Patent ID: 6076489
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: F02B

Abstract:
A reciprocating internal combustion engine arrangement comprising;a first row of cylinders and a second row of cylinders oriented in a V-shaped relation to each other at a first fork angle to provide a first V-space, the cylinders in one of the rows being offset from the cylinders of the other row in the longitudinal direction of the engine;a third row of cylinders and a fourth row of cylinders oriented in V-shaped relation to each other at a second fork angle to provide a second V-space, one of the third and fourth rows of cylinders being positioned in the V-spaced between the first and second rows of cylinders and the other of the third and fourth rows of cylinders being positioned outside of the V-space between the first and second rows of cylinders; anda common crankshaft to which pistons in all of the cylinders are connected and having a central axis disposed in a median plane extending through the V-space;wherein the cylinder centerlines of the first and second rows of cylinder are disposed in sectional planes which are perpendicular to the median plane and are uniformly spaced from each other along the crankshaft axis by a first spacing and wherein the cylinder centerlines of the second and fourth rows of cylinders are disposed in sectional planes which are perpendicular to the median plane and uniformly spaced form each other by a second spacing and wherein a sectional plane containing the cylinder centerlines of all of the cylinders in the second row passes between sectional planes containing the cylinder centerlines of all of the cylinders in the first row and in the third row of cylinders, respectively.