Rotary internal combustion engine with integrated supercharging

In a rotary internal combustion engine of the type wherein a rotor is mounted for rotation within a housing having a spaced inner surface surrounding the rotor, with a plurality of sealing means circumferentially spaced about and rotatable with the rotor to contact sealingly the inner surface of the housing to separate space between the rotor and the inner surface into a plurality of zones inclusive of adjacent first and second zones that orbit the axis during rotation of the rotor, and wherein the inner surface is noncircular in an arrangement such that each zone alternately increases and decreases in volume as it orbits an axis within the housing, and wherein operating means is provided for cyclically operating the first zone as an internal combustion engine working chamber on a four-phase cycle involving successively an intake phase, a compression phase, a combustion phase and an exhaust phase, said cycle having a duration such that the volume of such first zone is successively increased, decreased, increased and decreased, and wherein the operating means is operatively connected to the rotor for synchronized operation thereof with rotation of the latter and includes means for introducing air to such working chamber, means for introducing fuel into such working chamber and means for exhausting combustion products from such working chamber;

• the improvement comprising in combination therewith the provision of air pumping means for cyclically operating the second zone as an air pumping chamber with the duration of a pumping cycle being such that the volume of said second zone is successively once increased and once decreased, said air pumping means being operatively connected to the rotor for synchronized operation thereof with rotation of the latter and includes normally closed valve means that opens between ambient atmosphere and the pumping chamber as the volume of the latter increases, and means for feeding air to the engine working chamber.

In a rotary internal combustion engine of the type wherein a rotor is mounted for rotation in a housing having a generally oval inner wall surface with the rotor having four circumferentially spaced vane means rotatable therewith that slidingly and sealingly engage the wall surface to define and separate four chambers that are circumferentially spaced about the rotor that vary in volume during rotation of the rotor, the improvement comprising two of said chambers being diametrically opposed to each other and constituting engine working chambers, and the other two chambers being diametrically opposed to each other and constituting air pumping chambers, each of said engine working chambers being provided with intake means that are isolated from each other, with the intake means provided for one of the engine working chambers comprising said housing having first and second intake ports opening to a surface of rotation of the rotor, intake valve means for controlling the successive admission of air from the first and then the second intake ports during successive portions of the rotation of the rotor in one direction, said intake valve means including a passageway in the rotor that opens to said engine working chamber and the surface of revolution for successive registration with the first and second intake ports during predetermined portions of angular movement of the rotor, each of the engine working chambers being provided with exhaust means that are separated from each other, with the exhaust means for said one engine working chamber comprising the housing being provided with an exhaust port that opens to the surface of revolution and which is in registry with the said passageway during a predetermined portion of angular movement of the rotor, means for supplying air to the first intake port, and means inclusive of said air pumping chambers for compressing air and supplying the same to the second intake port.