Abstract:
A rotary engine is provided that comprises a compression cylinder and combustion cylinder divided by a separation wall. Air or a fuel/air mixture is drawn into the compression cylinder, compressed, and then transferred to the combustion cylinder. The compressed air or air/fuel mixture is ignited in the combustion cylinder, creating an expansion of the combustion gases which drives the system. The compression and combustion cylinders have epicycloidal-shaped chambers that each house a single vane. The vanes pass through the crankshaft and adjust to remain in contact with the chamber walls as the crankshaft rotates. The compression ratio of the present invention can be maximized by adjusting the thicknesses of the compression and combustion cylinders as well as by offsetting the positions of the compression and combustion vanes with respect to one another.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, rotary engines for use in vehicles and the like. 
     Rotary internal combustion engines are well known within the art. The main advantage rotary engines offer over commonly used inline or v-shaped, reciprocating-piston, internal combustion engines is their compact size. As a result of their compact size, it is difficult to achieve a high compression ratio. In addition, because conventional rotary engines typically employ many intricate parts, rotary engines have been difficult and expensive to manufacture. Further, conventional rotary engines have been considerably less efficient than commonly used inline or v-shaped, reciprocating-piston, internal combustion engines. Because of these problems, the rotary engine has not been as commercially viable as other internal combustion engines. 
     It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a simplified rotary internal combustion engine that uses a minimum number of parts. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine with increased operational efficiency. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed towards a rotary internal combustion engine for use in vehicles and the like having an engine block that comprises a compression cylinder and combustion cylinder divided by a separation wall. Air or a fuel/air mixture is drawn into the compression cylinder, compressed, and then transferred to the combustion cylinder. The compressed air or air/fuel mixture is ignited in the combustion cylinder, creating an expansion of the combustion gases which drives the system. 
     The compression and combustion cylinders have epicycloidal-shaped chambers that each house a single vane disposed between a pair of half rotors. The vanes pass through the crankshaft and adjust to remain in contact with the chamber walls as the crankshaft rotates. 
     The compression ratio of the present invention can be changed by adjusting the depth of the compression and combustion cylinders as well as by offsetting the positions of the compression and combustion chambers with respect to one another. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the rotary engine of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the rotary engine; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the rotary engine; 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the compression cylinder of the present invention with the compression vane located at the 0° position; 
         FIG. 6  is an end view of the compression cylinder of the present invention with the compression vane rotated away from the 0° position; 
         FIG. 7  is an end view of the combustion cylinder with the combustion vane at the 0° position; and 
         FIG. 8  is an end view of the separation wall with the combustion chamber components behind; 
         FIG. 9  is a top plan view of the rotary engine. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, the internal rotary combustion engine  10  has an engine block  12  comprising a compression cylinder  14  and a combustion cylinder  16  separated by a wall  18  with an inlet wall  20  at one end of the block  12  and an exhaust wall  22  at the opposite end of the block. Extending through the block  12  from the inlet wall  18  to the exhaust wall  22  is a crank shaft  24  that is rotably mounted thereto. The crankshaft  24  has a fly wheel  26  connected to one end of the shaft and a power source (not shown) connected to the opposite end. 
     The engine described herein is for a single cylinder internal combustion engine fueled by gasoline, diesel fuel or the like and can either be ignited by spark or compression. An engine built on the same principles can be made with additional engine blocks  12  operably connected to the crankshaft  24  in series. 
     The compression cylinder  14  has a pair of half circular compression rotors  28  attached to the crankshaft  24  with a compression vane  30  that is slidably secured and extends through the crankshaft  24  between the compression rotors  28 . The compression rotors  28  have semi-conical ports  32  located on the sides of the compression rotors  28  in communication with separating wall  18  and tapered toward inlet wall  20 . The rotors  28  and compression vane  30  are contained within a compression chamber  34  which preferably has an epicycloidal shape. The chamber  34  has a first compression axis  35  that extends from point A or the 0° position where the rotors  28  contact the chamber wall  36  through the rotational axis of the crankshaft  24  to the opposite side of the chamber  34 . At the first axis  35 , the diameter of the vane  30  is such that the ends of the vane engage the chamber wall  36  at opposite sides, separating the chamber  34  into two sub chambers  34 A and  34 B as shown in FIG.  5 . As the crankshaft  24  rotates, the vane  30  sweeps the chamber wall  36  creating three sub chambers  34 A,  34 B, and  34 C as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     The compression chamber  34  has three sections: an intake section  38 , a compression section  40 , and a transfer section  42 . The intake section  38  extends from point A on the chamber wall  36  to point B, or the 90° position on the chamber wall. The compression section  40  extends from point B to point C, or the 315° position on the chamber wall  36 . The transfer section  42  extends from point C to point A on the chamber wall  36 . 
     The combustion cylinder  16  also has a pair of half circular combustion rotors  44  attached to the crankshaft  24  with a combustion vane  46  that is slidably secured and extends through the crankshaft  24  between the combustion rotors  44 . The combustion rotors  44  also have semi-conical ports  48  located on the sides of the combustion rotors  44  communicating with separating wall  18  and tapered toward the exhaust wall  22 . The combustion rotors  44  and combustion vane  46  are contained within a combustion chamber  50  which preferably has an epicycloidal shape. The combustion chamber  50  has a first combustion axis  51  that extends from point D, or the 0° position, where rotors  44  contact chamber wall  52  through the rotational axis of the crankshaft  24  to the opposite side of the chamber  50 . At the first combustion axis  51 , the diameter of vane  46  is such that the ends of the vane engage the chamber wall  52  at opposite sides. 
     The combustion chamber  50  has three sections: a transfer section  54 , an expansion section  56 , and an exhaust section  58 . The transfer section  54  extends from point D to point E, or the 45° position on chamber wall  52 . The expansion section  56  extends from point E to point F or the 270° position on chamber wall  52 . The exhaust section  58  extends from point F to point D. 
     Compression cylinder  14  is secured to the intake wall  20  at its outer end. Intake wall  20  includes an intake slot  60 , which is aligned with the intake section  38  of the compression cylinder  14 . Combustion cylinder  16  is secured to the exhaust wall  22  at its outer end. Exhaust wall  22  includes an exhaust slot  62 , which is located in communication with the exhaust section  58  of combustion cylinder  16 . Compression cylinder  14  and combustion cylinder  16  are in general alignment and are separated by wall  18 . Separating wall  18  includes a transfer slot  64 , which places transfer section  42  of the compression cylinder  14  in communication with transfer section  54  of the combustion chamber  16 . 
     In operation, as crankshaft  24  rotates, the compression cylinder  14  receives air, or an air fuel mixture, from the intake slot  60  of the inlet wall  20  into the intake section  38  of the compression chamber  34  as the compression vane  30  rotates from the first compression axis  35  at point A to a second compression axis  66  that extends from point B through the crankshaft  24  at the opposite side of the chamber wall  36 . Specifically, as compression vane  30  sweeps from first compression axis  35  to second compression axis  66 , semi-circular port  32  in compression rotor  28  aligns with intake slot  60  in intake wall  20 . The air, or air and fuel mixture, is then compressed in the compression section  40  of the compression chamber  34  as the vane  30  rotates from the second compression axis  66  to the third compression axis  68  that extends from point C through the crankshaft  24  to the opposite side of the chamber wall  36 . 
     As vane  30  continues to rotate within compression chamber  34 , from the third compression axis  68  to the first compression axis  35 , the compressed air is transferred from the transfer section  42  of the compression chamber  34  through the transfer slot  64  to the transfer section  54  of the combustion chamber  50 . Specifically, as vane  30  rotates from axis  68  to axis  35 , semi-conical port  32  in compression rotor  28  aligns with transfer slot  64  in separation wall  18 . At the same time, the semi-conical port  48  in combustion aligns with the transfer slot  64  to allow the compressed air, or air and fuel mixture, to pass from the transfer slot  64  into the combustion cylinder  16 . 
     While vane  30  is rotating within compression chamber  34  from the third compression axis  68  to the first compression axis  35 , combustion vane  46  rotates from the first combustion axis  51  to a second combustion axis  70  that extends from point E through the crankshaft to the opposite side of the combustion chamber wall  52 . Vane  30  and vane  46 , which are both connected to the crankshaft, rotate at the same speed and in parallel alignment. At this point, fuel is injected and/or the mixture is ignited by any conventional means. With a fuel-injected system, fuel is injected into the compressed air in the expansion section  56  of the combustion chamber  50  when the combustion vane  46  reaches the second combustion axis  70 . With a carbureted system, the compressed air and fuel mixture is spark-ignited when the combustion vane  46  reaches the second combustion axis  70 . 
     The combustion of the air and fuel mixture causes an expansion of the combustion gases, forcing the combustion vane  46  to move from the second axis  70  to a third combustion axis  72  that extends from point F through the crankshaft  24  to the opposite side of chamber wall  52 . This expansion provides the power that causes combustion vane  46  to rotate within chamber  50  and ultimately drives the rotation of crankshaft  24 . As combustion vane  46  rotates from axis  72  to axis  51 , the combustion gases exit the combustion cylinder  16  through exhaust slot  62 . Specifically, as the combustion vane  46  sweeps from axis  72  to axis  51 , the semi-conical port  48  in combustion rotor  44  aligns with the exhaust slot  62  in exhaust wall  22 . The combustion gases move from the combustion cylinder  16  through semi-conical port  48  and out the exhaust slot  62 . By the time the combustion vane  46  returns to axis  51 , the combustion gases have been exhausted and the entire cycle repeats. 
     The efficiency of the rotary engine  10  can be improved by increasing the compression ratio. A higher compression ratio provides for more thorough combustion of the air or air/fuel mixture, which creates more power to drive the crankshaft  24 . The compression ratio of the rotary engine  10  can be maximized by varying the ratio of the depth of the compression cylinder  14  from the inlet wall  20  to the separation wall  18  as compared to the depth of the combustion cylinder  16  from the exhaust wall  22  to the separation wall  18 . 
     The compression ratio is also affected by the position of the combustion chamber  50  in relation to compression chamber  34  about the rotational axis of the crankshaft  24 . Specifically, the compression ratio is affected by the position of point D, or the 0° position on the combustion chamber  50  in relation to point A, or the 0° position on the combustion chamber  34  when the two chambers are generally aligned along the rotational axis of the crankshaft. Preferred is that point D be offset from point A between 0° and 45°. As an example, when the depth of the compression cylinder  14  and the combustion cylinder  16  are the same, the point D is offset from point A by 45°, the compression ratio is approximately 36:1. The compression ratio can be increased by either increasing the depth of the compression cylinder as compared to the depth of the combustion chamber or by reducing the degree of offset between the two chambers. As can be seen, the above disclosure meets the stated objectives.