Internal combustion engine with balanced rotary combustion chamber separate from reciprocating power cylinder

An internal combustion engine comprising

• a) a cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted between opposing faceplates, at least one of the faceplates comprising a gas exhaust port, the rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis, the rotor comprising a plurality of fixed-volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall of the rotor and by a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes of the rotor each connected to the sidewall at one end and to the central hub at an opposite end, each fuel ignition compartment enclosed axially by the opposing faceplates;
• and
• b) a power cylinder in direct gas communication with the gas exhaust port, the power cylinder comprising a reciprocating piston therein and an exhaust valve adapted to automatically close when gas pressure inside the power cylinder exceeds atmospheric pressure and to automatically open when the atmospheric pressure exceeds the gas pressure inside the power cylinder.

An internal combustion engine comprising

• a) a cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted between opposing faceplates, at least one of the faceplates comprising a gas exhaust port, the rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis, the rotor comprising a plurality of fixed-volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall of the rotor and by a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes of the rotor each connected to the sidewall at one end and to the central hub at an opposite end, each fuel ignition compartment enclosed axially by the opposing faceplates;
• and
• b) a plurality of power cylinders in direct gas communication with the gas exhaust port, each power cylinder comprising a reciprocating piston therein and an exhaust valve, wherein each fuel ignition compartment in the rotor is adapted to discharge gas into a first cylinder that is rotationally adjacent to a fuel ignition compartment adapted to discharge gas into a second cylinder.

An internal combustion engine comprising

• a) a cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted between opposing faceplates, at least one of the faceplates comprising a gas exhaust port, the rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis, the rotor comprising a plurality of fixed-volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall of the rotor and by a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes of the rotor each connected to the sidewall at one end and to the central hub at an opposite end, each fuel ignition compartment enclosed axially by the opposing faceplates;
• and
• b) two power cylinders in direct gas communication with the gas exhaust port, each power cylinder comprising a reciprocating piston therein and an exhaust valve, wherein each fuel ignition compartment is adapted to discharge into only one of the two cylinders.

An internal combustion engine comprising

• a) a cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted between opposing faceplates, at least one of the faceplates comprising a gas exhaust port, the rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis, the rotor comprising a plurality of fixed-volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall of the rotor and by a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes of the rotor each connected to the sidewall at one end and to the central hub at an opposite end, each fuel ignition compartment enclosed axially by the opposing faceplates;
• and
• b) two power cylinders in direct gas communication with the gas exhaust port, each power cylinder comprising a reciprocating piston therein and an exhaust valve, one cylinder located on each axial side of the rotor, wherein each faceplate comprises a gas exhaust port and each cylinder is in gas communication with a respective one of the exhaust ports.

An internal combustion engine comprising

• a) a cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted between opposing faceplates, at least one of the faceplates comprising a gas exhaust port, at least one vent, at least one ignition source, and at least one fuel/air intake, the fuel/air intake connected to a fuel regulator adapted to provide a first, relatively large quantity of fuel at a maximum throttle and a second, relatively small quantity of fuel at a minimum throttle, the rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis and comprising a plurality of fixed-volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall of the rotor and by a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes of the rotor each connected to the sidewall at one end and to the central hub at an opposite end, each fuel ignition compartment enclosed axially by the opposing faceplates;
• and
• b) a plurality of power cylinders in direct gas communication with the gas exhaust port, each power cylinder comprising a reciprocating piston therein and an exhaust valve, the power cylinder having a maximum volume with the reciprocating piston in a fully extended position that is greater than a volume of combustion gas at atmospheric pressure generated by ignition of the second quantity of fuel mixed with a corresponding ratio of air.

An internal combustion engine rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis on a shaft, the rotor having opposite axial sides in contact with opposite faceplates and comprising a plurality of fixed-volume volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall and a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes each connected to the sidewall at one end and connected to the central hub at the opposite end, the opposite axial sides of each fuel ignition compartment being substantially open.

An internal combustion engine rotor adapted to rotate about a rotor axis and having opposite axial sides in contact with opposite faceplates, the rotor comprising a plurality of fixed-volume fuel ignition compartments, each fuel ignition compartment defined circumferentially by a cylindrical sidewall and a central hub and defined radially by radial vanes each connected to the sidewall at one end and connected to the central hub at the opposite end, the opposite axial sides of each fuel ignition compartment being substantially open, each fuel ignition compartment further comprising a pair of symmetrical axial blocking plates partially closing each open axial side, the respective blocking plates extending between the radial vanes and sufficiently extending radially outward from the hub or radially inward from the rotor circumferential sidewall to block gas flow out of the fuel ignition compartment into a gas exhaust port on one of the faceplates.