Integrated Crankshaft for Multi-Cylinder Rotary Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of existing rotary engine designs with triangular cylinders and elliptical rotor pistons leads to increased component count, volume, and reduced durability, making them uneconomical and prone to noise and heat issues, especially when trying to miniaturize multi-cylinder engines.
Innovation Solution
A single integrated crankshaft is used between two cylinders, with power transferred through an eccentric shaft and bearing to an output shaft, and the cylinders are positioned 180 degrees apart to enable efficient serial power transfer, reducing the number of components and improving rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a separate parallel shaft and multiple gear parts are used to implement multi-cylinder configuration, then the number of cylinders can be increased, but the volume increases and the structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple crankshafts into a single integrated crankshaft structure that directly supports multiple cylinders (2-6 cylinders) without requiring separate parallel shafts. The integrated crankshaft has main journals positioned at different angular positions to directly receive connecting rods from multiple cylinders, eliminating the need for intermediate parallel shafts and reducing the overall number of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated crankshaft serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the rotating assembly for all cylinders, provides support bearings for multiple connecting rods, and transmits power from all cylinders to the output. This multi-functional design replaces what would traditionally require multiple specialized components (parallel shafts, multiple gear sets, multiple bearings).
2Productivity
If a separate parallel shaft and multiple gear parts are used to implement multi-cylinder configuration, then the number of cylinders can be increased, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete components (parallel shafts, multiple gear sets, multiple bearings) into a single integrated crankshaft assembly. The integrated crankshaft directly supports 2-6 cylinders through its main journals, eliminating the need for intermediate transmission components and reducing the total component count while maintaining multi-cylinder functionality.
3Power
If a separate parallel shaft and multiple gear parts are used, then power can be transmitted from multiple cylinders, but the rigidity is very low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple shafts into a single rigid integrated crankshaft structure that provides superior stiffness and strength compared to separate parallel shafts connected by gears. The integrated design eliminates gear meshing interfaces and shaft coupling joints, which are potential sources of flexibility and misalignment, thereby improving overall structural rigidity while maintaining effective power transmission from multiple cylinders.
4Ease of operation
If multiple gear parts and parallel shafts are used, then the engine can be started with a start motor, but power transmission time difference occurs between rotors
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated crankshaft provides a common rotating reference for all cylinders, ensuring that power from all pistons is transmitted simultaneously to the same rotating assembly. This eliminates the time delays and synchronization issues that occur with separate parallel shafts and gear transmissions, while the crankshaft's rotational inertia provides smooth operation during engine starting with a start motor.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration reduces the engine's size, enhances durability, lowers noise and failure rates, and extends the engine's lifetime by simplifying the crankshaft assembly and reducing the number of components, achieving miniaturization and economic efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
crank-eccentric shafts (23, 28) which are eccentrically formed at both ends of the integrated crankshaft (25)
Data Source
AI summary
An engine includes side plates and inner plates, cylinders installed inside the side plates and the inner plates, having a piston compression chamber, and having an inverted triangular shape and an equilateral triangular shape, an integrated crankshaft rotatably installed to pass through central regions of the inner plates and having crank-eccentric shafts eccentrically formed at both ends thereof, eccentric cams installed in the crank-eccentric shafts as eccentric driving holes and positioned in the piston compression chamber, elliptical rotor pistons rotatably installed on outer peripheral surfaces of the eccentric cams as eccentric cam bearings and eccentrically rotated in opposite directions, and eccentric cam eccentric shafts integrally formed at both ends of the eccentric cams and rotatably connected to an eccentric shaft bearing of a rear eccentric shaft and an eccentric bearing of an output shaft.