INTAKE AND EXHAUST SYSTEM THROUGH ROTATORY PORTS SHAFT, IN FOUR-STROKE MOTORS

Abstract: An intake and exhaust system through rotatory port shafts, in four-stroke motors, through which are suppressed the camshaft, valve tappets, rocker arms and valves of conventional motors. The system is based on a hollow shaft (4) located in a jacket (5) and the whole assembly is mounted on the cylinder head body (1) of the engine and supported on bearings (6,7). The shaft has ports (12) transversely through in communication with the cylinder chambers (2), quite independently from the combustion order, having the ports shaft lubricating (18) and water-cooling (13,14) means, being engaged the shaft to a gear driven by the crankshaft (3) of the engine, being 1 : 4 the ratio of the shaft (4) to the crankshaft (3) rotation.

Description: The invention refers to an intake and exhaust system through rotatory ports shaft in four-stroke motors designed to improve the efficiency and the manufacturing costs of conventional motors. It is known that four-stroke motors include a cylinder head, some cylinders, a camshaft, a crank shaft, rocker arms and the relative valves, so that all these parts having their associated movements drive the engine when this is supplied with the relative fuel. It is also known that the efficiency of these engines can be improved, since it is far from 100%, and although it can seem utopian to reach that figure, all the engines must be manufactured to have high efficiencies. It is also known that conventional internal combustion engines, because of the aforementioned components, have high manufacturing costs and require continuous maintenance, in repairs, checking and even spare parts. Intake and exhaust systems are known, which have been designed to increase the efficiency of internal combustion engines and to remove most of conventional parts or components, resulting in that the system applicable to four-stroke motors enables that the latter have manufacturing costs much lower and minimum maintenance. More particularly, these systems are based on the use of a rotatory shaft driven by the crankshaft, the axle of which are made the ports in a special shape, having direct lubricating means and cooling means. The said shaft is mounted on a sleeve being both disposed on the cylinder head body, communicating with the combustion chambers. Through this system are removed given parts of the conventional engines, like the camshaft, valve tappets, rocker arms, shafts of these, valves and valve springs. Besides, all the reciprocating motion of the unit formed by the said components is suppressed. This is achieved through a rotatory motion of the ports shaft by which is obtained the desired timing, so that the power required to drive the system of the invention will be much lower than to drive the conventional systems enabling this a higher efficiency of the engine. It is obvious that the manufacturing cost is much lower than for conventional engines, since are suppressed many parts of special materials which require high accuracy machining and finishing. An intake and exhaust system through rotary ports shaft in four-stroke motors according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, e.g. from US-A-1,513,911. In this document, the lubricating means of this system include longitudinally extending oil ducts 55 whereby oil is applied to the valve, and the cooling water means include a series of inter-communicating water chambers disposed around the shafts. However, such an intake and exhaust system through rotary ports shaft does not solve the problem of the lubrication and cooling of the rotary ports shaft, along its whole axial length, homogeneously and efficiently. This invention intends to solve these problems. This object is achieved by an intake and exhaust system through a rotary ports shaft in four-stoke motors, the rotary ports shaft being arranged inside a jacket and mounted in a cylinder head body, the said shaft being provided with an axial extension or hub onto which is mounted a gear driven by a crankshaft and being supported at its opposite ends on ball bearings and the said shaft being fitted with cooling- water means and with means for lubricating the shaft with the oil under pressure from the engine, characterized in that said means for lubricating the shaft include an annular lubrication chamber, located between one ball-bearing and one seal at one end of the shaft, in which chamber ends a trough for pressure oil from the engine, this oil going along the jacket through a felt tube remaining continuously oiled during rotation of the shaft and always contacting this shaft for lubrication thereof, whereas said cooling water means include another annular chamber provided at the other end of the shaft for receiving the cooling water introduced in the shaft through a nipple provided at the end of the shaft opposite to said hub, so that the water flowing through the shaft is expelled, centrifugally during rotation of said shaft to the said chamber via inclined bores provided in that end of the shaft having said hub, and both sides of the chamber are formed by two seals to prevent the water reaching said chamber to arrive to the shaft and to the jacket. Lower ports of the jacket, communicating with the combustion chamber, have small setting plungers or pistons. To have a better understanding of the features of the invention a description will be given basing on the set of drawings, appended to the present specification, forming part of the latter, and where, from a general and non-limiting point of view, the following is illustrated: Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section view of a four-stroke engine provided with the intake and exhaust system of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section view of the ports shaft. Figure 3 shows a cross-section view of the ports shaft. Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section view of the jacket inside which is disposed the ports shaft. Figure 5 shows a cross-section view of the jacket illustrated in the preceding Figure. As it can be seen in the Figures, and particularly in relation to Figure 1, are illustrated a cylinder head body (1) of a four-stroke motor with the relative cylinders (2) and crankshaft (3). In the cylinder head body (1) is mounted the intake and exhaust system of the present invention, including a ports shaft (4) located in a jacket (5). The ports shaft (4) is supported on opposite ends on ball bearings (6) and (7), so to bear most of loads caused by the internal pressure of the cylinders (2), getting so a soft rotation of the shaft (4) and lower friction and wear between this and the jacket (5). The ports shaft (4) has an axial extension or hub (8) on which is mounted a gear (9) driven by the crankshaft (3). The speed ratio between the shaft (4) and the crankshaft (3) is 1/4, having so a rotation speed relatively low, resulting a longer life of the system. On the other hand, so that the cylinders (2) are more independent, the shaft (4) has a set of rings (10) housed and expansion-adjusted inside the jacket (5). The rings (10) are therefore stationary and since the shaft (4) has no side displacement, the wear of the former will be minimum. Likewise, if interferences arose between the ports of the same cylinder, the shaft can be provided with four spacer rings. The above-mentioned ports, referred as (12), and they are tube or rectangular conduct shaped and traverse the shaft (4), so that all the ports (12) remain independent and enable to the cooling water to go through the shaft (4), like it is detailed below. The shaft (4) is hollow and cooled inside through water that enters the nipple (13) provided in the opposite end to the bushing (8). The water goes through the shaft (4) and is expelled by the opposite end to a chamber (14), entering this water through inclined bores (15) provided in said end, and through those the water is expelled to the chamber (14), centrifugally on rotating the shaft (4). The chamber (14) communicates with the cooling water from the cylinder head, resulting so a flow of water that cools the shaft (4) and holds it to the temperature of the cylinder head (1). In both sides of the chamber (14) are provided seals (16) to prevent the water reaching the chamber (14) arrives to the shaft (4) and the jacket (5). The lubrication can be carried variously out, being illustrated in the drawings a lubrication described as an example, consisting in that the cylinder head (1) or jacket (5) is provided with an annular chamber (17) in which ends a trough (18) for pressure oil from the engine. This oil goes along the jacket (5), a felt tube remains continuously oiled, and on rotating the shaft (4) that is always contacting the tube, lubrication is perfect and the oil consumption is low. To carry this type of lubrication out, the jacket (5) can be provided with another longitudinal trough for the casing gas to pass towards the motor intake, causing further lubrication. The chamber (17) is located between the bearing (7) and the seal (19), as illustrated in Fig. 1. According to this specification, on rotating the shaft (4) the different ports will coincide with those relative to the cylinders, following the combustion order. For each half a rotation of the shaft (4) a complete engine cycle of the engine will be carried out, so that the ports (12) will be used again, but in an opposite direction; in the next half a rotation another complete cycle will be carried out, being 1/4 the ratio of rotation with regard to the crankshaft. Although the system has been illustrated with a single jacket-ports shaft assembly to perform the intake and exhaust, it is obvious that, if the diameter of the assembly is higher, the width of the ports (12) will increase, since these are marked by the α angle of 30° (Fig. 3). This angle refers to an engine that holds the ports open for 240° of rotation of the crankshaft (3), and so the higher diameter, the higher width. In Figs 2 and 4 the exhaust and intake are respectively referred as E and A, from the cylinders C1, C2, C3 and C4 whose width is showed between the arrows referred so in Fig. 4. These cylinders are the referred as (2) in Fig. 1. Finally, the engine may have two jacket-ports shaft assemblies, one for the intake and another for gas exhaust, so that the cost of the engine will increase but, however, it will improve the performance of the engine and an absolute independence between both systems, achieving a better sweeping of the gases burned in the cylinders. To have a better tightness of the assembly, the lower ports (12) of the jacket (5) that communicate with the combustion chamber, have small setting plungers or pistons or any other sectionning system.

Claims: 1. An intake and exhaust system through a rotary ports shaft (4) in four-stroke motors, the rotary ports shaft (4) being arranged inside a jacket (5) and mounted in a cylinder head body (1), the said shaft (4) being provided with an axial extension or hub (8) onto which is mounted a gear (9) driven by a crankshaft (3) and being supported at its opposite ends on ball bearings (6, 7) and the said shaft (4) being fitted with cooling-water means and with means for lubricating the shaft with the oil under pressure from the engine, characterized in that said means for lubricating the shaft include an annular lubrication chamber (17), located between one ball-bearing (7) and one seal (19) at one end of the shaft (4), in which chamber (17) ends a trough (18) for pressure oil from the engine, this oil going along the jacket (5) through a felt tube remaining continuously oiled during rotation of the shaft (4) and always contacting this shaft (4) for lubrication thereof, whereas said cooling water means include another annular chamber (14) provided at the other end of the shaft (4) for receiving the cooling water introduced in the shaft through a nipple (13) provided at the end of the shaft (4) opposite to said hub (8), so that the water flowing through the shaft (4) is expelled, centrifugally during rotation of said shaft to the said chamber (14) via inclined bores (15) provided in that end of the shaft having said hub (8), and both sides of the chamber (14) are formed by two seals (16) to prevent the water reaching said chamber (14) to arrive to the shaft (4) and to the jacket (5). 2. An intake and exhaust system according to claim 1 characterized in that the lower ports of the jacket (5), communicating with the combustion chamber, have small setting plungers or pistons.

Inventors: OCANA TRIGUERO, FELIX
Applicants: OCANA TRIGUERO, FELIX
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F01L7
IPC codes: F01M9, F02B75, F01L7