An opposed piston engine has a driveshaft with at least one combustion cylinder positioned between opposing, curvilinear shaped cams mounted on the driveshaft, where the center axis of the combustion cylinder is parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis. A piston assembly is disposed in each end of the cylinder, with one piston assembly engaging one cam and the other piston assembly engaging the other cam. Each piston assembly includes a cam follower that can move along a curvilinear shaped cam to reciprocate the piston assembly within the cylinder. The combustion cylinder includes an intake port in fluid communication with an annular intake channel formed in the engine block in which the cylinder is mounted, and an exhaust port in fluid communication with an annular exhaust channel formed in the engine block.

This patent discloses thrust vectoring ignition chamber engine in which ignition chamber is an annular cylinder having nozzles mounted such that during fuel suction phase they are sealed and during ignition of fuel they are unsealed so that hot jets of ignited fuel escaping through nozzles cause coupled rotatory motion on the ignition chamber. Engine uses specially designed dwell barrel cam mechanism for two phase suction and compression of fuel which facilitates the separation of fuel valve from ignition chamber. Flywheel mounted on extension of ignition chamber functions as output of the engine. Timing of electrically controlled nozzle seal and fuel valve can be adjusted so that each half rotation of flywheel completes three phases namely fuel/air suction, compression and combustion, instead of two rotations as required in engine according to prior art. This engine can give improved power boost by firing for every half revolution.

This patent discloses thrust vectoring ignition chamber engine. Thrust vectoring ignition chamber used in this engine is an annular cylinder having nozzles mounted in a way such that during fuel suction phase they are sealed and during ignition of fuel they are unsealed so that hot jets of ignited fuel escaping through nozzles cause coupled rotatory motion on the ignition chamber. Engine uses specially designed dwell barrel cam mechanism for suction and compression of fuel. Flywheel mounted on extension of ignition chamber functions as output of the engine. Each half rotation of flywheel completes three phases namely fuel/air suction, compression and combustion. Thus this engine fires for every half revolution and therefore can give improved power boost.

This patent discloses thrust vectoring ignition chamber engine. Thrust vectoring ignition chamber used in this engine is an annular cylinder having nozzles mounted in a way such that during fuel suction phase they are sealed and during ignition of fuel they are unsealed so that hot jets of ignited fuel escaping through nozzles cause coupled rotatory motion on the ignition chamber. Engine uses specially designed dwell barrel cam mechanism for suction and compression of fuel. Flywheel mounted on extension of ignition chamber functions as output of the engine. Each half rotation of flywheel completes three phases namely fuel/air suction, compression and combustion. Thus this engine fires for every half revolution and therefore can give improved power boost.

Stepper motor with a housing 1,2,4,6,16, in which a cylindrical rotor 11,15 fixed on a central shaft 12 can rotate but not translate along an axial direction. There are cylindrical translators 9, 14 on both sides of the rotors 11, 15, where the translators 9, 14 are sealed fit in a cylindrical space within the housing 6 and around the central shaft 12 and where the translators 9, 14 can only translate in an axial direction, where in one axial position of a translator 9, 14 a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 20 located on the translator 9, 14 can interact and fit into a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 21 on the rotor 11, 15, where the shape of the teeth 21 on both sides of the rotor 11, 15 is symmetric and where one of the sets of teeth 20, 21 between one translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) and a set of teeth 20, 21 between the other translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) are tangentially shifted, i.e. offset over a length equal to half the width of a tooth 20, 21 and where the translators 9, 14 can be moved by a pressure difference between the part of the cylindrical space between the housing 6 and a translator 9, 14 and the part of the cylindrical space between the translator 9, 14 and the rotor 11, 15.

Stepper motor with a housing 1,2,4,6,16, in which a cylindrical rotor 11,15 fixed on a central shaft 12 can rotate but not translate along an axial direction. There are cylindrical translators 9, 14 on both sides of the rotors 11, 15, where the translators 9, 14 are sealed fit in a cylindrical space within the housing 6 and around the central shaft 12 and where the translators 9, 14 can only translate in an axial direction, where in one axial position of a translator 9, 14 a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 20 located on the translator 9, 14 can interact and fit into a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 21 on the rotor 11, 15, where the shape of the teeth 21 on both sides of the rotor 11, 15 is symmetric and where one of the sets of teeth 20, 21 between one translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) and a set of teeth 20, 21 between the other translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) are tangentially shifted, i.e. offset over a length equal to half the width of a tooth 20, 21 and where the translators 9, 14 can be moved by a pressure difference between the part of the cylindrical space between the housing 6 and a translator 9, 14 and the part of the cylindrical space between the translator 9, 14 and the rotor 11, 15.

An operation system for a piston-type expander includes: a first engaging member which is fixed to an output shaft of the piston-type expander, rotates together with the output shaft, and has a first slanting surface; a second engaging member which is rotatably disposed on the output shaft, and has a second slanting surface; and a drive device which, while keeping a rotation direction of the second engaging member around the output shaft fixed, moves the second engaging member in an axial direction of the output shaft to press the second slanting surface onto the first slanting surface, converts a pressing force of the second engaging member in the axial direction into a rotational torque of the first engaging member and the output shaft at a contact surface of the first and second slanting surfaces, and causes the first engaging member to rotate together with the output shaft.

Methods, systems, and devices are provided that may include Stirling cycle configurations and/or linear-to-rotary mechanisms in accordance with various embodiments. Some embodiments include a Stirling cycle device that may include a first hot piston contained within a first hot cylinder and a first cold piston contained within a first cold cylinder. A first single actuator may be configured to couple the first hot piston with the first cold piston such that the first hot piston and the first cold piston are on different thermodynamic circuits. The different thermodynamic circuits may include adjacent thermodynamic circuits. The Stirling cycle configuration may be configured as a single-acting alpha Stirling cycle configuration. Some embodiments include a linear-to-rotary mechanism device. The device may include multiple linkages. The device may include a cam plate coupled with the multiple linkages utilizing a cam and multiple cam followers. The linkages may include Watt linkages.

Methods, systems, and devices are provided that may include Stirling cycle configurations and/or linear-to-rotary mechanisms in accordance with various embodiments. Some embodiments include a Stirling cycle device that may include a first hot piston contained within a first hot cylinder and a first cold piston contained within a first cold cylinder. A first single actuator may be configured to couple the first hot piston with the first cold piston such that the first hot piston and the first cold piston are on different thermodynamic circuits. The different thermodynamic circuits may include adjacent thermodynamic circuits. The Stirling cycle configuration may be configured as a single-acting alpha Stirling cycle configuration. Some embodiments include a linear-to-rotary mechanism device. The device may include multiple linkages. The device may include a cam plate coupled with the multiple linkages utilizing a cam and multiple cam followers. The linkages may include Watt linkages.

An opposed piston engine has a driveshaft with at least one combustion cylinder positioned between opposing, curvilinear shaped cams mounted on the driveshaft, where the center axis of the combustion cylinder is parallel with but spaced apart from the driveshaft axis. A piston assembly is disposed in each end of the cylinder, with one piston assembly engaging one cam and the other piston assembly engaging the other cam. Each piston assembly includes a cam follower that can move along a curvilinear shaped cam to reciprocate the piston assembly within the cylinder. The combustion cylinder includes an intake port in fluid communication with an annular intake channel formed in the engine block in which the cylinder is mounted, and an exhaust port in fluid communication with an annular exhaust channel formed in the engine block.