Patent US3857372A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3857372A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rotary internal combustion engine
Assignee: Marel Inc
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Filing: 1972-10-26
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Granted: 1974-12-31
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Expires: 1992-10-26
Abstract
Abstract A rotary internal combustion engine which employs a cam plate with a cam surface having a lobe thereon with a flattened portion to provide a piston dwell time. In another embodiment means to provide air to the cylinders following combustion to exhaust the gases from the cylinders, is disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 R Townsend
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 02:20
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02B; F02B57/00; F02B57/08; F02B57/10; F01; F01B; F01B13/00; F01B13/04; F01B13/06; F01B13/061; 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: 35
Claim 1
Independent Claim
202 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame means having a rotatable shaft extending outwardly therefrom, a rotor means mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, 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 being generally circular but having at least one lobe provided thereon which extends towards said rotor means, said lobe having a flattened portion thereon to provide a dwell time for said piston during firing each of said pistons being moved to its maximum compression position as the roller means thereon engages said lobe, supply means for supplying air and fuel to said cylinders, and means for exhausting the exhaust gases from the engine after the fuel and air mixture has been ignited by the compression thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
202 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame means having a rotatable shaft extending outwardly therefrom, a rotor means mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, 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 being generally circular but having at least one lobe provided thereon which extends towards said rotor means, said lobe having a flattened portion thereon to provide a dwell time for said piston during firing each of said pistons being moved to its maximum compression position as the roller means thereon engages said lobe, supply means for supplying air and fuel to said cylinders, and means for exhausting the exhaust gases from the engine after the fuel and air mixture has been ignited by the compression thereof.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein said cam surface has a cam angle configuration at one side of said lobe so that each of the said pistons are suddenly moved to a fuel compression position with respect to its cylinder, as each piston passes through the firing range.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The engine of claim 2 wherein said cam angle configuration at one side of said lobe greatly increases as said cam surface approaches said lobe.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
79 words
The engine of claim 2 wherein said cam surface has a predetermined cam angle configuration at the other said of said lobe so that the velocity of each of the said pistons is permitted to rapidly increase, wherein the time period of the pistons during the expansion portion of the cycle defined by said predetermined cam angle configuration is less than the time period thereof during at least one of the intake and exhaust portions of the engine cycle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein an even number of cylinders are provided on said rotor means, said cam plate having two lobes thereon whicH are oppositely positioned 180* apart on said cam plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
67 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein said third means comprises a plurality of exhaust openings formed in said cylinder, said exhaust openings 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 8
Dependent Claim
74 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein a control means is operatively connected to said cylinders and said supply means to monitor the pressure in said cylinders at predetermined times, and to compensate for variations in pressure within the cylinders at such times by supplying a suitable quantity of air to the cylinders to maintain a constant position of the pistons in the cylinders at the point of ignition of said fuel and air mixture.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
The engine of claim 7 wherein said control means is comprised of a valve operatively connected to said supply means and said cylinders, whereby variations in cylinder pressure at said predetermined times will cause movement of said valve to permit a compensating flow of air to said cylinders.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
74 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein a control means is operatively connected to said cylinders and said supply means to monitor the temperature in said cylinders at predetermined times, and to compensate for variations in temperature within the cylinders at such times by supplying a suitable quantity of air to the cylinders to maintain a constant position of the pistons in the cylinders at the point of ignition of said fuel and air mixture.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The engine of claim 9 wherein said control means is a thermovalve means operatively connected to said supply means and said cylinders, whereby variations in cylinder temperature at said predetermined times will cause movement of said valve to permit a compensating flow of air to said cylinders.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein said supply means separately provides fuel and air to said cylinders.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
131 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein a seal plate is operatively connected to said cylinders for rotation with said rotor means, said seal plate having a plurality of first openings extending therethrough, each of said first openings being in operative communication with the interior of one of said cylinders, a stationary valve plate mounted on said frame means adjacent one side of said seal plate, said valve plate having at least one fuel opening extending therethrough and at least one air opening extending therethrough, said fuel and air openings being in communication with sources of fuel and air respectively, each of said first openings in said seal plate communicating with said air opening and said fuel opening so that air and fuel will be supplied to the interiors of said cylinders.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
65 words
The engine of claim 12 wherein at least four cylinders are provided on said rotor means, said cam plate having at least two lobes thereon which are oppositely positioned 180* apart on said cam plate, said seal plate having at least four of said first openings, said valve plate having at least two of said fuel openings and at least two of said air openings.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
68 words
The engine of claim 13 wherein said third means comprises a plurality of exhaust openings formed in said cylinder, said exhaust openings 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 surrounding atmosphere when said piston is in its expanded position.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
61 words
The engine of claim 12 wherein each of said cylinders has a ferrule-like projection extending from its inner end towards said seal plate, each of said projections having an intake port means extending therethrough which communicates with the interior of the cylinder, each of said first openings in said seal plate being in communication with one of said inlet port means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
The engine of claim 15 wherein said first openings in said seal plate have inner and outer ends, the inner ends of said first openings communicating with said intake port means, the outer ends of said first openings have a smaller cross-sectional area than the inner ends of said first openings.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
The engine of claim 16 wherein said ferrule-like projections are received in said inner ends of said first openings, and a seal means in each of said first openings embracing the ferrule-like projections therein.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
31 words
The engine of claim 16 wherein the outer ends of said first openings are substantially oblong in shape with the longitudinal axis thereof being disposed transversely to a radian extending therethrough.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The engine of claim 18 wherein said air openings in said valve plate comprise arcuate slots.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The engine of claim 19 wherein said fuel openings comprise a bore means extending through said valve plate.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The engine of claim 12 wherein means is provided for lubricating the adjacent surfaces of said seal plate and said valve plate.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
36 words
The engine of claim 12 wherein a spring means is mounted on said rotor means which engages said seal plate to yieldably urge said seal plate into mating rotatable engagement with respect to said valve plate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
49 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein said cam plate means is provided with a central opening, said opening have a continuous inner peripheral surface comprising said cam surface, said lobe having a center portion and opposite said portions, and said side portions comprising oppositely disposed concave cam surface portions.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
39 words
The engine of claim 23 wherein the slope of said cam surface is substantially constant except for said opposite side portions of said lobe which have a substantially steep slope as they extend towards the center of said lobe.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
23 words
The engine of claim 23 wherein the cam surface at the center portion of said lobe is substantially concentric with said rotor means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
39 words
The engine of claim 12 wherein floating pad elements are movably positioned in said first openings of said seal plate, with said pad elements having openings through which air and fuel can pass into the interiors of said cylinders.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
38 words
The engine of claim 26 wherein said floating pad elements have a greater area exposed to the pressure within the interior of said cylinders than the area exposed to said air and fuel openings in said valve plate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
The engine of claim 6 wherein said exhaust openings are located remotely from the points where air and fuel are supplied to said cylinders.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
16 words
The engine of claim 12 wherein said exhaust openings are located remotely from said valve plate.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
17 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein said supply means sequentially applies air and fuel to said cylinders.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
28 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein an even number of cylinders are provided on said rotor means, and said cam plate having an even number of lobes thereon.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
149 words
The engine of claim 1 wherein a seal plate is operatively connected to said cylinders for rotation with said rotor means, said seal plate having a plurality of first openings extending therethrough, each of said first openings being in operative communication with the interior of one of said cylinders, a stationary valve plate mounted on said frame means adjacent one side of said seal plate, said valve plate having at least one opening for a mixture of fuel and air extending therethrough, said valve plate having at least one air opening extending therethrough, each of said openings being in communication with sources of a fuel and air mixture and air, respectively, so that a mixture of air and fuel can be supplied to said cylinders for combustion purposes, and a supply of air can be supplied to said cylinder to purge the exhaust gases from said cylinders after combustion.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
115 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame means having a rotatable shaft extending outwardly therefrom, a rotor meaNs mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of cylinders mounted on said rotar means, a piston movably mounted in each of said cylinders and being movable between a compression stroke position and an expansion stroke position with respect thereto, and power supply means remote from said cylinders for supplying a mixture of air and fuel to said cylinders prior to ignition, and means to provide air to said cylinder following combustion for a period of time greater than the time period consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of said piston.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
115 words
A rotary internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame means having a rotatable shaft extending outwardly therefrom, a rotor meaNs mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of cylinders mounted on said rotar means, a piston movably mounted in each of said cylinders and being movable between a compression stroke position and an expansion stroke position with respect thereto, and power supply means remote from said cylinders for supplying a mixture of air and fuel to said cylinders prior to ignition, and means to provide air to said cylinder following combustion for a period of time greater than the time period consumed by the power portion of the expansion stroke of said piston.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-30 | 1978-07-01 | 1978-12-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-30 | 1982-07-01 | 1982-12-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-30 | 1986-07-01 | 1986-12-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |