Caterpillar Inc.

Richard L Havran

James Wallace Harris

Rick Ian Zadoks

A method and apparatus for controlling timing of an internal combustion engine having a piston located in a cylinder. The method and apparatus includes determining a first angular position of a crankshaft at a first location along a longitudinal axis of the crankshaft, determining a second angular position of the crankshaft at a second location along the longitudinal axis, determining a level of deformation of the crankshaft as a function of a difference between the first and second angular positions, determining an actual position of the piston as a function of the crankshaft deformation, comparing the actual piston position to a desired piston position, and controlling timing of an event to initiate combustion in the cylinder as a function of a difference between the actual and desired piston positions.

Dynamic engine timing control

A horizontally opposed compressor having a crankshaft and an even number of diametrically opposed cylinders, each opposed cylinder having a piston and a single connecting rod cooperatively associated therewith, one of the connecting rods having a crankshaft bearing portion on one end and a wrist pin bearing portion on the other end, the other connecting rod having two spaced apart legs, each leg having a crankshaft bearing portion on one end, the other end of the legs coming together to form a wrist pin bearing portion and a wishbone shaped connecting rod, the spacing between the legs being sufficient to allow the crankshaft portion of the one connecting rod and the associated portion of the crankshaft to rotate between the legs so that the reciprocating mass forces associated with the opposed cylinders are generally equal and opposite and cancel each other to produce a smooth running compressor.

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Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Richard L Havran