Internal combustion engine with rotary valve assembly

A rotary valve assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising:

• housing means having an inner surface and fluid inlet and outlet ports open to the inner surface, rotatable valving means located within the housing means for controlling the flow of fluid into and out of the assembly, said rotatable valving means having a valving chamber open to means to accommodate a fluid, said rotatable valving means having a valve body, spark generating means mounted on said body in communication with said valving chamber operable to ignite fuel therein, said valve body having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the housing means, segment seal means mounted on the valve body engageable with said inner surface of said housing means, said segment seal means having a passage in communication with the second chamber and open to said inner surface to allow fluid to flow into and out of said second chamber, cooperating pin and slot means on said seal means and valve body to move the seal means with the valve body and allow the seal means to move about an axis generally parallel to said inner surface of the housing means, biasing means located between the valve body and seal means to hold the seal means into engagement with the inner surface of the housing means, and means operable to rotate said valve body whereby said valving chamber sequentially moves into alignment with said ports allowing fluid to flow in said fluid inlet and outlet ports into and out of said chamber in the valve body.

An internal combustion engine comprising:

• a block having cylindrical wall means surrounding at least one piston chamber, piston means located in said piston chamber, means operable to reciprocate the piston means in said chamber, a head plate located on the block over the piston chamber, said head plate having an opening in communication with said chamber, head means mounted on the head plate covering said opening, means securing the head means and head plate to the block, said head means having an air intake passage and an exhaust gas passage, rotary valve means operatively associated with the head means for controlling the flow of air into said piston chamber and the flow of exhaust gas from said piston chamber, said head means having a housing with an inner surface and bore open to said piston chamber, said valve means having a body located in said bore, said body having a valving combustion chamber continuously open to said opening and sequentially open to said air intake passage and exhaust gas passage, spark generating means mounted on said body in communication with said valving combustion chamber operable to ignite fuel in said combustion chamber, seal means mounted on the valve body, said seal means having a passage providing an outer portion of the valving combustion chamber, said outer portion of the valving chamber being sequentially aligned with said air intake passage and the exhaust gas passage during rotation of the valve body, means mounted on said head plate operable to introduce fuel into the valving combustion chamber, and means operable to rotate each of said valve body in timed relation with the movement of the piston means whereby said engine has an intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.

An internal combustion engine comprising:

• a block having cylindrical wall means surrounding at least one piston chamber, piston means located in said piston chamber, means operable to reciprocate the piston means in said chamber, a head plate located on the block over the piston chamber, said head plate having an opening in communication with said chamber, head means mounted on the head plate covering said opening, means securing the head means and head plate to the block, said head means having an air intake passage and an exhaust gas passage, rotary valve means operatively associated with the head means for controlling the flow of air into said piston chamber and the flow of exhaust gas from said piston chamber, said head means having a housing with an inner surface and bore open to said piston chamber, said valve means having a body located in said bore, said body having a valving combustion chamber continuously open to said opening and sequentially open to said air intake passage and exhaust gas passage, spark generating means mounted on said body in communication with said valving combustion chamber, operable to ignite the fuel therein, annular first seal means surrounding said valving combustion chamber between said body and said head plate, second segment seal means mounted on the valve body, said segment seal means having a passage providing an outer portion of the valving combustion chamber, said outer portion of the valving chamber being sequentially aligned with said air intake passage and exhaust gas passage during rotation of the valve body, cooperating pin and slot means on said segment seal means and valve body to move the segment seal means with the valve body and allow the segment seal means to move about an axis generally parallel to said inner surface of the housing, biasing means located between the valve body and segment seal means to hold the segment seal means in engagement with the inner surface of the housing, means operable to introduce fuel into the valving combustion chamber, and means operable to rotate each of said valve body in timed relation with the movement of the piston means whereby said engine has an intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.

An internal combustion engine comprising a block having at least one cylindrical wall surrounding a cylinder, piston means located in said cylinder, means operable to reciprocate the piston means in said cylinder, head means mounted on the block covering said cylinder, said head means having an intake passage for intake gas, an exhaust gas passage for exhaust gas, and a cavity which is open to the cylinder, open to said passages, and which accommodate a rotary valve assembly, said valve assembly comprising a valve body located within said cavity, the valve body having a valving combustion chamber and an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the cavity to enable the valve body to rotate and thereby control the flow of intake gas from said intake passage into said rotary valve assembly and the cylinder an the flow of exhaust gas out of the rotary valve assembly and the cylinder to said exhaust gas passage, such flow occurring via said valving combustion chamber in the valve body open to the cylinder and said inner surface of the cavity, first seal means mounted on the valve body having a hole in alignment with an outer portion of the valving combustion chamber and the inlet and outlet passage, said first seal means having a surface surrounding the hole located in sliding sealing engagement with an arcuate section of the inner surface of the cavity, first means on the valve body adjacent the first seal means, second means on the first seal means cooperating with the first means for moving the first seal means with the valve body and allowing limited movement of the first seal means relative to the body to maintain the sealing relationship between the surface of the first seal means that engages the inner surface of the cavity, second seal means located between the first seal means and valve body to block the flow of the intake gas, and exhaust gas into the space between the outer surface of the valve body, third seal means cooperating with said valve body to block the flow of the intake gas, and exhaust gas into the space between the valve body and inner surface of the cavity, ignition means comprising spark generating means mounted on the valve body operable to initiate combustion in the valving chamber, and means operable to rotate the rotatable valve body and first seal means in timed relation with the movement of the piston means whereby said engine has intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.

An internal combustion engine comprising:

• a block having at least one cylindrical wall surrounding a piston chamber, piston means located in said piston chamber, means operable to reciprocate the piston means in said chamber, head means mounted on the block covering said chamber, said head means having an air intake passage, an exhaust gas passage, a rotary valve assembly operatively associated with the head means for controlling the flow of air into the rotary valve assembly and piston chamber and the flow of exhaust gas from rotary valve assembly and the piston chamber, said head means having a housing with a bore open to the piston chamber accommodating said rotary valve assembly, said valve assembly comprising a cylindrical sleeve located in said bore, said sleeve having an inner surface and intake and exhaust ports aligned with said intake passage and exhaust gas passage, rotatable valving means located within said sleeve for controlling the flow of intake gas into said rotary valve assembly and piston chamber and the flow of exhaust gases out of the piston chamber and rotary valve assembly, said rotatable valving means having a valving combustion chamber open to the piston chamber and the inner surface of the sleeve, said rotatable valving means having a valve body, said valving combustion chamber having an inner portion located in the valve body, means for introducing fuel into the valving combustion chamber, said valve body having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the sleeve, spark generating means mounted on said valve body in communication with said valving combustion chamber operable to ignite the fuel therein, segment seal means mounted on the valve body, said segment seal means having a passage aligned with an outer portion of the valving combustion chamber, said outer portion of the valving chamber being sequentially aligned with said intake and exhaust ports during rotation of the valve body, cooperating pin and slot means on said segment seal means and valve body to move the segment seal means with the valve body and allow the segment seal means to move about an axis generally parallel to said inner surface of said sleeve, means located between the valve body and segment seal means to bias the segment seal means into engagement with the inner surface of the sleeve, and means operable to rotate said rotatable valving means in timed relation with the movement of the piston means whereby said engine has an intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes.