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US 5,203,295 AGranted
Internal combustion engine
AssigneeSpiralex Corp.
InventorDonnie W. Alexander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multicylinder internal combustion engine includes a plurality of reciprocating pistons each having a piston rod connected to a ball cage arrangement for converting reciprocating motion of the piston rod into rotation of a shaft coaxial with the piston rod. A one way clutch connects the coaxial shaft with an output to drive the output in one direction. A parallelogram linkage connects the piston assemblies together causing them to move in concert through the cycles of the engine.
Claims14
An internal combustion engine comprising
- a piston-cylinder arrangement including a cylinder having a piston reciprocating therein and a piston rod, the piston moving in a cycle including intake and power strokes;
- a power output including an input shaft and an output;
- a motion converter connecting the piston rod to the input shaft and comprising a helical groove on the input shaft and a ball carried by the piston rod and riding in the groove for rotating the input shaft upon movement of the piston in the power stroke, and a one-way clutch operating on the input shaft for driving the output during advance of the piston in a first direction in the power stroke and allowing free wheeling of the input shaft during retraction of the piston in a second direction;
- means for limiting the stroke of the piston;
- and
- means for moving the piston at the end of the power stroke in the second direction.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.