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US 7,188,602 B1Granted
Concentric internal combustion rotary engine
AssigneeClr, LLC
InventorRobert L. Campbell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An internal combustion rotary engine includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet and a rotatable rotor centrally mounted within the housing. The rotor includes a plurality of pockets located about its circumference, the rotor further being connected to a rotor shaft. A rotatable elliptical body is disposed in each of the plurality of pockets. Each rotatable elliptical body is coupled to respective planet gears and each respective planet gear is meshed with a centrally disposed fixed sun gear. An ignition source is disposed in each of the plurality of pockets for igniting a fuel/air mixture. During operation of the internal combustion rotary engine, for each 360° rotation of the rotor, each elliptical body rotates through 720°.
Claims20
A method for operating an internal combustion rotary engine, the engine comprising (1) a housing having an internal surface which is substantially symmetrical about a minor-axis centerline of said housing, an inlet disposed on one side of the minor-axis centerline of the housing, and an outlet disposed on an opposing side of the minor-axis centerline of the housing;
- and (2) a rotor assembly concentrically mounted in the housing in relation to the inner surface of the housing, and a rotational axis of the rotor assembly being substantially perpendicular to the minor-axis centerline of the housing and a major-axis centerline of the housing, the rotor assembly comprising (a) a rotatable rotor comprising (i) a rotor shaft, (ii) a substantially solid circumferential surface, and (iii) a plurality of pockets located about the circumference of the rotor, a center of each respective one of the plurality of pockets being located substantially equidistant from the center of the rotor, (b) a rotatable elliptical body having a substantially solid outer surface and disposed in each of the plurality of pockets, each elliptical body being mounted to the rotor such that an axis of rotation of the elliptical body is centrally located at the center of the pocket, each rotatable elliptical body having a drive shaft that is coupled to an elliptical body driving mechanism that causes the elliptical body to rotate about its axis of rotation in correspondence with rotation of the rotor, wherein, when the elliptical body is rotated about its axis, the outer surface of the elliptical body engages the inner surface of the housing, and a portion of the outer surface nearest the vertices along a major-axis of each elliptical body engages a surface of the respective pocket in which the elliptical body is mounted, and wherein, as the rotor rotates concentrically within the housing through one revolution, each elliptical body rotates correspondingly through two revolutions about its axis, and the elliptical body, by engaging the inner surface of the housing and the pocket during the rotation, causes a first increase in volumetric displacement in an intake region, a corresponding first decrease in volumetric displacement in a compression region, a second increase in volumetric displacement in a power stroke region, and a corresponding second decrease in volumetric displacement in an exhaust region, the method comprising:
- introducing a fuel/air mixture into an intake side of the housing, via the housing inlet, between a first one of the elliptical bodies passing the inlet and a second one of the elliptical bodies passing the inlet;
- compressing the fuel/air mixture by rotating the rotor and the second elliptical body until the fuel/air mixture is compressed within the pocket of the second elliptical body between the surface of the pocket and the surface of the second elliptical body;
- igniting the compressed fuel/air mixture within the pocket of the second elliptical body;
- burning the ignited fuel/air mixture in a combustion side of the housing in a chamber formed between the second elliptical body and the inner surface of the housing so as to power the rotation of the rotor;
- and
- exhausting the burned fuel/air mixture from the housing via the outlet after the second elliptical body passes the outlet.
4 more elements
An internal combustion rotary engine comprising:
- a housing having an internal surface which is substantially symmetrical about a minor-axis centerline of said housing, an inlet disposed on one side of the minor-axis centerline of the housing, and an outlet disposed on an opposing side of the minor-axis centerline of the housing;
- and
- a rotor assembly concentrically mounted in the housing in relation to the inner surface of the housing, and a rotational axis of the rotor assembly being substantially perpendicular to the minor-axis centerline of the housing and a major-axis centerline of the housing, the rotor assembly comprising:
- a rotatable rotor comprising a rotor shaft, a substantially solid circumferential surface, and a plurality of pockets located about the circumference of the rotor, a center of each respective one of the plurality of pockets being located substantially equidistant from the center of the rotor;
- a rotatable elliptical body having a substantially solid outer surface and disposed in each of the plurality of pockets, each elliptical body being mounted to the rotor such that an axis of rotation of the elliptical body is centrally located at the center of the pocket, each rotatable elliptical body having a drive shaft that is coupled to an elliptical body driving mechanism that causes the elliptical body to rotate about its axis of rotation in correspondence with rotation of the rotor, wherein, when the elliptical body is rotated about its axis, the outer surface of the elliptical body engages the inner surface of the housing, and a portion of the outer surface nearest the vertices along a major-axis of each elliptical body engages a surface of the respective pocket in which the elliptical body is mounted, and
- wherein, as the rotor rotates concentrically within the housing through one revolution, each elliptical body rotates correspondingly through two revolutions about its axis, and the elliptical body, by engaging the inner surface of the housing and the pocket during the rotation, causes a first increase in volumetric displacement in an intake region, a corresponding first decrease in volumetric displacement in a compression region, a second increase in volumetric displacement in a power stroke region, and a corresponding second decrease in volumetric displacement in an exhaust region.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.