An internal combustion engine according to the invention comprises at least two engine blocks which are coupled to one another and each of which includes at least two cylinders, each cylinder being connected to a common drive shaft via a transmission and a clutch. If there is a problem with one engine block, same can be disconnected from the drive shaft so that the engine can continue to operate by means of the other engine block.

A piston internal combustion engine with generator has two cylinders and cylinder heads and pistons with connecting rods and two crankshafts which are connected by gears with a ratio of 1:1 (with opposite direction of rotation). The first crankshaft with the gear is mounted parallel to the second crankshaft with the second gear in one engine case such, that the gears engage. The first crankshaft is coupled to the first generator rotor and the second crankshaft is coupled to the second generator rotor or the flywheel. The moment of inertia of the first crankshaft assembly with the first gear and the first generator rotor is equal to the moment of inertia of the second crankshaft assembly with the second gear and the second generator rotor or flywheel. The cylinders with the pistons and are positioned perpendicularly to the plane of symmetry between the crankshafts, with the axes of the pair of cylinders lying in a plane with the both pistons being at the top dead center simultaneously.

A maintenance optimization control system for load sharing between includes a first engine having an associated first criteria, a second engine having an associated second criteria, and a load having a steady component and a transient component. The control system includes a controller communicably coupled to the first engine, the second engine and the load. The controller selects an engine from the first engine and the second engine based at least on the first criteria and the second criteria. The controller distributes the load between the first engine and the second engine such that only the selected engine is operated under transient component of the load.

A maintenance optimization control system for load sharing between includes a first engine having an associated first criteria, a second engine having an associated second criteria, and a load having a steady component and a transient component. The control system includes a controller communicably coupled to the first engine, the second engine and the load. The controller selects an engine from the first engine and the second engine based at least on the first criteria and the second criteria. The controller distributes the load between the first engine and the second engine such that only the selected engine is operated under transient component of the load.

Disclosed is an actuator including a cylinder volume having a first portion, and an actuator piston disc displaceable in the cylinder between inactive and active positions, an inlet channel between a pressure fluid inlet and the first portion of the cylinder volume, a first inlet valve body in the inlet channel, an outlet channel between the first portion of the cylinder volume and a pressure fluid outlet, and an outlet valve body in the outlet channel. The slave piston is displaceable in a bore between inactive and active positions. The first inlet valve body includes a seat valve body having an inactive position closing the inlet channel, the slave piston, in moving from inactive to active positions, rams the first inlet valve body, displacing it to an active position at which the inlet channel is open, the outlet valve body being connected to and jointly displaceable with the slave piston.

Disclosed is an actuator including a cylinder volume having a first portion, and an actuator piston disc displaceable in the cylinder between inactive and active positions, an inlet channel between a pressure fluid inlet and the first portion of the cylinder volume, a first inlet valve body in the inlet channel, an outlet channel between the first portion of the cylinder volume and a pressure fluid outlet, and an outlet valve body in the outlet channel. The slave piston is displaceable in a bore between inactive and active positions. The first inlet valve body includes a seat valve body having an inactive position closing the inlet channel, the slave piston, in moving from inactive to active positions, rams the first inlet valve body, displacing it to an active position at which the inlet channel is open, the outlet valve body being connected to and jointly displaceable with the slave piston.

A combined engine system is disclosed which may help to meet electrical power demand of a common load that can vary in an unpredictable manner. The system comprises at least one primary engine and one or more secondary engines. An after-treatment system is connected to the engines to receive exhaust flow from each of the engines. A controller is configured to operate the system in a first operating mode when only the primary engine is running and a second operating mode when the secondary engines are run together with the primary engine. Exhaust flows from each of the engines are passed through the after-treatment system which allows the after-treatment system to be heated by the exhaust flow of the primary engine before receiving exhaust flows from the secondary engines.

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.

A maintenance optimization control system for load sharing between includes a first engine having an associated first criteria, a second engine having an associated second criteria, and a load having a steady component and a transient component. The control system includes a controller communicably coupled to the first engine, the second engine and the load. The controller selects an engine from the first engine and the second engine based at least on the first criteria and the second criteria. The controller distributes the load between the first engine and the second engine such that only the selected engine is operated under transient component of the load.

A method and system for assembling a vehicle of a family of vehicles includes providing a group of engines. A first engine including a first number of cylinders corresponds to a first vehicle. A second engine including a second number of cylinders corresponds to a second vehicle. The second number is greater than the first number which is at least one. A cylinder plane extends vertically and longitudinally. At least one cylinder is disposed at least partly forward of a front wheel plane. The transmission assembly is rearward of the selected engine and one of the transmission assembly and the selected engine is in a same location whether the selected engine is the first or the second. The seat is at least in part longitudinally rearward of the transmission assembly. The selected engine is laterally disposed between the centers of the footrests.