(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)(19) World Intellectual Property Organization
International Bureau

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111(10) International Publication Number(43) International Publication Date

21 October 2010 (21.10.2010)

PCT(51) International Patent Classification:
F02B 33100 (2006.01)(21) International Application Number:
PCT/US20 I 0/030998(22) International Filing Date:
14 April2010 (14.04.2010)(25) Filing Language:

English(26) Publication Language:

English(30) Priority Data:

WO 2010/120856 A1(81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every
kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM,
AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ,
CA,CH,CL,CN,CO,CR,CU,CZ,DE,DK,DM,DO,
DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT,
HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP,
KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD,
ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI,
NO, NZ, OM, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD,
SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR,
TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW.

us(84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every
kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH,(71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): SCUDGM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG,
ERI GROUP, LLC [US/US]; llll Elm Street, Suite 33,
ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ,
West Springfield, MA 01089 (US).
TM), European (AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE,
ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV,(72) Inventors: GIANNINI, Ambrogio; 650 Dickinson Hill
MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, SM,
Road, Russel, MA 01071 (US). SCUDERI, Stephen;TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW,
1023 Shaker Road, Westfield, MA 01085 (US).
ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG).
(74) Agents: FILDES, Christopher, J. et al.; Fildes & Out- Published:
land, P.C., 20916 Mack Avenue, Suite 2, Grosse Pointe
Woods, MI 48236 (US).
with international search report (Art. 21 (3))
61/170,343

17 April2009 (17.04.2009)- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;(54) Title: VARIABLE VOLUME CROSSOVER PASSAGE FOR A SPLIT-CYCLE ENGINE

72;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;(57) Abstract: An engine includes a crankshaft rotatable about a crankshaft axis. A compression piston is slidably received within
a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the compression piston is operable to reciprocate
through an intake stroke and a compression stroke during a single rotation of the crankshaft. An expansion (power) piston is slidably received within an expansion cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the expansion piston is operable
to reciprocate through an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke during a single rotation of the crankshaft. A variable volume
crossover passage interconnects the compression and expansion cylinders, and includes a variable volume housing to controllably
regulate the air flow from the compression cylinder to the expansion cylinder.

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

VARIABLE VOLUME CROSSOVER PASSAGE FOR A SPLIT-CYCLE ENGINETECHNICAL FIELD
The
combust ion

5present

inventio nengines.

Morerelates

specific ally,tointernal

thepresent

inventio n relates to a split-cy cle engine having a variable
volume crossove r passage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For
engine"10

aspurposes

used

in

of

the

clarity,presentthetermapplicat ion

referstoaninternal combust ion engine wherein all four strokes of thewell known Otto cycle(i.e.,
the intake,compres sion,
expansio n

andexhauststrokes)

arecontaine dpiston/ cylinder combina tion of the engine.
15"conven tional

in

each

The term split-

cycle engine as used in the present applicat ion may not have
yet received a fixed meaning commonly known to those skilledin the engine art.
thefollowin g

Accordin gly,

definiti on

isfor purposes of clarity,offered

for

the

term

"split-cycle engine" as may be applied to engines disclose d in theprior art and as referred to in the present applicat ion.
20

A

split-cy cle

engineasreferredtohereincomprise s:a cranksh aft rotatabl e about a cranksh aft axis;
a compres sion piston slidably received within
compres sion
25

cranksh aftcylinder
such

that

and

operativ ely

thecompres sionconnecte d
pistontoathe

reciproc ates

through an intake stroke and a compres sion stroke during asingle rotation of the cranksh aft;anwithin30

anexpansio n(power)expansio n cylinder andpistonslidablyreceived

operativ ely connecte d tothe cranksh aft such that the expansio n piston reciproc ates

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

2

through an expansio n stroke and an exhaust stroke during asingle rotation of the cranksh aft; anda crossove r passage intercon necting the expansio n
and compres sion cylinder s, the crossove r passage includin g a5crossove rcompres sion

expansio n(XovrE)(XovrC)

valve

valve

definingandacrossove rapressurechamberNumber6,543,22 5grantedtherebet ween.
United
April
10

8,

2003

StatestoPatentCarmeloJ.

Scuderi(hereinScuderi

Patent)and United States Patent Applica tion Serial Number
12/157,4 60 filed June 11, 2008 to Ford A. Phillips (hereinthePhillips Applica tion)

contains an extensiv e discussi onof split-cy cle and similar type engines.
15

theIn addition the

Scuderi Patent and the Phillips Applica tion disclose detailsof prior versions of split-cy cle engines of which thepresent inventio n comprise s a further developm ent.

Both theScuderi Patent and the Philips Applica tion are incorpo rated
herein in their entirety .
20

GLOSSARY
The followin g glossary of acronyms and definiti onsof terms used herein is provided for referenc e:
Air/fue l Ratio: The proporti on of air to fuel in the intake
charge.

25

BottomDeadfrom theCenter(BDC):

cylinder head,The

piston's

resultin g in thefarthest

positionlargestcylindervolume of the cycle.
Crank Angle (CA): The angle of rotation of the cranksh aft.

30

Critical Pressure Ratio: The ratio of pressure s which cause
the flow through an orifice to achieve sonic velocity , i.e.
Mach 1. It can be calculat ed from the followin g equation :wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

3

Where:
Pc ; critical pressure (at throat)p 0 = upstrean1 pressure

1' = specific lteat ratio5

For dry air atroom tempera ture y

1. 4,

so the criticalpressure ratio is 1.893.
Compres sion/Exp ansion Cylinder Displace ment Ratio: The ratioof the displace ment of the compres sion cylinder to the10

expansio n cylinder .
Compres sion Ratio:

The ratio of cylinder volume at BDC tothat at TDC.
Cylinde r Displace ment: The volume that the piston displace sfrom BDC to TDC.
15

Full

(100%)Engine Load:

The maximum torque that an engine

can produce at a given speed.
Knock:

The

tendency ofafuel/airmixturetoself

igniteduring compres sion.
Knock
20

Fraction :predicte dparamet er

whichprovidesarelative indicati on of the tendency of a particu lar fuel/air
mixture to reach self ignition during compres sion.
Self
ignition is usually denoted by a knock value fraction of 1
while

25

A

no

tendency toself ignite

isknock fraction of zero.

For example,

0.8

chemica lindicate s

that

the

usually denoted by aaknock fraction of

pre-reac tions

to

self

ignition have reached 80% of the value required to generate
self-ign ition.
Octane(ON):------'-----"-

30

A

relative

empiric alratingofafuel'sresistan ce to self-ign ition during a compres sion stroke in
an internal combusti on engine.
Octane number(ON)ismeasured on a scale of 0-120, with 100 octane being a fuel(iso-oct ane) with high resistan ce to self ignition , while n-wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

4

heptane has a high tendency to knock during compres sion andis assigned a zero (0) octane number.
Power Density:

The brake power/en gine displace ment,

usually

expresse d as kilowat ts/liter or horsepo wer/lite r.
5

Stoichio metric Ratio:

The chemica lly correct mass

ratio ofair to fuel to ensure that all the fuel is burned (oxidize d)and all the oxygen is utilized for that burn.
Top Dead Center(TDC): The closest position to the cylinder
head that the piston reaches througho ut the cycle, providin g
10the lowest cylinder volume.
Referrin g

to

FIGS.

1

and

2,

an

exempla ry

embodim ent of a prior art split-cy cle engine concept, mostclosely represen ted by the Philips Applica tion, is shown
generall y by numeral 10.
15

Engine 10 includes a cranksha ft 12

rotatabl e about a cranksha ft axis 14 in a clockwis e directio n
as shown in the drawing.
The cranksha ft 12 includes adjacentangularl y displace dleading and followin gcrank throws

16,

18, connecte d to connecti ng rods 20, 22, respecti vely.
20

defining

Engine10

furtheraofadjacentpair

includesacylinder s,cylinder
in

block

24

particul aracompress ion cylinder 26 and an expansio n cylinder 28 closed
by a cylinder head 30 at one end of the cylinder s opposite
the cranksh aft 12.
25

A compress ion piston 32 is received in compres sion
cylinder 26 and is connecte d to the connecti ng rod 22 forreciproc ation of the piston between top dead center {TDC) andbottom dead center (BDC) position s.
An expansio n piston 34
is received in expansio n cylinder 28 and is connecte d to theconnecti ng rod 20 for similar TDC/BDC reciproc ation.

30

In thisthecompress ion

otherwords,

position20

embodim ent

piston

the

32

the

by 20

compress ion

degreesofexpansio n piston
degreespistoncranksh aft

32

34

leads

crank angle.

In

reaches

its

TDC

after

the

rotationwo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

5
expansio n piston 34 reaches its TDC position .

The diameter sof the cylinder s and pistons and the strokes of the pistonsand their displace ments need not be the same.
The5cylinder head

30 provides

thestructur e

forgas flow into, out of and between the cylinder s 26, 28.
Inthe order of gas flow, the cylinder head includes an intake
port

36

throughwhich

intake

air

is

drawn

into

the

compres sion cylinder 26, a pair of separate crossove r (Xovr)
passages (or ports) 38 and 39 through which compress ed air
10

istransfer red

from

the

compres sion

cylinder

26

to

the

expansio n cylinder 28,

and an exhaust port 40 through whichspent gases are discharg ed from the expansio n cylinde r.
Even though a pair of Xovr passages ,15

38

and 39,are disclose d in the exemplar y embodim ent of engine 10, one
skilled in the art would recogniz e that one or morecrossove r passages may be utilized in split-cy cle engine 10.
Gas flow into the compres sion cylinder 26 iscontroll ed by an inwardly opening poppet type intake valve
42.
Gas flow into and out of each crossove r passage 38 and

20

39

is

controll ed

valves,
inlet

i.e.,
ends

25

a

pair

crossove r

of

the

expansio n (XovrE)
passages 38,

by

Xovr

of

outward ly

compres sionpassages(XovrC)38,

39

opening
valvesandpoppet46

atcrossove r

valves 48 at outlet ends of the crossove r

39.

Exhaust gas flow out of the exhaust port
40 is controll ed by an inwardly opening poppet type exhaust

valve 54.
any

These valves 42, 46, 48 and 54 may be actuated insui table manner such as by mechani cally driven cams,

variable valve actuatio n technolo gy or the like.
Each30

crossove r

passage

4 8,

4 9 has

at

least

one

high pressure fuel injector 56 disposed therein.
The fuel
injector s 56 are operativ e to inject fuel into a charge ofcompress ed air within the crossove r passages 38, 39 entirely
during the compres sion stroke.

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

6

Engine 10 also includes one or more spark plugs 58
or other ignition devices located at appropr iate location s

5in the end of the expansio n cylinder wherein a mixed fueland air charge may be ignited and burned during the
expansio n stroke.
Additio nally,

the engine 10 is desirabl y provided

with a boosting device,

10such as a turbocha rger 60,

of raising cylinder intake charge pressure s up to and beyond
1.7 bar, in order to take full advantag e of the knock
resistan t features of the split-cy cle engine as discusse d ingreater detail herein.

Turboch arger 60 includes an exhaustturbine 62 driving a rotary compres sor 64.
an15

capableexhaust

gas

inlet

66

connecte dto

The turbine hasreceivepressuri zed

exhaust gas from the exhaust port 40 of the engine 10.
Theturbine 62 drives a compres sor 64, which draws in ambient
air through an air inlet 68 and discharg es pressuri zed air
through a compress ed air outlet 70.
The compress ed air
passes through a single stage intercoo ler 72 and enters the20

air intake port 36 at an absolute pressure of at least 1.7
bar at full load.
Knocking in an engine is a function of the amountof time fuel lS exposed to excessiv e tempera tures before
ignition occurs.
Therefo re,features that reduce the25

tempera tureortempera tures

within

time

that
an

fuel

engineis

exposedtoexcessiv e

willincrease

theengine's

resistan ce to knock.
A

featureofsplit-cy cle

engine10

whichcontribu tes to knock preventi on, or higher knock resistan cethan that of a convent ional engine, is the heat loss through30

Xovr passages 38 and 39.
passages

38

and

39

lowersHigh tempera ture air in the Xovrthechargetherefor e increase s resistan ce to knock.

airtempera tureand

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

7

The

compre ssed

air

in

the

crossov er(Xovr)

passag es 38 and 39 of the split-c ycle engine 10 loses energy
by heat transfe r to the passage wall surface s, as thecompre ssion
5

raisesthepassagewall

reduces

efficie ncy,

detona tion

temper aturetemper atures.

("knock ")

of

the

well

above

energyloss

preven ting

fuel

self-

passag es

andAlthoug h

it

aids

in

the

in
Xovr

air

this

38

expans ion cylind er 28 prior to spark ignitio n,loss lowers the compre ssed air temper ature.
10

In a

conven tional

airpressu reincreas ed
ratios,superch arging

gasolin e

produce dorengine ,

by

is

and

as the heatthehigherturboch arging

39

level

of

compre ssion

limitedbythetendenc y to produce knock at the increas ed air temper atures.
This tendenc y can be reduced by passing the air through an
15interco oler,

after

turboc harger .

Howeve r,compre ssion

by

the

superc harger

after cylind er compre ssion,orthe air

is still at a very increas ed temper ature, and fuel injecti on
has already occurre d.
With the split-c ycle engine 10, aninterco oler 72 can also be used after superch arging or
20

turboch arging,
split-c ycle

butenginein additio n,

the unique

10

air

is

that

cooled

again

after

heat

loss

in

the

Xovr

duringthecompre ssion

due

to

the

passag es

38

and

fuel

injecti on

39,of theiscylind er

andfeatureoccurslatter portion of that compre ssion.
25

Proble matica lly howeve r, as the air temper ature in
the Xovr passage s 38 and 39 falls, so does the air pressu re,
since

the

consta nt.

30

volume

in

the

Xovr

passag es

As the pressu re falls,

38

and

39

remain s

the efficie ncy also falls

and will soon reach a point where the disadv antage s of lower
efficie ncy will become greate r than the advanta ges of higher
knock resista nce.
Accord ingly,
volume Xovr passag e.

there

is

a

need to have

More specif ically,avariab lethere is a need towo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

8vary the volume within the crossove r passage of a prior art
split-cy cle engine 10 as the air tempera ture is cooled inorder to maintain pressure within the crossove r passages 78
and
5

79

and

to

furtherincreasethesplit-cy cle

engine's

resistan ce to knock with minimal sacrific e in efficien cy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventio n provides aaforeme ntioned

10

crossove r

passagesolution to thepressure

problemsforsplit-cy cle engines particu larly operatin g at part-loa d.
Inparticu lar, the present inventio n generall y solves these
problems

by providin g avariablevolumecrossove r

passagethat is operable to maintain air pressure in the crossove r
passage and thereby regulate air tempera ture and control
15

pre-ign ition which issignific antly useful while operatin g

the engine under part-loa d conditio ns.
an20

These and other advantag es may be accompl ished in
exempla ry embodim entofthepresent
inventio nbyprovidin g a split-cy cle engine, which comprise s a cranksh aftrotatabl e about a cranksh aft axis, a compres sion piston
slidablyacompres sionthecranksh aftconnecte dtocompres sion

pistonisoperableacompres sion

strokeandtocylindersuch

reciproc ate
strokeduring

and

that

the

throughanasinglerotation of the cranksh aft and an expansio n(power)pistonslidably

cylinderreceived

operativ ely

30

withinoperativ ely

intake25

received

withinconnecte dtoanexpansio nthecranksh aft

expansio npistonisoperable

expansio nstrokeandanrotationofpassageintercon nects

cylinder s

the

and

controll ably

exhaustcranksh aft.
theincludesregulate

to

the

a

reciproc ate

that

the

throughanstrokeduringa

A variable

volumecrossove rcompres sion

andexpansio nvariable
air

such

and

flow

volumefrom

thesinglehousing

tocompres sion

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

9cylinder to the expansio n cylinder ,
air

flow

from

the

compres sion

whereby regulati ng thecylindertotheexpansio ncylinder regulate s the air pressure .
5

The variable volume crossove r passage includes anadjustab lepartitio noperativ ewithinthepassagetorestrict

air

flow

throughthepassage.

The

crossove r

passage includes a housing having a recess for receivin g thepartitio n in a retracte d open crossove r disposit ion of thepartitio n.
A regulato r is provided for regulati ng the10

position of the adjustab le partitio n within the passage. The
regulato r may be a stepper motor operativ ely connecte d tothe adjustab le partitio n,theadjustab lea spring operativ ely connecte d topartitio n

or

an

air

springoperativ ely

connecte d to the adjustab le partitio n.
15

An air delivery system for deliveri ng air to the
air spring comprise s an air input line and an air cooler,
air filter and air dryer successi vely disposed on the airdelivery line for respecti vely treating air communi cated tothe air spring.

20

The

adjustab lepartitio n may beabladderorawithinamoveable plate.

crossove r

25

A methodforregulati ng

passage

of

a

the

split-cy cle

air

flow

enginefromthecompres sion cylinder to the expansio n cylinder to regulate
the air pressure entering the expansio n cylinder comprise s
the

steps

of

controll ably

varying

thevolumefeaturesandadvantag es

withinthecrossove r passage.
These

and

other

inventio n will be more
30

fully understo od from the

of

the

followin g

detailed descript ion of the inventio n taken together with theaccompan ying drawings .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSIn the drawings :wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

10

FIG.

1 is atransverse cross-sect ional view of aprior art split-cycl e engine with a turbo-char ger;FIG.

is a transverse top view of the prior art

2

split-cycl e engine of FIG. 1;
5

FIG.

3

is

an

view

of

a

variablesectional

exemplaryembodimen t

volumeofcrossover

a

cross

passageinaccordance with the present invention;
FIG.
variable10

is4

volumeaperspectiv ecrossoverpassagesectioned
of

FIG.

3

view
in

of

its

the

fully

retracted position;

FIG.
variable

5

volumeisaperspectiv ecrossoverpassagesectioned
of

FIG.

3

view
in

of

its

the

fully

extended position;
FIG.

15

alternativ e

6

is

a

perspectiv eembodimen t

of

the

sectionedvariableview

volumeofancrossoverpassage utilizing a mechanica l spring in accordance with thepresent invention;
FIG.
alternativ e
20

passage

7 is a perspectiv e sectioned view of anotherembodimen tutilizing

an

of

the

air

springvariableinvolumeaccordancecrossover
with

the

present invention; andFIG.

8 is a cross sectional view of a split-cycl eengine having a system to properly condition the air feeding
the air spring of the variable volume crossover passage of
25

FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings in detail,30

numeral 80 generally indicates an exemplary embodimen t of avariablevolumecrossoverpassageinterconn ecting
thecompressio ncylindersplit-cyc leengine

26
10.

and
The

expansion

cylindervariablevolumepassage 80 includes a variable volume housing 82.

28

of

a

crossoverwo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

11

Referring to

FIGS.

82

is

shown

in

illustrati nganadjustablehousing

retracted and fully
5

4 and 5,athe variable volume

sectioned

perspectiv epartition

84

extended positions

specific embodimen t of thishousingwithincrossoverthevariableadjustablepartition

volume84

therein

is

in

view

both

fully

respective ly.

The

82

is

shown connectedpassagesized to80.

The

slidably

fit

into a recess 86 having a lower edge 87 of the housing 82.
The partition 84 can be one of several designs, including,10

but not limited to, a flexible bladder or a solid plate.
theillustrate dembodimen t,

thepartition

84

is

a

In

solid

plate that has an upper surface 88, a lower surface 90 and aperiphera l edge 92.
The upper surface 88 is attached to a15

rotatable threaded shaft 94 that is operative ly connected toa stepper motor 96.
As

shown

specifica lly

in

FIG.

4,

when

partition 84 is in its fully retracted position,
94

20

is

fully

retracted

substanti ally

into

passage

fully

shown

80

in

is

FIG.

5,

extended position,

the

and

recessthe86

open and at

when

the

the shaftentire94

the shaft

plate

fits

such

that

its

largestvolume.

84

inpartition

the

is

the

crossover

its

As
fully

is fully extended and thelower surface 90 and a substantia l portion of the periphera ledge 92 extends beyond the lower edge 87.
In the fully
25

extended position,

crossovervolume

added

due

to

the

passage80

isrestrictio n

of

the

extending into the crossover passage 80.

at

its

lowestpartition

84

However, the uppersurface 88 of the plate still fits within the recess 86 andabove the lower edge 87 of the recess 86.
The stepper motor
30

96

is

capableofpositionin gthepartition

84

in

any

position between fully extended (FIG. 5) and fully retracted(FIG. 4)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

12

Referrin gembodim ent

is

to

FIG.

shown,

6,

whereinanthealternat ive
stepper

exempla ry

motor

96

is

replaced with a simple mechani cal spring 100 connecte d to astraight shaft 102 that is operativ ely connecte d to the5partitio n 8 4.
Referrin gembodim ent

is

shown

to

FIG.

whereinthereplaced with an air spring 150.
107,anothermechani calalternat ive
spring100

isAdditio nally, the variable

volume housing 82 in this embodim ent is an integral part ofthe variable volume crossove r passage 80.
One skilled in
the art will also recogniz e that there are alternat ive
designs for incorpo rating the housing 82 into the crossove r
passage 80, for example via welding, threadin g or the like.
The air spring 150 includes an air spring piston

15

152 slidably received in an air spring chamber 154.
The air
spring piston 152 divides the air spring chamber 154 into apressuri zed(or upper)

compartm ent 156,

to an air supply line 158,
compartm ent 160,
20

pressure

sink)which is connecte dand a depressu rized(or lower)

which is open to the atmosph ere(or a low

through low pressure line 162.

As before,

the lower end of the straight shaft 102 is fastened to theupper surface 88 of the partitio n 84 which,in turn,slidably fits within recess 86.
Referrin g to FIG.
25

connecte d

to

an

air

8,

pressure

the air supply line 158
regulato r

170,

which

is
is

connecte d to the outlet end 171 of an air accumul ator 172.
The compres sion cylinder 26 and compres sion piston 32 of

30

engine 10 may deliver compress ed air to the input end 174 ofaccumul ator 172 via air input line 176.
In order toproperly
conditio n
thepressuri zed
input
air
into
accumul ator 172 from compres sion cylinder 26, the air input
line is run successi vely through air cooler 178, air filter
180, and air dryer 182.

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

13

Although5

theinvention

has

been

described

byreference to specific embodimen ts,

it should be understoodthatwithinnumerouschanges

may

be

made

the

spiritandscope of the inventive concepts described.

According ly,

itislimitedtheintended

described

that

the

embodimen ts,

invention

not

be

but

it

have

that

the

defined by the language of the following claims.

full

to

scope

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

14

CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

1.

5

An engine, comprising :a crankshaf t rotatable about a crankshaf t axis;acompressio n piston

compressio n

10cylinderandslidablyreceived

withinoperative ly

connected

to

a

the

crankshaf t such that the compressio n piston is operable toreciproca te through an intake stroke and a compressio nstroke during a single rotation of the crankshaf t;anwithin15

anexpansion

expansion(power)pistoncylinder andslidablyreceived

operative ly connected tothe crankshaf t such that the expansion piston is operable toreciproca te through an expansion stroke and an exhauststroke during a single rotation of the crankshaf t; andavariableinterconn ecting

thevolumecompressio nandsaid crossover passage including a
20

crossoverpassage

expansion

cylinders,variable volume housing

to controllab ly regulate the air flow from the compressio ncylinder to the expansion cylinder;
wherebyregulating

the

air

flow

from

the

compressio n cylinder to the expansion cylinder regulates the
air pressure.
25

2.

volume

The engine of claim 1, wherein said variablecrossover

operative withinpassageincludesthe passage toanadjustable

restrict

air

partitionflow

throughthe passage.
3.
30

The

engine of claim 2,

whereinsaid variable

volume crossover passage includes a housing having a recess
for receiving the partition in a retracted open crossoverdispositio n of the partition.

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US201 0/030998

15

4.
for

regulating

The engine of claim 2,
thepositionofincluding a regulatortheadjustablepartition

within the passage.
5.
5The engine of claim 4, wherein said regulator

is a stepper motor operative ly connected to said adjustablepartition.
6.
is

a

spring

The engine of claim 4, wherein said regulator
operative ly

connected

to

said

adjustablepartition.
10

7.

The engine of claim 4, wherein said regulator

is an air spring operative ly connected tosaid adjustablepartition.
8.

15

The

engine

of

claim

7,

includinganairdelivery system for delivering air to said air spring,said

air delivery system comprising an air input line and an air
cooler, air filter and air dryer successive ly disposed on
said

air

delivery

line

for

respective ly

treating

aircommunica ted to said air spring.
9.
20

The

engine

of

claim

2,

wherein

said

said

whereinsaid

adjustable partition is a bladder.
10.

The

engine

of

claim

2,

adjustable partition is a moveable plate.
11.
crossover25

A method for regulating the air flow within apassageofasplit-cyc leenginefromthecompressio n cylinder to the expansion cylinder to regulate
the air pressure entering the expansion cylinder, the method
comprising the step of controllab ly varying the volume of
the crossover passage.

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

1fl

FIG. 1
Prior Art

64

68

Exhaust
70

72

10~

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

2fl

FIG. 2
Prior Art

68
Exhaust70
72---.1
10~

40

54

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

3fl

FIG. 382(
10

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

4fl
FIG. 490

FIG. 592

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

snFIG. 682

Air Flow

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

6fl

FIG. 7
IA...---158

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

wo 2010/120856

PCT/US2010/030998

1n

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORTInternational application No.
PCT/US201 0/030998

A.

CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER

IPC(8)- F02B 33/00 (2010.01)
USPC- 123/?0V
According to International Patent Classification {I PC) or to both national classification and IPC
B.

FIELDS SEARCHED

Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols)
IPC(8) • F02B 11/00, 33/00, 33/30 (201 0.01)
USPC -123/58.4, 65VB, 70R, 70V, 75VB, 184.56; 261/44.2, 44.4; 267/64.11, 64.28
Documentation searched other than minimum documentation to the extent that such documents are included in the fields searchedElectronic data base consulted during the international search (name of data base and, where practicable, search terms used)
USPTO EAST System (US, USPG-PUB, EPO, DERWENT)C.

DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT

Category*X

Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, ofthe relevant passages
US 2,161,069 A (MANISCALCO) 06 June 1939 (06.06.1939) entire document-yRelevant to claim No.
11----1-7, 9, 10yUS 5,797,365 A (KIM) 25 August 1998 (25.08.1998) entire document

1-7, 9, 10yJP 58148253 A (SHIOI) 03 September 1983 (03.09.1983) entire document5y

US 6,105,545 A (BREIDENBACH) 22 August 2000 (22.08.2000) entire document7y

US 4,928,638 A (OVERBECK) 29 May 1990 (29.05.1990) entire document

9A

US 3,675,630 A (STRATION) 11 July 1972 (11.07.1972) entire document

1,11

A

US 2,033,166 A (WINTERS) 10 March 1936 (10.03.1936) entire document

1,11

A

US 6,334,606 A (TOBINAI et al) 01 January 2002 (01.01.2002) entire document

2

D
•

"A"
"E"
"L"

"0"
"P"

Further documents are listed in the continuation of Box C.

DSpecial categories of cited documents:"T'
document defining the general state of the art which is not considered
to be of particular relevanceearlier application or patent but published on or after the international "X"
filing datedocument which may throw doubts on priority claim(s) or which iscited to establish the J?Ublication date of another citation or other "Y"
special reason (as spec1fied)
document referring to an oral disclosure, use, exhibition or othermeans
document published prior to the international filing date but later than "&"the priority date claimed

Date of the actual completion of the international search
28 May2010
Name and mailing address of the !SAlUS
Mail Stop PCT, Attn: ISAlUS, Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
Facsimile No. 571-273-3201
Form PCT/ISA/2 I 0 (second sheet) (Apnl 2005)

later document published after the international filing date o1eriority
date and not in conflict with the ap~lication but cited to un erstandthe principle or theory underlying e invention
document of particular relevance; the claimed invention cannot be
considered novel or cannot be considered to involve an inventive
step when the document is taken alone
document of particular relevance; the claimed invention cannot be
considered to involve an inventive step when the document iscombined with one or more other such documents, such combination
being obvious to a person skilled in the art
document member of the same patent family

Date of mailing of the international search report

28 JUN 2010
Authorized officer:
Blaine R. Copenheaver
PCT Helpdesk: 571-272-4300
PCT OSP: 571·272-7774