Japanese automaker Honda has reportedly filed a patent on a new engine design with variable cylinder displacements.
Each cylinder of Honda 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has 500cc of displacement. The displacement can be changed four different ways, including either 500cc, 1000cc, 1500cc or 2000cc.
AutoGuide.com reported that the new technology is expected to provide more than four different total displacements working at the same time, with a small gap between them.
There will be 15 different combinations of one-to-four cylinders firing, indicating that an engine may have 15 different displacements working at a time.
The patent filed by Honda describes about how such cylinders of different sizes could be arranged to spread the load on the crankshaft.
One of the issues with such engines is the introduction of vibrations into the engine due to different sizes cylinder displacements.
The patent also describes that the largest cylinder displacement will sit in the middle of the crankshaft and the smaller cylinders will surround it and work alternatively to reduce vibrations.
It is reported that the patent was filed in 2014 and was published in January 2016. As there is no official declaration from Honda about the patent, it could be hard to imagine when will this engine be manufactured and hit the road.
