초록 ▼

A hinge valved rotary engine has separate compression and expansion chambers with respective smooth surfaced compression and expansion rotors mounted therein on a common engine shaft. The chambers are connected by a combustor unit which receives compressed air from the compression chamber, mixes fue

A hinge valved rotary engine has separate compression and expansion chambers with respective smooth surfaced compression and expansion rotors mounted therein on a common engine shaft. The chambers are connected by a combustor unit which receives compressed air from the compression chamber, mixes fuel with the air, and ignites the mixture for communication to the expansion rotor to turn the shaft. Air is compressed by cooperation of a hinged compression valve which sealingly engages the compression rotor. A combustion valve is forced into sealing engagement with the expansion rotor by the pressure of the combustion gases such that the pressurized combustion gases force lobes of the expansion rotor to rotate. A tangentially vaned compressed air control valve in the combustion unit controls the timing of the release of the compressed air into the combustor unit. Tangentially vaned expansion rotor lobe seals are urged into contact with the peripheral surface of the expansion chamber by springs, by centrifugal force, and by exposure to the pressure of combustion gases in the expansion chamber.

대표청구항 ▼

A rotary combustion engine comprising: (a) an engine housing; (b) an engine shaft rotatably supported through said engine housing and having a rotary axis; (c) positive displacement rotary compression means positioned within said housing, engaged with said shaft, and operative to compress air upon t

A rotary combustion engine comprising: (a) an engine housing; (b) an engine shaft rotatably supported through said engine housing and having a rotary axis; (c) positive displacement rotary compression means positioned within said housing, engaged with said shaft, and operative to compress air upon the rotation of said shaft, said compression means including a compression chamber; (d) combustor means including a combustor passage communicating with said compression means to receive compressed air therefrom, mix a fuel therewith, and ignite a fuel/air mixture of said compressed air and fuel; (e) a compression rotor affixed to said engine shaft and positioned within said compression chamber, said compression rotor having a continuous compression rotor surface and including a compression rotor lobe forming a substantially sealing relationship with compression chamber surface; (f) a cylindrical expansion chamber formed within said housing coaxial with said rotary axis, said expansion chamber including a cylindrical expansion chamber surface; (g) an exhaust port communicating with said expansion chamber; (h) an expansion rotor affixed to said engine shaft and positioned within said expansion chamber, said expansion rotor having a continuous expansion rotor surface and including an expansion rotor lobe sealingly engaging said expansion chamber surface; (i) an expansion rotor lobe seal between said expansion rotor lobe and said expansion chamber surface, said expansion rotor lobe seal comprising: (1) a cylindrical pivot base pivotally mounted through said expansion rotor lobe adjacent said expansion rotor surface and extending parallel to a rotary axis; (2) a sealing vane extending substantially tangentially from said pivot base in a direction opposite an angular direction of rotation of said engine shaft, said sealing vane having an outer contact surface and an opposite inner pressure surface, said sealing vane being urged by centrifugal force to force said contact surface into sealing contact with said expansion chamber surface; and (3) resilient means positioned between said vane and said rotor lobe to additionally urge said sealing vane outward from said rotary axis to engage said expansion rotor surface and to expose said pressure surface to pressure within said expansion chamber which further urges said contact into engagement with said expansion chamber surface; and (j) air control valve means positioned in said combustor means and controlling the communication of compressed air between said compression chamber and said combustor means, said air control valve means including: (1) a cylindrical shaft extending across said combustor means; (2) an air control valve vane extending tangentially from said cylindrical shaft; and (3) air control valve bias means engaged between said cylindrical shaft and said housing and urging said cylindrical shaft to move said air control valve vane to a position to close said combustor passage.