External combustion swash plate engine employing alternate compression and expansion in each working cylinder

Claim 1

A combustion engine, comprising a stationary frame, a cylinder block comprising a plurality of cylinders mounted for rotation as a unit in bearings in said frame, a reciprocable piston element axially movable in each cylinder, a crankshaft rotatably mounted in said frame along the axis of rotation of said cylinder block, gear means mounted in said frame and connected between the cylinder block and cranshaft for giving the crankshaft a higher rotational speed than that of the cylinder block, swash plate rotatably mounted on said crankshaft and connected in timed relationship to said cylinder block to effect a desired relative rotation therebetween, a connecting rod between each piston element and said swash plate for converting the reciprocating movements of the piston elements into rotational movement of the crankshaft, a slide distributor comprising a pair of relatively rotatable slidably engaged interface members connected respectively to said frame and to said cylinder block, first port means in said cylinder block member of said slide valve distributor, and in flow communication with each of said plurality of cylinders; second port means in said frame member of said slide distributor comprising, in circumferential sequential order, air inlet port means for supply of inlet air to a cylinder when said air inlet port means is in flow communication with said first port means, compressed air discharge port means for discharge of compressed air from a cylinder when said compressed air discharge port means is in flow communication with said first port means, combustion products inlet port means for supply of combustion products to a cylinder when said combustion products inlet port means is in flow communication with said first port means, combustion products discharge port means for discharge of combustion products from a cylinder when said combustion products discharge port means is in flow communication with said first port means; air duct means connecting said compressed air discharge port means to said combustor; and combustion products duct means connecting said combustor to said combustion products inlet port means, said slide distributor being operative, during rotation of said cylinder block and corresponding relative rotation of the said interface member, to cause each cylinder and its associated piston to operate alternatingly as a compressor pumping air into the combustor via said air duct means and as a motor utilizing the expanding heated working medium supplied to each cylinder via said combustion products duct means.