Rotary combustion engine power control

Claim 2

A rotary combustion engine comprising a housing having opposing side walls and a peripheral wall providing a cavity, a rotor disposed in said cavity, an output shaft rotatably supported by said housing and having an eccentric rotatably supporting said rotor, said rotor and said housing cooperatively providing a plurality of variable volume working chambers spaced around said rotor that move with said rotor within said housing as said rotor and said output shaft turn, said housing having an intake passage with an intake port through one of said side walls that is opened by said rotor to each said working chamber during a chamber expansion phase as said rotor planetates and is also openable by said rotor to the same working chamber during an immediately subsequent chamber contraction phase as said rotor continues to planetate, said housing having an exhaust passage that is opened by said rotor to each said working chamber during a subsequent chamber contraction phase as said rotor continues to planetate, and intake port control means including valve means slidably mounted in said housing for controlling the extent of opening of said intake port, said valve means having a valve face in said intake port that remains flush with said one side wall while sliding between a maximum power position in which said intake port has a minimum extent in the direction of rotor movement and is open to each said working chamber only during chamber expansion and a minimum power position in which said intake port has a maximum extent in the direction of rotor movement and remains open to the same working chamber during immediately subsequent chamber contraction.

Claim 3

A rotary combustion engine comprising a housing having opposing interior side walls and an interior peripheral wall providing a cavity, a rotor disposed in said cavity, an output shaft rotatably supported by said housing and having an eccentric rotatably supporting said rotor, said rotor and said housing cooperatively providing a plurality of variable volume working chambers spaced around said rotor that move within said rotor within said housing as said rotor and said output shaft turn, said housing having an intake passage with an intake port through one of said side walls that is opened by said rotor to each said working chamber during a chamber expansiOn phase as said rotor planetates and is also openable by said rotor to the same working chamber during an immediately subsequent chamber contraction phase as said rotor continues to planetate, said housing having an exhaust passage that is opened by said rotor to each said working chamber during a subsequent chamber contraction phase as said rotor continues to planetate, and intake port control means including valve means slidably mounted in said housing for controlling the extent of opening of said intake port, said valve means having a valve face in said intake port that remains flush with said one side wall and operates to vary the area of said intake port at the opening to said cavity while sliding between a maximum power position in which said intake port has a predetermined open area and a minimum extent in the direction of rotor movement and is open to each said working chamber only during chamber expansion and a minimum power position in which said intake port has a predetermined larger open area and a maximum extent in the direction of rotor movement and remains open to the same working chamber during immediately subsequent chamber contraction, manually controlled linkage means for moving said valve means from said minimum power position to said maximum power position, biasing means for biasing said valve means to said minimum power position.

Claim 4

A rotary combustion engine comprising a housing having opposing interior side walls and an interior peripheral wall providing a cavity, a rotor disposed in said cavity, an output shaft rotatably supported by said housing and having an eccentric rotatably supporting said rotor, said rotor and said housing cooperatively providing a plurality of variable volume working chambers spaced around said rotor that move within said rotor within said housing as said rotor and said output shaft turn, said housing having an intake passage with an intake port through one of said side walls that is opened by said rotor to each said working chamber during a chamber expansiOn phase as said rotor planetates and is also openable by said rotor to the same working chamber during an immediately subsequent chamber contraction phase as said rotor continues to planetate, said housing having an exhaust passage that is opened by said rotor to each said working chamber during a subsequent chamber contraction phase as said rotor continues to planetate, and intake port control means including valve means slidably mounted in said housing for controlling the extent of opening of said intake port, said valve means having a valve face in said intake port that remains flush with said one side wall and operates to vary the area of said intake port at the opening to said cavity while sliding between a maximum power position in which said intake port has a predetermined open area and a minimum extent in the direction of rotor movement and is open to each said working chamber only during chamber expansion and a minimum power position in which said intake port has a predetermined larger open area and a maximum extent in the direction of rotor movement and remains open to the same working chamber during immediately subsequent chamber contraction, manually controlled linkage means for moving said valve means from said minimum power position to said maximum power position, biasing means for biasing said valve means to said minimum power position.

Claim 5

A rotary combustion engine comprising a housing having a pair of cavities each with opposing side walls and a peripheral wall, a rotor disposed in each said cavity, an output shaft rotatably supported by said housing and having an eccentric rotatably supporting each said rotor, each said rotor and said housing cooperatively providing a plurality of variable volume working chambers spaced around each said rotor that move with each said rotor within said housing as each said rotor and said output shaft turn, said housing intermediate said cavities having an intake passage with a pair of intake ports through the adjacent side walls of said cavities that are opened by said rotors to each of the associated working chambers during a chamber expansion phase as each said rotor planetates and are also openable by each said rotor to the same working chamber during an immediately subsequent chamber contraction phase as each said rotor continues to planetate, said housing having an exhaust passage that is opened by said rotors to each of the associated working chambers during a subsequent contraction phase as each said rotor continues to planetate, and intake port control means including valve means slidably mounted in said housing for controlling the extent of opening of said intake ports, said valve means having valve faces in said intake ports that remain flush with the associated side walls and operate to vary the area of both said intake ports at the openings to said cavities while sliding between a maximum power position in which said intake ports have a predetermined open area and a minimum extent in the direction of rotor movement and is open to each said working chamber only during expansion and a minimum power position in which said intake ports have a predetermined larger open area and a maximum extent in the direction of rotor movement and remain open to the same working chamber during immediately subsequent chamber contraction.

Claim 6

A rotary combustion engine comprising a housing having a pair of cavities each with opposing side walls and a peripheral wall, a rotor disposed in each said cavity, an output shaft rotatably supported by said housing and having an eccentric rotatably supporting each said rotor, each said rotor and said housing cooperatively providing a plurality of variable volume working chambers spaced around each said rotor that move with each said rotor within said housing as each said rotor and said output shaft turn, said housing intermediate said cavities having an intake passage with a pair of intake ports through the adjacent side walls of said cavities that are opened by said rotors to each of the associated working chambers during a chamber expansion phase as each said rotor planetates and are also openable by each said rotor to the same working chamber during an immediately subsequent chamber contraction phase as each said rotor continues to planetate, said housing having an exhaust passage that is opened by said rotors to each of the associated working chambers during a subsequent contraction phase as each said rotor continues to planetate, and intake port control means including valve means slidably mounted in said housing for controlling the extent of opening of said intake ports, said valve means having valve faces in said intake ports that remain flush with the associated side walls and operate to vary the area of both said intake ports at the openings to said cavities while sliding between a maximum power position in which said intake ports have a predetermined open area and a minimum extent in the direction of rotor movement and is open to each said working chamber only during expansion and a minimum power position in which said intake ports have a predetermined larger open area and a maximum extent in the direction of rotor movement and remain open to the same working chamber during immediately subsequent chamber contraction.