The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 20, 1982
Filed:
Apr. 08, 1980
Duane F Steele, Dundee, MI (US);
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A one-piece cylinder block has a central opening providing surfaces on which a crankshaft is journalled and has radially-directed cylinder bores in axially offset pairs extending outwardly from the axis of the crankshaft. A crank pin is formed on the crankshaft eccentric of its central axis and furnishes an axial surface upon which a free eccentric cluster is journalled. The eccentric cluster includes cylindrical surfaces journalled on the crank pin surface spaced axially in alignment with the axis of the cylinder bore pairs, each having its central axis positioned eccentrically of the crank pin axis. Each cylindrical surface of the eccentric cluster has a piston yoke journalled thereon providing a radially directed and diametrically opposed arms, on the outer extremities of which a piston surface is mounted for reciprocating motion within the cylinder bores. The device can be used as a compressor pump in which case the crankshaft is driven in rotation thereby causing the pistons to reciprocate in the cylinders. Alternatively, the device can be operated as an engine wherein the piston motion drives the crankshaft in rotation. The one-piece housing is sealed at the radial ends of the cylinder bores by cylinder heads and at each axial end by end cover plates. Suitable passages are formed within the housing to carry fluid to and from the cylinder valves, which control the flow of fluid into and out of the cylinders. The device can be operated with any number of cylinder bore pairs that is a multiple of two provided the free eccentric cluster elements are accordingly increased in number and arranged on the crankpin surface in alignment with each of the cylinder bore pairs.