Patent Publication Number: US-2013228149-A1

Title: Rotary Internal Combustion Engine

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to internal combustion engines. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The traditional cylindrical design of internal combustion engine has many shortcomings. One of the most notable is the wear and tear of the piston and the rings that seal the cylinders. 
     There are many such designs of rotary internal combustion engines. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,745,979, 4,036,183, 4,178,902, 5,555,866, 6,543,406, 6,539,913, 6,662,774, and 7,621,167, U.S. Pat. App. Nos. 2010/0000492 and 2011/0048370. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a rotary internal combustion engine construction which uses a rotary design to solve problems of the cylindrical design, e.g., the wear and tear of the piston and the sealing ring to seal the combustion chamber, while not losing the simplicity of the cylindrical design. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, inward protruding walls of an outer stator shell separate the inner space into four stator chambers. Stator sealing members are installed at inner ends of the inward protruding walls to seal the space between the outer stator shell and an oscillating axle. At both ends of each stator chamber, a spark plug, an inlet valve, and an exhaust valve are installed. Four pistons, which are part of the oscillating axle, comprise piston sealing members at the outer tip of the pistons to seal the space between the piston and the outer stator shell. 
     The pistons separate four stator chambers into eight combustion chambers. When the combustion chambers operate in two-stroke cycles, the combustion in one combustion chamber will push the oscillating axle to move in one direction and the combustion in the other combustion chamber in the same stator chamber will push the piston back to the original position. 
     The preferred embodiment employs crankshafts to translate the oscillating motion of the oscillating axle into mono-directional rotary motion of a power output axle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view showing the combustion chambers of the present invention taken along the line A-A of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIGS. 2-5  are drawings showing different phases of the operation of the combustion chambers of the present invention in two-stroke cycle design; 
         FIGS. 6-9  are drawings showing different phases of the operation of the combustion chambers of the present invention in four-stroke cycle design; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view showing the crankshaft of the present invention taken along the line C-C of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional perspective view of the combustion chambers of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view showing the combustion chambers and the crankshaft of the present invention taken along the line B-B of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 13  is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. An outer stator shell  1  forms four stator chambers  2  with four outer stator shell walls  3 . At each end of each stator chamber, a spark plug  4 , an inlet valve  5 , and an exhaust valve  6  are installed. 
     Four pistons  7 , which form the part of an oscillating axle  8 , separates each stator chamber  2  into two combustion chambers  9 . A piston sealing member  10  is attached at the outer edge of the pistons  7  to seal the space between the piston  7  and inner wall of the stator chamber  2 . Stator sealing members  11  are installed at the inner edge of the outer stator shell walls  3  to seal the space between the outer stator shell walls  3  and oscillating axle  8 . 
       FIGS. 2-5  show the operation in one of the stator chambers  2  in the two-stroke cycle design.  FIG. 2  shows the combustion of the Combustion Chamber  12  at the initial stage of the combustion stroke, compressing the Combustion Chamber  13 ;  FIG. 3  shows the exhaust exits the Combustion Chamber  12  through the exhaust valve  6 , while the Combustion Chamber  13  is further compressed.  FIG. 4  shows the compressed air, mixed with fuel, entering the Combustion Chamber  12  through the inlet valve  5 , while the Combustion Chamber  13  is further compressed.  FIG. 5  shows the compression stroke when the combustion of the Combustion Chamber  13  helps compressing the Combustion Chamber  12 . 
       FIGS. 6-9  show the operation in one stator chamber  2  in the four-stroke cycle design.  FIG. 6  shows the Combustion Chambers  12  and  16  at induction cycle. Combustion Chambers  13  and  17  are at compression cycle at this time. Combustion Chambers  14  and  18  are at ignition cycle. Combustion Chambers  15  and  19  are at emission cycle.  FIG. 7  shows the Combustion Chambers  12  and  16  at compression cycle. Combustion Chambers  13  and  17  are at ignition cycle at this time. Combustion Chambers  14  and  18  are at emission cycle. Combustion Chambers  15  and  19  are at induction cycle.  FIG. 8  shows the Combustion Chambers  12  and  16  at ignition cycle. Combustion Chambers  13  and  17  are at emission cycle at this time. Combustion Chambers  14  and  18  are at induction cycle. Combustion Chambers  15  and  19  are at compression cycle.  FIG. 9  shows the Combustion Chambers  12  and  16  at emission cycle. Combustion Chambers  13  and  17  are at induction cycle at this time. Combustion Chambers  14  and  18  are at compression cycle. Combustion Chambers  15  and  19  are at ignition cycle. 
       FIG. 10  shows the crankshaft mechanism that translates the oscillating motion of the oscillating axle  8  into mono-directional rotary motion and to a power output axle  20 . As oscillating axle  8  oscillates, oscillating axle arm  21  oscillates with it. In this embodiment, Crankshaft  22  translates the oscillation into mono-directional rotary motion of the crankshaft gears  23  ( FIG. 11 ). 
       FIG. 11  shows the control gears  24  that control the inlet valves  5  and the exhaust valves  6 . It also shows that the crankshaft gears  23  driving the power output axle  20 . 
       FIG. 12  is cross-sectional view showing both the combustion chambers  9  and the crankshaft  22 . 
       FIG. 13  is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment.