Rotary valved internal combustion engine

Claim 1

In combination with an internal combustion engine, including a housing, at least one combustion chamber formed in said housing, passage means formed in said housing for communicating a combustible mixture to said combustion chamber and for transporting exhaust gases from said combustion chamber, ignition means for igniting said combustible mixture in said combustion chamber, at least one cylindrical valve member rotatably journalled in said housing and having at least one opening formed therein, and an imaginary centerline generally equidistant from points on the cylindrical surface of said valve member, said rotary valve member being disposed in said passage means such that said opening selectively establishes fluid communication through at least a portion of said passage means at predetermined rotational positions of said rotary valve member, and means for rotatably driving said valve member in synchronism with the operation of said engine, means for cooling said rotary valve member during the operation of said internal combustion engine, said cooling means including (a) an elongate heat pipe having at least two operative sections, (i) an evaporator section carried within said rotary valve member to absorb heat from the valve during operation of said engine, said absorbed heat vaporizing liquid condensate contained in said evaporator section, and (ii) a condensor section positioned outside said rotary valve member for receiving and condensing said vaporized liquid flowing from said evaporator section, said condensate produced in said condensor section flowing to said evaporator section, the positioning of said heat pipe in said rotary valve member increasing the efficiency of the heat pipe in cooling said rotary valve member, and minimizing distortion of said valve member which occurs during operation of said engine.