Patent Abstract:
One non-limiting object of the present invention is to provide modifications to conventional in line 6 cylinder engines capable of increasing their efficiency in operation. This includes modifying the central two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies of the engines. The modifications involve (1) changing the camshaft so that the central two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies have their four stroke cycles in phase rather than 180° out of phase, (2) providing a communicating passage between the combustion chambers of the central two piston and cylinder assemblies and (3) modifying either the hardware or programming for the control of the fuel injectors of the central two piston and cylinder assemblies so that they can be selectively controlled not to inject fuel during the operation cycle thereof. The modifications contemplates providing a new cam shaft in which not only the cams relating to the central two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies are modified to change 180° out of phase to in phase, but the cams relating to other piston and cylinder assemblies in order to provide a somewhat balanced application of the driving forces during each cycle.

Full Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to modifications of conventional in line six engines capable of increasing the miles per gallon of the modified engines when embodied in motor vehicles. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Conventional in line six cylinder engines if modified to make them 20% more efficient in terms of mpg can meet the requirements mandated by the US government starting in 2014. The conventional in line six cylinder engine is currently the engine of choice for most semi rigs and many other heavy trucks that come within the government mandate. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    One non-limiting object of the present invention is to provide modifications to conventional in line 6 cylinder engines capable of increasing their efficiency in operation, preferably by at least 20%, thus making them suitable to satisfy the market in large trucks and semi tractors which must be created by 2014 in order to meet the government mandates as to mpg. This objective increase is achieved by the present invention by modifying the central two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies of the engines so that they operate in accordance with the principles of my pending patent application Ser. No. 13/475,253, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. The modifications involved (1) changing the camshaft so that the central two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies have their four stroke cycles in phase rather than 180° out of phase, (2) providing a communicating passage between the combustion chambers of the central two piston and cylinder assemblies and (3) modifying either the hardware or programming for the control of the fuel injectors of the central two piston and cylinder assemblies so that they can be selectively controlled not to inject fuel during the operation cycle thereof. The modifications contemplates providing a new cam shaft in which not only the cams relating to the central two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies are modified to change 180° out of phase to in phase, but the cams relating to other piston and cylinder assemblies in order to provide a somewhat balanced application of the driving forces during each cycle. 
         [0004]    It is preferable in accordance with the principles of the present invention to provide a maximum fuel saving mode wherein alternately one of the two cylinders firing is cut off from fuel. It is also an object of the present invention to provide new engines wherein two cylinders fire over 120° of crankshaft rotation constructed to embody the modifications herein provided hereinbefore indicated. 
         [0005]    Various options within the invention are as follows. 
         [0006]    The camshaft may be constructed and arranged so that the firing strokes of the two outer and intermediate assemblies are simultaneous, the fuel injecting and firing system being operable to selectively control the injectors of the two outer and intermediate assemblies in a third mode wherein one injector associated with each of the two outer and two intermediate assemblies is controlled to inject zero amount of fuel. 
         [0007]    The fuel injecting and firing system may be operable to control an injector to inject fuel into a cylinder during an associated piston stroke when the compressed air in the associated combustion chamber has reached an auto ignition pressure so that the igniting of the mixture occurs as a result of the injection. 
         [0008]    The fuel injecting and firing system may be operable to control an injector to inject fuel into a cylinder during an associated piston intake stroke and the mixture of fuel and compressed air in the associated combustion chamber is ignited by energizing a spark plug in communicating relation to the mixture. 
         [0009]    An aspect of the invention also includes a method of increasing the efficiency of a six cylinder in line engine having six piston and cylinder assemblies mounted in line formation within a frame, the assemblies having pistons connected to a crankshaft so that the pistons of two inner adjacent assemblies, two outer assemblies and two intermediate assemblies move through repetitive cycles of reciprocating movement offset with respect to one another by 120° of crankshaft rotation in which each cycle has four strokes of movement alternately in opposite directions which take place during successive 180° rotational movements of the crankshaft, a crankshaft for controlling inlet and outlet valves to allow air to be taken into a cylinder during an intake stroke of each assembly and to be compressed into a combustion chamber within a cylinder of each assembly during and immediately following compression stroke of each assembly and a fuel injecting and firing system including an injector for each assembly operable to supply fuel during a stroke of the assembly so that when a charge of air under pressure mixed with fuel is ignited within a combustion chamber the resultant increase in pressure in the associated cylinder affects a power stroke of an associated piston immediately following the compression stroke of the assembly, the method comprising: 
         [0010]    replacing the camshaft of the engine which controls the valves of the inner assemblies with a replacement camshaft constructed and arranged so that the cycles of piston movement of the two inner assemblies are in phase, 
         [0011]    providing a communicating passage between the combustion chambers of the two inner assemblies, and 
         [0012]    modifying the fuel injecting and firing system so that the injectors for the two inner assemblies are selectively operable to operate (1) in a normal mode wherein the injectors associated with both inner assemblies operate to supply fuel during a stroke of both assemblies so that when a charge of air under pressure mixed with fuel is ignited within both combustion chambers the resultant increase in pressure in both cylinders affects a power stroke in both cylinders or (2) in a fuel saving mode wherein the injector associated with one of the inner assemblies operates to supply fuel during a stroke of the associated piston so that when a charge of air under pressure mixed with fuel within the combustion chamber of the one of the inner assemblies is ignited, the resultant increase in pressure in the combustion chamber of the one of the inner assemblies is communicated through the passage with the air under pressure in the combustion chamber of the other of the inner assemblies to affect the power stroke of both assemblies. 
         [0013]    Other various options of the method may include the following. 
         [0014]    The compression stroke of each assembly may create an auto-ignition compression pressure and wherein the mixture is ignited by injecting fuel into the air under auto-ignition pressure within the associated combustion chamber. 
         [0015]    The mixture of air and fuel in the associate combustion chamber by injecting fuel with the intake of air during each intake stroke and the mixture may be ignited by the energization of a spark plug in communication with the mixture. 
         [0016]    The new camshaft may control the valves of the two outer and two intermediate assemblies so that cycles of the two outer and two intermediate assemblies are in phase, and the injectors of the fuel injecting and firing system associated with the two outer and two intermediate assemblies are controlled in a third mode wherein one of the injectors of the two outer and two intermediate assemblies inject a zero amount of fuel. 
         [0017]    The passage may be provided by grinding inwardly of a seal engaging surface of the frame between the cylinders of the two inner assemblies. 
         [0018]    The fuel injecting and firing system may be controlled by a computer and the modification of the system is achieved by reprogramming the computer. 
         [0019]    The fuel injecting and firing system may be controlled by pumping fuel under pressure through individual lines to each injector in timed relation and the modification of the system is achieved by modifying the lines to the injectors. 
         [0020]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional in line six cylinder engine with parts broken away for purposes of clearer illustration. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a first modification in accordance with the principles of the present invention in the form of a new crankshaft. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view of a second modification in accordance with the principles of the present invention in the form of a passage in the engine block between cylinders  3  and  4 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a schematic and block diagrammatic view of a third modification in accordance with the principles of the present invention in the form of a modified fuel injecting and firing system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]      FIG. 1  shows a prior art six cylinder in line diesel engine  10  which includes a main frame  12  having a pan  13  detachably fixed to the lower end of a crankcase portion  14  thereof. Mounted within the crank case portion  14  is a crankshaft  16  journaled in main bearings  18 . The crankshaft  16  includes six crankpin bearings  20  on which the bolt secured split ends of six connecting rods  22  are journaled. The opposite ends of the six connecting rods  22  are journaled in six wristpin bearings  24  mounted within six pistons  26  respectively. The six pistons  26  are in-line oriented slidably sealingly mounted in six in-line oriented cylinders  28  formed by six in-line oriented cylinder liners  30  removably fixed within the frame  12 . 
         [0026]    The connecting rods  22  are journaled at one end on the crankshaft  16  and at the other end on the pistons  26  which causes the pistons  26  to be reciprocated within the cylinder liners  30  through a cycle of four reciprocating strokes while the crankshaft is rotated through two rotations. 
         [0027]    The four events which occur within the cylinders  28  during each four stroke cycle include, in order, intake compression, fire, and exhaust. The events are accomplished in response to a camshaft  32  which is suitably journed on the frame  12 . The camshaft  32  is mounted in a position to be driven by the crankshaft  16 . The drive is accomplished by a gear  34  fixed on the crankshaft  16  to rotate therewith and a meshing gear  36  of twice the size of gear  34  fixed on the camshaft  32  so that the camshaft  32  rotates at half the speed of the crankshaft  16 . 
         [0028]    The four events are accomplished by reciprocating inlet valves  38  spring biased to close inlet openings leading into the cylinders  28  above the pistons  26  and outlet or exhaust valves  40  spring biased to close outlet openings leading from the cylinders  28  to an exhaust manifold (not shown) forming a part of an exhaust system including an exhaust pipe (not shown). 
         [0029]    The inlet and outlet valves  38  and  40  are moved into opening relation to the inlet and outlet openings against their spring bias by inlet and outlet cam lobes  42  and  44  on the camshaft  32  which move inlet and outlet lifter rods  46 . The inlet and outlet valves  38  and  40  are actively moved by one ends of inlet and outlet rocker arms  47 , the other ends of which are moved by the inlet and outlet lifter rods  46 . 
         [0030]    The position of the cam lobes  44  on the camshaft  32  cause (1) the inlet valve  38  associated with each cylinder to be open at an appropriate time so that the inlet opening is open during the inlet stroke event of the cylinder cycle (2) cause the outlet valve  40  associated with each cylinder to be opened at an appropriate time so that the outlet opening is open during the outlet or exhaust stroke event. The inlet and outlet valves  38  and  40  are allowed to remain in their spring biased closed position during the compression stroke event of each cycle wherein the air in the cylinder taken in during the intake stroke event is compressed to an auto ignition pressor. The inlet and outlet valves  28  and  30  also remain closed during the firing stroke during which diesel fuel is injected into the cylinder by a computer controlled fuel injecting and firing system, generally indicated at  48 ; modification of which is shown in  FIG. 4  and will be described in detail hereinafter. 
         [0031]    It will be understood that the conventional in-line six cylinder engine also has accessories such as an alternator, fuel and air filters, an oil pump, a turbo charger, a super charger, etc., which remain unmodified in accordance with the principles of the present invention and hence are either not shown in the drawings or described in detail herein. 
         [0032]    It can be seen that the conventional engine  10  includes six in-line crankshaft driven piston and cylinder assemblies, which can be conveniently identified from left to right as  1  through  6  respectively. Each of the piston and cylinder assemblies  1 - 6  includes a cylinder liner  30 , a piston  26  and a connecting rod  22 , which can be referred to as cylinder  1 , piston  1  or connecting rod  1 , cylinder  2 , piston  2  or connecting rod  2 , etc., for purposes of clearly identifying each one of six. 
         [0033]    The six crank portions of the crankshaft  16  are arranged so that pistons  1  and  6  move together in cylinders  1  and  6 , pistons  2  and  5  move together in cylinders  2  and  5  and pistons  3  and  4  move together in cylinders  3  and  4 . A conventional firing order is 153624 which means that the firing stroke event takes place in successive strokes first in cylinder  1 ; second, in cylinder  5 ; third, in cylinder  3 ; fourth, in cylinder  6 ; fifth, in cylinder  2 ; and sixth, in cylinder  4 . A cycle must take place in each cylinder in two rotations of the crankshaft (four 180° strokes) or one rotation of the camshaft (four 90° strokes). In order for six firing stroke events to take place in four incremental movements of the camshaft (90° each) or four incremental movements of the crankshaft (180° each) it is conventional that these firing stroke events be initiated 120° apart with respect to the crankshaft rotation. To accomplish the initiation of six successive firing stroke events every 120° (1) the firing stroke event in cylinder  5  is initiated 120° after the initiation of the firing stroke in cylinder  1 , (2) the firing stroke event in cylinder  3  is initiated 120° after the initiation of the firing stroke event in cylinder  5 , (3) the firing stroke events of cylinders  6 ,  2  and  4  follow in the same sequence. Also in order to achieve six successive stroke initiations within two revolutions of the crankshaft  32  the cycles of commonly used pistons  1  and  6 ,  2  and  5  and  3  and  4  are 180° out of phase with respect to one another. 
         [0034]    Referring now more particularly to  FIG. 2 , there is shown therein a first modification for the conventional engine  10  in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The modification shown in  FIG. 2  is a new camshaft  50  to replace the conventional camshaft  32 . The camshaft  50  is constructed to allow the two adjacent piston and cylinder assemblies  3  and  4  to be done in phase rather than 180° out of phase. Compared with a conventional camshaft  32 , new camshaft  50  has cam lobes  4  positioned on the camshaft in angular alignment rather than with cam lobe  3 , as shown, being 180° out of alignment therewith. This alignment of cam lobes  3  and  4  allows pistons  3  and  4  to complete their combustion strokes simultaneously so that selectively both cylinder  3  and  4  will receive an injection of diesel fuel appropriate to fire both during the following simultaneous power strokes thereof or to alternatively inject only one cylinder  3  or  4  with an appropriate amount of fuel for one of cylinders  3  and  4  to fire alternatively in only one cylinder so that the increased pressure conditions resulting from the one fire can be communicated to the other cylinder. That is, the passage allows pressure generated by fuel injected and ignited in cylinder  3  or  4  to be communicated to the other of cylinders  3  or  4  receiving no fuel, so the pressure drives both pistons  3  and  4  simultaneously. This generates power of both pistons with one less injection charge. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  shows the modification used to accomplish the communication. As shown, the modification is simply to remove from the seal engaging surface of the frame  12  extending between cylinders  3  and  4  sufficient material, as by grinding or other means, to form a passage  52  of a minimum size suitable to enable the communication to take place. Alternatively, a portion of the seal extending from cylinder  3  to cylinder  4  can be removed. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  shows the modifications sufficient to enable the mode selection to take place.  FIG. 4  shows one computerized fuel injecting and firing system, generally indicated at  54 , for an in line six cylinder engine operating as a diesel engine. The system  54  includes a fuel injector  56  for each cylinder  1 - 6 . Each injector  56  has a source of fuel under pressure communicating therewith, which, as shown, includes a power driven pump  58  capable of delivering fuel from a fuel tank  60  to a manifold  62  having a maximum pressure condition determined by a pressure relief valve  64  in a line between the manifold  62  and tank  60 . The manifold  62  communicates the fuel pressure therein directly to the six injectors  56 . 
         [0037]    Each injector  56  has a solenoid operated valve  66  formed therein for controlling the flow of fuel under pressure communicated therewith outwardly of a nozzle end thereof. In the cases of diesel operation, the nozzle end of each injector  56  is positioned to inject fuel directly into the combustion chamber of the associated cylinder  1 - 6 . The solenoid operated valves  66  are controlled by electrical signals coming from a computer  68  which signals determine the time and amount of fuel injected by the associated injector  66 . 
         [0038]    Referring again to  FIG. 2 , there is shown therein a preferred further camshaft modification embodied in the new camshaft  50  enabling a preferred, more balanced application of the forces created by the firing events in the cylinders to the crankshaft  32 . Specifically, the further modification is to change the movement of inlet and outlet valves  1  and  6  and the inlet and outlet valves  2  and  5  so that the cycles in cylinders  1 - 6  and  2 - 5  are in phase rather than being 180° out of phase. Compared with camshaft  32 , new camshaft  50  preferably in addition to the angular alignment of cam lobes  3  and  4  has cam lobes  6  angularly aligned with cam lobes  1  and cam lobe  2  are angularly aligned with cam lobes  5 . With these further modifications the firing stroke event is initiated in two cylinders simultaneously every 240° of rotation of the crankshaft  82 . 
         [0039]    As best shown in  FIG. 4 , preferably, the fuel injecting and firing system  48  includes modifications which allow a selected third mode of operation wherein alternating one of injectors  1  and  6  and alternating one of injectors  2  and  5  is controlled to inject zero amount of fuel. That is, injectors  2  and  5  are being used in a known “skip-fire” style where no fuel or pressure from another source is being introduced into the associated cylinder. This third mode where cylinders  3  and  4  are also operating alternately with one injector injecting zero amount of fuel but receiving pressure from the other cylinder receiving fuel, can be identified as a maximum fuel saving mode (50% saving) whereas the previously identified fuel saving mode can be identified as an intermediate fuel saving mode (16⅔%). 
         [0040]    In the system  54  shown in  FIG. 4  the selection of which of the three modes is to operate is left up to the driver of the vehicle.  FIG. 4  illustrates a box  70  having three buttons  72 ,  74  and  76  which when pushed provide three different signals to the computer  48 . 
         [0041]    Preferably, the signal which activates the computer  68  to emit signals commensurate with the maximum power mode is made by pressing a manual control button  72  although it could be under the control of a sensor that activates when the vehicle is going up a steep grade or the gas pedal has been floor-boarded. Preferably, the signal which activates the computer to emit signals commensurate with the maximum fuel savings mode is the separate manual control button  74  although it could be activated when the cruise control button is turned on. It is noted that cylinders  3  and  4  will both fire in the maximum power mode, while only one will fire in the maximum fuel saving mode. And, when neither maximum mode is operating, the cylinders  3  and  4  will fire one alternately (the intermediate mode). 
         [0042]    Consequently, the preferred operation of the fuel injecting and firing system  48  is to select the intermediate mode at all times (16⅔% less fuel than max power), as by a third manual control button  76  except when added power is desired or needed (max power mode) or when the cruise control button is turned on (max fuel saving mode 50% less fuel than max power). 
         [0043]    When the computer  48  receives a signal as a result of pushing button  72 , the computer  48  is programed to activate all of the injectors  50  at the appropriate time. When the computer  48  receives a signal as a result of pushing button  74 , the computer in proper timed relation (1) alternate one of injectors  3  and  4  (2) alternate one of injectors  1  and  6  and (3) alternate one of injectors  2  and  5 . When the computer  48  receives a signal as a result of pushing button  76 , the computer  48  is programmed to activate in properly timed relation alternately one of injectors  3  and  4  and both injectors  1  and  6  and both injectors  2  and  5 . 
         [0044]    The modifications to be made in accordance with the principles of the present inventions are the same whether the engine is diesel ignited or spark plug ignited. In the case of a spark ignited engine the nozzle ends of the injectors  56  are directed along with a variable air supply into the cylinders through the open inlet valve during the intake stroke. While a spark plug is provided in each combustion chamber and a distributor assembly is also provided it is preferable to modify the distributor system so that when both cylinders  3  and  4  are to be fired together only one is fired and the fire in that one is used to fire the other through the communicating passage. 
         [0045]    It should be appreciated that the foregoing embodiment(s) have been illustrated solely for the purposes of illustrating the structural and functional advantages of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting. To the contrary, the present invention includes all modifications, alterations, substitutions and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5