A crank and connecting rod mechanism, comprising at least one piston, which reciprocates within at least one cylinder, comprising: at least one connecting rod, comprising: a piston end pivotally connected to the at least one piston, a crank end; at least one gear set, comprising: a crankpin, the crank end pivotally connected to the crankpin; a crank gear; a crank gear shaft, the crank gear rotatably mounted on the crank gear shaft, the crankpin located between centerline of the crank gear shaft and radius of the pitch circle of the crank gear; a stationary gear, the crank gear meshing with the stationary gear, the crank end driving the crankpin, which drives the crank gear and the crank gear shaft about the stationary gear; the crank pin and the crank end rotating about the stationary gear and following the path of a roulette of a centered trochoid about the stationary gear.

A crank and connecting rod mechanism, comprising at least one piston, which reciprocates within at least one cylinder, comprising: at least one connecting rod, comprising: a piston end pivotally connected to the at least one piston, a crank end; at least one gear set, comprising: a crankpin, the crank end pivotally connected to the crankpin; a crank gear; a crank gear shaft, the crank gear rotatably mounted on the crank gear shaft, the crankpin located between centerline of the crank gear shaft and radius of the pitch circle of the crank gear; a stationary gear, the crank gear meshing with the stationary gear, the crank end driving the crankpin, which drives the crank gear and the crank gear shaft about the stationary gear; the crank pin and the crank end rotating about the stationary gear and following the path of a roulette of a centered trochoid about the stationary gear.

An internal combustion engine includes a hollow cylinder, a piston within the hollow cylinder, and a cylinder head. A base valve assembly at a base of the hollow cylinder permits or restricts fluid flow from an intake manifold into a sub-chamber below the piston. The piston includes at least one intake port connecting a combustion chamber above the piston with the sub-chamber, and a transfer valve that opens and closes the at least one intake port. When the transfer valve opens the at least one intake port, fluid is permitted to flow from the sub-chamber to the combustion chamber. The internal combustion engine operates according to a four-stroke piston cycle, wherein multiple intake stages are provided. The intake stages may include intake of air into the sub-chamber during a compression stroke, transfer of air from the sub-chamber to the combustion chamber during a power stroke, intake of air-fuel mixture into the sub-chamber during an exhaust stroke, and transfer of air-fuel mixture from the sub-chamber to the combustion chamber during an intake stroke.

A hypocycloidal internal combustion engine containing at least one alternative displacement piston connected through a connecting rod to a crankshaft, which is connected to an epicyclic gear train. In this gear train, the planet gear carrier is connected to the output shaft, and the ring gear can be rotated (in a controlled manner) in relation to the engine block. The present invention allows the control of the compression ratio and engine displacement of the engine by adjusting the angular position of the ring gear, which can be done continuously and instantaneously, even with the engine in operation.

An internal combustion engine includes a hollow cylinder, a piston within the hollow cylinder, and a cylinder head. A base valve assembly at a base of the hollow cylinder permits or restricts fluid flow from an intake manifold into a sub-chamber below the piston. The piston includes at least one intake port connecting a combustion chamber above the piston with the sub-chamber, and a transfer valve that opens and closes the at least one intake port. When the transfer valve opens the at least one intake port, fluid is permitted to flow from the sub-chamber to the combustion chamber. The internal combustion engine operates according to a four-stroke piston cycle, wherein multiple intake stages are provided. The intake stages may include intake of air into the sub-chamber during a compression stroke, transfer of air from the sub-chamber to the combustion chamber during a power stroke, intake of air-fuel mixture into the sub-chamber during an exhaust stroke, and transfer of air-fuel mixture from the sub-chamber to the combustion chamber during an intake stroke.

In some aspects, reciprocating engines can include a first reciprocating mechanism that includes an axially translating y-axis component configured to reciprocate substantially along a y-axis with a reciprocating motion of a piston assembly relative to a base to which the y-axis component is slidingly attached. The first reciprocating mechanism can include an x-axis component slidingly coupled to and translating with the y-axis component along the y-axis, the x-axis component being: i) configured to reciprocate substantially perpendicularly to the y-axis relative to the y-axis component, ii) comprising an orbital output component, and iii) comprising an orbital linking component disposed substantially concentric with the orbital output component. The first reciprocating mechanism can include a stationary output component and a stationary linking component that are substantially concentric and disposed in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the x-y plane.

A crank and connecting rod mechanism, comprising at least one piston, which reciprocates within at least one cylinder, comprising: at least one connecting rod, comprising: a piston end pivotally connected to the at least one piston, a crank end; at least one gear set, comprising: a crankpin, the crank end pivotally connected to the crankpin; a crank gear; a crank gear shaft, the crank gear rotatably mounted on the crank gear shaft, the crankpin located between centerline of the crank gear shaft and radius of the pitch circle of the crank gear; a stationary gear, the crank gear meshing with the stationary gear, the crank end driving the crankpin, which drives the crank gear and the crank gear shaft about the stationary gear; the crank pin and the crank end rotating about the stationary gear and following the path of a roulette of a centered trochoid about the stationary gear.

A crank and connecting rod mechanism having an angularly disposed connecting rod and mirror image gear sets, each comprising: a crank gear rotatably mounted on a crank gear shaft, having a crankpin pivotally connected to and driven by the connecting rod, the crankpin following the path of a roulette of a centered trochoid about a first stationary gear as the crank gear is driven about the first stationary gear and a crankshaft driven gear is driven about a second stationary gear, a counterbalanced radial arm affixed to a drive shaft at a pivot point of the counterbalanced radial arm, the counterbalanced radial arm driving the drive shaft at the pivot point and the crank gear shaft at an outer radial arm bearing, the drive shaft driving a drive shaft gear, which drives an output gear that drives an output shaft.

A crank and connecting rod mechanism having an angularly disposed connecting rod and mirror image gear sets, each comprising: a crank gear rotatably mounted on a crank gear shaft, having a crankpin pivotally connected to and driven by the connecting rod, the crankpin following the path of a roulette of a centered trochoid about a first stationary gear as the crank gear is driven about the first stationary gear and a crankshaft driven gear is driven about a second stationary gear, a counterbalanced radial arm affixed to a drive shaft at a pivot point of the counterbalanced radial arm, the counterbalanced radial arm driving the drive shaft at the pivot point and the crank gear shaft at an outer radial arm bearing, the drive shaft driving a drive shaft gear, which drives an output gear that drives an output shaft.

In some aspects, reciprocating engines can include a first reciprocating mechanism that includes an axially translating y-axis component configured to reciprocate substantially along a y-axis with a reciprocating motion of a piston assembly relative to a base to which the y-axis component is slidingly attached. The first reciprocating mechanism can include an x-axis component slidingly coupled to and translating with the y-axis component along the y-axis, the x-axis component being: i) configured to reciprocate substantially perpendicularly to the y-axis relative to the y-axis component, ii) comprising an orbital output component, and iii) comprising an orbital linking component disposed substantially concentric with the orbital output component. The first reciprocating mechanism can include a stationary output component and a stationary linking component that are substantially concentric and disposed in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the x-y plane.