Crank assemblies for machines having reciprocating pistons

Claim 2

A piston machine, especially combustion engine, comprising a cylinder wall member having a longitudinal axis, a piston member reciprocating within said cylinder wall member, a connecTing rod member, a crank shaft operatively connected with said connecting rod member, said piston member being rigidly connected to said connecting rod member and pivotably and sealingly guided on its periphery for rocking movement in said cylinder wall member, said cylinder wall member being contracted in conformity with the envelope surface of the rocking movement of the periphery of said piston member, the periphery of said piston member defining a sealing center plane, the center point of said sealing center plane defined by the periphery of said piston member travelling a path which does not coincide with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder wall member.

Claim 3

The piston machine, as defined in claim 1, wherein the periphery of the piston member has a round or oval configuration in plan view, and wherein said cylinder wall member incorporates wet and exchangeable liners.

Claim 4

The piston machine, as defined in claim 1, wherein the periphery of said piston member possesses in plan view a quadrangular, round or oval configuration, said piston periphery being provided with a sealing groove and sealing means having outwardly domed sealing surfaces which travel upon the contracted cylinder walls, and elastic means for supporting said sealing means at the base of the sealing groove.

Claim 5

The piston machine as defined in claim 1, further including a circular-shaped sealing groove and sealing means provided at the periphery of said piston member, wherein at least the sealing means travelling upon the contracted cylinder wall member is elastic and possesses an approximately semi-circular cross-sectional configuration, said elastic sealing means being pivotably mounted under pre-bias in said circular-shaped sealing groove.

Claim 6

The piston machine as defined in claim 4, wherein said sealing means are formed of an elastic and heat resistant synthetic material and possess a channeled outer travelling surface.

Claim 7

The piston machine as defined in claim 1, further including sealing means provided for the periphery of said piston member, an oil scraper ring arranged beneath said sealing means, said oil scraper ring being displaceably guided parallel to itself and transverse to the axis of the crank shaft.

Claim 8

A piston machine according to claim 1, especially for an internal combustion engine, wherein said piston member has a piston crown subjected to a rocking movement which exerts a transverse movement upon the fuel charge when the piston member is at the region of its upper dead-center position, such transverse movement of the fuel charge being utilized to influence the mixture formation and the combustion process.

Claim 9

The piston machine as defined in claim 1, especially a two-stroke engine, said cylinder wall member possessing a cylinder head domed at the side at which the connecting rod moves downward so as to provide a combustion chamber in which occurs the pre-combustion of the combustion fuel.

Claim 10

The piston machine as defined in claim 1, especially a four-stroke engine, comprising valve means arranged adjacent one another with respect to a plane perpendicular to the crank shaft, one of said valve means defining an inlet valve located at the side where the connecting rod moves upward, another of said valve means defining an exhaust valve located at the opposite side of said inlet valve.

Claim 11

The piston machine as defined in claim 1, especially an exhaust port controlled two-cycle engine, further including scavenging trough means arranged at the region of the side of the cylinder wall at which the connecting rod moves downward, and exhaust port means arranged at the region of the opposite side of the cylinder wall member.

Claim 12

The piston machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the center point of said center sealing plane defined by the periphery of said piston member travels the path of an elongate figure-eight lying in a plane normal to the crank shaft.

Claim 13

The piston machine as defined in claim 11, further including an exhaust channel and crank case, controlled slide Valve element arranged between said exhaust channel and crank case.

Claim 14

The piston machine as defined in claim 12, wherein said slide valve element comprises a control slide closed by spring force and opened by the action of the periphery of the piston member.

Claim 15

The piston machine, as defined in claim 11, further including a piston base, a shaft for the connecting rod member consisting of a hollow plastic body connected with said piston base, said piston base having a rounded marginal portion serving as a guide and sealing element.

Claim 16

A piston machine, especially combustion engine, comprising a cylinder wall member having a longitudinal axis, a piston member reciprocating within said cylinder wall member, a connecting rod member, a crank shaft operatively connected with said connecting rod member, said piston member being rigidly connected to said connecting rod member and pivotably and sealingly guided on its periphery for rocking movement in said cylinder wall member, the periphery of said piston member possessing a substantially quadrangular configuration in plan view, said cylinder wall member being contracted in conformity with the envelope surface of the rocking movement of the periphery of said piston member, said cylinder wall member defining four cylinder walls, two of said cylinder walls being planar and perpendicular to the crank shaft and the other two of said cylinder walls defining said contracted cylinder wall member being curved in two dimensions.

Claim 17

A piston machine, especially combustion engine, comprising a cylinder wall member having a longitudinal axis, a piston member reciprocating within said cylinder wall member, a connecting rod member, a crank shaft operatively connected with said connecting rod member, said piston member being rigidly connected to said connecting rod member and pivotably and sealingly guided on its periphery for rocking movement in said cylinder wall member, the periphery of said piston member possessing a substantially quadrangular configuration in plan view, said cylinder wall member being contracted in conformity with the envelope surface of the rocking movement of the periphery of said piston member, said cylinder wall member defining four cylinder walls, two of said cylinder walls being planar and perpendicular to the crank shaft and the other two of said cylinder walls defining said contracted cylinder wall member being curved in two dimensions.

Claim 18

The piston machine as defined in claim 15, wherein said cylinder wall member possesses a cylinder head, a crank case, said two curved cylinder walls together with said cylinder head and said crank case being combined into a substantially central housing, said two cylinder walls which are planar and perpendicular to the crank shaft being mounted at said central housing.

Claim 19

The piston machine as defined in claim 16, especially an exhaust port controlled two-cycle engine, further including scavenging trough means arranged substantially at the side of the cylinder walls at which the connecting rod moves downward, and exhaust port means arranged substantially at the opposite side of the cylinder walls, said exhaust port means being arranged at the planar side walls, and slide valve means fixed at the piston member for controlling said exhaust port means.

Claim 20

The piston machine, as defined in claim 15, further including a shaft for the connecting rod member, said shaft consisting of two upwardly widening support walls which extend approximately in a plane perpendicular to the crank shaft and which are connected with the piston base.

Claim 21

A piston machine as defined in claim 15, said piston member having opposed sealing means traveling upon said contracted cylinder wall member, the center point of the plane containing said opposed sealing means being defined by the point of intersection of the lengthwise axis of said connecting rod member with said plane, said center point traveling a path which does not coincide with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder wall member.

Claim 22

A piston machine as defined in claim 19, wherein said center point travels the path of an elongate figure-eight lying in a plane normal to the crank shaft.

Claim 23

The piston machine as defined in claim 11, comprising a piston base, a connecting rod shaft connected with the piston base and having a rounded edge serving as a guide and sealing element.