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An internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders arranged parallel to and equally spaced from a longitudinally extending engine axis with a pair of opposed pistons mounted in each cylinder for controlled reciprocation therein. Respective rotatably mounted axial-faced cams and connecte

An internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders arranged parallel to and equally spaced from a longitudinally extending engine axis with a pair of opposed pistons mounted in each cylinder for controlled reciprocation therein. Respective rotatably mounted axial-faced cams and connected followers control the motion of the pistons through the operating cycle to permit at least one and preferably more power strokes from each cylinder during each rotation of the engine. A controllable divider valve is located between the opposed faces of the pistons to define, on the one side, a first air/fuel receiving compression chamber and, on the other side, a second relatively high-pressure ignition air receiving chamber. Before the cam-controlled compression stroke, the divider valve is closed so that the air/fuel mixture on the one side of the closed valve is compressed to a first pressure and the ignition air on the other side of the valve is compressed to a relatively higher pressure to cause the temperature of this more highly compressed air to increase to a temperature above the ignition temperature of the compressed air/fuel mixture. Ignition is caused by opening the divider valve to permit the high-pressure, high-temperature ignition air in the second chamber to enter the compressed air/fuel mixture in the first chamber and to cause burning thereof.

대표청구항 ▼

An internal combusion engine, comprising: block means having at least one cylinder formed therein; first and second pistons located within said cylinder for controlled reciprocating motion to advance toward one another and retract away from one another; valve means located within said cylinder betwe

An internal combusion engine, comprising: block means having at least one cylinder formed therein; first and second pistons located within said cylinder for controlled reciprocating motion to advance toward one another and retract away from one another; valve means located within said cylinder between said first and second pistons and operable between an open position permitting communication between a first chamber defined between the first piston, said cylinder, and said valve means and a second chamber defined between said second piston, said cylinder, and said valve means; control means connected to said first and second pistons for controlling the reciprocating motion thereof by causing each of said pistons to advance to a predetermined first position adjacent to said valve means and for permitting each of said pistons to retract away their respective first positions to a respective second position; introducing means for introducing air into said second chamber when said second piston is in a position other than said first-mentioned predetermined position and for introducing an air and fuel mixture of predetermined ratio into said first chamber, said control means operative to cause said first piston to compress said air and fuel in said first chamber to a predetermined pressure less than that which would effect ignition and to cause said second piston to compress said air in said second chamber to a predetermined pressure that is sufficient to raise the temperature of the so-compressed air to a temperature above the auto-ignition temperature of the compressed air-fuel mixture; actuator means connected to said valve means for causing said valve means, during the compression of said air in said second chamber and said air and fuel mixture in said first chamber to remain closed, and for opening said valve at a predetermined time to cause the so-compressed air which is at a temperature above the ignition temperature of the air/fuel charge from said second chamber to enter the compressed air and fuel mixture of said first chamber to cause ignition thereof, said pistons retracting in response to the formation of combustion products from said so-ignited air-fuel mixture; and exhaust means for exhausting the combustion products of said so-ignited air-fuel mixture after substantial retraction of said first and second pistons.