Rotary combustion engine

Claim 1

A rotary combustion engine, comprising a housing having a cavity therein having an axis, a rotor disposed within said cavity and rotatable relative to said housing about an axis spaced from but parallel to said cavity axis, said housing having axially spaced end walls and a peripheral wall interconnecting said end walls to form said cavity, the inner surface of said peripheral wall having a multi-lobed profile which is basically an epitrochoid, said rotor having end faces disposed adjacent to said end walls for sealing cooperation therewith and having a multi-lobed peripheral surface with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apex portions, an apex seal member carried by each of said apex portions and engaging the inner surface of said peripheral wall in sealing relation to form a plurality of working chambers between said housing and said rotor which vary in volume upon rotation of said rotor relative to said housing and, said housing having a primary intake port of relatively small cross-sectional area opening at one of said end walls into said cavity, said housing having a secondary intake port of relatively larger cross-sectional area than said primary intake port and opening at said same end wall into said cavity, said primary intake port being so disposed in said end wall that it is covered by said rotor earlier than said secondary intake port during a late portion of an intake phase of said engine.