§
Luxuse
Patent Intelligence
Sign In
← Back to Patent Explorer
US3828740A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Rotary internal combustion engine and method of cooling the same

Assignee: Marel Inc
•
Filing: 1973-04-16
•
Granted: 1974-08-13
•
Expires: 1993-04-16
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A rotary internal combustion engine is disclosed and generally comprises a rotor means which is rotatably mounted on a stationary core mounted in an engine frame. The rotor means has a plurality of cylinders spaced radially thereon. A free floating piston is slidably mounted in each of the cylinders with the heads of the pistons being positioned towards the center of the rotor. A roller is mounted in the skirt end of the piston which rides against a circular cam. The centrifugal force created by the rotation of the rotor causes the pistons to follow the internal cam surface of the cam during rotation. The inner end of the core is provided with fuel and air ports adapted to communicate with the cylinders as the rotor rotates with respect to the core. An air passageway is formed in the core and is in communication with the air port and an air pump to provide a supply of air for purging, cooling and charging the cylinders. A fuel passageway is provided in the core and is in communication with the fuel ports and a supply of fuel to supply fuel under pressure to the fuel ports. An adjustable needle valve is provided in the fuel passageway to permit the precise adjustment or metering of the fuel being the cam being shaped so that the compression is increased as the piston approaches its position of maximum compression. The cam is shaped to provide a dwell adjacent the area of maximum compression to permit the piston to be maintained at the position of partial expansion to permit complete combustion of the fuel-air mixture to increase combustion efficiency. The cylinders are exhausted by means of openings extending around the cylinder. The exhaust from each cylinder is exhausted through its individual exhaust openings with the exhaust in the cylinder being purged by the air being supplied thereto from the air pump. The air also permits the cylinders to be recharged and forces the pistons radially outwardly into engagement with the cam. The air also cools the inside surface of the cylinder. The preferred embodiment includes an even number of cylinders, ordinarily two or four with a cam plate having a pair of oppositely disposed lobes. The preferred cam plate is designed to condense the compression stroke and the expansion stroke into a shorter period of time so that less heat is lost to the walls of the cylinder therefore requiring less cooling. The shortened compression and expansion time also permits additional time for the cooling cycle.

Inventors

  • 👤 R Townsend

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-08 16:50
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01B; F01B13/00; F01B13/04; F01B13/06; F01B13/061; F02; F02B; F02B57/00; F02B57/08; F02B57/10; F02B1/00; F02B1/02; F02B1/04; F02B75/00; F02B75/02; F02B2075/022; F02B2075/025; F02B2075/027; F02B2275/00; F02B2275/36; F02B3/00; F02B3/06

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim 108 words
The method of cooling an internal combustion engine having a frame means, an output shaft, a plurality of cylinders each having a reciprocating piston operatively secured to said output shaft, comprising, introducing combustible fuel into said cylinders and combusting said fuEl to force said pistons to move through an expansion stroke in said cylinders, and introducing ambient air directly into said cylinders for a period of time greater than the time period consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of said pistons after combustion of said fuel to purge the exhaust gases resulting from combustion, and to cool the pistons and the interiors of said cylinders.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 108 words
The method of cooling an internal combustion engine having a frame means, an output shaft, a plurality of cylinders each having a reciprocating piston operatively secured to said output shaft, comprising, introducing combustible fuel into said cylinders and combusting said fuEl to force said pistons to move through an expansion stroke in said cylinders, and introducing ambient air directly into said cylinders for a period of time greater than the time period consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of said pistons after combustion of said fuel to purge the exhaust gases resulting from combustion, and to cool the pistons and the interiors of said cylinders.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein ambient air is introduced into said cylinders for at least one-half of the total cycle time of said pistons in said cylinders.
Claim 4
Independent Claim 137 words
The method of causing the reciprocating pistons in a rotary cam type internal combustion engine to move outwardly into engagement with the cam plate means extending therearound, comprising the following steps: introducing combustible fuel into the cylinders in which said pistons are reciprocatably mounted and combusting said fuel to force said pistons to move through an expansion stroke in said cylinders, forcing ambient air through said cylinders after combustion of said fuel for a greater period of time than the period of time consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of said pistons to purge the exhaust gases resulting from combustion, introducing air under pressure into said cylinders to force said pistons outwardly into engagement with said cam plate means and to provide air for charging the cylinders for subsequent mixture with a combustible fuel.
Claim 5
Independent Claim 137 words
The method of causing the reciprocating pistons in a rotary cam type internal combustion engine to move outwardly into engagement with the cam plate means extending therearound, comprising the following steps: introducing combustible fuel into the cylinders in which said pistons are reciprocatably mounted and combusting said fuel to force said pistons to move through an expansion stroke in said cylinders, forcing ambient air through said cylinders after combustion of said fuel for a greater period of time than the period of time consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of said pistons to purge the exhaust gases resulting from combustion, introducing air under pressure into said cylinders to force said pistons outwardly into engagement with said cam plate means and to provide air for charging the cylinders for subsequent mixture with a combustible fuel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 218 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame means, a rotor means mounted on said frame, a plurality of cylinders mounted on said rotor means, a piston movably mounted in each of said cylinders and being movable between compression and expansion positions with respect thereto, a cam plate means on said frame means extending around said rotor means and having a cam surface, a roller means mounted on each of said pistons which engages and rolls upon said cam surface to cause said piston to be moved in said cylinder as said rotor means is rotated with respect to said cam plate, said cam surface having at least one lobe provided thereon which extends towards said rotor means, each of said pistons being moved to its maximum compression position as the roller means thereon engages said lobe, fuel supply means for supplying fuel to said cylinders, and air supply means for supplying air under pressure to said cylinders to force said roller means on said pistons into engagement with said cam surface and to recharge the cylinder with air for subsequent mixture and combustion with said fuel said air supply means supplying air to said cylinders for a greater period of time than the time consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of the pistons.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 218 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame means, a rotor means mounted on said frame, a plurality of cylinders mounted on said rotor means, a piston movably mounted in each of said cylinders and being movable between compression and expansion positions with respect thereto, a cam plate means on said frame means extending around said rotor means and having a cam surface, a roller means mounted on each of said pistons which engages and rolls upon said cam surface to cause said piston to be moved in said cylinder as said rotor means is rotated with respect to said cam plate, said cam surface having at least one lobe provided thereon which extends towards said rotor means, each of said pistons being moved to its maximum compression position as the roller means thereon engages said lobe, fuel supply means for supplying fuel to said cylinders, and air supply means for supplying air under pressure to said cylinders to force said roller means on said pistons into engagement with said cam surface and to recharge the cylinder with air for subsequent mixture and combustion with said fuel said air supply means supplying air to said cylinders for a greater period of time than the time consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of the pistons.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 130 words
An internal combustion engine, comprising, an engine frame means having a rotatable shaft extending outwardly therefrom a plurality of cylinder means, a piston movably mounted in each of said cylinders and being movable between compression and expansion positions with respect thereto, means for supplying combustible fuel to said cylinders, and air supply means for supplying a source of relatively cool ambient air directly through the interior of saiid cylinders after combustion of said fuel has taken place to purge the cylinder of the exhaust gases of said combustible fuel, and to cool the pistons and the interior of said cylinders said air supply means supplying air to said cylinders for a greater period of time than the time consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of the pistons.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 130 words
An internal combustion engine, comprising, an engine frame means having a rotatable shaft extending outwardly therefrom a plurality of cylinder means, a piston movably mounted in each of said cylinders and being movable between compression and expansion positions with respect thereto, means for supplying combustible fuel to said cylinders, and air supply means for supplying a source of relatively cool ambient air directly through the interior of saiid cylinders after combustion of said fuel has taken place to purge the cylinder of the exhaust gases of said combustible fuel, and to cool the pistons and the interior of said cylinders said air supply means supplying air to said cylinders for a greater period of time than the time consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of the pistons.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 57 words
The engine of claim 5 wherein said engine is a rotary engine, and the power portion of the expansion stroke of said pistons is limited to a smaller period of time than the period of time that ambient air is supplied to said cylinders by a cam plate, said pistons operatively and movably engaging said cam plate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 43 words
The engine of claim 6 wherein said expansion stroke is limited to approximately one-foUrth of the period of time of said cycle and said air supply means supplies ambient air to said cylinders at least one-half of the time period of each cycle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 64 words
The engine of claim 5 wherein at least one exhaust opening is formed in said cylinders, said exhaust opening being closed by the piston in said cylinder during a predetermined portion of the movement of said piston with respect to said cylinder, said exhaust openings permitting communication between the interior of said cylinder and the atmosphere when said piston is in its expanded position.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said ambient air is forced into and through said cylinders.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US1286142A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1977-08-12 1978-02-11 1978-08-13 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1981-08-12 1982-02-11 1982-08-13 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1985-08-12 1986-02-11 1986-08-13 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag