Patent ID: 9410477
Filing Date: 2016-08-09
CPC Classification: F01B,F02B,F16C

Claim Text:
1. A method of extracting mechanical work from an operating reciprocating engine comprising a rotating crankshaft, a cylinder, a cylinder head, a connecting rod, a reciprocating piston assembly having a wrist pin end and a combustion pressure chamber end connected via the connecting rod at the wrist pin end of the reciprocating piston assembly to the crankshaft and configured to reciprocate within the cylinder with a rotation of the crankshaft, a translating tension member connected to the reciprocating piston assembly at the combustion pressure chamber end of the reciprocating piston assembly that is opposite the wrist pin end, a combustion chamber defined by the cylinder, the cylinder head, and the combustion pressure chamber end of the piston assembly, and an output shaft that is configured to rotate via a movement of the translating tension member and to rotate independently of the rotation of the rotating crankshaft, the method comprising: applying a torque moment to the output shaft of the reciprocating engine using an axial pulling force provided by the translating tension member moving through the combustion chamber in a first direction power stroke with a torque moment arm that remains a substantially constant length as the translating tension member of the engine translates within the combustion chamber and the output shaft rotates; and disengaging the output shaft from the translating tension member as the reciprocating element travels through the combustion chamber in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction so that the output shaft can rotate independently of the rotation of the rotating crankshaft.