A drive unit is situated between a first wheel axle and a second wheel axle and has an internal-combustion engine with a crankshaft system including a horizontally oriented crankshaft, which crankshaft acts upon a continuously variable transmission system which drives wheels of the first wheel axle and of the second wheel axle. The crankshaft is caused to rotate by at least one piston of the engine. The crankshaft interacts with a first set of V-pulleys of the transmission system, which first set of V-pulleys, by way of a first drive shaft, is connected with a first differential of the first wheel axle. The first set of V-pulleys, by way of an endless member, is in an operative connection with a set of V-pulleys which, with the interposition of a second drive shaft, influences a second differential of the second wheel axle.

A balanced rotary engine for applying torque to a drive shaft. The engine has an outer casing with a main drive case. A cylinder is rotably mounted in the casing and a piston is mounted to move longitudinally within the cylinder. Two connecting arms, each with a connecting end, one of the ends is connected to the piston, and two crankshafts, each one being rotably connected to the other connecting end of the connecting arms. Two drive wheels are contra-rotably connected to the respective first and second crankshafts. A fixed drive ring has a circumferentially disposed drive member surface. The fixed drive ring is mounted in the case so that the drive member surface faces the piston. The two drive wheels mesh with the drive ring.

The disclosure relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine of a watercraft, in particular on inland waters, in which (i) in an electrolysis unit for the production of hydrogen, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen, (ii) a carbon dioxide sorption unit extracts carbon dioxide from the ambient air, (iii) the hydrogen and the carbon dioxide are fed to a methanol synthesis unit for the production of methanol, and are synthesized therein to methanol, (iv) a photovoltaic unit absorbs solar energy and converts it into electrical energy. The electrolysis unit, the carbon dioxide sorption unit and the methanol synthesis unit are powered by the electrical energy generated in the photovoltaic unit. The methanol produced is transported by means of a distributor system to at least one tank of the watercraft, and is fed from the tank as required to the internal combustion engine, and therein is combusted to generate mechanical energy.

According to one embodiment, a drive device includes a first piston reciprocatively along a first direction within a first mount plane, a first crankshaft orthogonal to the first mount plane, a first XY separation crank mechanism between the first piston and the first crankshaft, which converts reciprocating motion of the first piston and rotary motion of the first crankshaft into each other, a second piston reciprocatively along a second direction symmetrical to the first direction within a second mount plane symmetrical to the first mount plane about a central reference plane, a second crankshaft orthogonal to the second mount plane, a second XY separation crank mechanism between the second piston and the second crankshaft, which converts reciprocating motion of the second piston and rotary motion of the second crankshaft into each other, and a coupler-synchronizing mechanism which rotates the first and second crankshafts in synchronous with each other.

A pivot bearing suitable for two connecting rods in at least one piston of an internal combustion engine having two crankshafts, includes radial bearing regions that are provided with bolt boreholes and are disposed on either side of a center longitudinal plane of the piston and delimit connecting rod ends, forming an intermediate space. The bearing regions are designed as cylinder bodies having a crucible-like cross-section, of which each cylinder body has a base wall and a bearing ring jacket. The base walls of the two cylinder bodies extend at a distance from each other, and the bearing ring jackets surrounding the base walls are guided away from the base walls in opposite directions. One or more connecting supports run between the base walls. The bearing ring jackets cooperate with the piston boreholes in a rotatably movable manner. The base walls are connected to bearing bushings which are oriented in the axial direction of the pivot bearing and into which the bolt boreholes are incorporated. The pivot bearing is made of a material that brings about a targeted low-weight construction of the pivot bearing, while offering high strength and low wear.

There is disclosed an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a cylinder unit and a piston unit. The cylinder unit is rotatably coupled to a pair of spaced-apart crankshafts, with the cylinder unit moveable along a longitudinal axis. The piston unit is continually disposed within the cylinder unit, with the piston unit rotatively coupled to a second pair of spaced-apart crankshafts. The piston is moveable along the longitudinal axis in a direction opposite the direction of the cylinder during a combustion cycle. Both the cylinder unit and the piston unit are structured to be balanced relative to the respective center-of-gravity of each unit. Each center-of-gravity is located midway between the pair of spaced-apart crankshafts to which each unit is rotatively coupled.

An internal combustion engine has a uniblock that defines a blind cylinder bore that terminates within the uniblock. A piston is inserted into the cylinder bore from a bottom end of the cylinder bore. Parallel first and second vertical planes extend along first and second lateral sides of the cylinder bore. A cylinder zone being defined between the first and second vertical planes. A crosshead is coupled to the piston. A first crankshaft has a first crankshaft axis that extends parallel to the first vertical plane and that is positioned outside of the cylinder zone. A second crankshaft has a second crankshaft axis that extends parallel to the second vertical plane and that is positioned outside of the cylinder zone. The first crankshaft is coupled to the crosshead with a first connecting rod and the second crankshaft is coupled to the crosshead with a second connecting rod.

In an inverted V-8 engine capable of operating in power level steps with four pairs of piston and cylinder assemblies having fuel injectors with dual options, the improvement which comprises a three component frame structure having cooperating interengaging surfaces containing two banks of four inline crankshaft connected piston and cylinder units converging angularly upwardly from two interconnected crankshafts. The surface-to-surface contact between the block component and head component includes oppositely paired cylinder open ends covered by cam operated valving in the head component with the adjacent upper combustion chambers of each pair of cylinders being communicated by an intercommunicating polished passage formed in a two-piece insert fixedly positioned in a recess in the head component and a method of operating the engine in a vehicle.

A pivot bearing suitable for two connecting rods in at least one piston of an internal combustion engine having two crankshafts, includes radial bearing regions that are provided with bolt boreholes and are disposed on either side of a center longitudinal plane of the piston and delimit connecting rod ends, forming an intermediate space. The bearing regions are designed as cylinder bodies having a crucible-like cross-section, of which each cylinder body has a base wall and a bearing ring jacket. The base walls of the two cylinder bodies extend at a distance from each other, and the bearing ring jackets surrounding the base walls are guided away from the base walls in opposite directions. One or more connecting supports run between the base walls. The bearing ring jackets cooperate with the piston boreholes in a rotatably movable manner. The base walls are connected to bearing bushings which are oriented in the axial direction of the pivot bearing and into which the bolt boreholes are incorporated. The pivot bearing is made of a material that brings about a targeted low-weight construction of the pivot bearing, while offering high strength and low wear.

Disclosed is a reciprocating piston engine, comprising a combined structure with an optimized double-crankshaft and variable compression ratio pistons, characterized in that the variable compression ratio piston is a piston serving as a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, a control valve bush of a slide-valve type directional control valve is fixed in a central mounting hole of the inner piston, and a control valve core is mounted in a rotatory sliding or nut-ball screw manner in a central mounting hole in the inner surface of the piston top; and the double-crankshaft engine is formed by two reverse rotating crankshafts which are coupled by gears to be in synchronous reverse rotation motion together, each piston being connected to a connecting rod shaft of two crankshafts, and a piston control valve driving mechanism being mounted between the two crankshafts.