Pinion and rack motion conversion device with soft reversing meshing

Abstract

A gear, a rack and a rolling hinge cam mechanism are interwoven together to replace a reciprocating and rotating motion conversion mechanism formed by connecting a connecting rod, a piston and a crankshaft through a key pin and a bearing bush; according to the invention, impact and vibration on the system caused by disengagement and engagement of the gear and the rack in reciprocating motion are solved; the rolling hinge cam mechanism consists of a widened gear, cam side teeth of the gear, rubber wheels of a plurality of groups of rubber rollers and shoulder lifting teeth of a rack; the device is used for internal combustion engines and plunger compressors, and is high in transmission efficiency, remarkable in energy conservation, compact in structure, small in size, light in weight and higher in reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mechanical motion conversion device, and in particular to a mechanical device for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion, or vice versa. Background Art

[0002] The reciprocating motion of the piston in today's piston internal combustion engines is converted into rotational motion by a crank-connecting rod. This mechanism has upper and lower dead points, high radial pressure, alternating lateral pressure from the piston to the tube wall, and rotational torque that varies with the pressure angle. This results in low mechanical efficiency and high vibration and noise. To improve the efficiency and performance of internal combustion engines, numerous experts and scholars at home and abroad have conducted in-depth research and exploration into the modification and replacement of the crank mechanism. The main solution is to replace the crank-connecting rod with a rack and pinion. There are two main types of modification approaches:

[0003] First, the power is diverted in one direction and then converged for output: For example, South Korea's Kia Motors once used a gear rack and an overrunning clutch to realize the conversion of the reciprocating motion of the piston to the rotary motion of the output shaft; the French ECMM company used a rack and two gears with one-way bearings to realize the conversion of engine transmission.

[0004] Second, the negative half cycle is filtered out by the fan-shaped gear, and the positive half cycle is driven by the rack and outputs the rotational motion through the central axis, such as: Chongqing University, Liang Xichang, and Wang Guangjian developed the (fan-tooth engine) patent number 0213360.1; Tsinghua University, Pan Ji'an, and You Zheng designed and developed the internal meshing gear rack engine.

[0005] However, none of these solutions have been able to be marketed as products. The main reasons are: one-way bearings and overrunning clutches are precision components that cannot withstand long-term high-speed operation under heavy loads; the sector-type rack and pinion mechanism has tooth clearance during the switching process, and sudden speed changes cause extremely destructive rigid impact and vibration on the teeth. These fatal defects have not been fundamentally resolved.

[0006] A piston air compressor is a machine that converts rotational motion into reciprocating linear motion. The motor drives the piston to reciprocate through the crank-connecting rod, compressing the gas to do work. Due to the high failure rate and short lifespan, most piston air compressors have been replaced by screw compressors.

[0007] Developing a reliable mechanism for converting rotational motion into reciprocating motion to replace the currently widely used crank-connecting rod mechanism has substantial energy-saving and environmental protection significance. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Replacing the crank-connecting rod mechanism with gears and racks requires solving the rigid impact and vibration caused by excessive clearance and sudden speed changes when the gears and racks are reversing. The new design must achieve the following:

[0009] 1. The rack guide must ensure that the gear and rack run smoothly and their relative positions are absolutely accurate;

[0010] 2. The meshing gear teeth cannot break away from each other, leaving the rack in a random chaotic state;

[0011] 3. The inertia of the disengaged rack member must be suppressed and absorbed;

[0012] 4. The disengaged gear racks should be restrained from each other to ensure that they can be re-engaged without buckling;

[0013] 5. A clamping measure should be provided at the dead center position of the rack to create a constant volume combustion range for the internal combustion engine;

[0014] 6. In order to obtain the maximum gas conversion efficiency, a constant volume gas expansion explosion delay zone should be provided;

[0015] 7. The clearance between the two tooth profiles when re-engaging must be controlled to zero to avoid sudden changes in speed and causing severe impact vibration;

[0016] 8. It has good processability, can reduce costs and is convenient for batch processing and production.

[0017] 1. According to the above, the present invention, a soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device includes: a body, a central shaft, bearings, guide blocks, gears, racks, rubber rollers, a lubrication device, and a controller ECU, and is characterized by:

[0018] 1) The separate linear guide block consists of a housing and balls, and is fixed on both sides of the rack in the machine body;

[0019] 2) The central shaft is fixed at the center of both ends of the body through bearings;

[0020] 3) The rack is symmetrical on the inside, with symmetrical U-shaped grooves on both sides. The top of the rack is connected to the piston. The end of the rack is an arc, and the shoulder teeth at the end are connected to the root of the rack teeth. The ratchet teeth in front of the shoulder teeth are formed by cutting off the front end of the arc.

[0021] 4) The gear is a sector gear, and the gear width is three times the rack width. The outer involute surfaces of the teeth on both sides of the gear are transformed into the contour surface of the cam, becoming cam teeth. The front end is also cut by the same arc as the ratchet teeth of the rack. The base circle of the cam is provided with anti-slip grooves;

[0022] 5) Rubber rollers: These consist of a spindle, bearings, and rubber wheels. The rubber wheels are fixed to both ends of the spindle via bearings. The spindles of the four sets of rubber rollers are positioned on the rack, with the rubber wheels coinciding with the extra-wide portion of the gear base circle. The first two sets of rubber rollers and the corresponding rubber roller at the other end are cam rollers, connected in parallel with the shoulder-lift teeth of the rack. This structure solves the unfavorable situation where the overlap coefficient is less than 1 when the gear rack is disengaged and engaged, and the shoulder-lift teeth operate as a single tooth. When disengaging, the rubber wheel absorbs the inertia of the rack. When re-engaging, the rubber wheel can suppress the impact between the gear teeth and eliminate their vibration, achieving soft reversing meshing.

[0023] 6) Rolling hinge cam mechanism: When the rack is at the dead center, the rubber wheel on the rack rubber roller and the base circle form a matching loop; the rack ratchet arc and the gear cam tooth top circle contact loop form two concentric arcs, which together form a rolling hinge mechanism, which restricts the rotation of the gear and locks the entry point when the gear and rack re-engage. The base circle of the gear, the cam teeth and the rack rubber wheel form two swinging cam mechanisms.

[0024] 7) Disengagement process: When the cam tooth tip is about to disengage, it first contacts the rubber wheel. Then, under the elastic pressure of the rubber wheel, the cam tooth and the ratchet tooth are closely meshed without gap. The rubber wheel rotates in the opposite direction close to the cam tooth surface. The rubber wheel rolls to the tangent point of the cam surface and the base circle, which is also the intersection of the cam teeth. The gear and rack are disengaged. The inertia of the rack is largely offset by the clamping force generated by the corresponding two rubber wheels. The remaining inertia is swallowed by the two rubber wheels. The rubber wheel coincides with the base circle of the gear. The arc of the ratchet tooth tip coincides with the arc of the cam tooth top surface. The two concentric arcs fit together, and the rack is clamped at the dead center position. The piston connected to the rack forms a constant volume area in the cylinder. The working fluid of the internal combustion engine is ignited in the constant volume area and fully burned.

[0025] 8) Expansion waiting area: The front cam teeth are out of contact with the arc surface of the ratchet teeth, while the rear cam teeth are still in contact and aligned with the arc surface of the ratchet teeth. This is the expansion waiting area of ​​the working piston. The working fluid gas ignites and burns in the constant volume area. After a short delay, the heated working fluid gas suddenly expands and performs work at this node. At this time, the motion vector of the rack and the rotation vector of the gear tend to be in the same direction, and the rack strengthens the driving of the cam teeth. The speeds of the gear and rack are synchronized, and the subsequent gear teeth enter into normal meshing in sequence.

[0026] 9) Engagement process: After the gear and rack are disengaged, the piston is at the dead center and is in the exhaust condition. The gear is driven by other components or energy storage devices and continues to rotate in the hinge mechanism composed of two concentric arcs; when the rubber wheel connected in parallel to the shoulder lifting tooth contacts the tangent point of the cam tooth surface and the gear base circle, the rack starts to start, and then the rack performs a short uniform acceleration along the cam surface of the cam tooth. Under the guidance of the rubber wheel, the shoulder lifting tooth smoothly realizes soft engagement, and then the speed of the gear and rack is synchronized. The two components enter into normal engagement in turn without impact or collision. The parallel rubber wheel shares the load of the cam tooth and absorbs the impact caused by the sudden speed change caused by the gear driving the rack instantaneously.

[0027] 2. According to the above 1, the soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device is characterized by: the piston assembly consisting of the gear, rack, and piston is symmetrically arranged in the body with a 180-degree difference, forming a linkage assembly, which operates in a mirror image, balances the center of gravity of the body, and greatly reduces vibration; the linkage operation composed of two groups of linkage assemblies can reduce or eliminate the energy storage device.

[0028] 3. As described in 1 above, the soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device is characterized by: the connecting rod and piston pin in the internal combustion engine and compressor are eliminated; the piston is embedded in the top of the rack and only bears axial pressure to perform work; the piston guide skirt is eliminated, and the cylinder and piston are greatly shortened; there is no alternating side pressure, the vibration is small, and ceramic pistons and ceramic cylinders can replace metal pistons and metal cylinders; its high corrosion resistance can adapt to the combustion and performance of hydrogen and various working gases.

[0029] 4. According to the above 1, the soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device is characterized by: the cylinder and piston components are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner, the solenoid valve or electric valve replaces the cam valve, and the solenoid valve opening and closing program is controlled by the ECU, which can conveniently and easily realize the conversion between forward and reverse operation of the engine.

[0030] Technical effects:

[0031] The present invention adopts a rolling hinge cam mechanism, and multiple groups of rubber wheels are completely balanced and absorb the inertia generated by the piston and the rack, eliminating the gap when the gear rack disengages and engages. The cam curved surface guides the gear into engagement, reduces the impact during engagement, and solves the problems of collision and rigid impact caused by the existence of gap and sudden change in speed when the gear rack disengages and engages; the gear rack restrains and clamps each other, constructing three specific areas for the internal combustion engine: constant volume ignition, constant volume combustion, and thermal expansion waiting area, so that the working medium gas is burned completely, protecting the environment and improving the heat energy conversion efficiency; the gear phase difference is utilized to realize linkage and coupling combination, balance the center of gravity, and achieve continuous operation without the need for an inertia flywheel. Replacing the crank-connecting rod mechanism of an internal combustion engine with this transmission conversion structure solves the problem of alternating side pressure of the piston on the tube wall and torque loss due to changes in the pressure angle, making the engine output stable, reducing friction and vibration, increasing torque, reducing mass, reducing volume, improving efficiency, significantly saving energy, and greatly improving overall performance; replacing the conversion mechanism of injection-plug air pumps, oil pumps, and water pumps, the efficiency is improved, the equipment volume is reduced, the production cost is reduced, and the service life is extended. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 , with soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device, mirror image opposite schematic diagram;

[0033] Figure 2 , when approaching disengagement, the tip of the cam tooth 13 contacts the rubber wheel 18 first, schematic diagram;

[0034] Figure 3 , the convex tooth 13 is disengaged, and the rubber wheel absorbs the inertia of the rack assembly;

[0035] Figure 4 , schematic diagram of the rack being clamped at the dead point;

[0036] Figure 5 , schematic diagram of the corresponding position of the gear rack in the expansion waiting area;

[0037] Figure 6 , schematic diagram of the cam tooth 14 entering the driving state from the tangent point;

[0038] Figure 7 , the subsequent gear teeth enter the meshing diagram in sequence;

[0039] Figure 8 ,Schematic diagram of the rolling hinge mechanism consisting of four sets of rubber rollers and extra-wide gears;

[0040] In the figure: guide block 1, housing 2, ball 3, rack 4, center shaft 5, bearing 6, piston 7, shoulder lifting gear 8, shoulder lifting gear 9, ratchet 10, ratchet 11, gear 12, cam gear 13, cam gear 14, rubber roller 15, spindle 16, rubber wheel 18, rubber wheel 19, rubber wheels 20, 21, slide 22

[0041] Specific implementation

[0042] The rolling cam mechanism is the main feature of the present invention: it consists of a rack, cam teeth, a base circle with an extra-wide portion, and rubber rollers. The rubber rollers must be distributed along a circumference that deeply matches the base circle, effectively offsetting and absorbing the rack's inertia and vibration. The centerlines of the rack and the central axis must be perpendicular to each other in a plane. The cam tooth curved surface is formed by stretching a tangent line and a small arc. The thickness of the cam teeth is determined by the required angle of the constant volume area of ​​the internal combustion engine. Another feature of this mechanism is that it eliminates the key pin connecting the piston and uses an inlay method to connect the piston and rack. Here, the piston and rack are tightly fitted and must not leave any gaps. Compared to traditional internal combustion engines, the intake and exhaust valve opening angles and the combustion ignition angle must be adjusted and should generally be set within the angle of the constant volume area. When applied to piston compressors, no constant volume area is required, which can retain more normal teeth and reduce the thickness of the cam teeth. The rack's guide mechanism must be precisely and reliably positioned to offset the radial thrust generated during operation, ensure proper meshing of the rack and pinion, and maintain a low coefficient of friction. Once the rack and pinion are assembled, manually turning the central shaft must ensure smooth operation, without any lag or impact of the teeth. Compared to the key and crank hinge mechanisms of the original internal combustion engine, the rolling cam mechanism offers low friction, simplified lubrication, and more reliable operation. Most technicians consider replacing the crank and connecting rod in an internal combustion engine with a rack and pinion to be absurd, and the sight of multiple sets of rubber rollers connected in parallel to the rack is even more bizarre. However, the present invention has been used to replace the crank and connecting rod of a new single-cylinder diesel engine. By removing the crank's balancing mechanism and modifying the ignition angle, the engine now operates normally. At a rated speed of 2600 rpm, exhaust gas from the engine demonstrates complete fuel combustion, resulting in significant environmental and energy-saving benefits. However, to become a market-recognized product, the internal combustion engine must be designed with symmetrical cylinders, building upon existing mature technologies and constructing mirror-image components. Only then can the advantages of this invention be fully realized, and only then can it achieve the highest thermal efficiency and best-performing internal combustion engine available today. The embarrassing difficulty, however, is that my meager retirement salary alone is insufficient to complete the prototype of a completely new internal combustion engine.

Claims

1. The present invention, a soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device comprises: The machine body, central shaft, bearings, guide blocks, gears, racks, rubber rollers, lubrication devices, and controller ECU are characterized by: 1) A separate linear guide block (1) is composed of a housing (2) and a ball bearing (3), and is fixed on both sides of a rack (4) in a machine body; 2) The central shaft (5) is fixed at the center position of both ends of the body through bearings (6); 3) The rack (4) is a symmetrical rack on the inner side, with symmetrical U-shaped chutes (22) on both outer sides. The two tops of the rack (4) are connected to the piston (7). The end of the rack is an arc. The shoulder lifting teeth (8) and shoulder lifting teeth (9) at the end are arc-connected to the tooth roots of the rack. The ratchet teeth (10) and ratchet teeth (11) in front of the shoulder lifting teeth (8) and shoulder lifting teeth (9) are arc-cut and are formed by cutting off the front end thereof. 4) The gear (12) is a sector gear, and the width of the gear (12) is three times the width of the rack (4). The outer involute surfaces of the teeth on both sides of the gear (12) are transformed into the contour surfaces of the cam, becoming cam teeth (13) and cam teeth (14). The front end is also cut by the same arc as the ratchet teeth (10) and ratchet teeth (11) of the rack. The base circle of the cam has anti-slip grooves. 5) Rubber roller (15): It is composed of a spindle (16), a bearing (17), and a rubber wheel (18); the rubber wheel (18) is fixed to both ends of the spindle (16) through the bearing (17); the spindle (16) of the four groups of rubber rollers (15) is positioned on the rack (4) at the rubber wheel (18), rubber wheel (19), rubber wheel (20), and rubber wheel (21), respectively on the circumference that coincides with the extra-wide part of the base circle of the gear (12); the rubber wheel (18), rubber wheel (19) and the rubber wheel corresponding to the other end become the roller of the cam mechanism; each rubber wheel is connected in parallel with the shoulder tooth of its corresponding rack; 6) Rolling hinge cam mechanism: the rack (4) is at the dead center position, and the rubber wheels (18), (19), (20), (21) on the rubber roller (15) of the rack (4) and the base circle form a matching loop; the arcs of the ratchet teeth (10) and (11) of the rack (4) and the contact loops of the tooth top circles of the cam teeth (13) and (14) of the gear (12) form two concentric arcs, which fit together to form a rolling hinge mechanism, which restricts the rotation of the gear (12); locks the entry point when the gear (12) and the rack (4) re-engage; the base circle of the gear, the cam teeth (13), the cam teeth (14), the rubber wheels (18), and the rubber wheels (19) form two swinging cam mechanisms; 7) Disengagement process: When the cam teeth (13) are about to disengage, the tooth tip of the cam teeth (13) first contacts the rubber wheel (18), and then the cam teeth (13) and the ratchet teeth (10) are closely meshed without gaps under the elastic extrusion of the rubber wheel (18); the rubber wheel (18) rotates in the opposite direction close to the curved surface of the cam teeth (13), and the rubber wheel (18) rolls to the tangent point of the cam curved surface and the base circle, that is, the intersection of the cam teeth (13), and the gear (12) and the rack (4) are disengaged. The inertia of the rack is clamped by the rubber wheels (18) and (19). The holding force is largely offset, and the rubber wheels (20) and (21) devour the remaining inertia; the rubber wheels (18), (19), (20), and (21) coincide with the base circle of the gear; the tip arcs of the ratchet teeth (10) and (11) coincide with the top arcs of the cam teeth (13) and (14), and the two concentric arcs coincide with each other, and the rack (4) is clamped at the dead center position; the piston (7) connected to the rack forms a constant volume area in the cylinder, and the working medium of the internal combustion engine is ignited in the constant volume area and is fully burned; 8) Expansion waiting area: the arc surface of the cam teeth (13) and the ratchet teeth (10) are out of contact, and the arc surface of the cam teeth (14) and the ratchet teeth (11) are still in contact and matched. This is the expansion waiting area of ​​the working piston. The working gas ignites and burns in the constant volume area. After a short delay, the heated working gas suddenly expands and works at this node. At this time, the vector of the motion obtained by the rack (4) tends to the same direction as the rotation vector of the gear (12). The rack (4) then strengthens the driving of the cam teeth (13). The speeds of the gear (12) and the rack (4) reach synchronization, and the subsequent gear teeth enter into normal meshing in sequence. 9) Engagement process: After the gear (12) and the rack (4) are disengaged, the piston (7) is in the exhaust condition at the top dead center, and the gear (12) is driven by other components or energy storage devices and continues to rotate in the hinge mechanism composed of two concentric arcs; when the rubber wheel (19) connected in parallel to the shoulder lifting gear (9) contacts the tangent point of the cam surface of the cam tooth (13) and the base circle of the gear (12), the rack (4) starts to start, and then the rack (4) performs a short uniform acceleration operation according to the cam surface of the cam tooth (13). Under the guidance of the rubber wheel (19), the shoulder lifting gear (9) smoothly realizes soft engagement, and then the speed of the gear (12) and the rack (4) reaches synchronization. The two components, the gear (12) and the rack (4), enter into normal engagement in sequence without impact or collision. The parallel rubber wheel (19) shares the load of the cam tooth (13) and absorbs the impact caused by the sudden change in speed generated by the gear (12) driving the rack (4) instantly.

2. According to claim 1 of the patent, the soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device is characterized by: The piston assembly consisting of a gear (12), a rack (4) and a piston (7) is symmetrically arranged in a machine body with a 180-degree difference, forming a linkage assembly, which operates in a mirror image, balances the center of gravity of the machine body, and greatly reduces vibration; the linkage operation composed of two groups of linkage assemblies can reduce or eliminate energy storage devices.

3. According to claim 1 of the patent, the soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device is characterized by: The connecting rod and piston pin in the internal combustion engine and compressor are eliminated; the piston (7) is embedded in the top of the rack (4) and only bears axial pressure to perform work; the piston guide skirt is eliminated, the cylinder and piston are greatly shortened, there is no alternating side pressure, the vibration is small, and ceramic pistons and ceramic cylinders can replace metal pistons and metal cylinders; it has high corrosion resistance and can adapt to the combustion and performance of hydrogen and various working gases.

4. According to claim 1 of the patent, the soft reversing meshing gear rack motion conversion device is characterized by: The cylinder and piston components are arranged in mirror symmetry, and the solenoid valve or electric valve replaces the cam valve. The opening and closing procedures of the solenoid valve are controlled by the ECU, which can conveniently and easily realize the conversion between forward and reverse operation of the engine.

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