Cantilevered crankshaft stirling cycle machine

A machine comprising:

• a. a first piston having a first connecting rod, the piston undergoing reciprocating linear motion along a first rod axis within a first cylinder and having a displacement along the first rod axis with respect to a first fiducial point disposed along the first rod axis and fixed with respect to the first cylinder;
• b. a second piston having a second connecting rod, the second piston undergoing reciprocating linear motion within a second cylinder along a second rod axis, the second rod axis lying in a first plane parallel to the first rod axis and in a second plane forming an angle with respect to the first rod axis, the second piston having a displacement along the second rod axis with respect to a second fiducial point disposed along the second rod axis and fixed with respect to the second cylinder;
• c. a harmonic drive linkage having a net annular momentum, the harmonic drive linkage coupled to the first and second connecting rods in such a manner that the displacement of the first piston along the first rod axis is a sinusoidal function of a crank angle and the displacement of the second piston alone the second rod axis is a sinusoidal function of the crank angle, the displacement of the second piston being shifted in phase with respect the displacement of the first piston along the first rod axis, the phase shift substantially equal to the angle between the second plane and the first rod axis;
• and
• d. a working fluid contained within the first and second cylinders, the working fluid undergoing successive closed cycles of heating, expansion, cooling and compression;
• e. wherein the linkage comprises:
• i) a primary crankshaft;
• ii) an eccentric crankshaft having a cantilevered end, the eccentric crankshaft disposed internally to the primary crankshaft, the eccentric crankshaft coupled to both the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod adjacent to the cantilevered end;
• and
• iii) an epicyclic gear set disposed distally to the cantilevered end, the epicyclic gear coupling the eccentric crankshaft to the primary crankshaft in such a manner that the eccentric crankshaft is characterized by a forward angular momentum and the primary crankshaft is characterized by a backward angular momentum.