Four-phase cycle planetating piston internal combustion engine

Claim 2

In a four-phase cycle planetating piston internal combustion engine, the combination of: a stator having a cylindrical bore closed by end walls providing a pair of bearings co-axial with said bore; a shaft journalling in said bearings; an eccentric fixed on said shaft; a cylindrical annular piston within which said eccentric journals, said piston being co-extensive axially with said bore and of such an outside diameter as to remain in a progressively shifting approximately tangentially sealing contact with said bore as said shaft rotates; first, second and third abutment means radially biased respectively at about 12 o''clock, 1:20 o''clock and 6 o''clock to seal off the free space between said piston and bore at said respective circumferentially spaced points to produce a fuel vapor suction and compression chamber extending clockwise from 6 to 12 o''clock, a fuel vapor expansion and exhaust chamber extending clockwise from 12 to 6 o''clock, and a fuel charge confinement and ignition sub-chamber extending clockwise between 12 and 1:20 o''clock; means in said stator providing an exhaust port opening from said bore at an advanced point in said expansion and exhaust chamber; means in said stator providing a fuel inlet port for admitting gaseous fuel into said suction and compression chamber when the latter is in its suction phase; first cam controlled passage means delivering compressed gaseous fuel directly from said suction-compression chamber to said ignition sub-chamber, and then shutting said passage means; second cam controlled means for opening said second abutment means in timely relation with and following the shutting of said passage means; a timely actuated ignition means for igniting a fuel charge confined by said ignition sub-chamber at the beginning of a power stroke; and tethering means connected peripherally to said piston to limit the rotation of said piston relative to said stator to a planetating movement in said bore.

Claim 3

An engine as recited in claim 1 wherein said stator is provided with a slot extending radially from said borE at 12 o''clock; said first abutment means slideable in said slot; and means making a sealed hinged connection between said piston and the inner edge of said first abutment means; said first cam controlled passage means being embodied in said first abutment means and delivering a compressed fuel charge directly therethrough into said ignition sub-chamber.

Claim 4

An engine as recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of said stator and piston elements is hollowed out in the area of said ignition sub-chamber to provide the compression ratio designed for the engine, and wherein slots extend radially from the stator bore at 1:20 and at 6 o''clock to slideably receive the second and third abutments which are spring biased from said slots into sealing relation with said piston.

Claim 5

In a four-phase cycle planetating piston internal combustion engine, the combination of: a stator having a cylindrical bore closed by end walls providing a pair of bearings co-axial with said bore; a shaft journaling in said bearings; an eccentric fixed on said shaft; a cylindrical annular piston journalling on said eccentric and being co-extensive with said bore and of such an outside diameter as to remain in tangential sealing contact with said bore as said shaft rotates; there being a slot in said stator extending radially from said bore at 12 o''clock; a plunger plate slideable in said slot; means making a sealed hinged connection between said piston and the inner edge of said plunger plate; there being a slot in said stator extending radially from said bore at approximately 6 o''clock; a seal vane radially slideable in said last recited slot and spring biased constantly into sealing relation with the periphery of said piston, said piston plunger and seal vane dividing the vacant space in said stator into a fuel vapor suction and compression chamber extending clockwise from said vane to said plunger, and a combustion and exhaust chamber extending clockwise from said plunger to said vane; means on said stator providing an exhaust port opening from said bore at about 5:30 o''clock; means in said stator providing a fuel inlet port for delivering carbureted fuel vapor into said bore at about 6:30 o''clock; there being a slot in said stator extending radially from said bore at approximately 1:20 o''clock; a valve vane radially slideably extensible from said last recited slot into sealing relation with said piston; there being a fuel vapor passage extending through said plunger approximately tangential with said piston; a compressed-fuel valve controlling said passage; at least one of said stator and piston elements being hollowed out in the area where they tangentially meet between 12 o''clock and 1:20 o''clock to provide an ignition sub-chamber which, during a power stroke of said engine, comprises an upper portion of said combustion-exhaust chamber; cam means coordinately actuating said valve vane and compressed fuel valve to close said valve vane while a compressed fuel charge is being delivered through said passage into said ignition sub-chamber, to close said compressed fuel valve at the conclusion of said delivery, to open said valve vane upon the ignition of said fuel charge, to produce a power stroke, to reclose said valve vane at the conclusion of said power stroke and then reopen said compressed fuel valve to admit another compressed fuel charge through said passage into said ignition sub-chamber.

Claim 6

In a four-phase cycle planetating piston internal combustion engine, the combination of: a stator having a cylindrical bore closed by end walls providing a pair of bearings co-axial with said bore; a shaft journaling in said bearings; an eccentric fixed on said shaft; a cylindrical annular piston journalling on said eccentric and being co-extensive with said bore and of such an outside diameter as to remain in tangential sealing contact with said bore as said shaft rotates; there being a slot in said stator extending radially from said bore at 12 o''clock; a plunger plate slideable in said slot; means making a sealed hinged connection between said piston and the inner edge of said plunger plate; there being a slot in said stator extending radially from said bore at approximately 6 o''clock; a seal vane radially slideable in said last recited slot and spring biased constantly into sealing relation with the periphery of said piston, said piston plunger and seal vane dividing the vacant space in said stator into a fuel vapor suction and compression chamber extending clockwise from said vane to said plunger, and a combustion and exhaust chamber extending clockwise from said plunger to said vane; means on said stator providing an exhaust port opening from said bore at about 5:30 o''clock; means in said stator providing a fuel inlet port for delivering carbureted fuel vapor into said bore at about 6:30 o''clock; there being a slot in said stator extending radially from said bore at approximately 1:20 o''clock; a valve vane radially slideably extensible from said last recited slot into sealing relation with said piston; there being a fuel vapor passage extending through said plunger approximately tangential with said piston; a compressed-fuel valve controlling said passage; at least one of said stator and piston elements being hollowed out in the area where they tangentially meet between 12 o''clock and 1:20 o''clock to provide an ignition sub-chamber which, during a power stroke of said engine, comprises an upper portion of said combustion-exhaust chamber; cam means coordinately actuating said valve vane and compressed fuel valve to close said valve vane while a compressed fuel charge is being delivered through said passage into said ignition sub-chamber, to close said compressed fuel valve at the conclusion of said delivery, to open said valve vane upon the ignition of said fuel charge, to produce a power stroke, to reclose said valve vane at the conclusion of said power stroke and then reopen said compressed fuel valve to admit another compressed fuel charge through said passage into said ignition sub-chamber.

Claim 7

An engine as recited in claim 1 wherein said fuel inlet port is provided with a check valve preventing backflow of fuel from said fuel suction compression chamber.

Claim 8

An engine as recited in claim 1 wherein the periphery of said piston is provided with radial slots in which narrow flat sealing vanes are trapped so as to be biased to extend radially from said slots a short distance only from the periphery of said piston so tHat said vane progressively makes sealing engagement co-extensive with the length of said piston with said stator bore so as to impose the main burden of maintaining sealing engagement between said piston and said bore upon said vanes.