Patent ID: 8056527

Claim:
A split-chamber rotary engine, comprising: a power module having: a rotor case having a rotor chamber wall defining a rotor volume and at least one expansion chamber and at least one case combustion chamber disposed therein, wherein the expansion and case combustion chambers are equal in number, at least one combustion chamber piston passage extending outwardly from the at least one case combustion chamber and being substantially tangential to the rotor chamber wall, and at least one exhaust passage extending outwardly from the at least one expansion chamber; a combustion chamber piston disposed for reciprocation within the combustion chamber piston passage of the case; and a rotor disposed within the case, the rotor having at least one combustion chamber portion formed peripherally therein and being at least equal in number to the rotor case combustion chambers, the combustion chamber piston, combustion chamber piston passage of the case, and combustion chamber portion of the rotor dealing a split combustion chamber within the case; and at least one compressor module extending from the corresponding combustion chamber piston passage of the case, the compressor module having; a compressor cylinder having a case attachment end and a closed distal end opposite the case attachment end; a compressor piston assembly disposed within the compressor cylinder; and a connecting rod rigidly fixing the compressor piston assembly to the combustion chamber piston.