Internal combustion engine having compressed air supply passages therein for routing compressed air to charge injectors

An internal combustion engine, the engine comprising

• a crankcase,
• a plurality of cylinders provided on the crankcase, the cylinders spaced from each other in a V-shape such that a V-shaped space exists between the cylinders, each of the cylinders comprising a cylinder head disposed on a cylinder block,
• a charge injector disposed within each of the cylinder heads, the charge injector directly injecting a fuel-air mixture into a combustion chamber in the cylinder,
• an air compressor annexed to the engine, and
• compressed-air supply channels formed therein for supplying compressed air from the air compressor to the charge injectors, the compressed-air supply channels comprising
• a single shared channel disposed within the crankcase, one end of the shared channel communicating with the air compressor, the other end of the shared channel terminating at, and opening to, a joint between the crankcase and the cylinder blocks,
• plural branched channels disposed within the cylinder blocks, one end of each branched channel communicating with the single shared channel, and an other end of each branched channel communicating with a charge injector such that a branched channel is provided in each cylinder block.