Pinion gear assembly for translating reciprocating movements of the pistons in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine into the rotating movement of a shaft

A pinion gear assembly for translating reciprocating movements of the pistons in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine into the rotating movement of a drive shaft of the engine, comprising:

• two gear racks, each gear rack having at its two ends a piston connected thereto, each piston being associated with a cylinder of the engine;
• a pair of shafts;
• two pairs of gears;
• a grip roller and expanding friction clutch assembly associated with each gear of said pairs of gears for mounting the associated gear to a respective shaft, each pair of gears being thus mounted to mesh with a respective one of the gear racks;
• two further pairs of gears;
• and
• a grip roller and expanding friction clutch assembly associated with each gear of said further pairs of gears for mounting the associated gear to a respective shaft, each further pair of gears being thus mounted to mesh with a respective one of the gear racks, such that:
• in one direction of movement of each gear rack one gear of each pair of gears drives its associated shaft in a given direction, and in the opposite direction of movement of each gear rack the other gear of each pair of gears drives said associated shaft in said given direction;
• and
• said pair of shafts continuing to rotate in said given direction when each gear is rotated in a direction opposite to said given direction by its respective gear rack due to the grip roller and expanding friction clutch assembly associated with each gear;
• said given direction being the same for each shaft which together serve to drive the drive shaft;
• in said given direction, each shaft drives a gear of its associated further pair of gears and the gear rack meshing with said gear of its associated further pair of gears;
• and
• in the direction opposite to said given direction, said gear of its associated further pair of gears free-wheels, and wherein:
• each gear rack includes switching means, each grip roller and expanding friction clutch assembly includes:
• a grip roller bearing wheel fixedly mounted on its respective shaft, said grip roller bearing wheel having a plurality of recesses around its circumference each with a bottom surface, the distance of which from the inner surface of the gear wheel increasing in said given direction;
• a grip roller disposed in each recess;
• a spring in each recess for biasing the grip roller in its respective recess into a gripping position;
• a disc including a plurality of bars, one for each recess;
• and magnetic means for force-locking said disc, and each grip roller and expanding friction clutch assembly is switchable by said switching means.