Variable valve-stroke controls

Valve-stroke controls for continuously varying the length of the stroke of the valves in an internal-combustion engine and for maintaining the valves constantly closed while the engine is in operation with a substantially upright angled lever laterally actuated by a cam, whereby the lever has structures at the bottom that extend substantially down at a right angle to its longitudinal axis and engage the circumference of a roller mounted on a rocker lever that actuates a valve, characterized in that said levers and cam operate on the principle of a planetary gear, the angled lever executing the function of a planet wheel and being mounted at its upper end in a swivel between two setting levers that exercise the function of a planetary bearing, the setting levers themselves so mounted at their lower ends in a swivel on the cylinder head that the axis of rotation of the swivel is identical with that of the roller that executes the function of a sun wheel on the rocker lever that actuates the valve when the valve is closed, and whereby the structure that maintains the valve constantly closed is constituted by a roll-over surface of a planet wheel in the form of a positively circular arc, whereby the center of the radius of the circle coincides with the axis of rotation of the swivel and the distance between, and the sum of the radius of the arc and the radius of the roller equals the distance between the axis of rotation of the swivel on the angled lever and the common axis of rotation of the lower swivel on the setting levers and the roller.