Rotary motion transformer

A rotary motion transformer comprising:

• a housing;
• a shaft extending coaxially within said housing and rotatable relative thereto;
• a set of n pistons where n is an even number, each piston having an outer surface mating with the interior surface of said housing and an inner surface mating with said shaft;
• annular cams in each eand of said housing, each cam having n helicoid surfaces facing said pistons, said surfaces alternating ascending and descending to form n/2 lobes on each cam, the surface of one cam being the mirror image of the other cam rotated relative to the other cam by 360/n degrees;
• helicoid surfaces on each end of said pistons during said cams, said piston helicoid surfaces mating with alternating ones of said facing helicoid surfaces of said cams, said pistons rotatable relative to said cams and
• port means extending through said cam to within said housing for providing fluid communication with said transformer.

A rotary motion transformer comprising:

• a housing having a cylindrical interior surface;
• a shaft extending coaxially within said housing and rotatable relative thereto, said shaft having axial splines;
• a set of four similar pistons, each piston having a one quarter cylindrical outer surface mating with said cylindrical interior surface of said housing each piston having axial splines on the inner surface thereof for mating with said shaft, said pistons axially slidable and nonrotatably mated to said shaft;
• an annular cam in one end of said housing, said cam having four helicoid surfaces facing said pistons, said surfaces alternating ascending and descending to form two lobes on said cam;
• a helicoid surface on each of said pistons facing said cam, said piston helicoid surfaces mating with alternate ones of said helicoid surfaces on said cam, said pistons rotatable relative to said cam;
• first port means comprising fluid communication channels extending through said cam to within said housing in the region of each lobe, the openings of said first port means communication channels located at the surface of said cams adjacent said lobes, and
• second port means comprising fluid communication channels extending through said cam to within said housing in the midway region between said lobes, the openings of said second port means communication channels at the located surface of said cam adjacent the midpoints between said lobes, said port means providing fluid communication with said transformer.

A rotary motion transformer comprising:

• a housing having a cylindrical interior surface provided with axial splines;
• a shaft extending coaxially within said housing and rotatable relative thereto;
• a set of four similar pistons, each piston having one quarter cylindrical outer surface provided with axial splines and mating with said cylindrical interior surface of said housing, each piston having the inner surfaces thereof mating with said shaft, said piston axially slidable and nonrotatably mated to said housing;
• an annular cam in one end of said housing, said cam having four helicoid surfaces facing said piston, said surfaces alternating ascending and descending to form two lobes on said cam;
• a helicoid surface on each of said pistons facing said cam, said piston helicoid surfaces mating with alternate ones of said helicoid surfaces on said cam said istons rotatable relative to said cam;
• first port means comprising fluid communication channels extending through said cam to within said housing in the region of each said lobes, the openings of said first port means communication channels located at the surface of said cams adjacent said lobes;
• and
• second port means comprising fluid communication channels extending through said cam to within said housing in the midway region between said lobes, the openings of said second port means communication channels located at the surface of said cam adjacent the midpoints between said lobes, said port means providing fluid communication with said transformer.

An internal combustion engine wherein a fuel/air mixture is supplied thereto, comprising in combination:

• (a) a housing having a cylindrical interior surface;
• (a) a splined shaft extending coaxially within said housing and rotatable relative thereto;
• (c) a continuous, annular cam surface coaxial with and fixed relative to said housing, at one end thereof, said cam surface comprising four equal-angular segments each having a helicoid surface, said segments having alternating ascending and descending pitch angles forming two oppositely spaced lobes on said cam surface.
• (d) four similar pistons surrounding said shaft and disposed within said housing, said pistons keyed to the splines of said shaft and axially slidable therewith, each of said pistons having a one-quarter cylindrical outer surface mating with said cylindrical interior surface of said housing, each piston having planar, orthogonal leading and trailing surfaces parallel with the axis of said shaft and a helicoid face which faces said cam surfaces and mates with each of said ascending segments of said cam surface, said pistons rotatable relative to said cam surface;
• (e) means for biasing said pistons against said cam surface;
• (f) input port means adjacent one of said lobes for introducing said fuel/air mixture into a chamber enclosed by the helicoid face of a first of said pistons, the trailing surface of a second of said pistons in a contiguous leading portion to said first piston, said shaft, said cam surface and the interior surface of said housing;
• (g) exhaust port means located adjacent said cam surface midway between said lobes for removing gas from said chamber;
• and
• (h) means for igniting said fuel/air mixture in said chamber after said mixture has been compressed by a reduction in the volume of said chamber due to relative movement between said pistons and said cam surface.

A motor driven by pressurized fluid for producing rotary motion, comprising:

• a housing having a cylindrical interior surface;
• a shaft extending coaxially within said housing, rotatable relative thereto and provided with longitudinal splines;
• a set of n pistons where n is an even number, each piston having an outer surface for mating with the interior surface of said housing and an inner surface having longitudinal splines such that said pistons are axially slidable and nonrotatably mated with said shaft;
• an annular cam at one end of said housing, said cam having n helicoid surfaces facing said pistons, said surfaces alternating ascending and descending to form n/2 lobes on said cam;
• a helicoid surface on the end of each of said pistons facing said cam, said piston helicoid surfaces mating with alternate ones of said helicoid surfaces on said cam, said pistons rotatable relative to said cam to form a variable volume chamber between each piston and said cam;
• an input port means for each of said lobes, each said input port means extending thorough said cam to within said housing and opening at a point offset from the peak of the lobe in the rotational direction of the pistons, said input port means receiving said pressurized fluid which enters an expanding volume one of said chambers and drives said pistons to rotate said shaft;
• and
• an exhaust port means for each valley between said lobes, each said exhaust port means extending through said cam to within said housing and opening at a point offset from the midpoint between the lobes in the rotational direction of the pistons, said exhaust port means for releasing said pressurized fluid from a reducing volume one of said chambers.

An internal combustion engine comprising in combination:

• (a) a housing having a cylindrical interior surface;
• (b) a shaft extending coaxially within said housing and rotatable relative thereto;
• (c) a continuous, annular cam surface coaxial with said shaft and having n equal-angular segments each having a helicoid surface, said segments having alternating ascending and descending pitch angles forming n/2 lobes on said cam surface;
• (d) n similar pistons surrounding said shaft, said pistons axially slidable relative to said shaft and said housing, said pistons nonrotatably connected to either said shaft or said housing, each of said pistons having an outer surface mating with said cylindrical interior surface, each of said pistons having an essentially helicoid face with mates with alternate ones of said cam surfaces, said pistons rotatable relative to said cam surface;
• (e) means for biasing said pistons against said cam surface;
• (f) input port means adjacent at least on of said lobes for communication with a variable volume chamber defined by the helicoid face of a first of said pistons, the trailing surface of a second of said pistons in a leading position to said first piston, said shaft, said cam surface and the interior surface of said housing;
• and
• (g) exhaust port means located adjacent said cam surface approximately midway between two of said lobes for releasing fluid from said chamber.