Abstract:
A rotary internal combustion engine having a single toroidal cylinder and a set of orbital pistons attached to a rotating head or toroidal cylinder cover. The toroidal cylinder is divided into two chambers by two rotating disk valves perpendicular to the toroidal cylinder. Each rotating disk valve has a piston slot or opening that allows the orbital pistons to pass through the rotating disk valves while maintaining sealed chambers within the toroidal cylinder. The rotating disk valve that seals the compression chamber has a void within it that forms a pre-combustion chamber, which receives the compressed fuel-air mixture and releases it on the opposite side of the disk valve into the combustion chamber. The two orbital pistons and rotating disk valves allow the four cycles of the toroidal internal combustion engine to occur simultaneously within the toroidal cylinder.

Description:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0001]    No part of this invention has been prepared under federally sponsored research and development. 
       REFERENCE TO COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0003]    Not Applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to internal combustion engines and, more specifically, to a toroidal rotary internal combustion engine with all the internal moving components continuously rotating as the engine completes its four cycles: intake, compression, combustion and exhaust. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0007]    Prior art of the internal combustion rotary engine includes more than 600 related patents. The Wankel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,988,008, the only rotary engine to reach the global market, has problems with vibrations caused by an internal piston that moves in an eccentric path as the engine goes through its cycles of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust. The Quasiturbine, U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,075, has attempted to solve the vibration problem by using an internal piston with a grater number of sides than the Wankle. However, the Quasiturbine has not yielded the performance required by the market. An engine that presents a more true rotary motion is McCall, U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,192. This engine has a pair of intermeshed rotors set perpendicular to one another. As these rotors turn, chambers are formed between the rotors that are then reduced or expanded to complete the cycles of the engine. However, the gear drive train is complicated to manufacturer and maintain. Riley, U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,067, also takes advantage of a true rotary motion with three (3) intermeshed rotors. This design presents a sealing problem that limits the engine&#39;s ability to produce high compression ratios and torque. A number of patents such as Elsherbini, U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,403, have proposed a rotor with vanes or sliding walls that move in and out of the rotor while making contact with the exterior wall of an eccentric chamber. These vanes form smaller chambers for compression and combustion between the vanes as they rotate within the eccentric chamber. These engines have reciprocating vanes that extend and retract during operation and produce a difference in radial acceleration that, in turn, creates vibration within the engines. Vibration in the engines from reciprocating parts or eccentric rotating parts shortens the life expectancy of the engines and hinders the use of alternative materials such as ceramics for engine components. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The primary objective of this invention is to overcome some of the shortcomings of the reciprocating internal combustion engines that are in use today. 
         [0009]    The object of the present invention is to provide a smaller and smoother operating engine that is equivalent in horsepower to the reciprocating internal combustion engine. The footprint and mass of the present invention is much smaller than the reciprocating internal combustion engine. With two (2) combustion cycles taking place every revolution makes the present invention equivalent to a four (4) cylinder reciprocating internal combustion engine. The reduced vibration by elimination of the reciprocating components and the smaller overall package allows the present invention to operate at greater speeds and produces more horsepower than its counterpart of equal mass. 
         [0010]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine that can be made from materials other than the conventional metals used today. All the moving components in the present invention continuously rotate in a circular motion, which reduces vibration by eliminating the reciprocating motion of internal components as in the reciprocating internal combustion engine. Because of the reduced vibration, other materials, including ceramics, can be used to produce the engine components, which would allow for higher operating temperatures and more efficient combustion. Alternative materials will make the present invention more economical to produce as well as a greater horsepower-to-weight ratio. 
         [0011]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine with greater torque that will be readily accepted as an alternative to the reciprocating internal combustion engine. The power stroke in the present invention uses 140 degrees of rotation within the toroidal cavity for the combustion cycle. This longer power stroke allows for better use of the fuel&#39;s potential energy and also reduces exhaust temperatures by allowing greater expansion of the combusted gases. The torque produced by the present invention will surpass that of the reciprocating internal combustion engine because of the greater than 12-inch power stroke and the elimination of the reciprocating internal components. 
         [0012]    The present invention consists of a stationary engine casing and three primary moving components—the rotary head and two (2) disk valves. The orbital pistons and compression rings are fixed to the rotary head forming a single rotating unit. The rotary head seals the toroidal cylinder cavity containing the compression chamber and combustion chamber. The rotary disk valves seal the ends of the compression chamber and the combustion chamber and allow movement of the pistons within the chambers to perform the intake, compression, combustion and exhaust cycles. Also, the rotary disk valves have piston slots, which allow the pistons to pass through the rotary disk valves into the next chamber while maintaining the pressures within the chambers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the assembled rotary engine. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the assembled rotary engine. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the rotary engine. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a list of the rotary engine components. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the rotary engine with the rotary head removed. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the rotary engine with the front engine casing removed. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a plan view showing the intake, compression, combustion and exhaust cycles of the rotary engine. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a section view cut along line A-A in  FIG. 7  showing the rotary piston passing through the compression valve piston slot. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a section view cut along line B-B in  FIG. 7  showing the valve drive gears. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a section view cut along line C-C in  FIG. 7  showing the rotary engine drive train. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a detail of the intake disk valve showing the orbital piston slot. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a front detail of the compression disk valve showing the orbital piston slot and the pre-combustion chamber (shown in dashed lines). 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    The present invention is an internal combustion rotary engine. Each of its main components are described as follows: 
         [0026]    The rotary head  3 , which also acts as the engine cover and seals the cylinder cavity  36 , is fixed to the compression rings  27  and the orbital pistons  28  to form a singular unit that rotates on the spindle bearings  8  that rest on the spindle  7  fixed at the center of the engine in the spindle cavity  37 . An output gear  5  is fixed to the rotary head  3   FIG. 3 , which, in turn, forces rotation of the vertical driveshaft gear  6 , which is fixed to the vertical drive shaft  10 . 
         [0027]    The front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 , when assembled, form a single unit with a toroidal cylinder cavity  36  around its perimeter  FIG. 5 . The intake disk valve  12  and the compression disk valve  15  provide a means for controlling the pressures within the cylinder cavity  36  by allowing the orbital pistons to move from the compression chamber  31  to the combustion chamber  32   FIG. 7  while maintaining the pressures within these two chambers. The intake disk valve  12  and compression disk valve  15  are driven by a gear train comprised of gears  16 ,  18 ,  26 ,  20 ,  22  and  13   FIG. 6 . The gear train receives its rotation from the central driveshaft  24  that is connected to the vertical driveshaft  10  by miter gears  11  and  25 . 
         [0028]    Refer to  FIG. 7  for a graphical aid for the description of the four (4) cycles of the present invention. 
         [0029]    The intake cycle begins when orbital piston  28  passes through the intake disk valve piston slot  38  and the intake disk valve  12  rotates to seal the compression chamber  31 . The orbital piston  28  rotates in the direction indicated in  FIG. 7  forming a vacuum at the intake port  33 , filling the compression chamber  31  with a fuel-air mixture. The orbital piston  28  then passes through the compression disk valve  15  completing the intake cycle. 
         [0030]    The next orbital piston  28  in rotation, which passes through the intake disk valve  12  and moves in the direction indicated in  FIG. 7 , compresses the fuel-air mixture into the pre-combustion chamber  39  within the compression disk valve  15  before passing through the compression disk valve piston slot  44  and completing the compression cycle. 
         [0031]    The pre-combustion chamber  39  now containing the fuel-air mixture is sealed momentarily on both sides by engine casings  29  and  30 . The compression disk valve  28  continues to rotate, exposing the pre-combustion chamber discharge port  41  to the combustion chamber  32  and discharging the fuel-air mixture at the rear of orbital piston  28 . At this point, the fuel-air mixture is ignited from the ignition port  35 , propelling the orbital piston  28  through the intake disk valve and completing the combustion cycle. 
         [0032]    The next orbital piston  28  that is in rotation after passing through the compression disk valve  15  forces the spent fuel mixture out the exhaust port  34 , completing the exhaust cycle. 
         [0033]    The four (4) cycles of the engine—intake, compression, combustion and exhaust—take place within 180 degrees of engine rotation. Orbital piston  28  passes through the intake disk valve  12  at the same time that the opposite orbital piston passes through the compression disk valve  15   FIG. 8 . Both the intake disk valve  12  and the compression disk valve  15  open and close at the time that the compression chamber  31  and the combustion chamber  32  go through their respective cycles. At any one time, each of the four cycles of the engine is simultaneously occurring at the front and rear sides of the two (2) orbital pistons  28  as they rotate within the cylinder cavity  36 . 
         [0034]    All ignition control, fuel mixture control, and starting systems can be accommodated by existing marketed components. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       [0035]      FIG. 1 , a front perspective view of the assembled rotary engine, shows the rotary head  3  with rotary head air flow openings  42  for cooling of the engine. The rotary head  3  rotates while the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30  remain stationary. Engine casing air flow openings  43  allow air to pass through the engine casing for cooling of the engine. 
         [0036]      FIG. 2 , a top perspective view of the assembled rotary engine, shows the rotary head  3  with nine (9) rotary head air flow openings  42  for cooling of the engine. The spindle  7  supports the bearings for the rotation of the rotary head  3  that is held in place by the retaining nut  1  and the retaining washer  2 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 3 , an exploded view of the rotary engine, shows the retaining nut  1  and the retaining washer  2  as being removed to allow the rotary head  3  to be lifted. The drive gear cover  4  protects the output gear  5  and the driveshaft gear  6  and prevents leakage of gear lubricant. The output gear  5  is fixed to the rotary head  3  and forces the rotation of the driveshaft gear  6 . The rotary head  3  rides on the spindle bearings  8  seated on the spindle  7 . Spindle  7  is fixed inside the spindle cavity  37  at a central point between the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . The driveshaft bushing  9  provides a lubricated surface within for the driveshaft  10 . The driveshaft gear  6  is fixed to the upper end of driveshaft  10  and the driveshaft miter gear  11  is fixed to the lower end of driveshaft  10 . The driveshaft bushing  9  as well as the drive shaft  10 , driveshaft gear  6  and the driveshaft miter gear  11  rest in the driveshaft bushing cavity  45  in the front engine casing  29 . The intake disk valve  12  is fixed to the intake disk valve drive gear  13  and the intake disk valve shaft  14 . The intake disk valve shaft  14  rests on the right side of the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . The compression disk valve  15 , shown with the pre-combustion chamber inlet port  40   FIG. 10 , is fixed to the compression disk valve drive gear  16  and the compression disk valve shaft  17 . The compression disk valve shaft  17  rests on the left side of the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . The compression disk valve idler gear  18  is fixed to the compression disk valve idler gear shaft  19 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the compression disk valve drive gear  16 . The intake disk valve idler gear “A”  20  and the intake disk valve idler gear “A” shaft  21  are hidden behind the driveshaft miter gear  11  in this figure. The intake disk valve idler gear “B”  22  is fixed to the intake disk valve idler gear “B” shaft  23 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the intake disk drive gear  13 . The central driveshaft  24  is fixed to the central driveshaft miter gear  25  and the central driveshaft gear  26  and is located along the center line of the engine with the forward end resting in the front engine casing  29  and the rear extending through the rear engine casing  30 . The orbital piston  28  is shown attached to the compression ring  27 . The cylinder cavity  36  is shown behind the compression disk valve  15  and is covered by the rotary head  3 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 4  is a list of rotary engine components  1  through  45 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the rotary engine with the rotary head  3 , compression ring  27  and the orbital pistons  28  removed. The retaining nut  1  and retaining washer  2  that secure the rotary head  3  remain in place. The drive gear cover  4  is in place at the top of the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . The spindle  7  with the spindle bearings  8  are at a center point between the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . The fuel mixture intake port  33  is located in the upper section of the front engine casing  29  above the cylinder cavity  36  and adjacent to the intake disk valve  12 . The exhaust port  34  is located in the lower section of the rear engine casing  30 , below the cylinder cavity  36  and adjacent to the intake disk valve  12 . The ignition port  35  is located in the upper section of the engine casing  30 , above the cylinder cavity  36  and adjacent to the compression disc valve  15 . The cylinder cavity  36  is located on the outside perimeter of the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . The engine casing air flow openings  43  are located adjacent to the cylinder cavity  36 . There are also two in the front engine casing  29  and two in the rear engine casing  30 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view with the removal of the front engine casing  29  and the compression rings  27 . The retaining nut  1  and the retaining washer  2  are shown in their assembled position at the top of the rotary head  3 . The output gear  5  is fixed to the rotary head  3 , forcing the rotation of the driveshaft gear  6 . The spindle  7  is fixed in the spindle cavity  37  at a central point between the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . Spindle bearings  8  are set on the spindle  7  to allow free rotation of the rotary head  3 . Driveshaft  10  has the driveshaft gear  6  fixed at the upper end and the driveshaft miter gear  11  fixed at the lower end. The driveshaft bushing  9  along with the drive shaft  10 , driveshaft gear  6  and the driveshaft miter gear  11  rest within the driveshaft bushing cavity  45 , located in the front engine casing  29 . The intake disk valve  12  with the intake disk valve piston slot  38  is fixed to the intake disk valve drive gear  13  and the intake disk valve shaft  14 . The intake disk valve shaft  14  rests on the right sides of the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . The compression disk valve  15 , shown with the compression disk valve piston slot  44  and the pre-combustion chamber inlet port  40   FIG. 10 , is fixed to the compression disk valve drive gear  16  and the compression disk valve shaft  17 . The compression disk valve shaft  17  rests on the left sides of the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . The compress disk valve idler gear  18  is fixed to the compression disk valve idler gear shaft  19 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the compression disk valve drive gear  16 . The intake disk valve idler gear “A”  20  is fixed to the intake disk valve idler gear “A” shaft  21 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the central driveshaft gear  26 . The intake disk valve idler gear “B”  22  is fixed to the intake disk valve idler gear “B” shaft  23 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the intake disk drive gear  13 . The central driveshaft  24  is fixed to the central driveshaft miter gear  25  and the central driveshaft gear  26  and is located along the center line of the engine, with the forward end resting in the front engine casing  29  and the other end resting in the rear engine casing  30 . The orbital pistons  28  are shown attached to each of the compression rings  27 , which are fixed to the inside of the rotary head  3 . The cylinder cavity  36  is shown on the outside perimeter of the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  is a plan view showing the four cycles of the rotary engine. The rotary head  3  is fixed to the two compression rings  27  that seal the cylinder cavity  36 . The intake disk valve  12  is fixed to the intake disk valve shaft  14 . The compression disk valve  15  is fixed to the compression disk valve shaft  17 . The orbital pistons  28  fixed to the compression rings  27  are shown at the midpoint of their cycles—intake, compression, combustion and exhaust—within the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . The fuel mixture intake port  33  is located in the upper section of the front engine casing  29 , above the cylinder cavity  36  and adjacent to the intake disk valve  12 . The exhaust port  34  is located in the lower section of the rear engine casing  30 , below the cylinder cavity  36  and adjacent to the intake disk valve  12 . The ignition port  35  is located in the upper section of the rear engine casing  30 , above the cylinder cavity  36  and adjacent to the compression disk valve  15 . The cylinder cavity  36  is located on the outside perimeter of the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . The engine casing air flow openings  43  are located adjacent to the cylinder cavity  36  with two openings in the front engine casing  29  and two in the rear engine casing  30 . Lines A-A, B-B and C-C are detail sections shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8 , respectively. 
         [0042]      FIG. 8  is a section along line A-A in  FIG. 7 . The orbital piston  28  is shown passing through the compression disk valve piston slot  44  in the compression disk valve  15 . The orbital piston  28 , moving as is indicated by the direction arrow, is leaving the compression chamber  31  and entering the combustion chamber  32 . The ignition port  35  is shown above the combustion chamber  32 , adjacent to the compression disk valve  15 . The front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30  are shown in the background. 
         [0043]      FIG. 9  is a section along line B-B in  FIG. 7 . The retaining nut  1  and the retaining washer  2  are shown in their assembled position at the top of the rotary head  3 . The output gear  5  is fixed to the rotary head  3 . The drive gear cover  4  is in place at the tops of the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . The spindle  7  is fixed at a central point between the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . Spindle bearings  8  are set on the spindle  7  to allow free rotation of the rotary head  3 . The intake disk valve  12  with the intake disk valve piston slot  38  is fixed to the intake disk valve drive gear  13  and the intake disk valve shaft  14 . The compression disk valve  15  with the compression disk valve piston slot  44  and the pre-combustion chamber inlet port  40  is fixed to the compression disk valve drive gear  16  and the compression disk valve shaft  17 . The compression disk valve shaft  17  rests on the left sides of the front engine casing  29  and rear engine casing  30 . The compression disk valve idler gear  18  is fixed to the compression disk valve idler gear shaft  19 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the compression disk valve drive gear  16 . The intake disk valve idler gear “A”  20  is fixed to the intake disk valve idler gear “A” shaft  21 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the central driveshaft gear  26 . The intake disk valve idler gear “B”  22  is fixed to the intake disk valve idler gear “B” shaft  23 , which is seated in the front engine casing  29  and rests adjacent to the intake disk drive gear  13 . The central driveshaft  24  is fixed to the central driveshaft gear  26  and is located along the centerline of the engine with the forward end resting in the front engine casing  29  and the rear portion resting in the rear engine casing  30 . The cylinder cavity  36  is shown behind the intake disk valve  12  and the compression disk valve  15  and it is sealed around its perimeter with the compression rings  27  that are fixed to the rotary head  3 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 10  is a section along line C-C in  FIG. 7 . The retaining nut  1  and the retaining washer  2  are shown in their assembled position at the top of the rotary head  3 . The output gear  5  is fixed to the rotary head  3  forcing the rotation of the driveshaft gear  6 . The spindle  7  is fixed at a central point between the front engine casing  29  and the rear engine casing  30 . Spindle bearings  8  are set on the spindle  7  to allow free rotation of the rotary head  3 . The driveshaft bushing  9  provides a lubricated surface within for driveshaft  10 . Driveshaft  10  has the driveshaft gear  6  fixed at the upper end and the driveshaft miter gear  11  fixed at the lower end that forces rotation of the central driveshaft miter gear  25 . The central driveshaft  24  is fixed to the central driveshaft miter gear  25  and the central driveshaft gear  26  and is located along the centerline of the engine with the forward end resting in the front engine casing  29  with the rear resting in the rear engine casing  30 . The compression rings  27  that are fixed to the rotary head seal the perimeter of the cylinder cavity  36 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 11A  is a detail of the intake disk valve  12  with the intake disk valve piston slot  38 . The arrow shows the direction of rotation. 
         [0046]      FIG. 11B  shows the transverse view of the intake disk valve piston slot  38 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 12A  is a detail of the compression disk valve  15  with the compression disk valve piston slot  44  and the pre-combustion chamber  39 . An arrow shows the direction of rotation. The pre-combustion chamber consists of the pre-combustion chamber inlet port  40 , located on the compression side, the pre-combustion cavity  39 , located inside the compression disk valve  15 , and the pre-combustion chamber discharge port  41 , which is on the combustion side. 
         [0048]      FIG. 12B  shows a transverse view of the compression disk valve piston slot  44  and the pre-combustion chamber  39 .