US 4,860,704 AGranted

Hinge valved rotary engine with separate compression and expansion sections

OwnerEldon E. Slaughterinventor

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Abstract

A hinge valved rotary engine has separate compression and expansion chambers with respective smooth surfaced compression and expansion rotors mounted therein on a common engine shaft. The chambers are connected by a combustor unit which receives compressed air from the compression chamber, mixes fuel with the air, and ignites the mixture for communication to the expansion rotor to turn the shaft. Air is compressed by cooperation of a hinged compression valve which sealingly engages the compression rotor. A combustion valve is forced into sealing engagement with the expansion rotor by the pressure of the combustion gases such that the pressurized combustion gases force lobes of the expansion rotor to rotate. A tangentially vaned compressed air control valve in the combustion unit controls the timing of the release of the compressed air into the combustor unit. Tangentially vaned expansion rotor lobe seals are urged into contact with the peripheral surface of the expansion chamber by springs, by centrifugal force, and by exposure to the pressure of combustion gases in the expansion chamber.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A rotary combustion engine comprising:

(a) an engine housing;
(b) an engine shaft rotatably supported through said engine housing and having a rotary axis;
(c) positive displacement rotary compression means positioned within said housing, engaged with said shaft, and operative to compress air upon the rotation of said shaft, said compression means including a compression chamber;
(d) combustor means including a combustor passage communicating with said compression means to receive compressed air therefrom, mix a fuel therewith, and ignite a fuel/air mixture of said compressed air and fuel;
(e) a compression rotor affixed to said engine shaft and positioned within said compression chamber, said compression rotor having a continuous compression rotor surface and including a compression rotor lobe forming a substantially sealing relationship with compression chamber surface;
(f) a cylindrical expansion chamber formed within said housing coaxial with said rotary axis, said expansion chamber including a cylindrical expansion chamber surface;
(g) an exhaust port communicating with said expansion chamber;
(h) an expansion rotor affixed to said engine shaft and positioned within said expansion chamber, said expansion rotor having a continuous expansion rotor surface and including an expansion rotor lobe sealingly engaging said expansion chamber surface;
(i) an expansion rotor lobe seal between said expansion rotor lobe and said expansion chamber surface, said expansion rotor lobe seal comprising:
(1) a cylindrical pivot base pivotally mounted through said expansion rotor lobe adjacent said expansion rotor surface and extending parallel to a rotary axis;
(2) a sealing vane extending substantially tangentially from said pivot base in a direction opposite an angular direction of rotation of said engine shaft, said sealing vane having an outer contact surface and an opposite inner pressure surface, said sealing vane being urged by centrifugal force to force said contact surface into sealing contact with said expansion chamber surface;
and
(3) resilient means positioned between said vane and said rotor lobe to additionally urge said sealing vane outward from said rotary axis to engage said expansion rotor surface and to expose said pressure surface to pressure within said expansion chamber which further urges said contact into engagement with said expansion chamber surface;
and
(j) air control valve means positioned in said combustor means and controlling the communication of compressed air between said compression chamber and said combustor means, said air control valve means including:
(1) a cylindrical shaft extending across said combustor means;
(2) an air control valve vane extending tangentially from said cylindrical shaft;
and
(3) air control valve bias means engaged between said cylindrical shaft and said housing and urging said cylindrical shaft to move said air control valve vane to a position to close said combustor passage.

16 more elements

A rotary engine comprising:

(a) an engine housing;
(b) an engine shaft rotatably supported through said engine housing, having a rotary axis, and rotating in a selected angular direction about said rotary axis;
(c) positive displacement rotary compression means positioned within said housing, including a compression rotor positioned on said shaft, and operative to compress air upon the rotation of said shaft;
(d) an intake port communicating air into said compression means;
(e) combustor means including a combustor passage communicating with said compression means to receive compressed air therefrom, mix a fuel therewith, and ignite a fuel/air mixture of said compressed air and fuel to form a combustion charge thereof;
(f) a cylindrical expansion chamber formed within said housing coaxial with said rotary axis, said expansion chamber including a cylindrical expansion chamber surface and communicating with said combustor means;
(g) an exhaust port communicating with said expansion chamber;
(h) an expansion rotor affixed to said engine shaft and positioned within said expansion chamber, said expansion rotor having a continuous expansion rotor surface and including an expansion rotor lobe sealingly engaging said expansion chamber surface;
(i) a compression valve hingedly connected to said housing at one end of said compression valve and having an opposite free end, said compression valve cooperating with said compression rotor to compress air into said combustor means;
(j) a combustor valve hingedly connected to said housing at one end of said combustor valve and having an opposite free end, said free end of said combustor valve being urged into sealing engagement with said expansion rotor surface by the pressure of an expanding combustion charge of said fuel/air mixture, said combustor valve cooperating with said expansion rotor to communicate said combustion charge to said expansion rotor surface to cause said expansion rotor to rotate by the expansion of said combustion charge;
(k) a rotor lobe seal to seal between said expansion rotor lobe and said expansion chamber surface, said seal including:
(1) a cylindrical pivot base pivotally mounted through said expansion rotor lobe adjacent said expansion rotor surface nd extending parallel to said rotary axis;
(2) a sealing vane extending substantially tangentially from said pivot base in a direction opposite said selected angular direction of rotation of said engine shaft, said sealing vane having an outer contact surface and an opposite inner pressure surface;
and
(3) resilient means positioned between said sealing vane and said expansion rotor lobe to urge said sealing vane outward from said rotary axis to engage said contact surface with said expansion chamber surface and to expose said pressure surface to pressure within said expansion chamber which further urges said contact surface into engagement with said expansion chamber surface;
and
(1) air control valve means positioned in said combustor means and controlling the communication of compressed air between said compression means and said combustor means, said air control valve means including:
(1) a cylindrical shaft extending across said combustor means;
(2) an air control valve vane extending tangentially from said cylindrical shaft;
and
(3) air control valve bias means engaged between said cylindrical shaft and said housing and urging said cylindrical shaft to move said air control valve vane to a position to close said combustor passage.

18 more elements

A rotary combustion engine comprising:

(a) an engine housing;
(b) an engine shaft rotatably supported through said engine housing and having a rotary axis;
(c) positive displacement rotary compressor means positioned within said housing, engaged with said shaft and operative to compress air upon the rotation of said shaft;
(d) combustor means including a combustor passage communicating with said compressor means to receive compressed air therefrom, mix a fuel therewith, and ignite a fuel/air mixture of said compressed air and fuel;
(e) positive displacement rotary expansion means positioned within said housing, engaged with said shaft, communicating with said combustor means, and operative to cause the rotation of said shaft upon the communication of an expanded fuel/air mixture ignited by said combustor means;
(f) air control valve means positioned in said combustor means and controlling the communication of compressed air between said compressor means and said combustor means, said air control valve means including:
(1) a cylindrical shaft extending across said combustor means;
(2) an air control valve vane extending tangentially from said cylindrical shaft;
and
(3) air control valve bias means engaged between said cylindrical shaft and said housing and urging said cylindrical shaft to move said air control valve vane to a position to close said combustor passage;
and
(g) said air control valve means including air control valve lock means engaged with said cylindrical shaft and operable to lock said cylindrical shaft in a position such that said air control valve vane seals said combustion passage, said air control valve lock means including:
(1) an air control valve clamp positioned on said housing and releasably clamping said cylindrical shaft;
and
(2) an air control valve solenoid mounted on said housing and including an armature engaging said clamp such that said clamp clampingly engages said cylindrical shaft when said solenoid is activated and releases said cylindrical shaft when said solenoid is deactivated.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/187,938Filed 29 Apr 1988 · continuation in part
Priority: 15 Oct 1985
Granted: 29 Aug 1989
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F02N 9/04
Starting of engines by supplying auxiliary pressure fluid to their working chambers: the pressure fluid being generated otherwise, e.g. by…
F02D 17/04
Controlling engines by cutting out individual cylinders; Rendering engines inoperative or idling: rendering engines inoperative or idling, e.g.…
F02B 1/04
With positive ignition: with fuel-air mixture admission into cylinder
F02B 2053/005
Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines: wankel engines