Rotary internal combustion engine

Claim 1

A ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING: A STATIONARY HOUSING INCLUDING AXIALLY SPACED END WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID PERIPHERAL WALL INTERCONNECTING THE END WALLS TO FORM A CAVITY HAVING AN AXIS; SAID PERIPHERAL ALL COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED WALL PORTIONS, SAID PAIRS OF WALL PORTIONS BEING CONVEX AS VIEWED FROM SAID AXIS, SAID FIRST PAIR OF WALL PORTIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF WALL PORTIONS, AND CORNER PORTIONS INTERCONNECTING SAID WALL PORTIONS OF THE FIRST PAIR OF SAID WALL PORTIONS OF THE SECOND PAIR, SAID CORNER PROTIONS BEING CONCAVE AS VIEWED FROM SAID AXIS, SAID CAVITY THUS BEING OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION; A GENERALLY TRIANGULAR PISTON ROTATABLY RECEIVED IN SAID CAVITY, SAID PISTON HAVING THREE WORKING FACES DISPOSED AT 60* TO EACH OTHER AND CONNECTED WITH ONE ANOTHER BY APEXES, SAID APEXES BEING ARCUATE AND CONVEX OUTWARDLY OF SAID ROTOR; MEANS TO MOVE THE AXIS OF SAID PISTON ROTATABLY ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID CAVITY AT A FIXED DISTANCE THEREFROM, SAID PISTON AXIS BEING MAINTAINED PARALLEL TO SAID CAVITY AXIS, SAID PISTON BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS WHEREBY THE PISTON ROTATION ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS IS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS THE ROTATION OF THE PISTON AXIS ABOUT SAID CAVITY AXIS; THE CURVATURE OF SAID WALL PORTIONS AND SAID CORNER PORTIONS OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL BEING SUCH THAT SAID PISTON APEXES REMAIN AT ALL TIMES CLOSELY ACJACENT SAID PERIPHERAL WALL; SAID PISTON WORKING FACES BEING DISPLACED FROM SAID PERIPHERAL WALL AT ALL TIMES, SAID PISTON WORKING FACES COOPERATING WITH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL AND THE END WALLS OF SAID HOUSING TO FORM THREE ROTATABLE VARIABLE VOLUME COMBUSTION CHAMBERS; A COMBINATION INLET AND EXHAUST PORT FORMED IN EACH WALL OF THE FIRST PAIR OF WALL PORTIONS AND GENERALLY INTERMINATED THE CORNER PORTIONS THEREOF AND GENERALLY INWITH THE CAVITY, EACH PORT ADAPTED TO PERMIT AIR TO ENTER AND PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION TO EXHAUST FROM THE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS; AND FUEL INJECTION MEANS AND IGNITION MEANS IN EACH WALL OF THE SECOND PAIR OF WALL PORTIONS AND GENERALLY INTERMEDIATE THE CORNER PORTIONS THEREOF AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE CAVITY, EACH FUEL INJEDTION MEANS ADAPTED FOR INTRODUCING FUEL DIRECTLY INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS AND EACH IGNITION MEANS ADAPTEDFOR IGNITING FUEL IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS; SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBERS BEING ROTATABLE AROUND THE AXIS OF THE CAVITY AND ALONG EACH WALL OF THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF WALL PORTIONS TO UNDERGO CYCLES OF SEQUENTIAL COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OF THE PORTS AND EACH OF THE FUEL INJECTION AND IGNITION MEANS IN ALTERNATING ORDER, THE SMALLEST VOLUME OF EACH COMBUSTION CHAMBER OCCURRING DURING EACH CYCLE WHEN THE PISTON WORKING FACE FORMING ONE WALL OF SUCH CHAMBER IS SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE AND PARALLEL TO A WALL OF THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF WALL PORTIONS WHICH FORMS ANOTHER WALL OF SUCH CHAMBER.