Rotary combustion engine spark plug arrangement

Claim 2

A rotary combustion engine comprising a housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said housing having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and said housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a spark access hole located in one of said side walls opposite one side of said rotor in a Position so that as said rotor planetates said working chambers are sequentially operatively periodically opened by said rotor on said one rotor side to said spark access hole as said rotor planetates and said spark hole is prevented by said gas seal means from providing connection between said working chambers, and a spark plug mounted in said housing having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.

Claim 3

A rotary combustion engine comprising a rotor housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of end housings having oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said end housings having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and said housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said rotor housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, said gas seal means including an apex seal mounted on each rotor apex connecting said peripheral wall and side seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said side seal extending adjacent one of said rotor faces between two of said rotor apexes and corner seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said corner seal sealingly joining one of said apex seals and two of said side seals, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a spark access hole sized to be coverable by said corner seals located in one of said side walls opposite one side of said rotor in a position so that as said rotor planetates said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor on said one rotor side to said spark access hole and said corner seals sequentially periodically cover said spark access hole to prevent connection between said chambers as said apex seals pass said spark access hole, and a spark plug mounted in the end housing with said one side wall having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.

Claim 4

A rotary combustion engine comprising a rotor housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of end housings having oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said end housings having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and said housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said rotor housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, said gas seal means including an apex seal mounted on each rotor apex connecting said peripheral wall and side seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said side seal extending adjacent one of said rotor faces between two of said rotor apexes and corner seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said corner seal sealingly joining one of said apex seals and two of said side seals, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a spark access hole sized to be coverable by said corner seals located in one of said side walls opposite one side of said rotor in a position so that as said rotor planetates said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor on said one rotor side to said spark access hole and said corner seals sequentially periodically cover said spark access hole to prevent connection between said chambers as said apex seals pass said spark access hole, and a spark plug mounted in the end housing with said one side wall having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.

Claim 5

A rotary combustion engine comprising a rotor housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of end housings having oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said housing having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said rotor housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, said gas seal means including an apex seal mounted on each rotor apex contacting said peripheral wall and side seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said side seal extending adjacent one of said rotor faces between two of said rotor apexes and corner seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said corner seal sealingly joining one of said apex seals and two of said side seals, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a spark access hole sized to be coverable by said apex seals located in one of said side walls opposite one side of said rotor in a position so that as said rotor planetates said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor on said one rotor side to said spark access hole and said apex seals sequentially periodically cover said spark access hole to prevent connection between said chambers as said apex seals pass said spark access hole, and a spark plug mounted in the end housing with said one side wall having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.

Claim 6

A rotary combustion engine comprising a rotor housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of end housings having oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said housing having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said rotor housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, said gas seal means including an apex seal mounted on each rotor apex contacting said peripheral wall and side seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said side seal extending adjacent one of said rotor faces between two of said rotor apexes and corner seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said corner seal sealingly joining one of said apex seals and two of said side seals, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a spark access hole sized to be coverable by said apex seals located in one of said side walls opposite one side of said rotor in a position so that as said rotor planetates said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor on said one rotor side to said spark access hole and said apex seals sequentially periodically cover said spark access hole to prevent connection between said chambers as said apex seals pass said spark access hole, and a spark plug mounted in the end housing with said one side wall having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.

Claim 7

A rotary combustion engine comprising a rotor housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of end housings having oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said housing having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and said housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said rotor housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, said gas seal means including an apex seal mounted on each rotor apex contacting said peripheral wall and side seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said side seal extending adjacent one of said rotor faces between two of said rotor apexes and corner seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said corner seal sealingly joining one of said apex seals and two of said side seals, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a separate passage in said rotor connected to each of said working chambers, each of said passages having a port in one side of said rotor located radially inward of said corner seals and said side reals on said one rotor side, said gas seal means further including port seals mounted in said one rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said port seal extending about one of said ports, a spark access hole located in the side wall opposite said one rotor side in a position so that as said rotor planetates said ports in said rotor are sequentially periodically opened to said spark access hole and said one rotor side radially inward of said corner seals and said side seals periodically covers said spark access hole to prevent connection between said working chambers, and a spark plug mounted in the end housing with said one side wall having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.

Claim 8

A rotary combustion engine comprising a rotor housing having an interior multi-lobed peripheral wall and a pair of end housings having oppositely facing interior side walls defining a rotor cavity, an output shaft rotatably mounted in said housing having an eccentric located in said rotor cavity, a multi-apex rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric having sides opposite said side walls and a plurality of peripheral faces opposite said peripheral wall, said rotor faces and said housing walls cooperating to provide a plurality of working chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor within said rotor housing while varying in volume as said rotor planetates, gas seal means mounted on said rotor for sealingly contacting said housing walls to seal said working chambers from each other, said gas seal means including an apex seal mounted on each rotor apex contacting said peripheral wall and side seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said side seal extending adjacent one of said rotor faces between two of said rotor apexes and corner seals mounted on each rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said corner seal sealingly joining one of said apex seals and two of said side seals, intake passage means including an intake port in one of said housing walls located so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor port past said gas seal means to said intake port as said rotor planetates, exhaust passage means including an exhaust port located in one of said housing walls so that said working chambers are sequentially periodically opened by said rotor past said gas seal means to said exhaust port as said rotor planetates, a separate passage in said rotor connected to each of said working chambers, each of said passages having a port in one side of said rotor located radially inward of said corner seals and said side reals on said one rotor side, said gas seal means further including port seals mounted in said one rotor side contacting the opposite side wall with each said port seal extending about one of said ports, a spark access hole located in the side wall opposite said one rotor side in a position so that as said rotor planetates said ports in said rotor are sequentially periodically opened to said spark access hole and said one rotor side radially inward of said corner seals and said side seals periodically covers said spark access hole to prevent connection between said working chambers, and a spark plug mounted in the end housing with said one side wall having an electrode exposed to said spark access hole.