Engine Lubrication Method

Abstract

An engine lubrication method is provided. The four-cycle engine has an engine block having a cylindrical bore and an enclosed oil reservoir. A crankshaft is mounted in the engine block. An oil pump driven by the cam gear, brings the oil from the oil reservoir and the valve chamber. The engine is provided with a cylinder head assembly having a pair of overhead intake and exhaust valves. A circular arc wall surrounds the web of the crankshaft at a slight distance from the web. The crankshaft web causes the oil to fly to lubricate engine parts and the oil, returns into the oil reservoir by a check valve. Flowing of oil in to the combustion chamber when the engine is oriented to incline is prevented by oil recesses and long pipes. Another lubrication and breathing system without pump is presented, wherein construction except pump is basically followed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A single-cylinder, four-stroke cycle, spark ignition internal combustion engine for mounting on a power tool comprising:
 a cylinder block having a cylinder, a cylinder head, a piston mounted for reciprocation in said cylinder, said cylinder head defining an air-fuel combustion chamber;   a lower case mating with said cylinder block by a plane perpendicular to the cylinder bore axis;   a crankshaft chamber formed by said cylinder block and said lower case;   an air-fuel mixture intake port and an exhaust gas port in said cylinder head;   a valve cover on said cylinder head defining a valve chamber;   an intake valve and an exhaust valve mounted in said intake and exhaust port, respectively, for reciprocation between port-open and port-closed positions;   a valve-actuating valve train in a valve chamber, said valve train including at least one rocker arm and at least one valve train push rod assembly extending therefrom within said valve chamber and engaging said rocker arm;   a lubrication oil reservoir formed below the lower case;   said oil reservoir is partitioned from the crankshaft chamber so as to avoid oil leakage in any slanted state;   a crankshaft rotatably mounted by ball bearings in said crankshaft chamber, wherein said crankshaft includes a crank portion and at least one counterweight web and has an axis which is on the mating plane of said cylinder block and said lower case;   a connecting rod having articulated connections at one end thereof to said piston and at an opposite end thereof to said crank portion, thereby forming a piston-connecting rod crankshaft assembly;   a cam chamber having at least one cam being drivably connected to said crankshaft, said at least one cam having a cam gear and being driven at one-half crankshaft speed, the opposite end of said push rod assembly being drivably connected to said cam whereby said push rod assembly is actuated with a reciprocating motion upon rotation of said at least one cam, said cam chamber having communication means to the oil reservoir and the valve chamber; an oil pump connected drivably to said cam gear-cam assembly, wherein said pump brings lubrication oil from said oil reservoir and valve chamber and splashes the oil in parallel into the cylinder and into the cam chamber to lubricate the engine parts inside the cylinder and the cam chamber and the valve chamber, wherein said lower case has a circular arc wall to separate said oil reservoir from said crankshaft chamber, said circular arc wall at least partially surrounding said web at a slight distance therefrom, and said circular arc wall having at least one drain hole and a valve to communicate between said crankshaft chamber and oil reservoir, wherein the opening of the valve is controlled by reciprocating motion of said piston, and wherein said valve opens when pressure in the crankshaft chamber is positive and closes when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative, thereby the valve establishing a lubrication oil mist flow circuit from said crankshaft chamber to said oil reservoir or from said oil reservoir to said cam chamber or from said cam chamber to said valve chamber.   
     
     
         2 . A single-cylinder, four-stroke cycle, spark ignition internal combustion engine for mounting on a power tool comprising:
 a cylinder block having a cylinder, a cylinder head, a piston mounted for reciprocation in said cylinder, said cylinder head defining an air-fuel combustion chamber;   a lower case mating with said cylinder block by a plane perpendicular to the cylinder bore axis;   a crankshaft chamber formed by said cylinder block and said lower case;   an air-fuel mixture intake port and an exhaust gas port in said cylinder head;   a valve cover on said cylinder head defining a valve chamber;   an intake valve and an exhaust valve mounted in said intake and exhaust port, respectively, for reciprocation between port-open and port-closed positions;   a valve-actuating valve train in a valve chamber, said valve train including at least one rocker arm and at least one valve train push rod assembly extending therefrom within said valve chamber and engaging said rocker arm;   a lubrication oil reservoir formed below the lower case;   said oil reservoir is partitioned from the crankshaft chamber so as to avoid oil leakage in any slanted state;   a crankshaft rotatably mounted by ball bearings in said crankshaft chamber, wherein said crankshaft includes a crank portion and at least one counterweight web and has an axis which is on the mating plane of said cylinder block and said lower case;   a connecting rod having articulated connections at one end thereof to said piston and at an opposite end thereof to said crank portion, thereby forming a piston-connecting rod crankshaft assembly; and   a cam chamber having at least one cam being drivably connected to said crankshaft, said at least one cam having a cam gear and being driven at one-half crankshaft speed, the opposite end of said push rod assembly being drivably connected to said cam whereby said push rod assembly is actuated with a reciprocating motion upon rotation of said at least one cam, said cam chamber having communication means to the oil reservoir and the valve chamber; an oil pump connected drivably to said cam gear-cam assembly, wherein said pump brings lubrication oil from said oil reservoir and valve chamber and splashes the oil in parallel into the cylinder and into the cam chamber to lubricate the engine parts inside the cylinder and the cam chamber and the valve chamber, wherein said lower case has a circular arc wall to separate said oil reservoir from said crankshaft chamber, said circular arc wall at least partially surrounding said web at a slight distance therefrom, and said circular arc wall having at least one drain hole and a valve to communicate between said crankshaft chamber and oil separating chamber; said oil separating chamber having communicating means between oil separating chamber and valve chamber or between said oil separating chamber and oil reservoir, wherein the opening of the valve is controlled by reciprocating motion of said piston, and wherein said valve opens when pressure in the crankshaft chamber is positive and closes when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative, thereby the valve establishing a lubrication oil mist flow circuit from said crankshaft chamber to said oil separating chamber or from said oil separating chamber to said valve chamber or from said valve chamber to said cam chamber or from said cam chamber to said oil reservoir.   
     
     
         3 . The engine set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said oil pump is a trochoid pump; and said oil pump having two separated inlet cavities. 
     
     
         4 . The engine set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said oil pump is a trochoid pump; and said oil pump having two separated inlet cavities. 
     
     
         5 . The engine set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an passage connected from said valve chamber to the crankshaft chamber, and a valve being provided at the entrance of said passage into the crankshaft chamber, wherein the opening of the valve is controlled by reciprocating motion of said piston, and wherein said valve opens when pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative and closes when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is positive, thereby the oil mist flow control valve structure establishing a lubrication oil flow circuit from said valve chamber to said crankshaft chamber.   
     
     
         6 . The engine set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 an passage connected from said valve chamber to the crankshaft chamber, and a valve being provided at the entrance of said passage into the crankshaft chamber, wherein the opening of the valve is controlled by reciprocating motion of said piston, and wherein said valve opens when pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative and closes when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is positive, thereby the oil mist flow control valve structure establishing a lubrication oil flow circuit from said valve chamber to said crankshaft chamber.   
     
     
         7 . The engine set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said oil pump has at least one relief passage which communicates between outlet cavity of the pump and the oil reservoir or between outlet cavity and inlet cavity of the pump. 
     
     
         8 . The engine set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said oil pump has at least one relief passage which communicates between outlet cavity of the pump and the oil reservoir or between outlet cavity and inlet cavity of the pump. 
     
     
         9 . The engine set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said cylinder block has at least one oil recess to store oil when the engine is oriented to incline and to prevent oil in the crankshaft chamber from flowing into combustion chamber. 
     
     
         10 . The engine set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said cylinder block has at least one oil recess to store oil when the engine is oriented to incline and to prevent oil in the crankshaft chamber from flowing into combustion chamber. 
     
     
         11 . The engine set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said lower case has at least one oil recess to store oil when the engine is oriented to incline and to prevent oil in the oil reservoir from flowing into said crankshaft chamber. 
     
     
         12 . The engine set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said lower case has at least one oil recess to store oil when the engine is oriented to incline and to prevent oil in the oil reservoir from flowing into said crankshaft chamber. 
     
     
         13 . The engine set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said lower case has at least one pipe or one passage to prevent oil in the oil reservoir from flowing into said cam chamber. 
     
     
         14 . The engine set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said lower case has at least one pipe or one passage to prevent oil in the oil reservoir from flowing into said cam chamber. 
     
     
         15 . A single-cylinder, four-stroke cycle, spark ignition internal combustion engine for mounting on a power tool comprising:
 a cylinder block having a cylinder, a cylinder head, a piston mounted for reciprocation in said cylinder, said cylinder head defining an air-fuel combustion chamber;   a lower case mating with said cylinder block by a plane perpendicular to the cylinder bore axis;   a crankshaft chamber formed by said cylinder block and said lower case;   an air-fuel mixture intake port and an exhaust gas port in said cylinder head;   a valve cover on said cylinder head defining a valve chamber;   an intake valve and an exhaust valve mounted in said intake and exhaust port, respectively, for reciprocation between port-open and port-closed positions;   a valve-actuating valve train in a valve chamber, said valve train including at least one rocker arm and at least one valve train push rod assembly extending therefrom within said valve chamber and engaging said rocker arm;   a lubrication oil reservoir formed below the lower case;   said oil reservoir is partitioned from the crankshaft chamber so as to avoid oil leakage in any slanted state;   a crankshaft rotatably mounted by ball bearings in said crankshaft chamber, wherein said crankshaft includes a crank portion and at least one counterweight web and has an axis which is on the mating plane of said cylinder block and said lower case;   a connecting rod having articulated connections at one end thereof to said piston and at an opposite end thereof to said crank portion, thereby forming a piston-connecting rod crankshaft assembly; and   a cam chamber having at least one cam being drivably connected to said crankshaft, said at least one cam having a cam gear and being driven at one-half crankshaft speed, the opposite end of said push rod assembly being drivably connected to said cam whereby said push rod assembly is actuated with a reciprocating motion upon rotation of said at least one cam, said cam chamber having communication means to the oil reservoir and the valve chamber;   a cam chamber cover connected to support said cam gear-cam assembly,   wherein a lubrication oil kept in the lubrication oil reservoir is inhaled into the cylinder and splashed to lubricate the engine parts inside the cylinder,   wherein the lubrication oil is inhaled through said cam shaft from said oil reservoir via a valve configured to open when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative and close when the pressure in the crank shaft chamber positive.   
     
     
         16 . The engine set forth in  claim 15 , said lower case has a circular arc wall to separate said oil reservoir from said crankshaft chamber, said circular arc wall at least partially surrounding said web at a slight distance therefrom, and said circular arc wall having at least one drain hole and a valve to communicate between said crankshaft chamber and oil separating chamber; said oil separating chamber having communicating means from oil separating chamber to valve chamber and cam chamber or from said oil separating chamber to oil reservoir, wherein the opening of the valve is controlled by reciprocating motion of said piston, and wherein said valve opens when pressure in the crankshaft chamber is positive and closes when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative, thereby the valve establishing a lubrication oil mist flow circuit from said crankshaft chamber to said oil separating chamber or from said oil separating chamber to said valve chamber or to said cam chamber or from said cam chamber to said oil reservoir. 
     
     
         17 . The engine set forth in  claim 15 , wherein said cam shaft splashes the lubrication oil from said crankshaft chamber to said cam chamber via the valve. 
     
     
         18 . The engine set forth in  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a passage connected from said valve chamber to the crankshaft chamber, and a valve being provided at the entrance of said passage into the crankshaft chamber, wherein the opening of the valve is controlled by reciprocating motion of said piston, and wherein said valve opens when pressure in the crankshaft chamber is negative and closes when the pressure in the crankshaft chamber is positive, thereby the oil mist flow control valve structure establishing a lubrication oil flow circuit from said valve chamber to said crankshaft chamber.   
     
     
         19 . The engine set forth in  claim 15 ,
 wherein the cylinder block or the lower case has at least one oil recess to store oil when the engine is oriented to incline and prevent the lubrication oil from flowing into a predetermined chamber.   
     
     
         20 . The engine set forth in  claim 15 , wherein said lower case has at least one pipe or one passage to prevent oil in the oil reservoir from flowing into said cam chamber.