Intake over intake engine
An improved internal combustion engine with selectively actuatable valves in the engine block. When actuated, these engine block valves allow more air (or an aerosolized mixture of fuel and air) to flow into the combustion chamber than would be available using only valves in the cylinder head. These engine block valves can be selectively actuated independently of each other and independent of valves in the cylinder head, by selectively controlling oil pressure in valve lifters that are operably connected to the engine block valves.
1 . An engine, comprising:
an engine block having a hollow cylinder with cylinder walls, a head end and a driveshaft end, and also having a block intake port in fluid communication with said cylinder and a block exhaust port in fluid communication with said cylinder;
a cylindrically shaped piston having a crown surface sealingly slidably movable in said cylinder to reciprocate between an expansion position and a compression position, wherein said piston does not block said block intake port when reciprocating between said expansion position and said compression position;
a cylinder head having a head intake port and a head exhaust port, said cylinder head being sealingly attached over said head end of said cylinder, whereby said head intake port and said head exhaust port are in fluid communication with said cylinder, and whereby said cylinder walls, said crown surface of said piston, and said cylinder head form an expandable and compressible combustion chamber;
a head intake valve sealably engaged with said head intake port;
a head exhaust valve sealably engaged with said head exhaust port;
a block intake valve, sealably engaged with said block intake port;
a block exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said block exhaust port;
a drive shaft drivably attached to said piston so that the reciprocation of said piston drives rotation of said drive shaft;
a block cam shaft drivably attached to said drive shaft;
a first block cam with a projecting first block lobe forming a first block cam profile mounted on said block cam shaft, operably and selectably engageable with said first block intake valve;
whereby the rotation of said drive shaft drives rotation of said block cam shaft, which drives rotation of said first block cam, which coordinates opening and closing of said block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston according to said first block cam profile to coordinate the opening and closing of said block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston;
wherein said block intake valve allows more air to be inletted into said combustion chamber than said head intake valve alone.
2 . The engine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a valve lifter interposed between said first block cam and said block intake valve, wherein said valve lifter comprises a hollow body with a sealed telescoping top to form a sealed valve lifter chamber, a spring in said valve lifter chamber biasing said telescoping top away from said hollow body; and
a pressure control solenoid in fluid communication with said valve lifter and an oil pump for said engine;
whereby if there is oil pressure inside said valve lifter chamber, then said oil pressure prevents said valve lifter from compressing, wherein said block intake valve will open when driven by said first block cam, but if there is no oil pressure inside said valve lifter chamber, then said valve lifter will compress, so that said valve lifter will not cause said block intake valve to open.
3 . The engine according to claim 1 , wherein said block intake port is configured to inlet air into said combustion chamber at an angle from air inletted into said combustion chamber through said head intake port.
4 . The engine according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an intake manifold having a head intake pipe connected to said head intake port and a block intake pipe connected to said block intake port, wherein said head intake pipe has a head intake pipe cross sectional area and a head intake pipe length through which air is inletted into said head intake port, and wherein said block intake pipe has a block intake pipe cross sectional area and a block intake pipe length through which air is inletted into said block intake port;
wherein said head intake pipe cross sectional area and said head intake pipe length are selected to optimize speed and volume of air through said head intake port in a first portion of an operating range of said engine; and
wherein said block intake pipe cross sectional area and said block intake pipe length are selected to optimize speed and volume of air through said block intake port in a second portion of said operating range of said engine.
5 . An engine, comprising:
an engine block having a hollow cylinder with cylinder walls, a head end and a driveshaft end, and also having a first block intake port in fluid communication with said cylinder and a first block exhaust port in fluid communication with said cylinder, a second block intake port in fluid communication with said cylinder, and a second block exhaust port in fluid communication with said cylinder;
a cylindrically shaped piston having a crown surface sealingly slidably movable in said cylinder to reciprocate between an expansion position and a compression position, wherein said piston does not block any of said block intake ports when reciprocating between said expansion position and said compression position;
a cylinder head having a head intake port and a head exhaust port, said cylinder head being sealingly attached over said head end of said cylinder, whereby said head intake port and said head exhaust port are in fluid communication with said cylinder, and whereby said cylinder walls, said crown surface of said piston, and said cylinder head form an expandable and compressible combustion chamber;
a head intake valve, sealably engaged with said head intake port;
a head exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said head exhaust port;
a first block intake valve, sealably engaged with said first block intake port;
a first block exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said first block exhaust port;
a second block intake valve, sealably engaged with said second block intake port;
a second block exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said second block exhaust port;
a drive shaft drivably attached to said piston so that the reciprocation of said piston drives rotation of said drive shaft;
a block cam shaft drivably attached to said drive shaft;
a first block cam with a projecting first block lobe forming a first block cam profile mounted on said block cam shaft, operably and selectably engageable with said first block intake valve;
a second block cam with a projecting second block lobe forming a second block cam profile mounted on said block cam shaft, operably and selectably engageable with said second block intake valve,
whereby the rotation of said drive shaft drives rotation of said block cam shaft, which drives rotation of said first block cam, which when selected coordinates opening and closing of said first block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston according to said first block cam profile, and also drives rotation of said second block cam, which when selected coordinates opening and closing of said second block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston according to said second block cam profile;
wherein selecting either of said first block cam or said second block cam allows more air to be inletted into said combustion chamber than said head intake valve alone;
wherein said first block cam and said second block cam can be selected independently of said head intake valve and independently of each other.
6 . The engine according to claim 5 , wherein said first block cam profile is optimized for a first portion of an operating range of said engine, and wherein said second block cam profile is optimized for a second portion of said operating range of said engine.
7 . An engine, comprising:
an engine block having a hollow cylinder with cylinder walls, a head end and a driveshaft end, and also having a first block intake port in fluid communication with said cylinder and a first block exhaust port in fluid communication with said cylinder, a second block intake port in fluid communication with said cylinder, and a second block exhaust port in fluid communication with said cylinder, and a third block intake port in fluid communication with said cylinder, and a third block exhaust port in fluid communication with said cylinder;
a cylindrically shaped piston having a crown surface sealingly slidably movable in said cylinder to reciprocate between an expansion position and a compression position, wherein said piston does not block any of said block intake ports when reciprocating between said expansion position and said compression position;
a cylinder head having a head intake port and a head exhaust port, said cylinder head being sealingly attached over said head end of said cylinder, whereby said head intake port and said head exhaust port are in fluid communication with said cylinder, and whereby said cylinder walls, said crown surface of said piston, and said cylinder head form an expandable and compressible first combustion chamber;
a head intake valve, sealably engaged with said head intake port;
a head exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said head exhaust port;
a first block intake valve, sealably engaged with said first block intake port;
a first block exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said first block exhaust port;
a second block intake valve, sealably engaged with said second block intake port;
a second block exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said second block exhaust port;
a third block intake valve, sealably engaged with said third block intake port;
a third block exhaust valve, sealably engaged with said third block exhaust port;
a drive shaft drivably attached to said piston so that the reciprocation of said piston drives rotation of said drive shaft;
a block cam shaft drivably attached to said driveshaft;
a first block cam with a projecting first block lobe forming a first block cam profile mounted on said block cam shaft, operably and selectably engageable with said first block intake valve;
a second block cam with a projecting second block lobe forming a second block cam profile mounted on said block cam shaft, operably and selectably engageable with said second block intake valve;
a third block cam with a projecting third block lobe forming a third block cam profile mounted on said block cam shaft, operably and selectably engageable with said third block intake valve,
whereby the rotation of said drive shaft drives rotation of said block cam shaft, which drives rotation of said first block cam, which when selected coordinates opening and closing of said first block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston according to said first block cam profile, and also drives rotation of said second block cam, which when selected coordinates opening and closing of said second block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston according to said second block cam profile, and also drives rotation of said third block cam, which when selected coordinates opening and closing of said third block intake valve with the reciprocation of said piston according to said third block cam profile; and
wherein selecting any of said first block intake valve, said second block intake valve, or said third block intake valve allows more air to be inletted into said combustion chamber than said head intake valve alone, wherein said first block cam, said second block cam, and said third block cam can be selected independently of said head intake valve and independently of each other.
8 . The engine according to claim 7 , wherein said first block cam profile is optimized for a first portion of an operating range of said engine, wherein said second block cam profile is optimized for a second portion of said operating range of said engine, and wherein said third block cam profile is optimized for a third portion of said operating range of said engine.