Throttling means for trochoidal rotary combustion engines

Claim 1

A rotary internal combustion engine of trochoidal type, having a housing comprising at least one peripheral shell having a multilobed inner peripheral surface and at least two parallel side walls with the shell disposed between the side walls, the housing defining an engine cavity having a longitudinal axis, a rotor rotatably disposed within the cavity and having a generally polygonal profile with a plurality of apex portions which sweep the inner peripheral surface in sealing relation thereto, at least one side wall having in its inner surface an intake port for supplying fresh gas, the port having a greater lengthwise dimension in the direction of rotor rotation than in the radial direction and being opened and closed by a side face of the rotor, wherein the improvement comprises: a. the side wall having an induction channel therein communicating with the intake port; b. a rotary valve disposed in the induction channel adjacent to the intake port, the axis of rotation of the valve being disposed perpendicularly to the housing axis and also approximately perpendicularly to the lengthwise dimension of the intake port; c. the valve cooperating with the upstream edge of the port to form a throttling gap and progressively increasing the cross-section of the open area of the port as the valve turns in the opening direction, and progressively delaying the closing time of the port with increasing valve opening.