Patent ID: 8534241

Claim:
An internal combustion barrel engine, comprising: an engine housing having a first end and an opposite second end, a longitudinal bore defined in the housing, the bore in the engine housing having an inner surface with a pair of spaced apart bearing surfaces defined thereon; an elongated longitudinal output shaft disposed in the longitudinal bore of the engine housing and defining a longitudinal axis of the engine, the output shaft having an outer surface with engagement elements defined thereon; a plurality of cylinders defined in the engine housing and disposed about the longitudinal output shaft, each of the cylinders having a cylinder axis that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the engine, each of the cylinders having a closed end adjacent the first end of the housing and an opposite open end; a cam plate disposed between the open ends of the cylinders and the second end of the engine housing, the cam plate having a central portion and a cam portion extending outwardly therefrom, the cam portion having a non-planar undulating cam surface, the central portion of the earn plate having an outer surface with a pair of spaced apart bearing surfaces defined thereon, the central portion of the cam plate further having a bore defined longitudinally therethrough, the bore having an inner surface with engagement elements defined thereon; the cam plate being received on the output shaft with the output shaft extending through the bore in the cam plate, the engagement elements on the inner surface of the cam plate bore being mechanically coupled to the engagement elements on the outer surface of the output shaft such that the shaft and cam plate are coupled for rotation about the longitudinal axis and the cam plate is longitudinally slidable with respect to the shaft; wherein the earn plate is disposed in the bore in the housing such that the bearing surfaces on the outer surface of the central portion of the cam plate are generally aligned with the bearing surfaces on the inner surface of the bore in the housing.