Patent ID: 8375919

Claim:
A crankshaft and bearing apparatus comprising: a crankshaft defining at least one crankshaft-drive having a crankshaft-drive axis-of-rotation, and at least one piston-journal defining a longitudinal axis radially spaced from the at least one crankshaft-drive axis-of-rotation; a corresponding at least one piston engaging the at least one piston-journal; a drive member defining a central axis-of-rotation and a crankshaft drive receiving region for receiving the at least one crankshaft-drive; a pinion coupled to and movable with the crankshaft; and an internal ring gear matingly engageable with the pinion, wherein the longitudinal axis of each at least one piston-journal reciprocates along a respective substantially linear hypocycloidal path as the crankshaft orbits about the central-axis-of-rotation, and wherein: the at least one piston comprises at least a first piston and a second piston; the at least one piston-journal comprises at least a first piston-journal pivotably engageable with the first piston and defining a corresponding longitudinal axis, and a second piston-journal pivotably engageable with the second piston and defining a corresponding longitudinal axis; the respective longitudinal axes of the first piston-journal and the second-piston-journal are angularly separated from each other by a first angle relative to the crankshaft-drive axis-of-rotation; the first angle measures between 0-degrees and less than 180-degrees; the longitudinal axis of the first piston-journal is structured to reciprocate in a first linear hypocycloidal path as the crankshaft orbits about the central-axis of rotation; the longitudinal axis of the second piston-journal is structured to reciprocate in a second linear hypocycloidal path arranged at a second angle, relative to the first linear hypocycloidal path, that is one half the angular degrees of the first angle; a stroke length of the first piston is defined by a length of the first linear hypocycloidal path; the first piston is structured to slide along a first axis of a first piston cylinder; the first axis of the first piston cylinder is parallel to and aligned with the first linear hypocycloidal path; a stroke length of the second piston is defined by a length of the second linear hypocycloidal path; the second piston is structured to slide along a second axis of a second piston cylinder; the second axis of the second piston cylinder is parallel to and aligned with the second linear hypocycloidal path; the first axis of the first piston cylinder is arranged at a third angle, relative to the second axis of the second piston cylinder; and the third angle is equal in terms of angular degrees to that of the second angle that is one half the angular degrees of the first angle.