Opposed piston engine with parallel combustion chambers
First Claim
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1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a driveshaft having a first end and a second end and disposed along a driveshaft axis;
a first cam mounted on the driveshaft, the first cam having a circumferential shoulder of a first cam diameter and a first curvilinear shape with a first frequency;
a second cam mounted on the driveshaft spaced apart from the first cam, the second cam having a circumferential shoulder of a second cam diameter and a second curvilinear shape which second curvilinear shape has the same frequency as the first curvilinear shape;
a first combustion cylinder defined along a center cylinder axis, the combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end with an intake port formed in the cylinder between the first and second ends and an exhaust port formed in the cylinder between the intake port and the second end, the center cylinder axis being parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis a first radius, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder between the two cylinder ends;
a second combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end and defined along second center cylinder axis parallel with the first combustion cylinder central axis but radially spaced apart from the driveshaft axis a second radius larger than the first radius; and
at least one fuel injector disposed adjacent the center of each combustion cylinder and in communication with the respective combustion chamber.
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Abstract
An opposed piston engine has a driveshaft with a first combustion cylinder parallel with a driveshaft and disposed about the driveshaft at a first radius and a second combustion cylinder parallel with the driveshaft and disposed about the driveshaft at a second radius greater than the first radius. A first pair of curvilinear shaped cams are associated with the first combustion cylinder and disposed on the driveshaft and a second pair of curvilinear shaped cams are associated with the second combustion cylinder and disposed on the driveshaft outwardly of the first pair of cams.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
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a driveshaft having a first end and a second end and disposed along a driveshaft axis; a first cam mounted on the driveshaft, the first cam having a circumferential shoulder of a first cam diameter and a first curvilinear shape with a first frequency; a second cam mounted on the driveshaft spaced apart from the first cam, the second cam having a circumferential shoulder of a second cam diameter and a second curvilinear shape which second curvilinear shape has the same frequency as the first curvilinear shape; a first combustion cylinder defined along a center cylinder axis, the combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end with an intake port formed in the cylinder between the first and second ends and an exhaust port formed in the cylinder between the intake port and the second end, the center cylinder axis being parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis a first radius, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder between the two cylinder ends; a second combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end and defined along second center cylinder axis parallel with the first combustion cylinder central axis but radially spaced apart from the driveshaft axis a second radius larger than the first radius; and at least one fuel injector disposed adjacent the center of each combustion cylinder and in communication with the respective combustion chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An internal combustion engine comprising:
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a driveshaft having a first end and a second end and disposed along a driveshaft axis; a first cam mounted on the driveshaft, the first cam having a circumferential shoulder of a first cam diameter and a first curvilinear shape with a first frequency; a second cam mounted on the driveshaft spaced apart from the first cam, the second cam having a circumferential shoulder of a second cam diameter and a second curvilinear shape which second curvilinear shape has the same frequency as the first curvilinear shape; a first piston assembly disposed along a first piston axis and an opposing second piston assembly disposed along the first piston axis, the first piston assembly engaging the curvilinear shaped shoulder of the first cam and the second piston assembly engaging the curvilinear shaped shoulder of the second cam, the first piston axis being parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis; and a third piston assembly disposed along a second piston axis, and an opposing fourth piston assembly disposed along the second piston axis, the first piston axis being parallel with but spaced apart radially outward from the first piston axis. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An internal combustion engine comprising:
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a driveshaft having a first end and a second end and disposed along a driveshaft axis; a first cam mounted on the driveshaft, the first cam having a circumferential shoulder of a first cam diameter and a first curvilinear shape with a first frequency; a second cam mounted on the driveshaft spaced apart from the first cam, the second cam having a circumferential shoulder of a second cam diameter and a second curvilinear shape which second curvilinear shape has the same frequency as the first curvilinear shape; a third cam mounted on the driveshaft between the first cam and the first driveshaft end, the third cam having a circumferential shoulder of a third cam diameter and a third curvilinear shape with a third frequency, the third cam diameter being larger than the first cam diameter; a fourth cam mounted on the driveshaft between the second cam and the second end of the driveshaft, the fourth cam having a circumferential shoulder of a fourth cam diameter and a fourth curvilinear shape which fourth curvilinear shape that has the same frequency as the third curvilinear shape; a first combustion cylinder defined along a center cylinder axis, the combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end with an intake port formed in the cylinder between the first and second ends and an exhaust port formed in the cylinder between the intake port and the second end;
the center cylinder axis being parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder between the two cylinder ends;a second combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end and defined along second center cylinder axis, with an intake port formed in the cylinder between the first and second ends and an exhaust port formed in the cylinder between the intake port and the second end, the second cylinder axis parallel with the first combustion cylinder central axis but radially spaced outward from the first combustion cylinder central axis; a first piston assembly disposed in the first cylinder end of the first combustion cylinder and an opposing second piston assembly disposed in the second cylinder end of the first combustion cylinder, the first piston assembly engaging the curvilinear shaped shoulder of the first cam and the second piston assembly engaging the curvilinear shaped shoulder of the second cam, each piston assembly movable between an inner dead center position in which the piston assembly is extended in the combustion chamber away from its corresponding cam and an outer dead center position in which the piston assembly is retracted in the combustion chamber away from the inner dead center position; and a third piston assembly disposed in the first cylinder end of the second combustion cylinder and an opposing fourth piston assembly disposed in the second cylinder end of the second combustion cylinder, each of the third and fourth piston assemblies movable between an inner dead center position in which the piston assembly is extended in the second combustion chamber and an outer dead center position in which the third and fourth piston assemblies are retracted in the second combustion chamber away from the inner dead center position, the third and fourth piston assemblies axially aligned with one another and parallel with the first and second piston assemblies. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. An internal combustion engine comprising:
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a driveshaft having a first end and a second end and disposed along a driveshaft axis; a first cam mounted on the driveshaft, the first cam having a circumferential shoulder of a first cam diameter and a first curvilinear shape with a first frequency; a second cam mounted on the driveshaft, the second cam having a circumferential shoulder of a second cam diameter and a second curvilinear shape with a second frequency, the second cam diameter being larger than the first cam diameter; a first combustion cylinder defined along a center cylinder axis, the combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end with an intake port and an exhaust port, the center cylinder axis being parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis a first radius, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder between the two cylinder ends; a second combustion cylinder having a first end and a second end and defined along second center cylinder axis, with an intake port and an exhaust port, the second cylinder axis parallel with the first combustion cylinder central axis but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis a second radius larger than the first radius; a first piston assembly disposed in the first cylinder end of the first combustion cylinder, the first piston assembly engaging the curvilinear shaped shoulder of the first cam, the piston assembly movable between an inner dead center position in which the piston assembly is extended in the combustion chamber away from its corresponding cam and an outer dead center position in which the piston assembly is retracted in the combustion chamber away from the inner dead center position; and a second piston assembly disposed in the first cylinder end of the second combustion cylinder, the second piston assembly movable between an inner dead center position in which the piston assembly is extended in the second combustion chamber and an outer dead center position in which the third piston assembly is retracted in the second combustion chamber away from the inner dead center position, the second piston assembly parallel with the first piston assembly. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification