Patent ID: 8132399

Claim:
An internal combustion engine, comprising: a housing structure defining at least one stationary inlet opening; a source of compressed air mounted to the housing structure and supplying compressed air to the inlet opening; a rotor rotatably connected with the housing structure for rotation about an axis of rotation relative to the housing structure, the rotor defining a peripheral edge portion and a central portion, and at least one combustion chamber adjacent the central portion of the rotor; the rotor having an inlet opening in fluid communication with the combustion chamber providing flow of combustible matter into the combustion chamber through the inlet opening, at least a portion of the inlet opening of the rotor aligning with at least a portion of the stationary inlet opening during at least a portion of one revolution of the rotor relative to the housing; an ignition system igniting combustible material in the combustion chamber; the rotor further including at least one exhaust port extending from the combustion chamber to the peripheral edge portion of the rotor to define an exhaust opening, wherein the exhaust port expels exhaust gas at a non-zero angle relative to a radius extending from the axis of rotation to the exhaust opening and generates force tending to rotate the rotor; the rotor further including a plurality of vanes generating a force tending to rotate the rotor when the vanes are contacted by exhaust gas; the housing further defining at least one reflective surface reflecting shock waves formed by exhaust gas being expelled from the exhaust opening towards the vanes on the rotor and capturing at least a portion of the energy from the shock waves and utilizing the energy to rotate the rotor.