Apparatus for controlling epicyclic motion of a rotor in a rotary engine

Claim 3

An apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotor has at least two spaced-apart lobes, the drive shaft extending through a chamber defined within a stator and being mounted in the stator to position the rotor within the chamber; said means for synchronizing the rotational movement of said eccentric includes a gear train which transmits to said eccentric the rotational movement of the drive shaft as the rotor rotates about said eccentric. excepting when a gear ratio between the internal gear and the external gear precludes rotation of the drive shaft; the speed ratio of the angular velocity of the eccentric to the angular velocity of the rotor being equal to the number of spaced-apart lobes so that said eccentric rotates a number of times equal to the number of lobes on the rotor for each revolution of the rotor; the overall gear ratio of the gear train from the drive shaft to the eccentric being predetermined by the number of spaced-apart lobes on the rotor so that the eccentric rotates a number of times equal to the number of lobes for each revolution of the rotor.

Claim 4

An apparatus of claim 2 wherein said gear train comprises a first gear secured to said drive shaft, first and second interconnected back gears and a second gear mounted on the drive shaft which is adapted to rotate freely of the drive shaft; said first and second back gears being mounted on a lay shaft which is positioned within the stator such that said first back gear engages said first gear and the second back gear engages said second gear; said second gear being connected to said eccentric thereby rotating said eccentric at the angular velocity of said second gear; the overall gear ratio between said first gear and said second gear being predetermined by the number of lobes on said rotor to rotate said eccentric and the rotor at said speed ratio; said first gear and said first back gear being eliminated when a gear ratio between said internal gear to said external gear precludes rotation of the drive shaft.

Claim 5

An apparatus of claim 1 where said eccentric has a cavity formed therein of sufficient size to accommodate said means for synchronizing the rotational movement of said eccentric which comprises a first gear secured to said drive shaft with its axis coincident with the axis of said drive shaft; first and second back gears secured to a lay shaft with their axes coincident with the axis of said lay shaft; said lay shaft being rotatably mounted within said cavity with its axis parallel to the axis of said drive shaft and displaced from the axis of said drive shaft one half the sum of the pitch diameters of said first gear and said first back gear; said stator side wall including a cylindrical body portion protruding into cavity, the axis of said cylindrical body portion being coincident with the drive shaft axis, said drive shaft being permitted to rotate within said cylindrical portion, the inner extremity of said cylindrical body portion including a second gear secured thereto with its axis coincident with the drive shaft axis and permitting the drive shaft to rotate relative to said second gear; said lay shaft being positioned within said cavity such that said first and second back gears engage said first and second gears respectively; the gear ratio between said internal gear and said external gear being such to permit said drive shaft to rotate, the rotational movement of said drive shaft being transferred to said first and second back gears by said first gear to move said lay shaft in a uniform circular motion about said drive shaft thereby rotating said eccentric about said drive shaft relative to the rotational movement of said rotor; the gear ratios between said first and second gears and said first and second baCk gears being such that said eccentric rotates relative to said rotor at said speed ratio; and wherein said eccentric having said cavity formed therein defines two opposing partition walls, said drive shaft passing through both of said partition walls and one of said partition walls including a first bearing means which contacts said drive shaft and the other of said partition walls including a second bearing means which contacts said cylindrical body portion of said stator to isolate said cavity.

Claim 6

An apparatus of claim 1 wherein said stator has opposing side walls and a circumferential wall defining said chamber, means being provided on each side of said rotor to sealably engage the respective side walls of said chamber; the tip of each said lobe slidably contacting said circumferential wall to define a number of isolated zones equal to the number of said lobes; said means for synchronizing the rotational movement of said eccentric being operative to position a line drawn through the centres of said internal and external gears and their point of contact at substantially right angles to a line drawn between any two rotor tips whenever the volume of the respective isolated zone defined by the two rotor tips is at a minimum.