Abstract:
A cylindrical housing assembly with an adjustable aperture or orifice using an iris shutter system to control the volumetric flow of fuel mixture or exhaust gas by movable blades or leaflets arranged inside a sealed enclosure which is operated by external actuators connected in series.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The traditional poppet valves fitted to the ports of an internal combustion engine are reliable and durable, and capable of withstanding the pressurized compression of the chamber and the subsequent explosion of the air fuel mixture. However, such valves are not amenable to adjusting or metering the flow of the air fuel mixture with the reciprocating motion that is produced by a fixed cam or pushrod profile. Whereas an iris shutter can be amenable to adjusting or metering the flow, it does not withstand the explosion of the combustion chamber. Thus by combining these two, the best feature of each can be used to produce the ideal intake and exhaust valve design. 
     Reference can be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,492 issued Jun. 13, 1978 for an example of a variable orifice iris shutter system for controlling gas flow. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a cylindrical housing assembly including an iris shutter system with linkage devices to allow easy external control to vary and adjust the flow of a gaseous mixture into or out of the intake or exhaust port of an internal combustion engine fitted with conventional poppet valves. 
     The iris shutter system is provided with overlapping blades which are similar in its principle of operation to the well known shutter used in photography to control the amount of light passing through the lenses. Its use for controlling the flow of gaseous mixture is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,492. Therefore the simplicity and reliability of the iris shutter system are well established and proven. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an exploded view of a cylindrical housing assembly for an internal combustion according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention fore to aft from left to right viewing. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the cylindrical housing assembly of  FIG. 1  aft to fore from left to right viewing. 
         FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C show the individual curved blade element from an iris shutter system of the cylindrical housing assembly viewed perpendicularly, obliquely and sideways. 
         FIG. 4  shows the first or front casing of the cylindrical housing assembly viewed from the backside. 
         FIG. 5  shows the first or front casing of the cylindrical housing assembly assembled with the blade elements of an iris shutter system in the fully opened position viewed from the backside. 
         FIG. 6  shows the first or front casing assembled with the blade elements of the iris shutter system partially in the closed position viewed from the backside. 
         FIG. 7  shows the first or front casing assembled with the blade elements of the iris shutter system in the fully closed position viewed from the backside. 
         FIG. 8  shows a rear view of the cylindrical housing assembly with an arcuate cog-tooth gear situated in the opened position of the iris shutter system for augmented gas flow. 
         FIG. 9  shows the rear view of the cylindrical housing assembly with the arcuate cog-tooth gear situated in the closed position of the iris shutter system for the cessation of gas flow. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 1-9  of the drawings, the apparatus or device to be described is connected to an internal combustion engine via an entry portal opening  22  and an exit portal opening  32  for the ingress and egress of gaseous mixture such as between the fuel injector port upstream and the poppet valve leading to the combustion chamber downstream, or is connected between the exhaust poppet valve upstream and the exhaust pipe downstream (not shown). The device can be reversed in its polarity for placement in the said locations with identical function. 
     The combustible gaseous mixture (or the exhaust gas) will flow through the entry portal opening  22  of a round cylindrical housing assembly  50  composed of three fixed separate round cylindrical casings  1 ,  4  and  6  interposed with optional ring gaskets (not shown): a first or front cylindrical casing  1  with the entry portal opening  22  within an entry conduit  10 , a second or middle cylindrical casing  4  with a lead-out exit conduit  17  carrying the exit portal opening  32 , and a third or rear cylindrical casing  6  with a slightly larger opening  29  to accommodate the presence of the lead out exit conduit  17  of the middle casing  4 . These are attached to each other by screws or bolts  8  driven into drilled holes  19  of these adjacent front, middle and rear casings  1 ,  4  and  6  with the optional interposed gaskets (not shown) in between. The entry conduit  10  of the first (or front) casing  1  on one end of the housing assembly  50  is connectible to the external duct from the outside components (not shown). The lead out exit conduit  17  of the second (or middle) casing  4  will exit through the central opening  29  of the third (or rear) casing  6  containing the optional interposed gasket (not shown). The lead out exit conduit  17  of the exit end of housing assembly  50  is connectible to the external duct from the outside components (not shown). An iris shutter system  2  and the corresponding gaskets with the actuating mechanisms are contained inside the adjacent first and second (front and middle) cylindrical casings  1  and  4 . 
     A gas receiving primary surface  12  of each of a plurality of curved blades  26  (best shown in  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C) of the iris shutter system  2  is fitted with a pinion  11 , or with a screw countersunk through the reverse surface  12 ′ of the blade  26  near the end thereof such that the reverse surface  12 ′ is necessarily flat or flushed, thus allowing the plurality of individual blades  26  to overlap adjacent blades without obstruction. The curvature of each blade  26  will conform to the interior dimension of the cylindrical shape of the cylindrical casings  1  and  4 . 
     Each blade  26  is pivoted by the pinion  11  along the periphery on the interior side  23  (of  FIG. 2 ) of the cylindrical first (or front) casing  1  when the pinions  11  are anchored into drilled holes  9  (of  FIG. 4 ) created along the periphery of casing  1  such that each blade  26  of the iris shutter system  2  is overlapped by the preceding blade, and each blade  26  overlaps the next succeeding blade in a recursive pattern when the entire set of blades are assembled in a clockwise manner as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     The reverse surface  12 ′ of each blade  26  will face a rotary hollow-center disc  3  (an annular or donut shaped disc) with the size and shape conforming to the interior of the cylindrical casing  1  and with radially cut grooves  13  that will guide either a second small pinion  11 ′ (of  FIG. 2 ) or a countersunk screw created to protrude from the reverse surface  12 ′ near the opposite end of the blade  26 . The gas receiving primary surface  12  of blade  26  which is on the opposite side the second pinion  11 ′ is necessarily flat or flushed, thus allowing for overlapping with an adjacent blade with no obstruction. The second pinion  11 ′ or screw protrusion of each blade  26  of the iris shutter system  2  will glide within the grooves  13  such that the rotation of the rotary annular disc  3  will move the blades  26  centripetally or centrifugally as illustrated by  FIGS. 5-7 , thus varying the orifice size. 
     The radially grooved rotary annular disc  3  has a pinion or stent  15  fitted on the reverse surface (best shown in  FIG. 2 ) such that the pinion or stent  15  will exit the second (or middle) casing  4  via an arcuate slot  14  created along the periphery of the second (or middle) casing  4 . The protruding pinion or stent  15  is attached by a screw or rivet  24  onto the front or primary surface of a second rotary annular disc  5  with the size and shape conforming to the interior of the third or rear casing  6 , such that the second rotary annular disc  5  can revolve freely around the lead out exit conduit  17  of the second (or middle) casing  4 , together with the first grooved annular disc  3  inside the first cylindrical casing  1  due to the coupling of the pinion or stent  15  to the screw or rivet  24 . The said pinion or stent  15  is countersunk into an indentation created on the second rotary annular disc  5  resulting in a secured mounting of the pinion or stent  15 . The radially grooved rotary annular disc  3  in the first (or front) casing  1  and the second rotary annular disc  5  in the third (or rear) casing  6  are connected in series by the pinion or stent  15 , so that the screw or rivet  24  within the arcuate slot  14  through the second (or middle) casing  4  will function as the gaskets to seal off any gas (combustible air-fuel mixture or exhaust) from escaping. 
     A second connecting pinion or stent  16  (of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) on the reverse surface of the second rotary annular disc  5  is created and is positioned at a diametrically opposed location from the first pinion or stent  15  on the said primary surface of disc  5 . The second pinion or stent  16  is attached by a screw or rivet  25  countersunk on the second rotary annular disc  5  resulting in a flat or flushed mounting. The second pinion or stent  16  will exit via a separate arcuate slot  18  created along the third (or rear) casing  6  at a diametrically opposed position to the arcuate slot  14  of the said second (or middle) casing  4 . The second pinion or stent  16  is attached to an outside cog-tooth arc  7  (or an arcuate gear) with the size and shape conforming to the third (or rear) casing  6  by a squared off end of the second pinion or stent  16  inserted into a square hole and indentation  20  created on the toothed arc  7 . An optional attachment screw or cap  21  placed into the indentation  20  is used to anchor the pinion or stent  16  securely onto the toothed arc  7 . The toothed arc  7  will revolve around the lead out exit conduit  17  of the second (middle) casing  4  when acted upon by an external cog gear, spiral gear, toothed lever, chain or belt (not shown) onto the teeth  27  (of  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) of the outside cog-tooth arc  7 . 
     Therefore by motion linkages from any external device mechanism fitted with chain, belt or gear drive, the serially connected discs  3  and  5  and arc  7  can be made to revolve and rotate within the first, second and third casings  1 ,  4  and  6  of housing assembly  50 . The rotation of the cog-tooth arc  7  will rotate the second rotary annular disc  5 , which will rotate the first grooved rotary annular disc  3  resulting in the blades  26  of the iris shutter system  2  moving centripetally or centrifugally, thus adjusting the orifice size of the said iris shutter system inside the device. 
     The second rotary annular disc  5  in the third (or rear) casing  6  and the cog-tooth arc  7  outside of the third (or rear) casing  6  will function as gaskets to seal off any gaseous medium from escaping. In addition, optional gasket rings between the casings and optional gas sealant type medium can be added to the rear casing  6  to further seal off gas escaping or blow-by. 
     Achieving a variable valve lift of the poppet valves for the traditional overhead valve engine can be very complex due to the complicated mechanism that converts the action of the fixed profile crankshaft and pushrod inside the engine block into the variable lifting motion of the poppet valves. In addition, the manufacturing of such a mechanism can be complicated as well. However, with the independently operated volumetric control apparatus as disclosed herein used in conjunction with the poppet valves, a variable valve lift can be simulated which is similar to that of the complex overhead cam design. The variable flow of fuel mixture or exhaust gas can be controlled independently but operated according to some pre-specified values. Rapid motion and response of the low inertia mass of the iris blades  26  can be achieved manually or with electro-mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic assist such that the flow volume can be adjusted in real time synchronous to the opening and closing of the poppet valves during the ingress or egress of the gases to and from the combustion chamber. The technical importance and benefits of an instantaneous adjustable control of the flow to gain a better combustion efficiency, as well as the control of exhaust gas recirculation for pollution reduction varies with different load and condition. 
     In addition, the present invention can also be used in overhead cam engines to independently control the flow of gas into and out of a combustion chamber. This may obviate the need for a complex cam profiling necessary to produce the variable valve lift simply by using the independent flow control to augment or attenuate the flow as stated above.