Planar Crankshaft Balance System
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^ ^ H ^ I H ^ H ^ II ^ II ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H ^ ^ ^ H ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ I ^ � European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets EP 0 758 060 A1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) |nt Cl.e: F16F 15/26 12.02.1997 Bulletin 1997/07 (21) Application number: 96305092.7 (22) Date of filing: 10.07.1996 (84) Designated Contracting States: (72) Inventor: Diggs, Matthew Byrne DE ES GB Farmington, Michigan 48335 (US) (30) Priority: 07.08.1995 US 512378 (74) Representative: Messu lam, Alec Moses A. Messulam & Co. (71) Applicants: 24 Broadway • FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED Leigh-on-Sea Essex SS9 1 BN (GB) Brentwood Essex (GB) Designated Contracting States: GB • FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT 50735 Koln (DE) Designated Contracting States: DE • Ford Motor Company Dearborn, Ml 48126 (US) Designated Contracting States: ES (54) Planar crankshaft balance system (57) A balance system for a planar crankshaft on a (12), and a mechanism (40,42,44,46,48,50) intercon- V configuration internal combustion engine (14) includ- necting the first balance shaft (32), the planar crankshaft ing a first balance shaft (32) located above the planar (1 2) and the second balance shaft (34) to rotate the first crankshaft (12) inside a vee of the engine and a second balance shaft (32) and the second balance shaft (34) in balance shaft (34) located below the planar crankshaft opposite directions to balance the engine. Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP 0 758 060 A1 2 Description planar crankshaft and the second balance shaft to rotate the first balance shaft and the second balance shaft in The present invention relates generally to planar opposite directions to balance the engine. crankshafts on internal combustion engines and, more One advantage of the present invention is that a bal- specifically, to a balance system for a planar crankshaft 5 ance system is provided for a planar crankshaft on V- on a V configuration internal combustion engine. configuration internal combustion engine which cancels It is known to use a "V" configuration for an internal out the inherent second order imbalance, resulting in re- combustion engine on automotive vehicles. A majority duced noise, vibration and harshness. Another advan- of V-8 configuration engines employ a "cruciform" or tage of the present invention is that the balance system "90-degree" style crankshaft; that is, a crankshaft with 10 has one balance shaft located above the crankshaft in- four throws which are each offset by ninety degrees side the vee and another balance shaft located below (90°). This crankshaft configuration is preferred over the crankshaft, making it more compact and eliminating other available choices for a V-8 because it allows for a the use of space on the side of the engine for the balance fully balanced engine with proper counterweights on the system. crankshaft. is15 The invention will now be described, by way of ex- Three other crankshafts which can be employed in ample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the V-8 configuration engine to achieve even firing are in which: "180-degree" style crankshafts; that is, a crankshaft with throws that are offset by one hundred eighty degrees FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a balance system, (180°) instead of ninety degrees (90°). This crankshaft 20 according to the present invention, for a planar configuration is called "planar" or "flat" since all of the crankshaft on a V configuration internal combustion journals and throws are co-planar. The planar crank- engine; shaft allows for even firing banks of cylinders, i.e., each FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the planar crankshaft bank of cylinders has a consistent 180 degree firing in- on the V configuration internal combustion engine terval whereas a V-8 engine with a cruciform crankshaft 25 of FIG. 1; does not. This provides improved consistency in the air- FIG. 3 is perspective view of a portion of the balance flow which makes the engine run smoother and more system of FIG. 1 ; efficiently. The cruciform crankshaft V-8 engine is the FIG. 4 is a front view of the balance system of FIG. only commonly produced engine configuration which 1 with the engine shown in phantom lines; does not have even firing banks of cylinders. 30 FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of another embod- Although the planar crankshaft has worked well in iment, according to the present invention, of the bal- the V configuration engine, it suffers from the disadvan- ance system of FIG. 1 ; tage of an inherent second order imbalance which con- FIG . 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the balance sists of shaking forces and moments that cycle at twice system of FIG. 5; the speed of the crankshaft. 35 FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of yet another em- One attempt to achieve total balance in a planar bodiment, according to the present invention, of the crankshaft V-8 configuration engine is disclosed in U.S. balance system of FIG. 1 ; and Patent No. 4,936,238 to Randle. This patent discloses FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of still another em- a balance system having dual counter-rotating balance bodiment according to the present invention, of the shafts which act to cancel out the vibrations which are 40 balance system of FIG. 1 . inherent to the V configuration engine. The patented bal- ance system is mounted on a side of the V configuration Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG. engine. 1, one embodiment of a balance system 10, according One disadvantage of the above patented balance to the present invention, is shown for a planar crankshaft system is that space is needed on the side of the engine 45 1 2 on a "V" configuration internal combustion engine 1 4. to mount the balance system which may not be availa- The V configuration internal combustion engine 14 has ble. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a an engine block 16 with a plurality of cylinders 18 in a balance system for a planar crankshaft on a V configu- first bank 20 and a second bank 22 which is separated ration engine which is compact and does not require by a block valley 24 to form a vee. The V configuration space on the side of the engine. so internal combustion engine 14 also has a sump 26 at- Accordingly, the present invention is a balance sys- tached to the engine block 1 6 opposite the block valley tem for a planar crankshaft on a V configuration internal 24. It should be appreciated that the V configuration in- combustion engine. The balance system includes a first ternal combustion engine may be a four-stroke V-8 or a balance shaft located above the planar crankshaft in- two-stroke V-4. It should also be appreciated that the V side the vee of a V configuration internal combustion en- 55 configuration internal combustion engine is convention- gine and a second balance shaft located below the pla- al and known in the art. nar crankshaft. The balance system also includes a Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the planar crankshaft mechanism interconnecting the first balance shaft, the 12 is mounted in suitable bearings (not shown) within 2 3 EP 0 758 060 A1 4 the engine block 16 as is known in the art. The planar ance shaft 34, member 42 of the planar crankshaft 12 crankshaft 12 has a shaft 27 with a plurality of lobes or and the first member 46 of the idler 44. It should be ap- counterweights 28 interconnected by throws or pins 30. preciated that the members 42 and 46 are typically ei- It should be appreciated that the planar crankshaft 1 2 is ther sprockets for a chain drive system or pulleys for a of the mirror-image type although two other types of pla- 5 cogged belt drive system. nar crankshafts may be used for the V-8. It should also In operation of the balance system 10, the crank- be appreciated that the planar crankshaft 12 is conven- shaft 1 2 drives or rotates the member 42 which, in turn, tional and known in the art. moves or drives the belt or chain 50. The belt or chain Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the balance system 50 drives or rotates the member 40 of the second bal- 10, according to the present invention, includes a first 10 ance shaft 34 and the first member 46 of the idler 44 in balance shaft 32 located above a horizontal plane the same direction as the planar crankshaft 12. The through the centreline of the planar crankshaft 12 and drive ratios combine to give a 2: 1 ratio versus the planar a second balance shaft 34 located below the horizontal crankshaft 12. Rotation of the idler 44 causes the first plane. The balance shafts 32, 34 are equidistant from member 46 and second member 48 to rotate in the same the horizontal plane and are in a common vertical plane is direction. Engagement between the second member 48 which bisects the vee of the first and second banks 20 and the member 40 of the first balance shaft 32 causes and 22. The first balance shaft 32 is located above the the second member 48 to rotate the member 40 and first planar crankshaft 12 inside the vee and is housed or balance shaft 32 in an opposite direction relative to the mounted in suitable bearings (not shown) in the block planar crankshaft 12.