Stratified charge rotary engine (method of operation)

Claim 1

A rotary combustion engine comprising: a. an outer body having an internal cavity, the peripheral surface of which has a multi-lobe profile, said outer body also having an air-intake passage and a combustion gas exhaust passage, said air-intake passage being characterized by the absence of any air throttling valve, b. an inner body of generally polygonal profile mounted for relative rotation within said outer body, the apex portions of said inner body having sealing cooperation with said peripheral surface to define a plurality of working chambers which vary in volume in response to said relative rotation, c. first and second fuel nozzles each mounted on said outer body for discharging fuel into each engine working chamber after the air charge therein has been substantially compressed, d. mechanism for regulating the fuel discharged by said nozzles into each engine working chamber, said mechanism including a single engine power control member operable for adjusting said mechanism so that during a relatively low power range of movement of said member the quantity of fuel supplied by the second nozzle remains substantially constant at a relatively low value and the quantity of fuel supplied by the first nozzle progressively increases as said power control member is moved in a power increasing direction, while during a higher power range of movement of the power control member the quantity of fuel supplied by the second nozzle increases at a faster rate than that supplied by the first nozzle as the power control member is moved in a power increasing direction in said higher power portion of its range of movement, and e. ignition means disposed immediately adjacent to said first fuel nozzle such that its electrodes are disposed in a recess in the outer body through which said first fuel nozzle discharges and such that said ignition means ignites fuel promptly as it discharges from said first fuel nozzle.