Patent ID: 8904981

Claim:
An internal combustion engine, comprising: a cylinder case forming a cylinder bore, the cylinder bore having a piston reciprocally disposed therewithin and moveable between top dead center (TDC) and bottom dead center (BDC) positions, the piston being connected to a rotatable crankshaft such that a position of the piston within the cylinder bore is related to a crank shaft angle; a cylinder head disposed to cover an open end of the cylinder bore such that a variable volume is defined within the cylinder bore between the cylinder head and the piston; an intake manifold being fluidly connectable with the variable volume through an intake valve; an exhaust manifold being fluidly connectable with the variable volume through an exhaust valve; a transfer manifold being fluidly connectable with the variable volume via a transfer conduit and through a transfer valve, the transfer manifold further being fluidly connectable with the variable volume via a combustion conduit through a combustion valve; a fuel injector associated with the variable volume and adapted to provide a predetermined amount of fuel into the variable volume; and a valve activation mechanism configured to selectively open and close each of the intake, exhaust, transfer and combustion valves, such that: the intake valve opens when the piston undergoes an intake stroke as it moves from the TDC position towards the BDC position to fill the variable volume with fluid from the intake manifold; the variable volume is closed when the piston undergoes a compression stroke as it moves from the BDC position towards the TDC position to compress fluid present therein and yield a compressed charge; the transfer valve opens to provide the compressed charge to the transfer manifold, where the compressed charge is collected; the combustion valve opens to admit a compressed charge from the transfer manifold into the variable volume; the variable volume is closed when the piston undergoes a combustion stroke as it moves from the TDC position towards the BDC position to combust a fluid/air mixture present therein; and the exhaust valve opens when the piston undergoes an exhaust stroke as it moves from the BDC position towards the TDC position to evacuate the variable volume from at least a portion of exhaust gas that is present therein.