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US 4,076,471 AGranted
Rotary engine with separable abutment and adjustable valve cam
OwnerTroy A. McClureinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerTroy A. McClureinventor
Estimating the term…
An engine comprises at least one cylinder and preferably several cylinders side-by-side. Each cylinder comprises a toroidal cylinder and has a piston which revolves around the cylinder. The piston is fixed to the periphery of a disk fixed to the main shaft which coincides with the axis of the cylinder. At one position of the cylinder a gate is installed which seals the cylinder into two sections. On one side of the gate is an inlet port and on the opposite side an exhaust port. A valve controlled by a cam shaft timed from the main shaft controls the inlet port. A gaseous medium is externally heated in a heater and is introduced under pressure through the inlet port and drives the piston around the cylinder; the medium in the cylinder ahead of the piston from the previous cycle is discharged through the exhaust port and cooled and then reheated. The valve is manually (or pedally) controlled to cut off to maintain proper speed for the load on the main shaft. The valve also cuts off intake as the piston approaches the gate. The gate is opened either by contact with the piston or other means and is closed behind the piston.
An engine comprising means forming a toroidal cylinder, a main shaft at the axis of said cylinder, a piston rotatable in said cylinder, means for turning said piston and main shaft together, a main valve in said cylinder, an intake port on one side of said main valve, an outlet port on the side of said main valve opposite said intake port and means for supplying gas under pressure to said intake port, an intake valve controlling said means for supplying gas, a cam shaft having a cam, means rotatably mounting said cam shaft on said engine for axial movement and rotative movement, means driving said cam shaft in time relation to said main shaft, means for adjusting the longitudinal position of said cam shaft, a cam follower, means articulately connecting said cam follower to said intake valve, each said cam having a high dwell with a ramp configuration such that the extent of opening of said intake vavle varies in an axial direction, whereby as said cam shaft is moved longitudinally the duration of opening of said inlet valve is adjusted.
An engine comprising a block formed with a toroidal cylinder, a main shaft rotatable at the axis of said cylinder, a disk-like member fixed for rotation with said main shaft, a piston on the periphery of said disk-like member rotatable about said cylinder, said block formed with a slot for passage of said disk-like member, seal means sealing said cylinder against leakage through said slot, a main valve in said cylinder, actuating means to permit opening of said main vavle for passage of said piston therethrough and to close said main valve after passage of said piston, means forming an inlet port to said cylinder on a first side of said main valve, means forming an outlet port to said cylinder on a second side of said main valve opposite said first side, means supplying gas under pressure to said inlet port, an intake valve controlling admission of said gas to said cylinder behind said piston to drive said piston around said cylinder, a cam shaft driven in timed relation to said main shaft, a cam on said shaft, a cam follower, means articulately connecting said cam follower and said intake valve, said cam having a high dwell with a ramp configuration and means for relatively moving said ramp configuration and said cam follower to time the duration of opening of said intake valve, said ramp configuration being such that the extent of the high dwell varies in an axial direction so that said follower is lifted varying time intervals as said ramp is moved axially relative to the follower.
An engine comprising a block formed with a toroidal cylinder, a main shaft rotatable at the axis of said cylinder, a disk-like member fixed for rotation with said main shaft, a piston on the periphery of said disk-like member rotatable about said cylinder, said block formed with a slot for passage of said disk-like member, seal means sealing said cylinder against leakage through said slot, a main valve in said cylinder, actuating means to permit opening of said main valve for passage of said piston therethrough and to close said main valve after passage of said piston, means forming an inlet port to said cylinder on a first side of said main valve, means forming an outlet port to said cylinder on a second side of said main valve opposite said first side, means supplying gas under pressure to said inlet port, and an intake valve controlling admission of said gas to said cylinder behind said piston to drive said piston around said cylinder, said seal means comprising a belt fixed to said disk-like member on the periphery of said disk-like member, said belt being wider than the thickness of said disk-like member, said block being recessed for movement of said belt, and disk-like replaceable belt shoulders fixed non rotatively to said block immediately inside said belt, one on each side of said disk-like member, said belt sealing against said shoulders.
An engine comprising a block formed with a toroidal cylinder, a main shaft rotatable at the axis of said cylinder, a disk-like member fixed for rotation with said main shaft, a piston on the periphery of said disk-like member rotatable about said cylinder, said block formed with a slot for passage of said disk-like member, seal means sealing said cylinder against leakage through said slot, a pair of gates having pintles at top and bottom of a first edge of each said gate, first resilient means biasing said gates to closed position extending transversely of said cylinder, second edges of said gates opposite said first edges in closed position meeting in the center of said cylinder to close off gas flow through said main valve, means forming an inlet port to said cylinder on a first side of said main valve, means forming an outlet port to said cylinder on a second side of said main valve opposite said first side, means supplying gas under pressure to said inlet port, an intake valve controlling admission of said gas to said cylinder behind said piston to drive said piston around said cylinder, a valve chest fixed to the exterior of said block vicinal said main valve and having an inlet and an outlet manifold communicating with said inlet and outlet ports respectively, a valve seat formed in said valve chest, said intake valve seating on said valve seat, one said pintle being journaled in said valve chest, second resilient means biasing said gates away from said valve chest and against the wall of said cylinder opposite said valve chest to seal said cylinder at said main valve, said piston having a wedge-shaped nose shaped to force said gates open upon contact of said nose with said gates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.