Rotary combustion apparatus

A four-cycle combustion engine, comprising:

• a housing having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining first and second chambers having a constant diameter, varying radii about a center of origin, an intake valve port, and an exhaust valve port in each chamber;
• a first single rotor having an axis of rotation, the at least one rotor having a body with an elongate opening, a first end, and a second end, wherein the first end and the second end are sealingly in contact with the inner surface of the housing in the first chamber;
• a single rotor shaft extending through the outer surface of the housing in two opposing directions and the at least first and second chambers to rotate about an axis of rotation that is coincident with a longitudinal axis of the shaft, the rotor shaft slidably received in the elongate opening of the rotor, the first rotor, adapted to engage the exterior of the rotor shaft and rotate with the rotor shaft while sliding on the shaft along a longitudinal axis of the rotor;
• a second single rotor of the same size as the first rotor and slidably mounted on the exterior of the shaft in the second chamber for translational movement along an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft and at 180 degrees to the axis of translational movement of the first single rotor and at least one second chamber oriented at 180 degrees to the at least one first chamber with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft;
• at least first and second valves associated with each cylinder and engaged with the rotor shaft to rotate transverse openings in the first and second valves into and out of fluid communication with the respective valve ports that are in fluid communication with each chamber;
• and
• an intermittent gearing configuration using at least one continuously rotating spur gear driving two intermittently rotating gears to open and close the intake valve and the exhaust valve.

A four-cycle rotary combustion system, comprising:

• a housing having at least two end walls, an outer surface, and an inner surface, the inner surface defining first and second chambers, each chamber having an intake port and an exhaust port;
• an intake valve and an exhaust valve associated with each intake port and exhaust port, respectively;
• a first shaft having at least two opposing exterior flat surfaces, a first end, and a second end connected to the first end by a single shaft, the first shaft extending through the first and second chambers and through the outer surface of the housing in two opposing locations to rotate about an axis of rotation that is coincident with a longitudinal axis of the first shaft;
• means for igniting fuel and air received in each chamber from the intake valve port;
• first and second single rotors, each rotor having a first end, a second end, and an elongate opening adapted to slidably received over the exterior flat surfaces at opposing ends of the first
• shaft in the first and second chambers, respectively, wherein each rotor is operable to rotate in response to the combustive force, and the first end and the second end of the rotor are rotatably and sealingly in contact with the inner surface of the housing;
• a second shaft having at least two openings extending laterally there through, a first end, and a second end, wherein the first end is rotatably mounted on an end wall of the housing, and the openings are positionable adjacent the intake valves of each chamber;
• a third shaft having at least two openings extending laterally there through, a first end, and a second end, wherein the first end is rotatably mounted on an end wall of the housing and the openings are positionable adjacent the exhaust valves of each chamber;
• a gearing configuration to rotate the second shaft and the third shaft to periodically align the openings in the second shaft and the third shaft with the intake ports and the exhaust ports, respectively, in an alternating pattern so that each chamber is periodically in fluid communication with a source of fuel and air and alternatingly in fluid communication with the exhaust ports;
• and
• wherein each rotor comprises a contour surface shaped to give a first segment of the rotor contour surface a larger surface area than a surface area of a corresponding contour surface of a second segment of the rotor that is adjacent the first segment to allow more force to act on the first segment of the rotor than on the second segment of the rotor during an expansion phase of an operating cycle of the system.