Stepped piston axial engine

A highly pressurized internal combustion engine, wherein arrangements to balance the intake flow of air that passes from the turbochargers to a windchest, through spring valves to compressor cylinders, that force the charge into a pressure chamber to supply an equally divided amount of charge air to the power cylinder ports that are controlled by the movements of the power pistons, with provisions to cool the air charge within the engine block coolant jacket. The bottom of the compressor pistons are employed to pump oil mist into and out of the bottom of the compressor cylinders to cool and lubricate the power pistons. A simple oil cooler surrounds the engine shaft where it passes through the cylinder block coolant jacket.

BACKGROUND 
1. Field of Invention 
This invention relates to engines of the axial type, under which 
designation are included all engines having pistons reciprocating in 
cylinders which are arranged parallel to the power shaft. 
2. Description of Prior Art 
Engines of this general type are not new, and many patents have been issued 
upon such engines, but engines of this character thus far conceived have 
generally not proved successful and have been found to have shortcomings 
which have rendered them unsuitable for practical and commercial usage. 
The present invention was conceived to overcome the deficiencies of prior 
devices and provides an improved and novel construction which may be 
combined with the devices disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,532 
titled "Mechanism for Variable Compression Ratio Axial Engines" and U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,362,154 titled "Pivoting Slipper Pad Bearing and Crosshead 
Mechanism." 
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
Accordingly several objects and advantages of the present invention are: 
(a) to provide a practical, efficient and simple method for introducing a 
highly pressurized charge into the engine cylinders. These means being so 
arranged that the passages to the cylinders will be relatively short and 
direct, with provision for cooling the charge within the engine frame; 
(b) to provide an arrangement for a stepped-piston, whereby the piston 
skirt can be efficiently cooled and lubricated without the problem of 
overoiling the cylinders, thereby eliminating the high oil consumption 
that has been associated with pistons of this type; 
(c) to provide a simple oil cooler that is an integral part of the engine 
frame; 
(d) the more general object of this invention is to provide a high-output 
axial engine, combining features that contribute greatly to its overall 
performance, that combine to form a compact, lightweight and economical to 
manufacture structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The drawings show an engine in a simplified depiction without placing 
stress on relatively obvious refinements of portions thereof. 
Referring to FIGS. 1-5 inclusive, a swashplate 20 may be operably connected 
to a shaft 22 as disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,532 titled 
"Mechanism for Variable Compression Ratio Axial Engines." Power cylinders 
24, are arranged parallel to shaft 22 with a pair of opposing power 
pistons 26 and 27 occupying each end of power cylinder 24 with a 
combustion chamber 25 located between power pistons 26 and 27. Arranged 
adjacent opposite ends of each power piston 26 and 27 are compressor 
pistons 30 operating in compressor cylinders 28, compressor cylinder ports 
33 permit the flow of oil mist into compressor cylinder 28 allowing for 
the lubrication and cooling of power pistons 26 and 27 and preventing the 
overoiling of the power cylinder 24. Compressor head 34 seals ends of 
compressor cylinders 28 with studs with a piston rod 32 passing through 
compressor head 34. Piston rod 32 may be joined to the crosshead mechanism 
disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,154 titled "Pivoting Slipper 
Pad Bearing and Crosshead Mechanism." A pump (not shown) pumps oil through 
oil fitting 92 to oil reservoir 90 which encircles shaft 22 between 
formers 82 in coolant jacket 96, cooled oil then travels through opening 
101 in shaft 22 for distribution throughout the engine. As oil travels 
through the engine under pressure it passes through the various bearings 
and into oil collector elbows 102 to an oil collector tube 103. 
Air is forced through turbochargers 54 to intake tube 56 into a windchest 
58, past one-way spring valves 60 into compressor cylinders 28. As 
compressor piston 30 compresses the charge in compressor cylinder 28, 
charge is forced through a spring valve 64 into pressure chamber 62 and on 
through a transfer tube 68 into intake manifold 70, through intake ports 
71. Charge is compressed between power pistons 26 and 27 and at the proper 
time fuel is injected by injector 99 causing a large pressure increase due 
to the ensuing combustion of fuel that forces power pistons 26 and 27 
apart, opening exhaust ports 75 permitting exhaust gasses to enter exhaust 
manifold 72, into exhaust elbow 74 and through exhaust pipe 76 into 
turbocharger 54, thus completing the engine cycle. 
Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularly 
shown and described, it should be understood that the invention is capable 
of modification and that changes in the construction and in the 
arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing 
from the spirit or scope of the invention. 
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims 
and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given. 
The embodiments of the invention for which an exclusive property or 
privilege is claimed are defined as follows: