Rotary engine
OwnerRichard Baroninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary engine comprised of a pair of counterrotating rotors within a non-rotating outer housing. Each of the rotors is coupled to a common power shaft, one directly and the other through a reversing gear arrangement. Both are driven by the hyper-expansion of combustion gases in a repeating combustion cycle. Each has a generally circular, nearly frictionless working surface perpendicular to the power shaft axis. Each rotor surface defines chambers which rotate past each other. Within such chambers, compressed air and fuel are introduced, mixed, ignited, allowed to hyper-expand (and thus cause the rotation) and exhausted. The power shaft may be connected to a conventional clutch, torque converter, gearbox, differential, alternator or a similar system.
Claims38
An internal combustion rotary engine, comprising:
- a non-rotating outer housing;
- a pair of counterrotating rotors within the non-rotating outer housing;
- a power shaft, having an axis, to which each of the rotors is coupled, one rotor coupled directly and the other rotor coupled through a reversing gear arrangement;
- in which each rotor has a structured inner surface perpendicular to the power shaft axis, and each inner surface counterrotates past the other;
- and
- in which compressed air and fuel from external to the outer housing are:
- introduced into the outer housing and then into chambers formed by the structured inner surfaces of the rotors;
- mixed and ignited to expand in volume, causing the rotors to move and the power shaft to rotate about the axis;
- and
- exhausted from between the inner surfaces and then from within the outer housing.
A system for use of one of compressed air and combustible fuel, the system comprising:
- an internal combustion rotary engine which comprises a non-rotating outer housing, a pair of counterrotating rotors within the non-rotating outer housing, and a power shaft, having an axis, to which each of the rotors is coupled, one rotor coupled directly and the other rotor coupled through a reversing gear arrangement;
- in which each rotor has a structured inner surface perpendicular to the power shaft axis, and each inner surface counterrotates past the other;
- in which the engine mixes and ignites the compressed air and the fuel within chambers formed by structured inner surfaces of the rotors, causing the rotors to move and the power shaft to rotate about the axis.
A method of internally combusting gases within a rotary engine, comprising:
- a) providing an internal combustion rotary engine which comprises a non-rotating outer housing, a pair of counterrotating rotors within the non-rotating outer housing, and a power shaft, having an axis, to which each of the rotors is coupled, one rotor coupled directly and the other rotor coupled through a reversing gear arrangement;
- in which each rotor has a structured inner surface perpendicular to the power shaft axis, and each inner surface counterrotates past the other;
- b) introducing compressed air and fuel into the outer housing of the engine;
- c) mixing the compressed air and the fuel together;
- and
- d) igniting the mixed compressed air and the fuel within chambers formed by structured inner surfaces of the rotors, causing the rotors to move and the power shaft to rotate about the axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.