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US 7,578,278 B2Granted
Multilobe rotary motion asymetric compression/expansion engine
AssigneeGyroton Corporation
InventorsWilliam R. Peitzke, Lawrence Howes, Matt Brown, James G. P. Dehlsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary engine with multiple pivotally mounted lobes desmodromically extendible and retractable from a rotor to trace asymmetric volumes for inlet and compression and expansion and exhaust based on the contour of the engine case which the lobes sealingly engage.
Claims25
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- an engine case containing a rotor;
- a plurality of identical lobes carried within the rotor, each lobe extendible from a slot in a cylindrical surface of the rotor to maintain a peripheral edge in continuous sealing contact with a contoured wall of the case, the contour having a first portion diverging from a first tangency point between the rotor and case wall and a second portion contracting from a first maximum divergence to a second tangency point between the rotor and case, and having a third portion diverging from the second tangency point to a second maximum divergence and a fourth portion converging to the first tangency point, the first and second portion defining a first volume and the third and fourth portion defining a second volume asymmetric to said first volume swept between adjacent sealed lobes;
- a combustion air inlet within the first portion of the contour;
- an exhaust outlet within the fourth portion of the contour;
- means for extending and retracting the lobes to maintain contact with the cylindrical surface of the rotor;
- and,
- means carried between each two adjacent lobes to initiate combustion of the combustion air with a leading lobe and a trailing lobe oppositely adjacent the second tangency point.
4 more elements
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- an engine case containing a rotor;
- a plurality of identical lobes carried within the rotor, each lobe extendible from a slot in a cylindrical surface of the rotor to maintain sealing contact with a contoured wall of the case, the contour having a first portion diverging from a first tangency point between the rotor and case wall and a second portion contracting from a first maximum divergence to a second tangency point between the rotor and case, and having a third portion diverging from the second tangency point to a second maximum divergence and a fourth portion converging to the first tangency point, the first and second portion defining a first volume and the third and fourth portion defining a second volume asymmetric to said first volume;
- a plurality of pivot arms each carrying one of the plurality of lobes, each pivot arm mounted within the rotor and incorporating rotation pins distal from the lobe and rotatably constrained by the rotor immediately adjacent an outer circumference of the rotor and the slot for an adjacent lobe;
- bearings supported by each pivot arm and extending from the rotor to be received within a race for desmodromic actuation of extension and retraction of the lobe;
- a combustion air inlet within the first portion of the contour;
- an exhaust outlet within the fourth portion of the contour;
- and
- means carried between each two adjacent lobes to initiate combustion of the combustion air with a leading lobe and a trailing lobe oppositely adjacent the second tangency point.
5 more elements
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- an engine case containing a rotor;
- a plurality of identical lobes carried within the rotor, each lobe extendible from a slot in a cylindrical surface of the rotor to maintain sealing contact with a contoured wall of the case, the contour having a first portion diverging from a first tangency point between the rotor and case wall and a second portion contracting from a first maximum divergence to a second tangency point between the rotor and case, and having a third portion diverging from the second tangency point to a second maximum divergence and a fourth portion converging to the first tangency point, the first and second portion defining a first volume and the third and fourth portion defining a second volume asymmetric to said first volume;
- a plurality of first L shaped seals extending from first grooves in an upper surface of the rotor intermediate adjacent slots for the lobes and adjoining second grooves in a trailing wall of each slot;
- and
- a plurality of second L shaped seals extending from third grooves in a lower surface of the rotor intermediate adjacent slots for the lobes and adjoining fourth grooves in a leading wall of each slot such L shaped seals thereby functioning to seal the leading and following surface of each lobe in extension and retraction to the main body of the rotor;
- combustion air inlet within the first portion of the contour;
- an exhaust outlet within the fourth portion of the contour;
- means for extending and retracting the lobes from and to the cylindrical surface of the rotor;
- and,
- means carried between each two adjacent lobes to initiate combustion of the combustion air with a leading lobe and a trailing lobe oppositely adjacent the second tangency point.
7 more elements
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- an engine case containing a rotor;
- plurality of identical lobes carried by pivot arms within the rotor, each lobe extendible from a slot in a cylindrical surface of the rotor to maintain a peripheral edge in continuous sealing contact with a contoured wall of the case, each pivot arm mounted within the rotor and incorporating rotation pins distal from the lobe and rotatably constrained by the rotor proximate an outer circumference of the rotor and proximate the slot for an adjacent lobe, the engine case contour having a first portion diverging from a first tangency point between the rotor and case wall and a second portion contracting from a first maximum divergence to a second tangency point between the rotor and case, and having a third portion diverging from the second tangency point to a second maximum divergence and a fourth portion converging to the first tangency point;
- a combustion air inlet within the first portion of the contour;
- an exhaust outlet within the fourth portion of the contour;
- means for extending and retracting the lobes to maintain contact with the cylindrical surface of the rotor;
- and,
- means carried between each two adjacent lobes to initiate combustion of the combustion air with a leading lobe and a trailing lobe oppositely adjacent the second tangency point.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.