Rocking-type piston engine

Abstract

Four pistons (20) are arranged offset from one another at angular spacings of 90.degree. in a housing (10) having a cylindrical inner wall, and they are each supported to be pivotable about a piston axis (B) which is parallel to the housing axis (A). The pistons (20) are designed as two-armed levers whose arms are in rolling engagement with a respective adjacent piston arm so that four housing chambers (18) are defined in the housing (10) by a pair each of piston arms in rolling engagement with each other. Either a fuel-air mixture or air into which fuel is injected is processed in the housing chambers (18) according to the Otto or Diesel four stroke cycle, with the pistons (20) rocking back and forth like a balance. These rocking motions are converted into rotation of a central shaft (30) by cam followers (38) which roll off running surfaces (40) formed on the pistons (20).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.