Rotary engine

Claim 2

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a multi-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a multilobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a fixed speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide a plurality of chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate, an intake port for delivering air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in an intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as they contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginAry outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber gradually inwardly throughout said high chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone.

Claim 3

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a two-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a three-lobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a 1:3 speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide three chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate to provide intake, compression, expansion and exhaust phases, an intake port for delivery air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in said intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as they contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginary outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation during said intake and exhaust phases, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said imaginary outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions of constant slope for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber gradually inwardly in said high chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone during said compression and expansion phases.

Claim 4

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a two-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a three-lobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a 1:3 speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide three chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate to provide intake, compression, expansion and exhaust phases, an intake port for delivery air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in said intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as they contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginary outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation during said intake and exhaust phases, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said imaginary outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions of constant slope for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber gradually inwardly in said high chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone during said compression and expansion phases.

Claim 5

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a two-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a three-lobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a 1:3 speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide three chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate to provide intake, compression, expansion and exhaust phases, an intake port for delivery air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in said intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as They contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginary outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation during said intake and exhaust phases, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said imaginary outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions of constant slope with accelerated rises from said outer envelope for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber inwardly in said high chamber pressure zone at a fast rate over a short peripheral wall distance and then at a gradual rate over a long peripheral wall distance on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone during said compression and expansion phases.

Claim 6

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a two-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a three-lobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a 1:3 speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide three chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate to provide intake, compression, expansion and exhaust phases, an intake port for delivery air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in said intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as They contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginary outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation during said intake and exhaust phases, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said imaginary outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions of constant slope with accelerated rises from said outer envelope for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber inwardly in said high chamber pressure zone at a fast rate over a short peripheral wall distance and then at a gradual rate over a long peripheral wall distance on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone during said compression and expansion phases.

Claim 7

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a two-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a three-lobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a 1:3 speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide three chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate to provide intake, compression, expansion and exhaust phases, an intake port for delivery air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in said intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as they contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginary outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation during said intake and exhaust phases, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said imaginary outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions of constant slope with an accelerated rise from said outer envelope to said trailing wedge and an accelerated rise from said trailing wedge to said leading wedge for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber inwardly in said high chamber pressure zone at a fast rate over a short peripheral wall distance and then at a gradual rate over a long peripheral wall distance on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone during said compression and expansion phases.

Claim 8

A rotary engine comprising a housing having a two-lobe internal peripheral wall and two oppositely facing side walls cooperatively defining a cavity, a shaft extending through said cavity and side walls and rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft having an eccentric located in said cavity, a three-lobe rotor located in said cavity and rotatably mounted on said eccentric of said shaft, means providing a 1:3 speed ratio between said rotor and said shaft, said rotor cooperating with said walls and said cavity to provide three chambers that are spaced about and move with said rotor while varying in volume in fixed relation to said walls as said rotor and said shaft rotate to provide intake, compression, expansion and exhaust phases, an intake port for delivery air-fuel mixture to said chambers as they expand in said intake phase and an exhaust port for exhausting said chambers as they contract in an exhaust phase, said rotor having apex seals with curved sealing edges biased outward to engage said peripheral wall and side seals biased outward to engage said side walls to seal said chambers from each other, said peripheral wall conforming in a peripherally extending low chamber pressure zone to the imaginary outer envelope of the sealing edges of said apex seals that would be determined on rotation of said rotor and shaft with said apex seals in identical radial positions on said rotor whereby said apex seals are not required to move substantially either inwardly or outwardly to maintain engagement with said low chamber pressure zone on rotor and shaft rotation during said intake and exhaust phases, and said peripheral wall in a peripherally extending high chamber pressure zone deviating inwardly from said imaginary outer envelope to provide peripherally spaced leading and trailing wedge portions of constant slope with an accelerated rise from said outer envelope to said trailing wedge and an accelerated rise from said trailing wedge to said leading wedge for simultaneously wedging the respective leading and trailing apex seals of each said chamber inwardly in said high chamber pressure zone at a fast rate over a short peripheral wall distance and then at a gradual rate over a long peripheral wall distance on rotor and shaft rotation whereby apex seal engagement with said peripheral wall is mechanically enforced by wedging action of said peripheral wall in said high chamber pressure zone during said compression and expansion phases.