Paragraphs

Claims

The diagrams of figures 10 and 11 are based on the above formula where:

a = top dead center of smaller cylinder [3]
b = summit of smaller piston [8]
s = surface of smaller piston [8]
l = length of smaller connecting rod [9]
r = length of smaller crankshaft [5]
A = top dead center of larger cylinder [2]
B = summit of larger piston [6]
S = surface of larger piston [6]
L = length of larger connecting rod [7]
R = length of larger crankshaft [4]

Vm = clearance space [40]
α = angular rotation (0° at top dead center ) ( counterclockwise )
φ = lead angle of smaller crankshaft [5] with respect to the larger crankshaft [4].

Example to make the engine functional and performant according to one of the numerous applications:

The above formula stored in a computer computation sheet allows generation and selection of the dimensional values of the different engine members, i.e. the compression ratios between the displacements of the paired cylinders [2] and [3] and the ratio between the total volume of these cylinders [2] and [3] and the clearance space [40]; the computation sheet is defined so that the values reckoned for the maximum and minimum compression ratios of the engine coincide with the corresponding degrees of the minimum and maximum lead angles between the crank of the short-stroke crankshaft and the crank of the long-stroke crankshaft, respectively at the start-of-travel and at the end-of-travel of the variably timed transmission. The diagrams of figures 10 and 11 show examples of variation curves of the compression ratio and of the volumetric efficiency of the paired cylinders [2] [3] over 360° of angular rotation of the crank of the long-stroke crankshaft [4].

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, in the case of a high-capacity power unit, the two crankshafts [4] and [5] are each mechanically connected to a generator and the electrical circuits of the two generators are connected in parallel. The capacity of each generator is defined in function of the actual output of the corresponding crankshaft at cruise speed of the engine, so that the variably timed transmission and the corresponding couplings of the two crankshafts [4] and [5] are limited to torque compensating loads.

Claims