• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The invention relates to an optical internal combustion test engine comprising a casing (480) enclosing a crankshaft assembly (102; 302; 402; 502), and a cylinder head block (470) with a cylinder head (475) comprising a cylinder (473) and with a reciprocating piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603) delimiting a combustion chamber (474) in the cylinder, wherein the piston is provided with a transparent portion (105; 205; 305; 405; 505) facing the combustion chamber (474); the engine further comprising an image receiving means (360; 460; 560) housed remote from the cylinder for relaying images from the combustion chamber through the transparent portion. The piston is connected to the crankshaft assembly (102; 302; 402; 502) by a first and a second connecting rod (111, 112; 211, 212; 311, 312; 511, 512) attached to opposite sides of the piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603). The image receiving means (360; 460; 560) is located between parallel planes (P1, P2) delimited by the connecting rods (111, 112; 211, 212; 311, 312; 511,512).
    公开号:SE1651118A1
    申请号:SE1651118
    申请日:2016-08-19
    公开日:2018-02-20
    发明作者:Dahl Anders；Clasén Kristoffer
    申请人:Bohus Automotive AB；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    2016-08-19 An optical internal combustion test engine and a piston arrangement therefore TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a an optical internal combustion test engine. The invention can beapplied to any type of internal combustion engine operated of liquid or gaseous fuel, where it is desirable to visualize a combustion process during operation of the engine.
    BACKGROUND Internal combustion test engines equipped with transparent liner or cylinder or atransparent liner segment made of a transparent material for visual observation of theprocesses taking place inside the combustion chamber are well known in the art. Using atransparent liner only provides view from the side of the combustion chamber. To receivea three dimensional view of the combustion chamber optical access from bottom side of the combustion chamber is needed.
    Attempts to solve the above problems have resulted in arrangements that allow users toobserve the interior of a combustion chamber through a piston with a transparent crown,wherein a reflector mirror can be inserted into a transverse opening in a hollow piston.JP2009209752 shows an example of a prior art optical engine for visualizing the inside ofa combustion chamber. A piston includes a transparent piston crown facing the inside ofthe combustion chamber at the upper portion of the piston. A transverse gudgeon pin forattaching the piston to a connecting rod is provided at the lower side of the piston. Ahollow column part connecting the upper and lower portions of the piston comprises anopening for a reflection mirror inserted through to an opening a cylinder side wall part intothe piston. A problem with this arrangement is that the piston must be excessivelyextended to allow for an opening that allows for the stroke length of the piston. Also, it isnecessary to provide both the upper and the lower portions of the piston with piston ringsto seal and stabilize the piston. This arrangement can increase the friction forces betweenthe piston and cylinder and may also cause problems with lubrication as the upper portionof the piston is isolated from the crankcase. The piston extension also means substantialmass increase and strength reduction to the piston assembly, which is a drawback in the reciprocating motion of the piston, limiting engine speed and combustion pressure. 2016-08-19 2 The invention aims to provide an improved optical internal combustion test engine that solves the above problems.
    SUMMARY An object of the invention is to provide an optical internal combustion test engine and apiston arrangement for use in an optical internal combustion test engine which solves the above problems. The object is achieved by a device according to the appended claims. ln the subsequent text, the expressions top dead centre (TDC) and bottom dead centre(BDC) denote the upper and lower end positions of a reciprocating piston having apredetermined stroke inside a cylinder. The term “image receiving means” is intended todenote a means that can be located in line of sight of the piston, said means beingsuitable for reflecting and/or capturing images of a combustion process in a combustion chamber through a transparent portion of the piston.
    According to a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to an optical internalcombustion test engine comprising a casing enclosing a crankshaft assembly. The casingcan comprise a conventional or a specially designed crankcase adapted to be fitted with acrankshaft assembly and an image receiving means according to the invention. Theoptical internal combustion test engine further comprises a cylinder block with a cylinderhead, which cylinder block comprises a cylinder with a reciprocating piston delimiting acombustion chamber in the cylinder. The piston is provided with a transparent portionfacing the combustion chamber. The transparent portion can be made from quartz glassor a similar suitable transparent material. The transparent portion is mounted to one endof a cylindrical, hollow section of the piston, which cylindrical section is open at both endsto allow the combustion chamber to be viewed through the piston. The engine furthercomprises an image receiving means housed remote from the cylinder for relaying imagesof the combustion process from the combustion chamber through the transparent portion.Further, the piston is connected to the crankshaft assembly by a first and a secondconnecting rod attached to opposite sides of the piston, preferably in or on the outer surface of the piston.
    Typically, a piston can have a circular or a slightly oval cross section. According to apreferred example, the piston comprises a substantially cylindrical section arranged in close proximity to the cylinder wall, an upper section or crown and an open lower section, 2016-08-19 3 arranged to be attached to a pair of connecting rods. ln this context, the conventionalcrown is replaced by a transparent portion made from quartz glass or a similar suitabletransparent material. The attachment of the connecting rods will be described in furtherdetail below. ln order to prevent the pressure of expanding combustion gases in thecombustion chamber space at the top of the cylinder from escaping past the piston, a gasseal is provided. Gas sealing is achieved by the use of piston rings. These are a numberof narrow iron rings, fitted loosely into grooves in the piston, just below the transparentportion. The rings are split at a point in the rim, allowing them to press against the cylinderwith a light spring pressure. Two types of ring are commonly used. One or more upperrings have solid faces and provide gas sealing, while one or more lower rings have narrow edges and a U-shaped profile, to act as oil scrapers.
    The image receiving means is located between parallel planes delimited by theconnecting rods. The image receiving means can comprise a reflecting mirror arranged toreflect an image towards a capturing sensor. Alternatively, the image receiving means cancomprise an image capturing sensor such as a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor, a NMOSsensor, a radiation sensor/detector or any similar suitable device. The sensor can beadapted for capturing images comprising, for instance, visible light, infra-red radiation,laser light reflected into the combustion chamber by a mirror, or other types of radiationuseful for analyzing a combustion process. The image receiving means is mounted isolated from the lubricant contained within the casing.
    The image receiving means is preferably, but not necessarily, located at least below theposition where the piston passes its bottom dead centre. Alternative locations can beabove or below this location, from a location below the position where the transparentportion passes through its bottom dead centre to a position below the transmissionassembly adjacent an outer wall of the casing, as long as a line of sight to the transparent portion can be maintained through the first portion of the duct. ln order to isolate the image receiving means from the lubricant contained within thecasing, the engine can comprise a duct having a first portion arranged to extend into thepiston and at least one second portion arranged to be fixed to and to extend through anexternal wall of the casing. The first portion is coaxial with the hollow piston so that thepiston can be arranged slidable relative to the first portion of the duct. Preferably, a sealing means is arranged between the piston and the first portion of the duct. The 2016-08-19 4 sealing means is provided to prevent lubricant contained within the casing from enteringthe duct. As the second portion of the duct is open to the ambient atmosphere, thepressure difference across the sealing means will be very limited. Consequently, arelatively simple sealing means such as an O-ring or similar is sufficient for this purpose.The sealing means is preferably made from a suitable heat resistant and elastic material.The sealing means can be mounted in a recess or groove in the outer surface of the first portion of the duct, or in the inner surface of the cylindrical, hollow section of the piston.
    As indicated above, at least one second portion of the duct is arranged to be fixed to andto extend through an external wall of the casing. According to a first example, a secondportion of the duct can be arranged to extend towards the casing at an angle to thecylinder axis. According to a second example, tNo second portions are arranged to extendin opposite directions, at right angles to the cylinder axis. ln this example the two secondportions form a continuous duct section intersecting the first portion and being fixed toopposite external walls of the casing at both ends of the duct section. According to a thirdexample, the second portion of the duct is arranged to extend towards the casing in linewith the cylinder axis, wherein the first and the second portions form a single continuousduct. ln all the above examples, the at least one second portion of the duct is open inorder to allow an image receiving means to be inserted and fixed inside the duct in line of sight to the transparent portion of the piston.
    As described above, the piston is arranged to be attached to a crankshaft assembly by apair of connecting rods. According to a first example, a first end of each connecting rod isconnected to the piston by a ball joint. The first end of each connecting rod comprises aspherical ball that is located in a respective partial first socket on opposite sides of thepiston, wherein each partial first socket makes up one half of a socket joint arranged toenclose the spherical ball on the corresponding connecting rod. A partial second socket isfixed to each partial first socket to enclose the respective spherical ball, forming a balljoint. The advantage of connecting each connecting rod to the outside of the piston by aball joint is that the piston can be attached to the crankshaft without obscuring any partthe transparent portion from the image receiving means. Further advantages of using balljoints are that they provide an increased projected contact surface, which decreasescontact pressure and increases load transferring capabilities between the piston and theconnecting rods. ln addition, the ball joints do not transfer bending motion from piston to connecting rods. 2016-08-19 ln addition, each partial second socket can comprise parallel guide surfaces arranged tocooperate with guides in the cylinder block, which guides are parallel to cylinder axis.According to one example the guides can be machined directly in the cylinder block.According to a further example, the cylinder block can comprise an upper, first partcomprising the portion of the cylinder enclosing the combustion chamber and a lower,second part comprising the portion of the cylinder enclosing the ball joints and guides.Coolant conduits can be provided in at least the upper part of the cylinder block. Theprovision of a two part cylinder block to accommodate the guides facilitates themanufacture of the guides and makes it possible to replace parts of the cylinder block without having to replace an entire cylinder block in case of a malfunction. ln addition, the piston can comprise at least one additional guide arranged on the outersurface of the piston to cooperate with guide surfaces in the cylinder block. The guidesurfaces are arranged to extend parallel to the cylinder axis and are machined into theinner surface of the cylinder. A pair of guides can be arranged on opposite sides of the piston, at right angles to the axis of the crankshaft assembly.
    Obviously, the guide surfaces in the cylinder block referred to above must not extend pastthe location of the piston rings when the piston reaches bottom dead centre. Anadvantage of the cooperating guides and guide surfaces is to assist in stabilizing thereciprocation motion of the piston caused by wear or play in the ball joints. Further, theguides will absorb lateral force caused by rocking motion of the connecting rods during operation.
    According to an alternative example, each connecting rod is connected to the piston by agudgeon pin, also termed wrist pin. The use of gudgeon pins would involve mounting suchpins on opposite sides of the piston, mounting a suitable bearing assembly, e.g. ahydrodynamic bearing or a needle bearing, on each pin, mounting a connecting rod oneach bearing assembly, and locking the assembled components in place by means ofsuitable locking means, e.g. circlips. Advantages of using gudgeon pins are that this is a well-known solution and that standard connecting rods can be used.
    The engine is further provided with a crankshaft assembly for converting the reciprocating motion of the piston into a rotational motion. A conventional crankshaft comprises a main 2016-08-19 6 shaft supported by a number of main bearings. Crank pins are attached to a main shaft bypairs of crank throws or webs, wherein each crank pin has a bearing surface whose axisis offset from the main shaft. A connecting rod from each cylinder is attached to arespective crank pin. One end of the crankshaft is typically connected to a flywheel toreduce the pulsation characteristic of the four-stroke cycle, and a torsional or vibrationaldamper can be provided at the opposite end, to reduce torsional vibrations caused by cylinders located along the length of the crankshaft.
    The crankshaft assembly according to the invention differs from a conventional crankshaftin that it comprises a first and a second crankshaft section, which crankshaft sections arecoaxial and axially separated a predetermined distance. The first connecting rod isconnected to a free end of a first crank pin on the first crankshaft section and the secondconnecting rod is connected to a free end of a second crank pin on the second crankshaftsection. Consequently, the first crank pin is fixed to a first crank throw at one end of thefirst crankshaft section and the second crank pin is fixed to a second crank throw at afacing end of the second crankshaft section. ln this way the first and second crank throwsare axially separated a predetermined distance. The actual distance is determined by thediameter of the piston and the spacing between the two connecting rods mounted to thepiston. This axial separation of the first and second crank throws allows the image receiving means to be located between parallel planes delimited by the connecting rods. ln order to synchronize the rotational speed and angular position between the first and thesecond crankshaft sections the crankshaft sections can be in mechanical drivingconnection by means of a parallel shaft via gear transmissions on each crankshaftsection. The parallel shaft can be located so that its rotational axis is intersected by thecylinder axis or is offset relative to the cylinder axis. The location of the parallel shaft can be determined by, for instance, the position of the second portion of the duct in the casing.
    The invention further relates to a piston arrangement for use in an optical internalcombustion test engine as described above. The piston arrangement comprises a piston,which piston is arranged for reciprocating motion and to delimit a combustion chamber ina cylinder, which piston is provided with a transparent portion facing the combustionchamber. According to a preferred embodiment, a pair of connection rods is mounted toopposite sides of the piston, which connecting rods are arranged to connect the piston to a crankshaft assembly. The crankshaft assembly can comprise axially separated 2016-08-19 7 crankshaft sections. A first end of each connecting rod comprises a spherical ballconnected to the piston. Opposite sides of the piston comprises a partial first socket inwhich the spherical ball of the ball joint is located, wherein a partial second socket is fixed to each partial first socket, forming a ball joint.
    By the provision of an optical internal combustion test engine which comprises atransparent piston crown and a pair of connecting rods mounted on opposite sides of thepiston the advantage is achieved that the piston can be attached to a crankshaft withoutobscuring any part the transparent portion from an image receiving means locatedbetween parallel planes delimited by the connecting rods. The invention also has theadvantage that the piston does not need to be extended to allow for a transverse openingfor an inserted reflection mirror or similar, which opening must allow for the stroke lengthof the piston. The invention allows the use of a shorter piston, which in combination with acircular cross section provides increased strength, stiffness and lower mass. This makes itpossible to operate the engine at increased engine speeds and loads. Also, as an imagereceiving means is not required to be inserted into an opening in a reciprocating piston,any problems relating to windage caused by the reciprocating movement can beeliminated. The image receiving means can therefore be maintained in a fixed position relative to the combustion chamber, allowing sharper images to be captured.
    Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims. 2016-08-198 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ln the following text, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. These schematic drawings are used for illustration only and do not in any way limit the scope of the invention. ln the drawings: Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a piston and crankshaft assemblyaccording to the invention; Figure 2A-B show schematic perspective views of alternative embodiments for attachingconnecting rods to a piston according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a side view of the piston and crankshaft assembly in Fig.1; Figure 4A-B show schematic cross-sections through a cylinder block according to theinvention, indicating the TDC and BDC piston positions, respectively; Figure 5A-B show schematic perspective views of a piston assembly and a ductaccording to the invention, indicating the TDC and BDC piston position,respectively; and Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-section indicating a sealing means between a piston and a duct according to the invention.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a piston assembly 101 and a crankshaftassembly 102 according to the invention. Figure 1 shows a piston 103 with a circularcross section, intended to be arranged in close proximity to a cylinder wall (not shown).The piston 103 is arranged in a cylinder (not shown) where it will perform a reciprocatingmotion along the cylinder axis X1 between a TDC and a BDC. An upper section 104 orcrown of the piston 103 comprises a transparent portion 105 made from quartz glass or asimilar suitable transparent material. The upper section 104 is provided with a number of piston rings 106 for gas sealing and additional rings 107 acting as oil scrapers.
    An open lower section 108 of the piston 103 is arranged to be attached to a pair ofconnecting rods 111, 112. The upper ends 113, 114 of the connecting rods 111, 112 areconnected to opposite sides of the piston 103 by means of ball joints 115, 116. Each balljoint 115, 116 comprises a pair of parallel guide surfaces 117, 118; 119, 120 arranged tocooperate with guides in the cylinder block (see Fig.4A and 4B). 2016-08-19 9 The connecting rods 111, 112 are attached to the crankshaft assembly 102 comprising afirst and a second crankshaft section 121, 122. The crankshaft sections 121, 122 arerotatable about a common crankshaft axis X2 and are axially separated a predetermineddistance. Each crankshaft section 121, 122 is supported by bearings (not shown) and iscontained within a casing (not shown). The first connecting rod 111 is connected to a freeend of a first crank pin 123 on the first crankshaft section 121 and the second connectingrod 112 is connected to a free end of a second crank pin 124 on the second crankshaftsection 122. The first crank pin 123 is fixed to a first crank throw 125 at one end of the firstcrankshaft section 121 and the second crank pin 124 is fixed to a second crank throw 126at a facing end of the second crankshaft section 122. ln this way the first and second crank throws 125, 126 are axially separated a predetermined distance (see Fig.3). ln order to synchronize the rotational speed and angular position between the first and thesecond crankshaft sections 121, 122 the crankshaft sections can be in mechanical drivingconnection by means of a parallel shaft 130 via gear transmissions 131, 132 on eachcrankshaft section 121, 122. The parallel shaft 130 is located below the crankshaftsections 121, 122 so that its rotational axis X3 is intersected by the cylinder axis X1, asshown in Figure 1, but can also be offset relative to the cylinder axis. The parallel shaft130 is supported by bearings (not shown) and is contained within the above-mentionedcasing (not shown). A flywheel 134 is provided to reduce the pulsation characteristic ofthe four-stroke cycle during operation. The flywheel 134 in this example is connected tothe parallel shaft 130 via a gear transmission 135. Alternatively the flywheel can beconnected to one end of a crankshaft section 121, 122 or another part of the crankshaft assembly.
    Figure 2A and 2B show schematic perspective views of alternative embodiments forattaching connecting rods to a piston according to the invention. Figure 2A shows a pistonassembly 201 as described for Figure 1. The figure shows a piston 203 with a circularcross section, which piston has an upper section 204 or crown comprising a transparentportion 205 made from quartz glass or a similar suitable transparent material. The uppersection 204 is provided with a number of piston rings 206 for gas sealing and additional rings 207 acting as oil scrapers An open lower section 208 of the piston 203 is attached to a pair of connecting rods 211, 212. Each upper, first end 213, 214 of the connecting rods 211, 212 is connected to 2016-08-19 opposite sides of the piston 203 by means of ball joints 215, 216. Figure 2A shows anexploded view of a first ball joint 215. The first end 213, 214 of each connecting rod 211,212 comprises a spherical ball 240 that is located in a respective partial first socket241(one shown) on opposite sides of the piston 203, wherein the partial first socket 241makes up one half of a socket joint arranged to enclose the spherical ball 240 on thecorresponding connecting rod 211. A partial second socket 242 is arranged to be fixed toeach partial first socket 241 by fasteners 243 (one shown) to enclose the spherical ball240 and form a ball joint 215. Each ball joint 215, 216 comprises a pair of parallel guidesurfaces 217, 218; 219, 220 arranged to cooperate with corresponding guides in a cylinder block (not shown).
    Figure 2B shows an alternative piston assembly, where the ball joints in Figure 2A havebeen replaced by gudgeon pins. According to the example in Figure 2B, each connectingrod (not shown) is connected to a piston 203' by a gudgeon pin 250, also termed wrist pin.The gudgeon pin 250 shown in Figure 2B is mounted in a recess 251 in the side of thepiston 203' and is fixed in position by a suitable fastener or locking means, such ascirclips (not shown). The upper end of a connecting rod (not shown) is mounted on ahydrodynamic bearing 252 on the gudgeon pin 250. Finally, a component comprisingparallel guide surfaces 217', 219' having a recess 253 is mounted onto the end of thegudgeon pin 250. The guide surfaces 217', 219' are parallel to cylinder axis and arearranged to cooperate with guides in the cylinder block (not shown). The assembledcomponents are then locked in place by means of a suitable fastener or locking means, such as circlips (not shown).
    Figure 3 shows a side view of the piston and crankshaft assembly shown in Figure 1. Asdescribed above, a piston 303 is arranged in a cylinder (not shown) where it will perform areciprocating motion along the cylinder axis X1 between a top dead center TDC1 and abottom dead center BDC1, which positions are indicated at the top of the piston 303. Anupper section 304 or crown of the piston 303 comprises a transparent portion 305 made from quartz glass.
    An open lower section 308 of the piston 303 is attached to a pair of connecting rods 311,312 connected to opposite sides of the piston 303 by means of ball joints 315, 316. Eachball joint 315, 316 comprises a pair of parallel guide surfaces 317, 318; 319, 320 arranged to cooperate with guides in the cylinder block (not shown). The connecting rods 311, 312 2016-08-19 11 are attached to 3 a first and a second crankshaft section 321, 322, respectively. Thecrankshaft sections 321, 322 are rotatable about a common crankshaft axis X2 and areaxially separated a predetermined distance. Each crankshaft section 321, 322 issupported by bearings (not shown) and is contained within a casing (not shown). Thecrankshaft sections are in mechanical driving connection by means of a parallel shaft 330via a pair of gear transmissions. A flywheel 334 is connected to the parallel shaft 330 via agear transmission 335. The first connecting rod 311 is connected to a free end of a firstcrank pin 323 on the first crankshaft 321 section and the second connecting rod 312 isconnected to a free end of a second crank pin 324 on the second crankshaft section 322.The first crank pin 323 is fixed to a first crank throw 325 at one end of the first crankshaftsection 321 and the second crank pin 324 is fixed to a second crank throw 326 at a facingend of the second crankshaft section 322. ln this way the first and second crank throws325, 326 are axially separated a predetermined distance D. The spacing between theconnecting rods 321, 322 allows an image receiving means 360 to be located betweenparallel planes P1, P2 delimited by the connecting rods 321, 322. The image receivingmeans 360 can comprise a reflecting mirror arranged to reflect an image towards a capturing sensor.
    The example in Figure 3 shows the image receiving means 360 located below the positionwhere the lower section 308 of the piston 303 passes its bottom dead centre. A top deadcenter TDC2 and a bottom dead center BDC2 for the lower section 308 of the piston 303is indicated in Figure 3. Alternative locations can be above or below this location, from alocation below the position where the transparent portion 305 passes through its bottomdead centre BDC1 to a position below the transmission assembly adjacent an outer wallof the casing (not shown), as long as a line of sight to the transparent portion 305 can be maintained through the hollow piston 305.
    Figure 4A and 4B show schematic cross-sections through the end of a cylinder blockaccording to the invention, indicating the TDC and the BDC piston positions, respectively.Figure 4A shows an optical internal combustion test engine comprising a casing 480enclosing a crankshaft assembly 402. The casing 480 is fitted around the crankshaftassembly 402 as described in connection with Figure 1 and an image receiving means460 according to the invention. The engine further comprises a cylinder block 470 with acylinder head 475, which cylinder block 470 comprises a cylinder 473 with a reciprocating piston 403 delimiting a combustion chamber 474 in the cylinder. The piston 403 is 2016-08-19 12 provided with a transparent portion 405 facing the combustion Chamber 474. Thetransparent portion 405 is made from quartz glass or a similar suitable transparentmaterial. The transparent portion is mounted to the upper end of a cylindrical, hollowsection of the piston 403, which cylindrical section is open at both ends to allow thecombustion chamber to be viewed through the piston 405 from the lower end of the piston. ln this example, the cylinder block 470 comprises an upper, first part 471 comprising anupper portion of the cylinder 473, enclosing combustion chamber 474, and a lower,second part 472 comprising a lower portion of the cylinder 473, enclosing the lowerportion of the cylinder 474 and a pair connection rods (see Fig.3) attached to oppositesides of the piston 403. Coolant conduits (not shown) can be provided in at least theupper part 471 of the cylinder block 470. A pair of guides 478, 478' is schematicallyindicated with dashed lines in Figure 4A. The schematic guides 478, 478' are arranged tocooperate with the parallel guide surfaces (see Figures 1 and 3) adjacent the attachmentsfor the connecting rods on the piston 403. The lower, second part 472 comprises a pair offacing additional guides 476, 477 arranged in the surface of the cylinder 473, parallel tothe cylinder axis X1. The guides 476, 477 in the cylinder 473 are arranged to cooperatewith a pair of additional guides 579, 579' (see Fig.5A-B) attached to opposite sides of thepiston 403. The provision of a two part cylinder block 470 is made to accommodate theguides 478, 478' and the additional guides 476, 477. A separate lower part 472 of thecylinder block 470 facilitates the manufacture of the guides and makes it possible toreplace parts of the cylinder block without having to replace an entire cylinder block in case of a malfunction.
    The engine further comprises an image receiving means 460 housed remote from thecylinder 473 for relaying images of the combustion process from the combustion chamber474 through the transparent portion 405. ln order to isolate the image receiving means460 from the lubricant contained within the casing 480, the engine comprises a duct 490having a first portion 491 arranged to extend into the piston 403 and at least one secondportion 492, 492' arranged to be fixed to and to extend through an external wall of thecasing 480 at the end 493, 493' of the respective second portion. The first portion 491 iscoaxial with the hollow piston 403 so that the piston can be arranged slidable relative to the first portion 491 of the duct 490. A sealing means 495 is arranged between the piston 2016-08-19 13 403 and the first portion 491 of the duct 490. The sealing means 495 is provided to prevent lubricant contained within the casing from entering the duct 490.
    Figure 4B shows the arrangement in Figure 4A with the piston 403 in its BDC position.This figure illustrates that the hollow piston 403 is coaxial with the first portion 491 of theduct 490. ln this way the piston 403 can be arranged slidable relative to the first portion491 of the duct 490 between its TDC (Fig.4A) and BDC (Fig.4B) positions, while theimage receiving means 460 can be located in the stationary second portion 492, 492”.Figures 4A-B show the casing 480 enclosing the transmission assembly, but thecrankshaft assembly and the associated connecting rods attached to the piston arehidden behind the duct 490. Only the end of a parallel shaft 430 connecting parts of the crankshaft assembly (see Figs.1 and 3) is shown in this view.
    Figure 5A and 5B show schematic perspective views of a piston assembly and a ductaccording to the invention, indicating the TDC and BDC piston position, respectively.Figure 5A shows a piston assembly 501 as indicated in Figure 4A with a piston 503 in itsTDC position. An upper section 504 or crown of the piston 503 comprises a transparentportion 505 made from quartz glass or a similar suitable transparent material. An openlower section 508 of the piston 503 is arranged to be attached to a pair of connecting rods511, 512. The upper ends of the connecting rods 511, 512 are connected to oppositesides of the piston 503 by means of ball joints 515, 516. Each ball joint 515, 516comprises a pair of parallel guide surfaces 517, 518; 519, 520 arranged to cooperate withguides in the cylinder block (see Figs.4A-B). The connecting rods 511, 512 are attachedto a crankshaft assembly 502 comprising a first and a second crankshaft section 521,522. The crankshaft sections 521, 522 are rotatable about a common crankshaft axis X2and are axially separated a predetermined distance. Each crankshaft section 521, 522 issupported by bearings (not shown) and is contained within a casing (not shown). The firstand second connecting rods 511, 512 are connected to the free ends of a first and asecond crank pin on the first and the second crankshaft section 521, 522, respectively.The first and second crank pins are fixed to a first and a second crank throw 525, 526 atfacing ends of the crankshaft sections 521, 522. ln this way the first and second crankthrows 125, 126 are axially separated a predetermined distance (see Fig.3). Thecrankshaft sections 521, 522 are in mechanical driving connection by means of a parallelshaft 530 via gear transmissions on each crankshaft section, as described in connection with Figures 1 and 3. 2016-08-19 14 The spacing between the connecting rods 521, 522 allows an image receiving means 560to be located between parallel planes (see Fig.3) delimited by the connecting rods 521,522 with a line of sight towards the transparent portion 505. The image receiving means560 can comprise a reflecting mirror arranged to reflect an image towards a capturingsensor. ln order to isolate the image receiving means 560 from lubricant contained withinthe casing enclosing the transmission assembly 502, the engine comprises a duct 490located in the space between the connecting rods 521, 522. ln this example, the duct 590has a first portion 591 arranged to extend into the piston 503 and a pair of secondportions 592, 592' arranged to be fixed to and to extend through an external wall of thecasing at the outer, free ends of the respective second portion. The first portion 491 iscoaxial with the hollow piston 503 so that the piston is slidable relative to the first portion591 of the duct 590. A sealing means (see Fig.6) is arranged between the piston 503 andthe first portion 591 of the duct 590. The sealing means is provided to prevent lubricant contained within the casing from entering the duct 590.
    Figure 5B shows the arrangement in Figure 5A with the piston 503 in its BDC position.This figure illustrates that the hollow piston 503 is coaxial with the first portion 591 of theduct 590. ln this way the piston 503 can be arranged slidable relative to the first portion591 of the duct 590 between its TDC (Fig.5A) and BDC (Fig.5B) positions, while theimage receiving means 560 is located in the stationary second portion 592, 592”. Figures5A and 5B further shows that the piston 503 comprises a pair of additional guides (579,579') on opposite sides of the piston and arranged to cooperate with additional guidesurfaces (478, 478') in the cylinder block, which guide surfaces are parallel to the cylinder axis (X1) and extending at right angles to the axes of the crankshaft assembly.
    Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-section indicating a sealing means between a pistonand a duct according to the invention. The figure shows a portion of a duct 690 asindicated in Figures 4A-4B. A first portion 491 of the duct 690 is coaxial with a hollowpiston 603, wherein the piston 603 is arranged slidable relative to the first portion 691 ofthe duct 690. A sealing means 695 is arranged between the piston 603 and the firstportion 691 of the duct 690. The sealing means 695 is provided to prevent lubricantcontained in a casing enclosing a transmission assembly (see Figures 4A-4B) fromentering the duct 690. As a second portion (Figures 4A-4B) of the duct 690 is open to the ambient atmosphere, the pressure difference across the sealing means 695 will be very 2016-08-19 limited. Consequently, a relatively simple sealing means such as an O-ring or similar issufficient for this purpose. The sealing means is preferably made from a suitable heatresistant and elastic material. ln this example the sealing means 695 is mounted in a recess 696 in the inner surface 697 of the cylindrical, hollow section of the piston 603. lt is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognizethat many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.
    权利要求:
    Claims (20)
    [1] 1. An optical internal combustion test engine comprising a casing (480) enclosing acrankshaft assembly (102; 302; 402; 502), and a cylinder head block (470) with a cylinderhead (475) comprising a cylinder (473) and with a reciprocating piston (103; 203; 303;403; 503; 603) delimiting a combustion chamber (474) in the cylinder, wherein the pistonis provided with a transparent portion (105; 205; 305; 405; 505) facing the combustionchamber (474); the engine further comprising an image receiving means (360; 460; 560)housed remote from the cylinder for relaying images from the combustion chamberthrough the transparent portion, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the piston is connected to the crankshaft assembly (102; 302; 402; 502) by a first anda second connecting rod (111, 112; 211, 212; 311, 312; 511, 512) attached to oppositesides of the piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603), and that the image receiving means (360; 460; 560) is located between parallel planes (P1,P2) delimited by the connecting rods(111,112;211,212;311,312;511,512).
    [2] 2. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 1, ch a ra cter-iz e d in that the image receiving means (360; 460; 560) is located at least below theposition where the piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603) passes its bottom dead centre.
    [3] 3. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claims 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r -iz e d in that the engine comprises a duct (490; 590) having a first portion (491; 591)arranged to extend into the piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603) and at least one secondportion (492; 592) arranged to be fixed to and to extend through an external wall of thecasing (480).
    [4] 4. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 3, ch a ra cter-i z e d i n that the piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603) is arranged slidable relative to thefirst portion of the duct (490; 590).
    [5] 5. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r-i z e d in that a sealing means (495; 695) is arranged betNeen the piston (103; 203; 303;403; 503; 603) and the first portion (491; 591) of the duct (490; 590). 2016-08-19 17
    [6] 6. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r -i z e d i n that the second portion of the duct (490; 590) is arranged to extend towards the casing at an angle to the cylinder axis (X1).
    [7] 7. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r -i z e d i n that the second portion of the duct (490; 590) is arranged to extend towards the casing in line with the cylinder axis (X1).
    [8] 8. An optical internal combustion test engine according to any one of claims 1-7,cha racterized in that a first end of each connecting rod (111, 112; 211, 212;311, 312; 511, 512) is connected to the piston by a ball joint (115, 116; 215, 216; 315,316; 515, 516).
    [9] 9. An optical internal combustion test engine according to any one of claims 1-8,c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that opposite sides of the piston comprises a partial first socket (241) in which a spherical ball (240) on the connecting rod is located.
    [10] 10. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e di n that a partial second socket (242) is fixed to each partial first socket (241), forming a ball joint.
    [11] 11. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 10, c h a ra cte r-i z e d118, 119, 120; 217, 218, 219, 220; 317, 318, 319, 320) arranged to cooperate with guides(476, 477) in the cylinder block (470), which guides are parallel to cylinder axis (X1). i n that each partial second socket (242) comprises parallel guide surfaces (117,
    [12] 12. An optical internal combustion test engine according to any one of claims 1-7,c h a ra c t e ri z e d in that each connecting rod (211, 212) is connected to the piston by a gudgeon pin (250).
    [13] 13. An optical internal combustion test engine according to any one of claims 1-12,c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the crankshaft assembly (102; 302; 402; 502) comprises afirst and a second crankshaft section (121, 122; 321, 322; 521, 522), which crankshaft sections are coaxial and axially separated. 2016-08-19 18
    [14] 14. An optical internal combustion test engine according to claim 13, c h a ra cte r-i z e d in that the first connecting rod (111; 311; 511) is connected to a free end of a firstcrank pin on the first crankshaft section (121; 321; 521) and the second connecting rod(112; 312; 512) is connected to a free end of a second crank pin on the second crankshaftsection (122; 322; 522).
    [15] 15. An 14, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the first crank pin is fixed to a first crank throw at one end of optical internal combustion test engine according to claimthe first crankshaft section and the second crank pin is fixed to a second crank throw at a facing end of the second crankshaft section, which crank throws are axially separated.
    [16] 16. An optical internal combustion test engine according to any one of claims 13-15,c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the first and the second crankshaft sections (121, 122; 321,322; 521, 522) are in driving connection with a parallel shaft (130; 330; 430; 530) via gear transmissions.
    [17] 17. An optical internal combustion test engine according to any one of claims 1-16,c h a ra cte r i z e d in that the piston comprises at least one guide (579, 579')arranged to cooperate with guide surfaces (478, 478') in the cylinder block (472), whichguide surfaces are parallel to the cylinder axis (X1) and at right angles to the axes of the crankshaft assembly.
    [18] 18. A piston arrangement for use in an optical internal combustion test engine, whichpiston arrangement comprises a piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603), which piston isarranged for reciprocating motion and to delimit a combustion chamber in a cylinder, andthat the piston (103; 203; 303; 403; 503; 603) is provided with a transparent portion (105;205; 305; 405; 505) facing the combustion chamber (474), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n thata pair of connection rods (111, 112; 211, 212; 311, 312; 511, 512) are mounted toopposite sides of the piston, which connecting rods are arranged to connect the piston toa crankshaft assembly (102; 302; 402; 502) comprising axially separated crankshaftsections (121, 122; 321, 322; 521, 522), and that a first end of each connecting rodcomprises a ball joint (1 15, 116; 215, 216; 315, 316; 515, 516) connected to the piston.
    [19] 19. A piston arrangement according to claim 18, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that opposite sides of the piston comprises a partial first socket (241) in which the ball joint is located. 2016-08-19 19
    [20] 20. A piston arrangement according to claim 19, c h a ra c t e r i z e d i n that a partial second socket (242) is fixed to each partial first socket (241), forming a ball joint.
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    同族专利:
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    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
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    SE1651118A|SE541752C2|2016-08-19|2016-08-19|An optical internal combustion test engine and a piston arrangement therefore|SE1651118A| SE541752C2|2016-08-19|2016-08-19|An optical internal combustion test engine and a piston arrangement therefore|
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