Flywheel for barrel engine
AssigneeThomas Engine Company, LLC
InventorRandall R. Gaiser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A barrel engine has a longitudinal output shaft defining a longitudinal axis. A plurality of cylinders is disposed about the output shaft and are each generally parallel to the longitudinal axis. A cam plane is defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and disposed between the open ends of the cylinders and a second end of the engine housing. A cam plate is disposed in the engine housing and supported for rotation about the longitudinal axis. The cam plate has a central portion and an outwardly extending cam portion. The cam portion has a cam surface that undulates from one side of the cam plane to the other. A flywheel has a plurality of lobes, each lobe being disposed generally in alignment with an area where the cam surface undulates closest to the open end of a cylinder.
Claims10
An internal combustion barrel engine, comprising:
- an engine housing having a first end and an opposite second end;
- an elongated longitudinal output shaft disposed in the engine housing and defining a longitudinal axis of the engine;
- a plurality of cylinders defined in the engine housing and disposed about the longitudinal output shaft, each of the cylinders having a cylinder axis that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the engine, each of the cylinders having a closed end adjacent the first end of the housing and an opposite open end;
- a cam plane being defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and disposed between the open ends of the cylinders and the second end of the engine housing;
- a cam plate disposed in the engine housing and supported for rotation about the longitudinal axis, the cam plate having a central portion and a cam portion extending outwardly therefrom, the cam portion having at least one cam surface that undulates from one side of the cam plane to the other;
- and
- a flywheel having a plurality of lobes, each lobe being disposed generally in alignment with an area where the cam surface undulates closest to the open end of a cylinder.
An internal combustion barrel engine, comprising:
- an engine housing having a first end and an opposite second end;
- an elongated longitudinal output shaft disposed in the engine housing and defining a longitudinal axis of the engine;
- a plurality of cylinders defined in the engine housing and disposed about the longitudinal output shaft, each of the cylinders having a cylinder axis that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the engine, each of the cylinders having a closed end adjacent the first end of the housing and an opposite open end;
- a cam plane being defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and disposed between the open ends of the cylinders and the second end of the engine housing;
- a cam plate disposed in the engine housing and supported for rotation about the longitudinal axis, the cam plate having a central portion engaged with the output shaft and a cam portion extending outwardly therefrom, the cam portion having at least one cam surface that undulates from one side of the cam plane to the other;
- and
- a flywheel generally filling an area defined between a curve parallel to the undulating cam surface and a plane parallel to the cam plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.