Abstract:
In a nutating engine (or more generally a rotary displacement device) the cycling of combustion occurs between inner and outer spherical surfaces. The combustion chambers are additionally defined only by the surfaces of teeth of specially designed gears. These gears are the Rotator ( 2 ), two consecutive of some number of free-planetary gears ( 3 A-E), and the lobed Nutating Member ( 1 ). The latter is enjoined to execute precessional rotation relative to the former and may be both affixed with counterweights ( 11 A,B;  12 A,B) and subjected to reverse-English transforming the precessional rotation to a stress-free mode in both the Newtonian and Eulerian sense. The insertion of optional butterfly-shaped plugs ( 4 A-E, 5 A-E,  8 A-E) boosts the compression ratio. Truly, no past engine possesses the characteristics of the instant invention.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Not applicable  
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable  
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING  
       [0003]     Not applicable  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     This invention pertains to certain improvements in rotary internal combustion engines in general and nutating engines in particular.  
       Prior Art  
       [0005]     For more than a century engineers have had a dream of replacing the reciprocating piston engine with a rotary piston device. It had been hoped that by so doing the inherently stressful conditions of reciprocation could be obviated providing for a far less massive construction and a smoother action. The effort has met with limited success: the only palpable effort has been the Wankel Drehkolbenmotor which became operational in a commercial sense only after the prodigious effort on the part of metallurgists on three continents. The problem, of course, was the seals.  
         [0006]     Another thread of design has been the nutating engine in general and the spherical engine in particular. The hope was that by availing oneself of the natural motion as analyzed by Leonard Euler in 1760 of a symmetric body, namely the uniform rotation of this body as its axis of rotation simultaneously precesses, i.e., sweeps out a cone shape in three dimensional space, that the aforementioned stressless condition might might be realized.  
         [0007]     To manifest this idea most efforts have sought to enclose the process within the confines of a spherical cavity. This could immediately nullify the “Newtonian” stress by fixing the center of mass of the main displacement element, i.e. that which is analogous to the piston, at the sphere&#39;s center. (The Wankel does not share this benefit.) This relief however comes with a heavy bill to pay: Given that both the spherical cavity and the main displacement member are of constant volume, certainly what remains can not be naively utilized as a combustion chamber for its volume must, throughout the cycling, likewise remain constant.  
         [0008]     To allay this predicament, the spherical combustion chamber has, over the century, seen itself partitioned in one way or another, always to Pyrrhic effect:  
         [0009]     Typically in Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,594; Oct. 12, 1993 the partition necessitates the slotting of the main displacement member to the effect of precluding its actual rotation. With this there is no possibility of recovering any kind of hitherto mentioned, natural motion. Additionally the sealing problem is far greater than for even the Wankel.  
         [0010]     Millet U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,038 B1; Dec. 4, 2001 cleverly skews the drive shaft at some angle to the combustion chamber axis rendering the chamber amenable to partition. Though the sealing problem is far more tractable than Meyer there is again no rotation of the main displacement element and so no possibility of exploiting a natural motion.  
         [0011]     Lim U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,067; Aug. 9, 1994 is a spherical engine of a different nature. By utilizing two sequences of cusps which slide over each other within the spherical cavity he at least holds out the hope for manifesting a simultaneous natural rotation and precession of the main displacement elements though he makes no mention of this. Then, to alleviate wear and tear upon these cusps he introduces vaguely certain cams and cam followers not aware, apparently, of the corresponding loss in seal integrity that that would necessarily occasion.  
         [0012]     The instant invention is in some way similar to Lim and in some way its diametric opposite.  
       BREIF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]     I submit a nutating engine in which, between inner and outer concentric spherical surfaces, according to one aspect of the instant invention, a progression of free-planetary gears are engaged with and only with both a substantially circular toothed Rotator as well as a toothed Nutating Member possessing some number of lobes and an equal number of interjacent arches, this number being different by unity to the number of free-planetary gears. In circumnavigating their latitude the phase lag of each free-planetary gear relative to the lobe&#39;s nadir subsequent to it will increment uniformly. Additionally, all phase lags will together advance with advancing time. Thus entrained, the Nutating Member will be enjoined to execute perfect geometrical rotations and simultaneous precessions relative to the Rotator.  
         [0014]     This motion will occasion the inter-planetary volumes to suffer expansions and contractions thus defining them as combustion chambers.  
         [0015]     According to another aspect of the instant invention, the Nutating Member can be counterweighted to relocate its center of mass to that of the sphere whence the entire apparatus be imparted with a reverse-English about the Rotator&#39;s axis thus endowing the formerly mere geometrical precession with a natural-physical (as per Euler) character. Adding the observation that both the Rotator and the free-planetary gears describe but circles the overall result is an extremely stress-free, lightweight, easily sealed, and easily milled device. Finally, while the cavitation provided by the gearing will yield a high burn efficiency, the insertion of “butterflies” into the inter-planetary volumes will coax the compression ratio to well within the Diesel regime.  
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES  
       [0016]     The instant invention utilizes not a cusped but a lobed curve called the polaricider which demarcates the Nutating Member, the main displacement element. This plus a Rotator and not fixed cams, but a sequence of free-planetary gears define the combustion chambers.  
         [0017]     So, one object of the proposed invention is to lay to rest the sealing problem: the tighter the entrainment of rotating elements the greater the seal integrity.  
         [0018]     A much greater object is to render all of the combustion elements with a completely natural, stress-free motion, as will be seen infra. This will allow an unbelievably light-weight construction.  
         [0019]     A third object is to reduce wear, tear, and maintenance to levels commensurate with those of electric motors.  
         [0020]     Several other objects and advantages will become apparent in the succeeding argument. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]      FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric view showing all of the systems except for the electrical, exhaust, and charge distribution systems.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  are details of a free-planetary gear and a left “butterfly” wing respectively.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is an external elevation with the spherical cover, the “butterflies”, and two of the drive chains removed. Additionally, the curved arrows indicate the rotation as well as the precession of the Nutating Member under the condition of a stationary Rotator.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is an elevation identical in orientation to  FIG. 4  except with the spherical cover and drive chains replaced. Again, the curved arrows indicate the rotation and precession of the Nutating Member after submitting the entire engine to reverse-English.  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is an orthogonal cutaway from  FIG. 5  of the device excluding the Nutating Member, free-planetary gears, “butterflies”, and drive chains.  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is an overhead conical cutaway from  FIG. 5  at the level of the pushrods. The pushrods themselves, their springs, and the intake cam are not cutaway. The curved arrows indicate the motion of the free-planetary gears and the rotation of the cams relative to the spherical covers.  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a highly schematicized depiction of the intake cam indicating the less-tight septagrammic intake regimen. The curved arrow indicates the rotation of the cam relative to the spherical covers.  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is an external elevation of an alternate embodiment with the spherical cover and the (inverted) “butterflies” removed. The curved arrows indicate the rotation and precession of the Nutating Member.  
       REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS  
       [0000]    
       
           1  Nutating Member  
           2  Rotator  
           3 A-E Free Planetary Gears  
           4 A-E “Butterfly” Left Wings  
           5 A-E “Butterfly” Right Wings  
           6 A-E “Butterfly” Left Wing Slots  
           7 A-E “Butterfly” Right Wing Slots  
           8 A-E “Butterfly” Springs (compressive)  
           9  Inner Spherical Cover  
           10  Outer Spherical Cover  
           11 A, B Counterweights and Arms without Pivots  
           12 A, B Counterweights and Arms with Pivots  
           13 A-D Gimbal Pintles  
           14  Inner Gimbal Ring  
           15  Outer Gimbal Ring with Sprocket Gear  
           16  Gimbal Drive Chain  
           17  Fixed Shaft  
           18  Rotator Shaft  
           19  Rotator Shaft Sprocket Gear  
           20  Rotator Shaft Drive Chain  
           21  Support Lip for Rotator Shaft  
           22  Cam Shaft  
           23  Cam Shaft Sprocket Gear  
           24  Cam Shaft Drive Chain  
           25  Support Lip for Cam Shaft  
           26  Upper Slip Ring for Distributor  
           27  Lower Slip Ring for Distributor  
           28  Cam and Distributor Canister Top Cover  
           29  Cam and Distributor Canister Lateral Cover  
           30  Cam and Distributor Canister Bottom Cover  
           31  Intake Valve Cam  
           32  Exhaust Valve Cam  
           33 A-D Spider Legs  
           34  Spinnable Seal  
           35  Charge Spiracle  
           36  Main Charge Distribution Hose  
           37 A-G Atrial Distribution Hoses  
           38 A-G Charge Atria  
           39 A-G Intake Valve Heads and Pushrods  
           40 A-G Exhaust Valve Heads and Pushrods  
           41 A-N Valve Springs (compressive)  
           42 A-G Spark Plugs  
           100 - 700  (by  100 &#39;s) Schematic Valve and Spark Plug Stations  
           901  Nutating Member in Alternate Embodiment  
           902  Stator (only in Alternate Embodiment)  
           915  Outer Gimbal Ring with Sprocket Gear in Alternate Embodiment  
           916  Gimbal Drive Chain in Alternate Embodiment  
           917  Fixed Shaft in Alternate Embodiment  
           922  Cam Shaft in Alternate Embodiment  
           923  Cam Shaft Sprocket Gear in Alternate Embodiment  
           924  Cam Shaft Drive Chain in Alternate Embodiment  
           925  Support Lip for Cam Shaft in Alternate Embodiment  
           942  Spark Plug in Alternate Embodiment 
       
     
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0082]     It is acknowledged at the outset that the description offered of the instant invention together with certain unavoidable philosophical digressions is far more complicated than its operation which is really no different than a rotary version of a four-stroke piston engine. On the other hand this complexity is completely canonical in the sense that it flows freely from the main engendering principle: to exploit as combustion chambers the varying volumes associated with a completely stress-free precessional process.  
       STATIC DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0083]     The composition of the engine divides itself naturally into two main assemblies: the spherical (in this preferred embodiment: upper) and the strictly rotating (in this preferred embodiment: lower).  
         [0084]     As for the former, what immediately follows (see  FIG. 1 ) takes place in the geometrical milieu located between the outside surface of an inner spherical cover  9  and the inside surface of an outer spherical cover  10  whence all other surfaces are ruled surfaces whose rulings originate at the sphere&#39;s center. So, for instance, the therein confined  5  identical free-planetary gears  3 A-E are each defined not by a “pitch circle” but by a “pitch cone” the apex of which coincides with the center of the sphere. The actual surfaces of their teeth are similarly ruled. This applies exactly to a large substantially circular gear  2 , the Rotator which is welded to the inner and outer spherical covers. And this applies to a 4-lobed (in this embodiment) gear  1 , the Nutating Member.  
         [0000]     Geometrical Digression  
         [0085]     The Nutating Member is a novel structure. The pitch surface which demarcates it is called a polaricider. It is defined primarily almost tautologically as that curve which will role without slipping over the pitch cone of a free-planetary gear, itself rolling without slipping over the pitch cone of the Rotator as the latter executes a perfect geometrical rotation and simultaneous precession relative to the Nutating Member. This exercise induces on the polaricider a number of symmetries: Each projecting lobe must be identical to every other and must possess in itself perfect mirror symmetry. The same is true of each interjacent arch. Any Nutating Member can be gauged by the angle subtended at the sphere&#39;s center between the Nutating Member&#39;s pole (see  FIG. 4 ) and the nadir of any one of its lobes. For our engineering purposes the polarcider must meet a second condition namely that its periodicity be such that self-intersections are precluded. A third is that the curvature at the apex of an arch be somewhat less than that of a free-planetary gear.  
         [0086]     In that the free-planetary gears are indeed free and doubly engaged the polaricider bears no relationship to a cycloid, nor any involute, evolute, nor any spherical analogue thereof.  
         [0087]     By “rotation and simultaneous precession” is meant the lay notion of an object spinning uniformly about its symmetry axis as this axis uniformly rotates about a secondary (in this embodiment: vertical) axis (see  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) rather than the more exacting notion of an object&#39;s instantaneous axis of (uniform) rotation itself rotating about a secondary (in this embodiment: vertical) axis uniformly. By either definition it is noted that for a wide spectrum of non-pathological parameters that specify, say, the subtended angles at the sphere&#39;s center of a free-planetary gear, the Rotator, and the Nutating Member plus the integer parameter equal to the number of lobes on the Nutating Member, the polaricider will both exist and be unique.  
         [0088]     Once the existence and uniqueness of the polaricider is apprehended it seems amazing that some number of free-planetary gears can be simultaneously entrained between the Rotator and the Nutating Member. Actually it is trivial: On the surface of the inner spherical cover entrain a single free-planetary gear with the Rotator and initially, say, the nadir of a lobe of the Nutating Member therewith tilting that lobe maximally away from the Rotator. Now let the entrainment run its course according to the design criterion. As each subsequent lobe arrives at its maximal distance from the Rotator entrain yet another free-planetary gear. Obviously, only a number of free-planetary gears different by one to the number of lobes as specified by the design parameters can be accommodated. When this number has been reached the resulting configuration will be as  FIG. 4 . Here we can think of the far left free-planetary gear which is in profile as possessing, relative to its engaged lobe, a phase equal to zero. The free-planetary gear to its right bears an absolutely symmetric position, relative to its engaged lobe, as the free planetary gear which is occluded behind it. Its phase relative to its entrained lobe on the other hand should be thought of as equal but opposite to its occluded partner. Exactly the same two observations hold for the free-planetary gear visible on the far right. Equivalently, for this and all configurations, as their latitude is circumnavigated the phase lag of each free-planetary gear relative to the lobe&#39;s nadir subsequent to it (not necessarily the nadir of that lobe with which it is engaged) will uniformly increment.  
         [0000]     Static Description (Cont.)  
         [0089]     Thus far the physics of the Nutating Member is anything but stress-free. To achieve half that goal counterweight arms  11 A,  11 B,  12 A, and  12 B are affixed to the Nutating Member well free of the outer spherical cover. Their primary function is to relocate the Member&#39;s center of mass to that of the sphere. Still, the rotational motion will be unnatural: For most reasonable configurations (but not all; see the alternate embodiment infra) the Nutating Member&#39;s precession will have the opposite sense as its rotation (see  FIG. 4 ). This is precluded by Euler&#39;s analysis and it is this circumstance that necessitates the entire device be imparted with a reverse-English. Before turning to the rotating assembly it should be noted that the secondary function of the counterweights is to sculpt the Nutating Member&#39;s ellipsoid of inertia to one more disk-like and less rod-like. A third function of counterweight arms  12 A and  12 B is to cradle via gimbal pintles  13 A and  13 B an inner gimbal ring  14  which in turn cradles via gimbal pintles  13 C and  13 D an outer gimbal ring and sprocket gear  15  (see  FIG. 1 ).  
         [0090]     The entire rotational assembly is built on three hollow concentric lumena (see  FIG. 6 ). An innermost shaft  17  is stationary. Next out, a shaft  18  serves as axis for the Rotator to which it is attached via struts or spider legs  33 A-D which in turn support a top canister cover  28 . This along with a lateral canister cover  29  and a bottom canister cover  30  completely encloses the cam and distributor assembly.  
         [0091]     Rotator shaft  18  is sustained upon stationary shaft  17  on an inward projecting lip  21  the lower surface of which comprises a seal  34  which in spite of its spinning prevents loss of charge as it passes up through stationary shaft  17  before exiting towards a combustion chamber via a spiracle  35 . The Rotator shaft is also affixed with a sprocket gear  15 .  
         [0092]     An outermost hollow shaft  22  governs the cams and distributor. Its lower region is affixed with a sprocket gear  23  and sustained upon Rotator shaft  18  on an outward projecting lip  25 . Its upper region extends as far as the cam and distributor canister whose inner workings are responsible for exhausting, charging, and igniting the inter-planetary combustion chambers. Though electrical slip rings  26  and  27  are depicted at the base of the Rotator shaft, the electrical system including any cams and/or microprocessors that might be utilized in the ignition process is assumed to be a well understood art, reside completely within the confines of the canister and is completely suppressed from the drawings.  
         [0093]     Although the rotation and simultaneous precession of the Nutating Member relative to the Rotator in  FIG. 5  is precisely the same as in  FIG. 4 , as subjected to reverse-English the rotation and simultaneous precession depicted in  FIG. 5  can be seen to approach, in three dimensional inertial space, a ratio of 1:2 as demanded by Euler for a disk-like object. To facilitate the reverse-English, the rotational rates of sprocket gears  15 ,  19 , and  23  must be held in strict ratio. In this embodiment, the relative diameters of these sprocket gears are selected under the assumption that their respective drive chains  16 , 20 , and  24  are engaged with three sprocket gears of the same diameter as each other on a common drive shaft (not shown).  
         [0094]     The only place besides this common drive shaft where the two assemblies communicate with each other is via the components that oversee the functioning of any including the instant internal combustion engine. Hence, the top of cam shaft  22  is affixed via struts to an exhaust valve cam  32  and this to an intake valve cam  31 . Each cam has a central circular cut-out to make way for Rotator shaft  18  which was previously described as fixed to the canister with which it rotates. Turning to  FIG. 7  the canister has (in this embodiment)  14  bores to provide egress for 7 pushrods with exhaust valve heads  40 A-G and 7 pushrods with intake valve heads  39 A-G as well as certain means (not shown, as previously mentioned) to fire the 7 spark plugs  42 A-G. The outer convex surface of all 14 valve heads are normally pulled flush with the outside surface of inner spherical cover  9  by their respective compressive springs  41 A-N. Looking down upon these proceedings the charge exits spiracle  35  to a hose  36  then chooses one of 7 distribution hoses  37 A-G and their corresponding atria  38 A-G before being loaded into one of 5 inter-planetary volumes prior to compression and ignition.  
         [0000]     Design Considerations  
         [0095]     Thus far each engine can be characterized by three continuous and one integer parameters. To reiterate: the subtended angle at the sphere&#39;s center of a free-planetary gear, the Rotator, and the Nutating Member plus the number of lobes. In point of fact one of the continuous parameters must be absorbed to facilitate the condition that the compression ratio be fixed at a relatively high value, i.e. that each lobe have approximately the same (though somewhat less) extent than a free-planetary gear. (see  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 ) Fulfilling this condition still yields two dimensions of parameters to finesse forth another relationship: By a judicious choice of the ratio of the total number of gear teeth possessed by the Nutating Member to the total number of gear teeth possessed by the Rotator a periodicity can be induced upon the latter vis-à-vis the locations of maximal compression of the inter-planetary volumes. In this embodiment the ratio was chosen as 8:7 and thereby the number of positions of maximal compression occurring around the Rotator was fixed at 7: only 7 stations of spark plug, exhaust valve, and intake valve are necessary (see  FIG. 7 ). This fixing has certain advantages regarding the efficacy of the camming but a much greater relevance to the optimal placement of the sparkplugs, a process which in the history of automotive engineering has always proved to be most empirical.  
         [0000]     Static Description (Cont.)  
         [0096]     To further boost the compression ratio plugs can be optionally inserted into the inter-planetary volumes (see  FIG. 1 ). These could easily be adorned with various friction reducing rollers or gears but in this embodiment are mere sliding components consisting of left “butterfly” wings  4 A-E linked via compressive springs  8 A-E to right “butterfly” wings  5 A-E. It is important to note in so much as the “butterflies” reside within the inter-planetary volumes that their inside surfaces possess slots  6 A-E, and  7 A-E lest there be collision with the valve heads as they are sequentially actuated by their respective cams (see  FIG. 3 ).  
         [0000]     Operation  
         [0097]     As promised the operation is trivial. As each inter-planetary volume becomes bounded (in this embodiment: from above) sequentially by a lobe, an arch, a lobe, an arch, and a lobe, that volume undergoes the familiar cycling of the four-stroke piston engine: intake, compression, power, and exhaust. It only remains to say with respect to the 5 inter-planetary volumes that successive, say, ignitions follow a pentagrammic pattern while with respect to the 7 spark plug stations the ignitions follow a less-tight septagrammic pattern. (I.e., if I may hearken back to high school: not the more-tight septagrammic pattern of successive multiples of 3 modulo 7, but the less-tight septagrammic pattern of successive multiples of 2 modulo 7; or equivalently, successive multiples of 200 modulo 700.) In other words, in this embodiment the ignition is completely even-tempered with respect to both the inter-planetary volumes and the spark plug stations.  
         [0098]     It is somewhat amazing that this latter regimen can be effected with just a three-pointed cam but consultation with the highly schematicized  FIG. 8  will allay all doubts.  
       DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION OF ONE ALTERNATE EMBODIMENT  
       [0099]     As will be posited in the succeeding section there are numerous variations that can be played on this preferred theme. One alternate embodiment which simultaneously incorporates several of these is for the two main gear elements to take each other&#39;s place:  
         [0100]     In  FIG. 9  it is seen that the Nutating Member,  901 , has been rendered substantially circular while what had been the Rotator, now a stator,  902 , has been endowed with lobes. The number of these lobes has been altered from 4 to 2, the number of free-planetary gears reduced from 5 to 3 while their general latitude has been made less equatorial and more polar. This latter variation admits to some alteration in the ratio of the total number of teeth of the lobed element to the total number of teeth of the substantially circular element. The upshot of these modifications is that the Nutating Member will execute stress-free rotations and simultaneous precessions absent any application of reverse-English. That is, if properly counterweighted, the now substantially circular Nutating Member will execute Eulerian motion relative to a stationary lobed element. This may have certain advantages. For instance, the spinable seal may be dispensed with. Another is that only one sparkplug,  942 , one intake valve head and one exhaust valve head arraigned about the inside spherical cover, welded now to the lobed element, are required. An outer gimbal ring with sprocket gear,  915 , a gimbal ring drive chain,  916 , a fixed shaft,  917 , a somewhat skinnier cam shaft,  922 , a cam shaft sprocket gear,  923 , a cam shaft drive chain,  924 , and a somewhat skinnier support lip,  925 , for the cam shaft have completely analogous functions.  
         [0000]     Additional Scope  
         [0101]     There are many variations that may prove advantageous. One, in the realm of hydro- or especially aero-dynamics, is that instead of conveying torque to a common remote drive shaft that there might be certain advantages in affixing a propeller or an impeller directly to the Nutating Member. Another is that the previously mentioned ratio of rotations of the Nutating Member and the Rotator Shaft (not to mention the Cam Shaft) should not be thought to be constrained to non-zero and non-infinite values: Certainly one or more may be frozen with respect to the engine&#39;s reference frame. Indeed, this was the case of the “Rotator” in the alternate embodiment.  
         [0102]     Furthermore, the means by which this ratio is held fixed need not be sprocket gears linked to a common drive shaft. Various pinion gears, conical gears, belts, and such could easily be substituted.  
         [0103]     In addition it might be, as in the case of the modern bicycle, that certain advantages may be reaped in certain departures from perfect roundness in regards to the sprocket gears. This may also be true of the free-planetary gears especially if coordinated with some periodicity as they traverse around the Nutating Member and the substantially circular Rotator. Even the latter might absorb some of the precessional duties by assuming a lobedness. Again, this was exactly the case in the alternate embodiment in which the (stationary) “Rotator” was the only lobed element.  
         [0104]     There are an infinitude of variations possible so the essence of the instant invention must be attributed to not the two embodiments nor these recent musings but strictly to the claims.