External heat source engine with slide valves

An engine drive assembly comprising:

• an engine comprising:
• at least one cylinder,
• a piston moving back and forth in the cylinder,
• a cylinder head defining, with the piston and the cylinder, a working chamber for a working gas,
• a distribution mounted in the cylinder head and selectively communicating the working chamber with the following resources:
• a working gas intake,
• a cold end of a heat exchanger,
• a hot end of the heat exchanger,
• an exhaust
• the distribution comprising at least one rotary slide valve mounted in rotation in the cylinder head and includes internal passages opening through the side wall thereof by at least one hole which selectively communicates with the working chamber by at least one opening made in the cylinder head,
• and the heat exchanger comprises a heat receiving path extending between the cold end and the hot end selectively connected to the working chamber at the end of a compression phase and at the beginning of an expansion phase, respectively.