Opposed piston engine

Claim 2

An internal combustion engine comprising: a first member including a cylinder, a second member, means supporting said members for relative rotation on a transverse axis of said cylinder, a piston in each cylinder having an outer end extending through one end of the cylinder and an opposite inner end, each piston being movable in its cylinder through inward compression and outward power strokes and each cylinder containing a combustion chamber at the inner end of the corresponding piston which undergoes contraction during the compression strokes and expansion during the power strokes of the piston, a circular cam ring surrounding each cylinder endwise with the central axis of the ring parallel to and spaced laterally from said member rotation axis, bearing means rotatably mounting each cam ring about its circumference on said second member for relative rotation of the ring and second member on the axis of the ring, means pivotally connecting the outer end of each piston to the corresponding cam ring on a pivot axis parallel to said member rotation axis and ring axis, whereby reciprocating motion of each piston in its cylinder produces a driving torque on said members tending to drive said members in relative rotation on said member rotation axis, and engine actuating means for supplying a combustible medium to said combustion chamber of each cylinder, effecting combustion of the medium in the chamber, and exhausting combustion products from the chamber in timed relation to the strokes of the corresponding piston to drive the latter through its power strokes.

Claim 3

The engine according to claim 1 wherein: said first member is a stator and said second member is a rotor which rotates relative to said stator.

Claim 4

The engine according to claim 1 wherein: said second member comprises an annular body surrounding said first member and each cam ring generally concentric with said member rotation axis, and said bearing means for each cam ring comprises a circular bearing surface about the circumference of the ring concentric with the ring axis, a circular bearing surface within said body concentrically surrounding and facing the cam ring bearing surface, and bearing rollers between said bearing surfaces.

Claim 5

The engine according to claim 1 wherein: each piston includes a piston rod having an outer end extending through the end of the corresponding cylinder and pivotally connected to the corresponding cam ring and an inner end within the cylinder, and a piston head rigid on the inner end of the rod, and each cylinder includes a bearing slidably guiding the corresponding piston rod for endwise reciprocating motion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

Claim 6

The engine according to claim 1 wherein: said first member is a stator and said second member is a rotor which rotates relative to said stator, said rotor comprises an annular body surrounding said stator and each cam ring generally concentric with said member rotation axis, said bearing means for each cam ring comprises a circular bearing surface about the circumference of the ring concentric with the ring axis, a circular bearing surface within said rotor body concentrically surrounding and facing the cam ring bearing surface, and bearing rollers between said bearing surfaces, each piston includes a piston rod having an outer end extending through the end of the corresponding cylinder and pivotally connected to the corresponding cam ring and an inner end within the cylinder, and a piston head rigid on the inner end of the rod, and each cylinder includes a bearing slidably guiding the corresponding piston rod for endwise reciprocating motion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

Claim 7

The engine according to claim 5 including: a housing enclosing said rotor and secured to said member supporting means, and power take-off means on said rotor accessible externally of said housing.

Claim 8

An opposed piston internal combustion engine comprising: a first member including a cylinder, a second member, means supporting said members for relative rotation on a central transverse axis of said cylinder, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder having adjacent inner ends and opposite outer ends extending through the cylinder ends, the pistons in each cylinder being movable inwardly toward one another through compression strokes and outwardly away from one another through power strokes, and the inner cylinder ends forming therebetween a combustion chamber which undergoes contraction during the piston compression strokes and expansion during the piston power strokes, a pair of circular cam rings surrounding each cylinder side by side with the central axes of the rings parallel to and located at opposite sides of said member rotation axis, bearing means rotatably mounting each cam ring about its circumference on said second member for relative rotation of the ring and second member on the ring axis, means pivotally connecting the outer ends of the pistons in each cylinder to the corresponding cam rings, respectively, on pivot axes parallel to said member rotation and cam ring axes, whereby reciprocating motion of the pistons produces a driving torque on said members tending to drive the members in relative rotation on said member rotation axis, and engine actuating means for supplying a combustible medium to said combustion chamber of each cylinder, effecting combustion of the medium in the chamber, and exhausting combustion products from the chamber in timed relation to the strokes of the corresponding pistons to drive the pistons through their power strokes.

Claim 9

An opposed piston internal combustion engine comprising: a first member including a cylinder, a second member, means supporting said members for relative rotation on a central transverse axis of said cylinder, a pair of opposed pistons in each cylinder having adjacent inner ends and opposite outer ends extending through the cylinder ends, the pistons in each cylinder being movable inwardly toward one another through compression strokes and outwardly away from one another through power strokes, and the inner cylinder ends forming therebetween a combustion chamber which undergoes contraction during the piston compression strokes and expansion during the piston power strokes, a pair of circular cam rings surrounding each cylinder side by side with the central axes of the rings parallel to and located at opposite sides of said member rotation axis, bearing means rotatably mounting each cam ring about its circumference on said second member for relative rotation of the ring and second member on the ring axis, means pivotally connecting the outer ends of the pistons in each cylinder to the corresponding cam rings, respectively, on pivot axes parallel to said member rotation and cam ring axes, whereby reciprocating motion of the pistons produces a driving torque on said members tending to drive the members in relative rotation on said member rotation axis, and engine actuating means for supplying a combustible medium to said combustion chamber of each cylinder, effecting combustion of the medium in the chamber, and exhausting combustion products from the chamber in timed relation to the strokes of the corresponding pistons to drive the pistons through their power strokes.

Claim 10

The engine according to claim 7 wherein: said first member is a stator and said second member is a rotor which rotates relative to said stator.

Claim 11

The engine according to claim 7 wherein: said second member comprises an annular body surrounding said first member and each cam ring generally concentric with said member rotation axis, and said bearing means for each cam ring comprises a circular bearing surface about the circumference of the ring concentric with the ring axis, a circular bearing surface within said body concentrically surrounding and facing the cam ring bearing surface, and bearing rollers between said bearing surfaces.

Claim 12

The engine according to claim 7 wherein: each piston includes a piston rod having an outer end extending through the adjacent end of the corresponding cylinder and pivotally connected to the corresponding cam ring and an inner end within the cylinder, and a piston head rigid on the inner end of the rod, and each cylinder includes bearings at its ends slidably guiding the corresponding piston rods for endwise reciprocating motion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

Claim 13

The engine according to claim 7 wherein: said first member is a stator and said second member is a rotor which rotates relative to said stator said rotor comprises an annular body surrounding said stator and each cam ring generally concentric with said member rotation axis, said bearing means for each cam ring comprises a circular bearing surface about the circumference of the ring concentric with the ring axis, a circular bearing surface within said rotor body concentrically surrounding and facing the cam ring bearing surface, and bearing rollers between said bearing surfaces, each piston includes a piston rod having an outer end extending through the adjacent end of the corresponding cylinder and pivotally connected to the corresponding cam ring and an inner end within the cylinder, and a piston head rigid on the inner end of the rod, and each cylinder includes bearings at its ends slidably guiding the corresponding piston rods for endwise reciprocating motion parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

Claim 14

The engine according to claim 11 including: a housing enclosing said rotor and secured to said member supporting means, and power take-off means on said rotor accessible externally of said housing.

Claim 15

The engine according to claim 12 wherein: said engine actuating means comprises intake and exhaust ports at the ends, respectively, of each cylinder which are uncovered by the corresponding pistons near the ends of their power strokes to communicate said ports to the cylinder combustion chamber, means for supplying air under pressure to said intake port, means for exhausting combustion products from said exhaust port to atmosphere, and means for supplying fuel to the combustion chamber.

Claim 16

The engine according to claim 13 wherein: the axis of one cam ring for each cylinder is angularly displaced in the direction of rotation of said rotor from a plane containing said member rotation and the axis of the other cam ring of the cylinder, whereby the cylinder exhaust port is uncovered before the cylinder intake port.

Claim 17

The engine according to claim 14 wherein: said means for supplying air under pressure to said intake port of each cylinder comprises an air passage leading to said housing communicating with the intake port and a blower in said housing connected to said rotor for receiving air through said passage and discharging the air under pressure to the intake port, and said means for exhausting combustion products from the exhaust port of each cylinder comprises an exhaust passage leading from said housing and communicating with the exhaust port.

Claim 18

The engine according to claim 15 wherein: said engine comprises a plurality of cylinders arranged side by side along said member rotation axis, and the axes of the corresponding cylinder cam rings are angularly displaced about said member rotation axis.

Claim 19

The engine according to claim 7 wherein: said engine actuating means comprises intake and exhaust ports at the ends, respectively, of each cylinder which are uncovered by the corresponding pistons near the ends of their power strokes to communicate said ports to the cylinder combustion chamber, means for supplying air under pressure to said intake port, means for exhausting combustion products from said exhaust port to atmosphere, and means for supplying fuel to the combustion chamber.

Claim 20

The engine according to claim 17 wherein: the axis of one cam ring for each cylinder is angularly displaced in one direction of rotation of said rotor from a plane containing said member rotation axes and the axis of the other cam ring of the cylinder, whereby the cylinder exhaust port is uncovered before the cylinder intake port.

Claim 21

The engine according to claim 18 wherein: said engine is a diesel engine, and said fuel supply means comprises a fuel injector at the center of each cylinder for injecting fuel into the cylinder combustion chamber near the ends of the compression strokes of the corresponding pistons.