Rotary engine anti-spin oil seal arrangement

Claim 2

A rotary engine having a housing with an inwardly facing peripheral wall and oppositely facing inner side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a crankshaft rotatably supported in said housing, said crankshaft having an eccentric loCated in said cavity, a rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric in said cavity, said rotor having sides facing said side walls and peripheral faces facing said peripheral wall defining a plurality of chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume as said rotor rotates, a circular oil seal groove in each side of said rotor with its center on the rotor axis, a circular oil seal in each said oil seal groove axially movable to sealingly engage the opposing side wall, said oil seal having a backside and oppositely radially facing sides, said oil seal groove having a bottom and oppositely radially facing walls, a wave spring mounted in said oil seal groove engaging said groove bottom and said oil seal backside for biasing said oil seal to normally move axially in said oil seal groove to sealingly engage the opposite housing side wall, an elastomeric seal groove in one of said radially facing sides of said oil seal, said elastomeric seal groove having a radially facing bottom opposite one of the walls of said oil seal groove and radially extending oppositely facing sides, an elastomeric seal mounted in said elastomeric seal groove in said oil seal and engaging the bottom of said elastomeric seal groove and the oppositely radially facing said one wall of said oil seal groove to provide sealing between said oil seal and said rotor while said oil seal sealingly engages the housing side wall, said oil seal having a backside wall between said elastomeric seal groove and said backside, said backside wall having a notch in the sealed radially facing side of said oil seal, an anti-spin clip having a pair of legs clamping said backside wall and a base that joins said legs fully received in said notch, said anti-spin clip further having a lock tab depending from the leg on said backside of said oil seal and projecting radially past the unsealed other radially facing side of said oil seal, and a lock groove in the unsealed wall of said oil seal groove in said rotor aligned with the normal direction of oil seal movement for receiving said lock tab to prevent said oil seal from spinning in said oil seal groove while permitting said anti-spin clip to move with said oil seal in the normal direction in said oil seal groove so that said oil seal remains free to move axially to maintain sealing engagement with the opposite housing side wall.

Claim 3

A rotary engine having a housing with an inwardly facing peripheral wall and oppositely facing inner side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a crankshaft rotatably supported in said housing, said crankshaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric in said cavity, said rotor having sides facing said side walls and peripheral faces facing said peripheral wall defining a plurality of chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume as said rotor rotates, a circular oil seal groove in each side of said rotor with its center on the rotor axis, a circular oil seal in each said oil seal groove axially movable to sealingly engage the opposing side wall, said oil seal having a backside and oppositely radially facing sides, said oil seal groove having a bottom and oppositely radially facing walls, a wave spring mounted in said oil seal groove engaging said groove bottom and said oil seal backside for biasing said oil seal to normally move axially in said oil seal groove to sealingly engage the opposite housing side wall, an elastomeric seal groove in one of said radially facing sides of said oil seal, said elastomeric seal groove having a radially facing bottom opposite one of the walls of said oil seal groove and radially extending oppositely facing sides, an elastomeric seal mounted in said elastomeric seal groove in said oil seal and engaging the bottom of said elastomeric seal groove and the oppositely radially facing said one wall of said oil seal groove to provide sealing between said oil seal and said rotor while said oil seal sealingly engages the housing side wall, said oil seal having a backside wall between said elastomeric seal groove and said backside, said backside wall having a notch in the sealed radially facing side of said oil seal, an anti-spin clip having a pair of legs clamping said backside wall and a base that joins said legs fully received in said notch, said anti-spin clip further having a lock tab depending from the leg on said backside of said oil seal and projecting radially past the unsealed other radially facing side of said oil seal, the leg on said backside of said oil seal also having a barb for digging into said backside to assist the clamping action of said legs in preventing dislodging of said anti-spin clip from said oil seal, and a lock groove in the unsealed wall of said oil seal groove in said rotor aligned with the normal direction of oil seal movement for receiving said lock tab to prevent said oil seal from spinning in said oil seal groove while permitting said anti-spin clip to move with said oil seal in the normal direction in said oil seal groove so that said oil seal remains free to move axially to maintain sealing engagement with the opposite housing side wall.

Claim 4

A rotary engine having a housing with an inwardly facing peripheral wall and oppositely facing inner side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a crankshaft rotatably supported in said housing, said crankshaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a rotor rotatably mounted on said eccentric in said cavity, said rotor having sides facing said side walls and peripheral faces facing said peripheral wall defining a plurality of chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume as said rotor rotates, a circular oil seal groove in each side of said rotor with its center on the rotor axis, a circular oil seal in each said oil seal groove axially movable to sealingly engage the opposing side wall, said oil seal having a backside and oppositely radially facing sides, said oil seal groove having a bottom and oppositely radially facing walls, a wave spring mounted in said oil seal groove engaging said groove bottom and said oil seal backside for biasing said oil seal to normally move axially in said oil seal groove to sealingly engage the opposite housing side wall, an elastomeric seal groove in one of said radially facing sides of said oil seal, said elastomeric seal groove having a radially facing bottom opposite one of the walls of said oil seal groove and radially extending oppositely facing sides, an elastomeric seal mounted in said elastomeric seal groove in said oil seal and engaging the bottom of said elastomeric seal groove and the oppositely radially facing said one wall of said oil seal groove to provide sealing between said oil seal and said rotor while said oil seal sealingly engages the housing side wall, said oil seal having a backside wall between said elastomeric seal groove and said backside, said backside wall having a notch in the sealed radially facing side of said oil seal, an anti-spin clip having a pair of legs clamping said backside wall and a base that joins said legs fully received in said notch, said anti-spin clip further having a lock tab depending from the leg on said backside of said oil seal and projecting radially past the unsealed other radially facing side of said oil seal, the leg on said backside of said oil seal also having a barb for digging into said backside to assist the clamping action of said legs in preventing dislodging of said anti-spin clip from said oil seal, and a lock groove in the unsealed wall of said oil seal groove in said rotor aligned with the normal direction of oil seal movement for receiving said lock tab to prevent said oil seal from spinning in said oil seal groove while permitting said anti-spin clip to move with said oil seal in the normal direction in said oil seal groove so that said oil seal remains free to move axially to maintain sealing engagement with the opposite housing side wall.