A compact and efficient Z-twin internal combustion engine is described herein. The Z-twin internal combustion engine comprises horizontally opposed cylinder arrangement that allows for vibration cancellation. The Z-twin engine comprises a central shared cam that drives angled side valves of both the opposing cylinders, thereby greatly reducing moving parts and thus provides a significantly more efficient angled valve approach.

A compact and efficient Z-twin internal combustion engine is described herein. The Z-twin internal combustion engine comprises horizontally opposed cylinder arrangement that allows for vibration cancellation. The Z-twin engine comprises a central shared cam that drives angled side valves of both the opposing cylinders, thereby greatly reducing moving parts and thus provides a significantly more efficient angled valve approach.

The invention relates to power take-off devices for internal combustion engines and can be used, in particular, in different vehicles for taking power from reciprocating internal combustion engines. The present power take-off device for an internal combustion engine comprises at least two pairs of transfer mechanisms, coupled to the pistons of an engine, wherein a transfer mechanism is adapted to convert the reciprocating motion of its corresponding piston into rotary motion of a corresponding power take-off shaft. Each transfer mechanism comprises a means of setting rotation, which is mounted on a shaft connected to the piston, said means comprising a transfer component with at least one continuous, wave-like, vertically guiding track in the form of a guiding contact path, and a running wheel which moves along the contact path and has a fixed vertical position. The device provides an increase in engine efficiency of up to 50% and reduces the number of revolutions for similar levels of power output.

According to an embodiment, a driving apparatus includes a housing, a first driving body in the housing to be rotatable around a first central axis, an eccentric driving body provided in the first driving body to be rotatable around a second central axis parallel to the first central axis, a first pivot provided at one axial end of the eccentric driving body and eccentrically to the second central axis, a second pivot provided at another axial end of the eccentric driving body and eccentrically to the second central axis, a first moving body rotatably coupled to the first pivot and linearly movable along a third central axis, a first guide body which guides movement of the first moving body, and a second guide body which guides the second pivot to be movable in a first direction.

According to an embodiment, a driving apparatus includes a housing, a first driving body in the housing to be rotatable around a first central axis, an eccentric driving body provided in the first driving body to be rotatable around a second central axis parallel to the first central axis, a first pivot provided at one axial end of the eccentric driving body and eccentrically to the second central axis, a second pivot provided at another axial end of the eccentric driving body and eccentrically to the second central axis, a first moving body rotatably coupled to the first pivot and linearly movable along a third central axis, a first guide body which guides movement of the first moving body, and a second guide body which guides the second pivot to be movable in a first direction.

The invention relates to a power unit, in particular for a hybrid vehicle, comprising a two-cylinder reciprocating piston engine comprising two pistons guided in two cylinders in tandem arrangement, and two counter-rotating crankshafts connected to the pistons by connecting rods, a generator which is rotatable in the same direction as the first crankshaft and in the opposite direction to the second crankshaft, and a balancer shaft which is rotatable in the same direction as the second crankshaft and in the opposite direction to the first crankshaft. The generator is operatively connected directly to the first crankshaft by a first traction mechanism and the balancer shaft is operatively connected directly to the second crankshaft by a second traction mechanism. The balancer shaft and/or the second crankshaft support(s) a flywheel mass element. The invention further relates to a vehicle, in particular a hybrid vehicle, having such a power unit.

According to an embodiment, a driving apparatus includes a housing, a first driving body in the housing to be rotatable around a first central axis, an eccentric driving body provided in the first driving body to be rotatable around a second central axis parallel to the first central axis, a first pivot provided at one axial end of the eccentric driving body and eccentrically to the second central axis, a second pivot provided at another axial end of the eccentric driving body and eccentrically to the second central axis, a first moving body rotatably coupled to the first pivot and linearly movable along a third central axis, a first guide body which guides movement of the first moving body, and a second guide body which guides the second pivot to be movable in a first direction.

The invention relates to a constant-volume combustion engine (10; 110; 210), in particular a reciprocating engine for generating mechanical energy by the expansion of a gas or a hot gas from the combustion of a gas mixture or gas-fuel mixture, having at least one piston/cylinder unit, the piston (14; 114; 214) of which is connected to a piston rod (20; 120; 220), wherein said piston rod (20; 120; 220) is drivingly connected to at least two crankshafts (30, 40; 130, 140; 230a, 230b, 240), the first crankshaft (40; 140; 240) being mounted, such that it can rotate eccentrically, on the second crankshaft (30; 130; 230a, 230b), which is parallel thereto and is rotationally coupled thereto.

The invention relates to a constant-volume combustion engine (10; 110; 210), in particular a reciprocating engine for generating mechanical energy by the expansion of a gas or a hot gas from the combustion of a gas mixture or gas-fuel mixture, having at least one piston/cylinder unit, the piston (14; 114; 214) of which is connected to a piston rod (20; 120; 220), wherein said piston rod (20; 120; 220) is drivingly connected to at least two crankshafts (30, 40; 130, 140; 230a, 230b, 240), the first crankshaft (40; 140; 240) being mounted, such that it can rotate eccentrically, on the second crankshaft (30; 130; 230a, 230b), which is parallel thereto and is rotationally coupled thereto.

A pivoting bearing is provided for two connecting rods in a reciprocating piston of an internal combustion engine having two crankshafts which are driven via the reciprocating piston and the connecting rods. The pivoting bearing is received by piston bores of the piston and has gudgeon pin bores for mounting gudgeon pins for gudgeon pin eyes of the connecting rods. The pivoting bearing has radial bearing regions which are provided with the pin bores, are arranged on both sides of a center longitudinal axis of the reciprocating pistons, and delimit the gudgeon pin eyes in a manner which forms an intermediate space. To optimize the pivoting bearing, the bearing regions of the pivoting bearing are configured as cylinder bodies with a cup-like cross section, of which each cylinder body has a base wall and a bearing ring shell. The base walls of the two cylinder bodies extend at a spacing from one another, and the bearing ring shells which surround the base walls are guided away from the base walls in opposite directions. A plurality of connecting stubs run between the base walls in such a way that two connecting stubs are arranged on a side of the pivoting bearing, which side faces a piston crown, and extend at a relatively small spacing from ring sections of the gudgeon pin eyes, and in such a way that the connecting stubs and the ring sections have lubricating structures for lubricating connecting rod bearings of the connecting rods.