Expansible chamber apparatus

Expansible chamber apparatus for use as an internal-combustion engine comprising a stationary housing having a cylindric chamber therein, a cylindric cylinder block rotatable within said chamber about a central axis, a shaft secured to and rotatable with said cylinder block, the longitudinal axis of said shaft constituting said central axis, said cylinder block having a plurality of cylinders therein extending inwardly from the outer cylindric surface of said cylinder block, each cylinder having a central cylinder axis, these cylinder axes being tangent to a common circle surrounding said central axis, a plurality of pistons, one for each cylinder, reciprocable within its respective cylinder, stationary gear means surrounding said shaft, means connecting each piston and said stationary gear for effecting rotation of the cylinder block and shaft about said central axis upon reciprocation of said pistons, said connecting means for each piston comprising a pinion gear in mesh with said stationary gear means and a connecting link pivotally secured to its respective piston and pivotally secured to its respective pinion gear offset from the center thereof so that upon reciprocation of said pistons said pinion gears are driven around said stationary gear means thereby to effect rotation of said cylinder block, and air intake means, fuel ignition means and exhaust means spaced at intervals around said housing for delivery of air and fuel for each cylinder, ignition of the resulting air-fuel mixture in each cylinder and exhaust of the products of combustion as the cylinder block rotates within said housing, each said pinion gear being so structured in relation to said ring gear that each piston moves through a power phase, an exhaust phase, an intake phase and a compression phase during each revolution of its respective pinion gear, said housing comprising a cylindric wall having said cylindric chamber therewithin, and a pair of covers, one for each end of said cylindric wall, for closing said cylindric chamber, and said air intake means comprising manifold means within said rotating cylinder block surrounding each said cylinder, a plurality of openings in said cover plates, passages in said rotating cylinder block providing communication between said openings and said manifold means, and a plurality of openings in said cylinder block providing communication between said manifold means and said cylinder, these last said openings being positioned intermediate the ends of the stroke undergone by said piston in said cylinder as it reciprocates to open and close communication between said cylinder and said manifold in timed relation to movement of said piston.