Axial piston rotary power device

A four-cycle internal combustion engine having an output shaft fixedly attached to a cylindrical block rotatable about an axis of the shaft and received within an external portion of a stator, the external portion of the stator having an axially undulating guide surface fixed thereto, the axially undulating guide surface comprising a first pair of points at which the surface is a maximum axial distance from a first selected axial position and a second pair of points at which the surface is a minimum axial distance from the first selected axial position;

• the cylindrical block comprising:
• a central cylindrical bore extending through the block along an axis of the shaft;
• a medial annular recess extending through an outer cylindrical wall of the cylindrical block;
• a selected number of cylindrical cavities parallel to the shaft and disposed at a single radial distance from the axis, each cylindrical cavity comprising a pair of working cylinders axially spaced apart on opposite sides of the medial annular recess;
• each working cylinder having an inner end proximal the medial annual recess and open thereto, each working cylinder having a closeable outer end distal from the medial annular recess, each of the working cylinders having a respective radially inwardly directed opening adjacent the closeable end thereof, the radially inwardly directed opening of one working cylinder in each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at the first selected axial position, the radially inwardly directed opening associated with the second working cylinder in the each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at a second selected axial position;
• the selected number of piston assemblies, each piston assembly slidably received in a respective cylindrical cavity;
• each piston assembly comprising two axially spaced apart piston heads having a respective middle portion extending therebetween, each middle portion comprising at least a respective pair of rotatable roller cam followers for following the axially undulating guide surface received in the medial annual recess, each middle portion further comprising a respective cam follower pin for slidably engaging a respective axial groove formed in a wall of the respective cylindrical cavity;
• the engine further comprising an internal portion of the stator received in the cylindrical bore of the cylindrical block, the internal portion of the stator having a plurality of passageways formed therein, each of the passageways comprising a channel parallel to the axis of the shaft, each of the channels communicating with at least one respective radial port formed in the internal stator at one of the selected axial positions, at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising an inlet passageway, a second at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising an exhaust passageway, and two of the passageways comprising ignition passageways comprising respective ignition ports, each of the ignition ports comprising means for receiving an igniter therein.

A two-cycle internal combustion engine having an output shaft fixedly attached to a cylindrical block rotatable about an axis of the shaft and received within an external portion of a stator having an axially undulating guide surface fixed thereto, the axially undulating guide surface comprising exactly one point at which the surface is a maximum axial distance from a first selected axial position and exactly one point at which the surface is a minimum axial distance from the first selected axial position;

• the cylindrical block comprising:
• an outer wall comprising a medial annular recess for receiving the axially undulating guide surface;
• a central cylindrical bore for receiving an internal portion of the stator, the central cylindrical bore extending through the block along the axis;
• a selected number of cylindrical cavities parallel to the shaft and disposed at a single radial distance from the axis, each cylindrical cavity further comprising a pair of working cylinders axially spaced apart on opposite sides of the medial annular recess;
• each working cylinder having an inner end proximal the medial annual recess and open thereto, each working cylinder having a closeable outer end distal from the medial annular recess, each of the working cylinders having a respective radially inwardly directed outer end opening adjacent the closeable end thereof, the outer end opening of a first working cylinder in each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at the first selected axial position, the outer end opening associated with the second working cylinder in the each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at a second selected axial position;
• each of the working cylinders further having a respective radially inwardly directed medial end opening adjacent the inner end thereof, the respective medial end opening of the first working cylinder in each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at a third selected axial position closer to the first axial position than to the second, the respective medial end opening of the second working cylinder in each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at a fourth selected axial position closer to the second axial position than to the first;
• each of the cylindrical cavities further comprising a respective axial groove extending between its associated pair of working cylinders;
• the selected number of piston assemblies, each piston assembly slidably received in a respective cylindrical cavity;
• each piston assembly comprising two axially spaced apart piston heads having a respective middle portion extending therebetween, each middle portion comprising at least a respective pair of rotatable roller cam followers for following the axially undulating guide surface received in the medial annual recess, each middle portion further comprising a respective cam follower pin for slidably engaging a respective axial groove formed in a wall of the respective cylindrical cavity;
• wherein the engine further comprises:
• a plurality of passageways formed in the internal stator, each of the passageways comprising a channel parallel to the axis of the shaft, each of the channels communicating with at least one respective radial port formed in the internal stator at one of the selected axial positions, at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising an inlet passageway, a second at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising an exhaust passageway, and at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising a fuel injection passageway.

An axial piston rotary power device operable as one of a compressor and a pump, the device having an input shaft fixedly attached to a cylindrical block rotatable about an axis of the shaft within an external portion of a stator, the external portion of the stator comprising a middle portion having a generally cylindrical interior and two end plate portions spaced apart by the middle portion;

• wherein the cylindrical block comprises:
• an outer wall comprising a medial annular recess for receiving an axially undulating guide surface portion of the external portion of the stator and a central cylindrical bore for receiving an internal stator portion of the stator, the central cylindrical bore extending through the block along an axis of the shaft;
• a selected number of cylindrical cavities parallel to the shaft and disposed at a single radial distance from the axis thereof, each cavity comprising a pair of working cylinders axially spaced apart on opposite sides of the medial annular recess, each working cylinder having an inner end proximal the medial annual recess and open thereto, each working cylinder having a closeable outer end distal from the medial annular recess, each of the working cylinders having a respective radially inwardly directed opening adjacent the closeable end thereof, the respective radially inwardly directed opening of one working cylinder in each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at a first selected axial position, the respective radially inwardly directed opening associated with the second working cylinder in the each pair thereof communicating with the central cylindrical bore at a second selected axial position;
• the selected number of piston assemblies, each piston assembly slidably received in a respective cylindrical cavity;
• each piston assembly comprising two axially spaced apart piston heads having a respective piston middle portion extending therebetween, each piston middle portion comprising at least a respective pair of rotatable roller cam followers for following the axially undulating guide surface received in the medial annual recess, each piston middle portion further comprising a respective cam follower pin for slidably engaging a respective axial groove formed in a wall of the respective cylindrical cavity;
• wherein the compressor further comprises:
• a plurality of passageways formed in the internal stator portion, each of the passageways comprising a channel parallel to the axis of the shaft, each of the channels communicating with at least one respective radial port formed in the internal stator at one of the selected axial positions, at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising an inlet passageway, a second at least one of the plurality of passageways comprising an exhaust passageway;
• and
• wherein the axially undulating guide surface has a selected number, equal to or greater than one, of points at which the surface is a maximum axial distance from the first selected axial position and the selected number of points at which the surface is a minimum axial distance from the first selected axial position.