Tangential Combustion Engine Eliminates Crankshaft Dead Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reciprocating piston engines suffer from mechanical dead points caused by the crank drive, leading to inefficient power transmission and reduced fuel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The internal combustion engine features two circularly arc-shaped cylinders with pistons moving in opposite directions, coupled with toothed push rods and freewheels. This configuration directly converts piston thrust movement into torque, ensuring continuous rotational movement without the need for a crankshaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a crank drive is used to convert piston motion to rotary motion, then the engine can generate torque, but mechanical dead points are created causing inefficient power transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the crankshaft and connecting rod mechanism from the engine design. Instead of using a crank drive to convert linear piston motion to rotary motion, the invention directly couples the piston movement to the rotor through a simplified transmission mechanism, eliminating the mechanical dead points and energy losses associated with crank drives.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than converting linear motion to rotary motion through a crank mechanism (the conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by having the piston directly drive the rotor through a simplified connection, where the combustion force is transmitted more directly without the intermediate conversion steps that cause energy loss.
2Power
If conventional reciprocating piston engines are used, then fuel combustion can be converted to mechanical work, but fuel efficiency is reduced due to mechanical losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the inherent energy losses in conventional engines by fundamentally redesigning the power transmission path. By eliminating the crankshaft and reducing mechanical friction points, the invention converts what would be wasted energy in conventional systems into useful mechanical work, thereby improving fuel efficiency while maintaining power output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the engine architecture by transitioning from a crank-driven reciprocating system to a direct-acting rotor system. This parameter change in the transmission mechanism reduces mechanical losses and improves the overall energy conversion efficiency from fuel to mechanical work.
3Power
If a crankshaft with connecting rods is used, then piston motion can be converted to rotary motion, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex crankshaft, connecting rods, and associated components from the engine design. This simplification eliminates the mechanical dead points while maintaining the essential function of converting piston motion to rotary motion through a more direct and simpler transmission path.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using the conventional crankshaft mechanism to achieve rotary motion, the patent inverts the approach by using a direct-acting rotor system where the piston movement is more directly coupled to the rotational output, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining power generation capability.
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
The engine achieves higher efficiency and constant torque at various speeds, resulting in approximately 30% higher fuel efficiency compared to conventional engines, while eliminating mechanical dead points.
Implementation Method 1
The movement of the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to an internal combustion engine which is characterized in that it comprises two cylinders 12, 13 which are circularly arc-shaped in their longitudinal direction and in each of which a piston 3, 4 is arranged so as to be movable from a position with a minimum distance from the cylinder head Pmin to a position with a maximum distance from the cylinder head Pmax, one or two toothed push rod(s) 17 which are circularly arc-shaped in their longitudinal direction and have/have a toothing 18, on the sides of the pistons 3, 4 facing away from the combustion chamber 1, 2, and two freewheels 26, 27 as well as a shaft 16, wherein the cylinders 12, 13 are arranged such that the axis of the shaft 16 represents the center of the circle underlying the circular arc shape of the cylinders 12, 13 and of the toothed push rod(s) 17, the toothed push rod(s) 17 are connected to the outside of at least one of the freewheels via their Gearing 18 is/are coupled,the inner sides 19 of the freewheels are each connected to the shaft 16 in such a way that they lock and freewheel in the same direction, the cylinders 12, 13 and the pistons 3, 4 are further arranged such that the movement of the piston 3 in the first cylinder 12 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 1 of the first cylinder 12 and the movement of the piston 4 in the second cylinder 13 generated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber 2 of the second cylinder 13 occur in opposite directions, the outer sides of the freewheels 26, 27 are coupled to one another in such a way that they execute a movement in opposite directions, and the coupling of the freewheels 26, 27 and the toothed push rod(s) 17 is effected such that the shaft 16 is set into a continuous rotational movement, a method for operating such an internal combustion engine and the use of such an internal combustion engine for driving a motor vehicle, aircraft, or ship.