Engine
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising:
- a piston assembly;
said piston assembly including at least one piston and at least one piston rod;
said at least one piston rod being adapted to be reciprocated within a housing in a direction of reciprocation;
at least one cylinder having walls in which at least one piston reciprocates therein forming at least one combustion chamber;
a crank having an axis of crank rotation;
a crankpin having a center;
the center of the crankpin having a radius of crank rotation about the axis of crank rotation;
said at least one piston rod having a piston rod stroke length of travel and a center of midstroke position halfway between ends of the stroke length of travel;
means for fastening at least one piston to said at least one piston rod, wherein alternatingly said rod is driven by said piston and then said piston is driven by said rod;
connector means adapted to be attached to the crankpin;
said connector means being rotatably mounted to said at least one piston rod;
said connector means having a center of connector rotation;
a resulting distance from the center of rotation of said connector means to the crankpin center being equal to said radius of crank rotation;
said piston rod stroke length of travel being equal to substantially four times the radius of crank rotation, whereby the connector means rotates with an angular velocity same as but in a direction opposite that of the crank;
interface means between said crank and said at least one piston rod for controlling motion, through only a predetermined distance portion of midstroke between the crank and the piston rod wherein the piston rod achieves its maximum velocity which is substantially twice an orbital velocity of the center of the crankpin about the axis of crank rotation;
said interface means being positioned to engage at least a length of surfaces substantially at the piston midstroke through said predetermined distance portion of midstroke to produce a velocity of the piston rod substantially twice that of a component of the orbital velocity of the crankpin center in the direction of reciprocation of the piston rod through said predetermined portion of midstroke so as to force and maintain continuity of piston rod movement during said reciprocation; and
said predetermined distance portion of midstroke being that distance necessary to insure continuity of piston rod movement of up to about 50 degrees of crank rotation about before and after said center of midstroke.
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Accused Products
Abstract
To reduce space requirements, vibrations and certain stresses in an engine, a different one of two pistons is mounted on each end of a single piston rod to which the crankshaft is attached by a cylindrical shaped connector that orbits around the crankpin while rotating inside the piston rod. The crank interfaces directly with the piston rod through gear portions or a cam-cam follower through the center of each stroke. To reduce vibrations and certain stresses in an engine, a different one of two pistons is mounted on each end of a single piston rod to which the crankshaft is attached by two arms extending orthogonally from its central portion, each arm being mounted to a different one of two different connecting rods. To balance inertia forces, two oppositely rotating crankshafts are counter-weighted to balance the inertia forces of the assembly in its axis of oscillation and to balance each other outside that axis of motion, or two piston assemblies oscillate opposingly in the same axis eliminating the need for the crankshafts to balance their inertia forces.
32 Citations
8 Claims
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1. Apparatus comprising:
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a piston assembly; said piston assembly including at least one piston and at least one piston rod; said at least one piston rod being adapted to be reciprocated within a housing in a direction of reciprocation; at least one cylinder having walls in which at least one piston reciprocates therein forming at least one combustion chamber; a crank having an axis of crank rotation; a crankpin having a center; the center of the crankpin having a radius of crank rotation about the axis of crank rotation; said at least one piston rod having a piston rod stroke length of travel and a center of midstroke position halfway between ends of the stroke length of travel; means for fastening at least one piston to said at least one piston rod, wherein alternatingly said rod is driven by said piston and then said piston is driven by said rod; connector means adapted to be attached to the crankpin; said connector means being rotatably mounted to said at least one piston rod; said connector means having a center of connector rotation; a resulting distance from the center of rotation of said connector means to the crankpin center being equal to said radius of crank rotation; said piston rod stroke length of travel being equal to substantially four times the radius of crank rotation, whereby the connector means rotates with an angular velocity same as but in a direction opposite that of the crank; interface means between said crank and said at least one piston rod for controlling motion, through only a predetermined distance portion of midstroke between the crank and the piston rod wherein the piston rod achieves its maximum velocity which is substantially twice an orbital velocity of the center of the crankpin about the axis of crank rotation; said interface means being positioned to engage at least a length of surfaces substantially at the piston midstroke through said predetermined distance portion of midstroke to produce a velocity of the piston rod substantially twice that of a component of the orbital velocity of the crankpin center in the direction of reciprocation of the piston rod through said predetermined portion of midstroke so as to force and maintain continuity of piston rod movement during said reciprocation; and said predetermined distance portion of midstroke being that distance necessary to insure continuity of piston rod movement of up to about 50 degrees of crank rotation about before and after said center of midstroke. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. Apparatus comprising:
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a piston assembly; said piston assembly including a piston rod and at least one piston; said piston assembly being adapted to be reciprocated within an engine in a direction of reciprocation; said piston rod including means for fastening said at least one piston to said rod whereby said rod is driven by said at least one piston; said piston rod including a central portion with two connector means whereby centers of said connector means are mounted substantially parallel and in a plane transverse to a line of reciprocation of said piston assembly; a first crank with an axis of crank rotation and a second crank with an axis of crank rotation; said axes of crank rotation are substantially parallel and in a plane transverse to a line of reciprocation of said piston assembly; said first crank rotates with an angular velocity; said second crank rotates with an angular velocity same as but in a direction opposite that of said first crank; said first crank with a crankpin having a center; said second crank with a crankpin having a center; the centers of said crankpins having radii of crank rotation about their axes of crank rotation and said radii of crank rotation are equal for said first crankpin and said second crankpin; said piston rod having a piston rod stroke length of travel and a center of midstroke position halfway between ends of the stroke length of travel; said first connector means adapted to be attached to said first crankpin and said second connector means adapted to be attached to said second crankpin; said first connector means and said second connector means being rotatably mounted to said central portion of said piston rod; said first connector means and said second connector means having centers of connector rotation; a resulting distance from the center of rotation of said first connector means to said first crankpin center being equal to said radii of crank rotation and a resulting distance from the center of rotation of said second connector means to said second crankpin center being equal to said radii of crank rotation; said first crankpin center and said first crank axis are in substantially a common plane with said second crankpin center and said second crank axis at said center of midstroke whereby said crankpins are closer to one another in one direction of reciprocation through midstroke and further from one another in an opposite direction of reciprocation through midstroke; said piston rod stroke length of travel being equal to substantially four times the radii of said crank rotation, whereby said first connector means rotates with an angular velocity same as but in a direction opposite that of said first crank, and whereby said second connector means rotates with an angular velocity same as but in a direction opposite that of said second crank; interface means between at least one of said first and second cranks and said piston rod for controlling motion, through a predetermined distance portion of midstroke between at least one crank and the piston rod wherein the piston rod achieves its maximum velocity which is substantially twice an orbital velocity of the centers of the crankpins about their axes of crank rotation; said interface means being positioned to engage at least a length of surfaces substantially at the piston midstroke through said predetermined distance portion to produce a velocity of the piston rod being substantially twice that of a component of the orbital velocities of the crankpin centers in the direction of reciprocation of the piston rod through said predetermined portion of midstroke so as to force and maintain continuity of piston rod movement during said reciprocation; and said predetermined distance portion of midstroke is that distance necessary to insure continuity of piston rod movement of up to about 50 degrees of crank rotation both before and after said center of midstroke. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. Apparatus comprising:
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a piston assembly; said piston assembly including at least one piston and at least one piston rod; said at least one piston rod being adapted to be reciprocated within a pump in a direction of reciprocation; a crank having an axis of crank rotation; a crankpin having a center; the center of the crankpin having a radius of crank rotation about the axis of crank rotation; said at least one piston rod having a piston rod stroke length of travel and a center of midstroke position halfway between ends of the stroke length of travel; means for fastening at least one piston to said at least one piston rod, whereby said piston is driven by said rod; connector means adapted to be attached to the crankpin; said connector means being rotatably mounted to said at least one piston rod; said connector means having a center of connector rotation; a resulting distance from the center of rotation of said connector means to the crankpin center being equal to said radius of crank rotation; said piston rod stroke length of travel being equal to substantially four times the radius of crank rotation, whereby the connector means rotates with an angular velocity same as but in a direction opposite that of the crank; interface means between said crank and said at least one piston rod for controlling motion through only a predetermined distance portion of midstroke between the crank and the piston rod wherein the piston rod achieves its maximum velocity which is substantially twice an orbital velocity of the center of the crankpin about the axis of crank rotation; said interface means being positioned to engage at least a length of surfaces substantially at the piston midstroke through said predetermined distance portion of midstroke to produce a velocity of the piston rod being substantially twice that of a component of the orbital velocity of the crankpin center in the direction of reciprocation of the piston rod through said predetermined portion of midstroke so as to force and maintain continuity of piston rod movement during said reciprocation; and said predetermined distance portion of midstroke is that distance necessary to insure continuity of piston rod movement of up to about 50 degrees of crank rotation both before and after said center of midstroke.
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Specification