Patent ID: 8418672

Claim:
An internal combustion engine comprising a first power module, the first power module including: an engine cavity, the engine cavity being bounded by three engine walls, each of the three engine walls (i) intersecting two of the three engine walls and (ii) comprising a substantially planar surface, the substantially planar surface of the each of the three engine walls being approximately perpendicular to the substantially planar surface of two of the three engine walls; a rotor, the rotor residing in the engine cavity and including: a first flange, the first flange being substantially perpendicular to a first side of a bilateral plane, the rotor having bilateral symmetry about the bilateral plane; a second flange, the second flange being substantially perpendicular to a second side of the bilateral plane, the second side of the bilateral plane being opposite the first side of the bilateral plane; a connecting member, the connecting member being coupled directly to the first flange and the second flange and including: a first broad side, the first broad side residing on the first side of the bilateral plane and the first flange being directly coupled to the first broad side, a second broad side, the second broad side residing on the second side of the bilateral plane and the second flange being directly coupled to the second broad side; a first edge residing at a periphery of the first broad side and the second broad side; a second edge, the second edge being approximately perpendicular to the first edge and residing at a periphery of the first broad side and the second broad side; a plurality of compression lobes, each of the plurality of compression lobes including an interior cavity and a combustion chamber, the interior cavity being adjacent to and continuous with the engine cavity, and a portion of the first flange or a portion of the second flange residing within the interior cavity of at least one of the plurality of compression lobes; a plurality of exhaust ports, at least one exhaust port residing in each of the three engine walls, the at least one exhaust port being adapted to exhaust combustion products from the engine cavity through the at least one exhaust port; and a plurality of fluid intake ports, the plurality of fluid intake ports being adapted to admit a fluid containing an oxidant into at least one of the plurality of fluid intake ports residing in the interior cavity of the each of the plurality of compression lobes.