| 摘要 |
A compact internal combustion engine includes an engine housing, an arrangement of cylinders, a reciprocating piston in each cylinder, a crankshaft extending through the engine housing, a cam crank fitted to the crankshaft and rotatable therewith, and a valve assembly. A connecting rod of each piston is coupled to the cam crank via a bearing assembly in a manner which causes the coupled end of each piston connecting rod to follow a continuous path of predetermined configuration throughout each piston stroke to thereby transmit the linear power of combustion into a rotating force. The bearing assembly is structured and disposed to maintain the connecting rods in coupled connection with the cam crank when subjected to both downward forces and outward separating forces which occur throughout rotation of the cam crank as the coupled connection follows the continuous path. In a preferred embodiment, the continuous path is defined by one or more cam-shaped grooves formed in the cam crank which serve to direct the reciprocating pistons through four complete strokes with each rotation of the cam crank so that each cylinder delivers one power stroke for each rotation of the crankshaft.
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