Patent ID: 7946260

Claim:
An internal combustion engine comprising: a rotatable crank shaft; at least one piston cylinder; a piston slidably received by said at least one cylinder so as to reciprocate between top dead center and bottom dead center positions within said cylinder, the piston comprising a first piston coupler receiving bore that defines a first axis; a connecting rod comprising a first crank coupling end portion pivotally coupled to the crank shaft such that rotation of the crank shaft causes the connecting rod to reciprocate, the connecting rod comprising a second piston coupling end portion comprising a second piston coupler receiving bore that defines a second axis; a piston coupler comprising a first coupler portion pivotally received by said piston coupler receiving bore so as to be pivotable about the first axis, the piston coupler comprising a second coupler portion pivotally received by the second piston coupler receiving bore to couple the connecting rod to the piston such that reciprocation of the connecting rod causes the piston to reciprocate between the top dead center and bottom dead center position, one of the first and second coupler portions comprising an eccentric portion such that pivoting of the piston coupler about the first axis from a first coupler position to a second coupler position pivots the eccentric portion from a first eccentric position to a second eccentric position and shifts the second axis relative to the first axis to thereby vary the compression ratio of said at least one cylinder, the piston coupler also comprising a pivot member engager; and a pivot member comprising a pivot coupler engager movable from a first pivot coupler engager position to a second pivot coupler engager position, and the pivot member being positioned to engage the pivot member engager and to pivot the piston coupler while engaged with the pivot member engager from the first coupler position to the second coupler position as the piston approaches the bottom dead center position and in response to such movement of the pivot coupler engager from the first pivot coupler engager position to the second pivot coupler engager position, the pivot coupler engager also being operable to disengage the pivot member engager as the piston travels away from the bottom dead center position.