Internal combustion engine

Claim 2

A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a stationary generally cylindrical housing including first and second opposed side walls and a circumferential end wall having spaced stop means, an output shaft, a rotary power unit fixed to said output shaft and having at least two cylinder assemblies, an intake manifold, a fuel supply, an exhaust collector, each of said cylinder assemblies including intake means coupled to said intake manifold and exhaust means coupled to said exhaust collector, a cylinder, a piston, and connecting rod means coupled to said piston and having a free end intermittently engageable with said stop means, and means for producing a combustion in said cylinders from a gas mixture delivered from said intake manifold for pushing said free end of said connecting rod means against said stop means to advance the rotary power unit along a rotary path to rotate said output shaft, said connecting rod means including cam operated linkage means for urging said free end of said connecting rod means radially inward for selectively placing the free end in said stop means and radially outward for positively moving said connecting rod means toward said cylinder.

Claim 3

The engine of claim 1 said intake means including an intake valve and a rocker arm for opening said intake valve, intake cam means secured to said housing for engaging said intake rocker arm to actuate said intake valve, said exhaust means including an exhaust valve and an exhaust rocker arm for opening said exhaust valve, and exhaust cam means secured to said housing for engaging said exhaust rocker arm to actuate said exhaust valve.

Claim 4

A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a stationary generally cylindrical housing including first and second opposed side walls and a circumferential end wall having spaced stop means, an output shaft, a rotary power unit fixed to said output shaft and having at least two cylinder assemblies, an intake manifold, a fuel supply, and an exhaust collector, each of said cylinder assemblies including intake means coupled to said intake manifold and exhaust means coupled to said exhaust collector, a cylinder, a piston, and connecting rod means coupled to said piston and having a free end intermittently engageable with said stop means, and means for producing a combustion in said cylinders from a gas mixture delivered from said intake manifold for pushing said free end of said connecting rod means against said stop means to advance the rotary power unit to rotate said output shaft, said intake means also including four-cycle components comprising an intake valve and a rocker arm for opening said intake valve, intake cam means secured to said housing for engaging said intake rocker arm to actuate said intake valve, said exhaust means including an exhaust valve and an exhaust rocker arm, and exhaust cam means secured to said housing for engaging said exhaust rocker arm to actUate said exhaust valve, said means for converting between two-cycle and four-cycle operation including a sleeve valve selectively operable to expose said intake and exhaust ports and shift guide means selectively operable to remove said intake and exhaust cam means from the path of said rocker arms and to shift said sleeve valve whereby the ports become operative to run the engine on two cycles, and means for doubling the spark frequency when shifting to two-cycles.

Claim 5

A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a stationary generally cylindrical housing including first and second opposed side walls and a circumferential end wall having spaced stop means, an output shaft, a rotary power unit fixed to said output shaft and having at least two cylinder assemblies, an intake manifold, a fuel supply, and an exhaust collector, each of said cylinder assemblies including intake means coupled to said intake manifold and exhaust means coupled to said exhaust collector, a cylinder, a piston, and connecting rod means coupled to said piston and having a free end intermittently engageable with said stop means, and means for producing a combustion in said cylinders from a gas mixture delivered from said intake manifold for pushing said free end of said connecting rod means against said stop means to advance the rotary power unit to rotate said output shaft, said intake means also including four-cycle components comprising an intake valve and a rocker arm for opening said intake valve, intake cam means secured to said housing for engaging said intake rocker arm to actuate said intake valve, said exhaust means including an exhaust valve and an exhaust rocker arm, and exhaust cam means secured to said housing for engaging said exhaust rocker arm to actUate said exhaust valve, said means for converting between two-cycle and four-cycle operation including a sleeve valve selectively operable to expose said intake and exhaust ports and shift guide means selectively operable to remove said intake and exhaust cam means from the path of said rocker arms and to shift said sleeve valve whereby the ports become operative to run the engine on two cycles, and means for doubling the spark frequency when shifting to two-cycles.

Claim 6

The engine of claim 1 said exhaust collector including a circular compartment opened to said power unit rotary path for receiving exhaust products and having a filter separating the compartment into first and second circular chambers,the filter separating the second circular compartment from the direct exhaust from the cylinders.

Claim 7

The engine of claim 4 including fan means for blowing the exhaust through the filter, said fan means including louvers and a pair of blades secured to the underside of said rotary power unit.

Claim 8

The engine of claim 2 said exhaust cam means including a plurality of rollers for regulating the length of exhaust valve actuation, said exhaust rocker arm contacting an exhaust roller only for a short period during each cycle of rotation.

Claim 9

A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a stationary generally cylindrical housing including first and second opposed side walls and a circumferential end wall having spaced stop means, an output shaft, a rotary power unit fixed to said output shaft and having at least two cylinder assemblies, an intake manifold, a fuel supply, and an exhaust collector, each of said cylinder assemblies including intake means coupled to said intake manifold and exhaust means coupled to said exhaust collector, a cylinder, a piston, and connecting rod means coupled to said piston and having a free end intermittently engageable with said stop means, and means for producing a combustion in said cylinders from a gas mixture delivered from said intake manifold for pushing said free end of said connecting rod means against said stop means to advance the rotary power unit along a rotary path to rotate said output shaft, said intake means including an intake port, said exhaust means including an exhaust port and including means for converting the engine from four-cycle to two-cycle operation while running said means for producing combustion including fuel injecting means for spontaneous combustion.

Claim 10

A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a stationary generally cylindrical housing including first and second opposed side walls and a circumferential end wall having spaced stop means, an output shaft, a rotary power unit fixed to said output shaft and having at least two cylinder assemblies, an intake manifold, a fuel supply, and an exhaust collector, each of said cylinder assemblies including intake means coupled to said intake manifold and exhaust means coupled to said exhaust collector, a cylinder, a piston, and connecting rod means coupled to said piston and having a free end intermittently engageable with said stop means, and means for producing a combustion in said cylinders from a gas mixture delivered from said intake manifold for pushing said free end of said connecting rod means against said stop means to advance the rotary power unit along a rotary path to rotate said output shaft, said intake means including an intake port, said exhaust means including an exhaust port and including means for converting the engine from four-cycle to two-cycle operation while running said means for producing combustion including fuel injecting means for spontaneous combustion.

Claim 11

The engine of claim 7 said fuel injecting means including a nozzle, said output shaft including a central bore and lateral bores coupling said fuel nozzle with a source of fuel and an air intake coupled to said fuel nozzle.

Claim 12

The engine of claim 7 said fuel injecting means including injection valves, at least four fuel injection cams engageable with said injection valves for delivering fuel into said cylinders, means for deactivating two of said injection cams for four-cycle operation and activating said two cams for operating four of said injection cams for two cycle operation.

Claim 13

The engine of claim 1 said rotary power unit including inner and outer rings of cylinder assemblies.

Claim 14

The engine of claim 10 each of said cylinder assemblies being individually replaceable.

Claim 15

The engine of claim 9 including means for moving said fuel injection cams toward and away from said injection valves for varying the amount of fuel allowed to be injected by said valves.