Reciprocating piston engine

In a piston engine wherein a piston having a crown side and a side opposite said crown side to which an end of a piston is attached while the other is operatively engaged with a drive shaft and the piston reciprocated within a cylinder to drive the engine, a fuel injector means for the introduction of fuel into the cylinder, an intake valve open to an air source such that air can be taken into the cylinder and the fuel burned a sprocket operatively engaged with said drive shaft, a cam shaft, a sprocket operatively engaged with said cam shaft, and a timing chain operatively engaged with the sprockets of said drive shaft and said cam shaft to provide synchronization between the rotation of said drive shaft and said cam shaft during operation of the engine,

• the cam shaft further including, in combination therewith, a cam surface, a cam follower, with a push pod flexibly riding the cam follower, and surrounded with a push rod tube, and a rocker arm one end of which is operatively engaged with an end of the push rod and the other end of which moves an intake poppet valve stem downwardly within the combustion chamber to provide said intake valve inlet for the introduction, and interruption of, air into the cylinder,
• the improvement comprising
• an eccentric member located within a cylindrical bearing in the block, in which the cam follower is fitted, such that rotation of the eccentric shifts the axis of the cam follower to move it closer to, and further from, the axis of the cam shaft wherein the length of stroke of the cam follower is increased to lengthen, and decreased to shorten, the upward distance of movement of said push rod in its actuation of the rocker arm which in its effect regulated the time period, and size of the opening offered by movement of the poppet valve stem on opening said intake valve inlet and closing point cut off to meter a preselected quantity of air into the cylinder.

In combination, apparatus comprising a reciprocating piston engine wherein there is included the combination of one or more pistons individually reciprocably mounted each within a cylinder,

• an intake valve located within a cylinder through which fuel and air can be admitted into the cylinder, compressed and the fuel burned to drive a piston during a power stroke,
• an exhaust valve located within a cylinder through which burned fuel can be exhausted by movement of a piston to expell the burned gases during an exhaust stroke,
• a piston having a crown side and a side opposite said crown side to which a piston shaft is pivotally attached, the crown side of the piston facing into the cylinder wherein said intake and exhaust valves are located,
• an elongated roller gear to which said piston shaft is pivotally attached, the elongated roller gear is open centered and has an inside face thereof provided with a continuous array of teeth,
• a drive shaft,
• a roller gear pinion operatively engaged with said drive shaft, rotation of which produces rotation of said drive shaft, said roller gear pinion being provided with a continuous array of teeth for continuous meshing engagement with the teeth on the inside face of said elongated roller gear, movement of a piston acting through a piston shaft and elongated roller gear producing rotation of said drive shaft via action upon roller gear pinion,
• a pair of rails, one each of which is disposed on opposite sides of the teeth of said elongated roller gear,
• a pair of rollers, one each of which is disposed on opposite sides adjacent the teeth of and parallel to said roller gear pinion, the rollers of the roller gear pinion contacting and rolling along the rails of said elongated roller gear to maintain a proper relationship and root clearance between the meshing teeth of an elongated roller gear and a roller gear pinion for effecting the continuous rolling and meshing engagement,
• a pair of guide bar roller shafts, spaced apart, in-line and mounted in bearings upon the engine in generally parallel orientation with the drive shaft on alternately disposed sides of the elongated roller gear and roller gear pinion,
• a guide bar mounted on the elongated roller gear on a side thereof faced toward said pair of guide bar roller shafts, the guide bar engaging the pair of guide bar roller shafts, such that reciprocating movement of the elongated roller gear produced by reciprocation of the piston within a cylinder produces a rocking movement of the elongated roller gear through a path about which said guide bar moves around said pair of roller bar guide shafts to maintain continuous rolling and meshing contact between said elongated roller gear and roller gear pinion, and rotation of the drive shaft,
• a cam shaft,
• a sprocket operatively engaged with said cam shaft,
• a sprocket operatively engaged with said drive shaft, and
• a timing chain operatively engaged with the sprockets of said cam shaft and said drive shaft to provide synchronization between the rotation of said drive shaft and said cam shaft during operation of the engine,
• the cam shaft further including, in combination therewith, a cam surface, a cam follower with a push rod flexibly riding on top, and surrounded with a push rod tube, a rocker arm one end of which is operatively engaged with an end of the push rod and the other end of which moves an intake poppet valve stem to provide charging of the cylinder, and means for locating the cam follower in an advanced position relative to the cam shaft axis, and means for moving the cam follower toward and away from the cam shaft axis to control the opening and cut off of the intake valve to increase and decrease the amount of cylinder intake, in timed relation to the position of the piston within the cylinder on its out stroke, respectively.