Variable displacement piston engine

A balanceable even firing four-stroke cycle variable displacement reciprocating piston internal combustion engine comprising:

• a crank having a fixed longitudinal axis and at least three longitudinally spaced crank arms extending in angularly opposite directions from said axis,
• at least three rockers pivotable on a rocker axis parallel with said crank axis, said rockers being pivotally connected at points equally spaced from the rocker axis one each with couplers each connected with one of said crank arms,
• said crank, couplers and rockers forming equivalent four-bar crank and rocker linkages having balanced phase orientations,
• at least three oscillating links pivotable on a link axis parallel with said rocker axis along a control plane and adjustable in said control plane which passes through the rocker axis, said links each having a portion slidably engaging one of said rockers at points spaced from said link and rocker axes so as to require concurrent oscillation of the associated links and rockers about their respective axes, wherein a distance between said points of engagement of said links with their respective rockers and said rocker axis is adjusted by adjustment of said link axis in said control plane such that an oscillation angle traversed by said links is varied by such link axis adjustment,
• a piston associated with each oscillating link, said pistons being reciprocable in cylinders on parallel axes lying in a plane spaced from and parallel with said control plane, and
• piston rods connecting each of said pistons with an extending arm of its associated oscillating link, said links and crank arms being related to reciprocate the pistons at equal phase intervals in an operating cycle wherein the cylinders are fired alternately every other crank revolution,
• whereby rotation of said crank reciprocates said pistons in even firing phase relation with substantial balance of the moving components, and said adjustment of said link axis varies the piston stroke.

A balanceable even firing four-stroke cycle variable displacement reciprocating piston internal combustion engine comprising:

• a crank having a fixed longitudinal axis and at least one pair of longitudinally spaced crank arms extending in angularly opposite directions from said axis,
• at least one pair of rockers pivotable on a rocker axis parallel with said crank axis, said rockers being pivotally connected at points equally spaced from the rocker axis one each with couplers each connected with one of said crank arms,
• said crank, couplers and rockers forming at least one pair of equivalent four-bar crank and rocker linkages having balanced phase orientations,
• at least one pair of oscillating links pivotable on a link axis parallel with said rocker axis along a control plane and adjustable in said control plane which passes through the rocker axis, said links each having a portion slidably engaging one of said rockers at points spaced from said link and rocker axes so as to require concurrent oscillation of the associated links and rockers about their respective axes, wherein a distance between said points of engagement of said links with their respective rockers and said rocker axis is adjusted by adjustment of said link axis in said control plane such that an oscillation angle traversed by said links is varied by such link axis adjustment,
• at least four pistons reciprocable in cylinders on parallel axes spaced from and parallel with said control plane, and
• piston rods connecting each of said pistons with an extending arm of one of said oscillating links, said links and crank arms being related to reciprocate the pistons in phased pairs spaced at equal intervals in a single crank revolution with the cylinders of each pair of pistons being fired alternately every other crank revolution,
• whereby rotation of said crank reciprocates said pistons in even firing phase relation and said adjustment of said link axis varies the piston stroke.