Rotary engine

A rotary engine comprising a hollow cylindrical housing having a circular opening therethrough, separate end plates secured to the housing over the opposite ends of the circular opening therethrough, a drive shaft journaled for rotation in the end plates and extending axially of the circular opening through the cylindrical housing, a cylindrical engine rotor concentrically mounted in the housing on the drive shaft for rotation in the cylindrical opening through the housing between the end plates with the drive shaft, a plurality of vanes mounted on the rotor extending radially outwardly therefrom and connected rigidly thereto to form a plurality of separate chambers between the rotor, housing, end plates and vanes, a plurality of rotary valve structures journaled for rotation in the end plates positioned angularly about the periphery of the rotor for sealing between the rotor and housing and permitting passing of the vanes therethrough, fluid inlet and outlet passages in one end plate adjacent the valve structures for permitting intake and exhaust of driving fluid into and out of the separate chambers, a separate housing member secured to the one end plate and a cover plate secured to the separate housing member, said separate housing member and cover plate together forming further inlet and outlet passages for driving fluid in communication with the inlet and outlet passages in the one end plate, a selector plate positioned between the one end plate and further housing member, said selector plate being rotatably mounted and having additional inlet and exhaust passages extending therethrough for reversing flow between the further inlet and exhaust passages in the cover plate and further housing member and the inlet and exhaust passages in the one end plate, and separate cutoff plates secured to and associated with each of the valve structures for rotation therewith and operably associated with the further inlet passage in the further housing member for cutting off the further inlet passage in the further housing member associated with the associated valve structure during passage of a vane through the associated valve structure, and drive means connected to the drive shaft and the individual valve structures for synchronizing the rotation of the individual valve structures and the rotor, and means for introducing fluid under pressure into the further inlet passage whereby the rotor, drive shaft, valve means and cutoff plate are synchronously driven.