A camshaft includes, as a cam that opens and closes an exhaust valve and an intake valve, a ball cam whose protrusion amount changes according to rotation of the camshaft, wherein the camshaft has a double structure consisting of an inner shaft and an outer shaft provided in a manner that the inner shaft is helically displaced with respect to the outer shaft around an axis of the camshaft according to a rotation speed of the camshaft, and the ball cam is accommodated movably in a guide groove provided in the inner shaft and protrudes from the outer shaft, and a protrusion amount of the ball cam from the outer shaft changes when the ball cam moves in the guide groove due to the helical displacement of the inner shaft with respect to the outer shaft.

In an exemplary embodiment, an internal combustion engine, in which a valve is opened and closed when a piston reciprocates in a cylinder, has a configuration to perform repeatedly the following combined strokes: an intake stroke.fwdarw.a compression stroke.fwdarw.a combustion stroke.fwdarw.an exhaust stroke in a four-cycle internal combustion engine are combined with an intake and compression stroke.fwdarw.a combustion and exhaust stroke in a two-cycle internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine can reduce pumping loss in a six-cycle internal combustion engine and increase the output.

A combustion engine is provided having combustion chambers with reciprocating pistons, intake ports and exhaust ports. Transfer ports may be provided between adjacent combustion chambers to provide a transfer channel that closes during a high load mode of operation of the engine and opens during a partial load mode of operation. Also provided are embodiments in which exhaust ports of adjacent combustion chambers are joined into a common exhaust channel that communicates with an exhaust header of the engine through valve means that open during the high load mode of operation of said engine and close during a partial load mode of operation.

The variable compression ratio internal combustion engine 1 comprises: a variable compression ratio mechanism 6 able to change a mechanical compression ratio; an exhaust promotion mechanism 50, 55 able to reduce cylinder residual gas after an exhaust stroke of cylinders; and a control device 80 configured to control the mechanical compression ratio by the variable compression ratio mechanism and control an operation of the exhaust promotion mechanism. The control device is configured to operate the exhaust promotion mechanism in at least a partial time period of a time period from when it is demanded that the mechanical compression ratio be raised to when the mechanical compression ratio finishes being changed.

A combustion engine is provided having combustion chambers with reciprocating pistons, intake ports and exhaust ports. Transfer ports may be provided between adjacent combustion chambers to provide a transfer channel that closes during a high load mode of operation of the engine and opens during a partial load mode of operation. Also provided are embodiments in which exhaust ports of adjacent combustion chambers are joined into a common exhaust channel that communicates with an exhaust header of the engine through valve means that open during the high load mode of operation of said engine and close during a partial load mode of operation.

A camshaft includes, as a cam that opens and closes an exhaust valve and an intake valve, a ball cam whose protrusion amount changes according to rotation of the camshaft, wherein the camshaft has a double structure consisting of an inner shaft and an outer shaft provided in a manner that the inner shaft is helically displaced with respect to the outer shaft around an axis of the camshaft according to a rotation speed of the camshaft, and the ball cam is accommodated movably in a guide groove provided in the inner shaft and protrudes from the outer shaft, and a protrusion amount of the ball cam from the outer shaft changes when the ball cam moves in the guide groove due to the helical displacement of the inner shaft with respect to the outer shaft.

A two-stroke engine with a supercharger is provided that can prevent occurrence of abnormal combustion under high load and can improve fuel efficiency when compression self-ignition combustion is carried out under low load, and spark ignition combustion is carried out under high load. When an operation state of an engine body is in a high-load side operation range, an intake variable valve mechanism and an exhaust variable valve mechanism are actuated to retard at least closing timing of an intake valve and at least opening timing of an exhaust valve from those in the case where the operation state of the engine body is in a low-load side operation range at the same engine speed as the engine speed detected by engine speed detection means while particular conditions are satisfied.

A two-stroke engine with a supercharger is provided that can prevent occurrence of abnormal combustion under high load and can improve fuel efficiency when compression self-ignition combustion is carried out under low load, and spark ignition combustion is carried out under high load. When an operation state of an engine body is in a high-load side operation range, an intake variable valve mechanism and an exhaust variable valve mechanism are actuated to retard at least closing timing of an intake valve and at least opening timing of an exhaust valve from those in the case where the operation state of the engine body is in a low-load side operation range at the same engine speed as the engine speed detected by engine speed detection means while particular conditions are satisfied.

A control device for an engine is provided, which includes variable intake and exhaust valve operating mechanisms, a supercharger provided to an intake passage and configured to boost intake air introduced into a cylinder, and a controller. The controller drives the supercharger when the engine operates in a boosted range. The controller controls the variable intake and exhaust valve operating mechanisms so that a valve overlap period during which intake and exhaust valves open simultaneously is formed, when the engine operates in a low-speed boosted range of the boosted range where the engine speed is less than a reference speed. The controller controls the variable exhaust valve operating mechanism so that the open timing of the exhaust valve is more advanced when the engine operates in a high-speed boosted range of the boosted range where the engine speed is greater than or equal to the reference speed.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine having an engine with a first number of cylinders and a second number of cylinders and a supercharger arrangement, wherein a charge air flow supplied to the engine is compressed by means of at least one compressor and at least one turbine is acted on by an exhaust gas flow discharged from the engine. In a main operating mode, the engine operates the first number of cylinders in two-stroke operation and the second number of cylinders in four-stroke operation. A scavenging gradient of the engine is greater for the cylinders operated in the two-stroke operation than for the cylinders operated in the four-stroke operation.