A combination for an opposed-piston engine includes an intake piston and an exhaust piston, each with a top land height. The intake piston top land height is less than the exhaust piston top land height.

An autonomous flying device achieving a large payload and a long continuous flight tune and also accurately adjust position and orientation while flying. The device includes: a main rotor and the like that provide main thrust; a sub rotor and the like that controls the orientation; an engine that generates energy for rotating the main rotor and the like and the sub rotor and the like; and an arithmetic control device that controls rotation of the sub rotor and the like. Also, the main rotor and the like are rotated by being drivingly connected to the engine, whereas the sub rotor and the like are rotated by motors driven by electric power generated from generator and the like operated by the engine. Further, when orientation control to tilt the fuselage is performed, the arithmetic control device increases the output distribution ratio of the sub rotor to above the output distribution ratio of the sub rotor when hovering is performed.

A free piston apparatus includes a piston receptacle in which a piston device having a piston is reciprocable along an axis. The piston receptacle includes or forms a combustion chamber delimited by a wall arrangement forming an inlet opening for the supply of fresh gas and an outlet opening for the removal of exhaust gas. Fresh gas is suppliable via a supply conduit. The free piston apparatus includes a housing for fresh gas which is connected to the supply conduit in a flow direction of the fresh gas being supplied. The housing forms a settling chamber for fresh gas which surrounds the piston receptacle at least in sections in the region of the inlet opening in a circumferential direction of the axis. The settling chamber opens into the combustion chamber via the inlet opening.

An internal combustion engine has at least one piston configured to reciprocate within a combustion chamber. The engine has a transfer port, and exhaust port and a secondary port which may be adapted as either a secondary air transfer port, a secondary exhaust port, or as a two-way port acting selectively as i) an air transfer port and ii) an exhaust port. The engine may operate on a two stroke cycle. The engine may be for use submerged in a body of water, e.g. in an outboard motor, and with a cowling defining a volume near an outer wall of the combustion chamber. The volume can be selectively filled with water or exhaust gas for engine temperature optimisation.

A combination for an opposed-piston engine includes an intake piston and an exhaust piston, each with a top land height. The intake piston top land height is less than the exhaust piston top land height.

A connecting rod assembly has a connecting rod with a large end and a small end, a piston wrist pin, and fasteners to connect the connecting rod to the piston wrist pin and optionally one or more shims in between the connecting rod and piston wrist pin. A notch on the wrist pin allows for the seating of a flat surface on the small end of the connecting rod in the connecting rod assembly. Side walls on both the notch and the small end of the connecting rod limit twist. The connecting rod assembly allows for the adjustment of piston location in a cylinder while limiting connecting rod twist.

An opposed-piston engine is configured to fit in an engine compartment of a light-duty truck without compromising engine operations or the integrity of the engine compartment. The opposed-piston engine includes an air handling system and can be configured so that a cylinder assembly of the engine is tilted. The tilt of the cylinder assembly can allow for all of the components of the engine's air handling system to be located on one side of the opposed-piston engine. The air handling system of the opposed-piston engine can be configured with a cobra-head shaped intake duct assembly.

A spherical linear two stroke engine (SLE) is shown and described. SLE is an opposed piston two stroke (OP2S), free piston engine with controlled power shaft. SLE is scalable, light in weight, small in packaging volume, has few parts and high power density. The SLE is also efficient, environmentally friendly and has many different applications.

Systems and methods for converting energy are provided. In one aspect, the system includes a closed cycle engine having a piston body and a piston assembly movable within the piston body. An electric machine is operatively coupled with the piston assembly and operable to generate electrical power. An electrical device is in communication with the electric machine. The system includes a control system having sensors, a controllable device, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine whether a load change on the electric machine is anticipated based at least in part on received data indicative of a load state of the electrical device; in response to whether the load change is anticipated, determine a control command for adjusting an output of at least one of the engine and the electric machine; and cause the controllable device to adjust the output based at least in part on the control command.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed toward a linear combustion engine, comprising: a cylinder having a cylinder wall and a pair of ends, the cylinder including a combustion section disposed in a center portion of the cylinder; a pair of opposed piston assemblies adapted to move linearly within the cylinder, each piston assembly disposed on one side of the combustion section opposite the other piston assembly, each piston assembly including a spring rod and a piston comprising a solid front section adjacent the combustion section and a gas section; and a pair of linear electromagnetic machines adapted to directly convert kinetic energy of the piston assembly into electrical energy, and adapted to directly convert electrical energy into kinetic energy of the piston assembly for providing compression work during the compression stroke.