Swash plate internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine having at least a pair of parallel cylinders, a drive shaft parallel to and symmetrically disposed with respect to said cylinders, said drive shaft having a journal portion inclined to its axis, a swash plate held against rotation and mounted on said journal portion to produce rotation of said drive shaft, a piston in each of said cylinders having a rigid axial extension arranged for axial movement only relative to the respective cylinder, and connections of said piston extensions to said swash plate for transmitting axial movements of said extensions to said swash plate and thereby producing rotation of said drive shaft, said connections being reciprocable radially of said swash plate journal portion and parallel to the plane of said swash plate, wall means forming a chamber distinct from said cylinders and enclosing said swash plate, the adjacent portions of said drive shaft and of said piston extensions and said connections, said chamber being adapted to contain a liquid lubricant, each said piston extension being formed with an internal axial passage, there being an opening in said swash plate to accommodate movement of said connections relative to said swash plate, said connections defining with said opening a sealed lubricant recess having an inlet from said chamber and an outlet communicating with the respective piston extension passage, said pistons being formed with passage means connecting said piston extension passages with the peripheries of the respective pistons whereby reciprocating movements of said connections of said piston extensions to said swash plate radially with respect to said drive shaft during operation of the engine draw lubricant from said chamber into said swash plate opening and force it into said piston extension passages and therethrough into the peripheral space between the respective pistons and cylinder walls to lubricate and cool said cylinders, wherein each said connection between each piston extension and the swash plate comprises a ball mounted on the respective piston extension, and a spherical socket surrounding said ball, the openings in said swash plate being slightly larger than the periphery of said spherical socket and receiving said socket for movement therein, said socket having spaced parallel external flanges slidably embracing the opposite surfaces of said swash plate along the margin of said swash plate, whereby as the respective sockets move with respect to the swash plate, they draw lubricant into the respective opening from the chamber outwardly of said shell and force such lubricant through the tubular piston extension and piston passages into peripheral regions of said piston, and further including apertures in the wall means aligned with the respective piston extensions slidably receiving the ends of said piston extensions, covers for said piston extensions outwardly of said apertures, and passage means connecting said piston extension covers with said chamber.