piston (4) into the rotational movement of the shaft.

[0026] Figure 6 A representative thermodynamic PV diagram is shown for a four-stroke engine. A skilled person will recognize that this particular thermodynamic cycle is very efficient because the values ​​in the diagram represent the surface of each letter, which is how the efficiency is theoretically calculated. This diagram is for illustration and reference only.

[0027] The structural arrangement of the invention provides a technique in which the first part of the thermodynamic diagram, the cycle from point 1 to point 4, simulates the compression process in the engine and is carried out in one or more stages (i.e. multi-stage), during which the air undergoes intermediate cooling (see between points 2 and 3, where a decrease in volume and a constant pressure are observed), if multi-stage, followed by an explosion at point 4, the pressure rises to point 5, and in the completely closed combustion chamber, the minimum volume is reached, the pressure rises to a very high value, and then the gas expands to point 6 (this is a double expansion of the current engine), maximizing the use of energy, which is transmitted to the shaft (1) through the eccentric shaft (2), from point 6, the gas in the cylinder is completely emptied until point 8, then refilled with new air and fuel, and the multiple intake process is entered again until the valve is closed at point 7 (accounting for about 50% of the volume), and the cycle is restarted from point 1. Although the above description applies to a four-stroke engine, the same efficiency also applies to a two-stroke engine, in which the gas in the cylinder and the new fuel are emptied and filled at once between points 6 and 7, thus avoiding additional rotations of the shaft in each cycle.

[0028] This thermodynamic cycle is very efficient because the initial compression can be done in one or more stages, and in the case of multiple stages, intercooling is performed, which significantly reduces the amount of work required to complete the compression, further improving efficiency and maximizing the energy of the gas. However, in this engine, the energy produced by the fuel is maximized as much as possible and wasted as little as possible.

[0029] The engine and / or compressor design may use any possible combination, may implement one or more different combinations on the same shaft, and may use different numbers of pistons.

[0030] Last but not least, the engine of the present invention contributes to the health of the planet and can therefore be considered a green invention without a doubt, as it will significantly reduce the effects of global warming, reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, and if hydrogen is used, the emissions are zero. In addition, it can also be used in motorcycles, cars, boats, airplanes, machinery, power plants, etc.

[0031] It should be emphasized that the provided graphics and descriptions do not have the ability to limit the execution mode of the inventive concept, but are used to illustrate and help understand the innovative concepts disclosed in this solution. Therefore, all descriptions and images should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and there may be other equivalent or similar implementations that do not deviate from the proposed protection scope.

Claims

1. A free piston engine, characterized in that: The invention comprises three or more pistons (4) which are connected to a polygonal ring (3) by sliding and whose movement is restricted by fins (8) of a fixture (6) mounted on the ring (3); an eccentric shaft (2) is arranged at the center of the ring (3); the eccentric shaft and the pistons together convert the linear movement of the pistons (4) into the rotational movement of the shaft (1); the shaft (1) and the eccentric shaft (2) are welded or fixedly connected; the shaft (1) is of a through-type, passing through both sides, and is used to be connected to one or more external devices; the two ends of the shaft are closed by two support covers, which are used to support the shaft and are fixed on a structural block (5); the structural block (5) is the main supporting structure of the engine.

2. The free piston engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The polygonal ring (3) may have a corresponding number of sides according to the number of pistons (4), or may be cylindrical and have a proportional space for installing various components.

3. The free piston engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cylinder head of the combustion cylinder is located in front of the piston (4), fixed on the structural block (5), forms a combustion chamber, and includes synchronized intake and exhaust valves.

4. A free piston engine, characterized in that: It consists of one or two pistons (4) which are integrated into a structural block (5A) and fixed, welded or integrated with a structure (7) in which a quadrilateral polygonal ring (3) is received, wherein the piston (4) slides only through two opposite sides of the polygonal ring (3), and the structure (7) is orthogonally connected to the eccentric shaft (2) and inserted into the polygonal ring (3).

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