Rotary engine with variable displacement

Claim 1

A supercharged rotary engine comprising: an engine housing having an epitrochoidal chamber and an output drive shaft rotatably mounted in the housing; an eccentrically rotated rotor having multiple lobes mounted within the epitrochoidal chamber of the housing in engagement with the drive shaft wherein the rotor and the housing form a series of dynamic subchambers between adjacent lobes, one of the subchambers comprising a compression subchamber wherein air is compressed, the housing having an air intake periodically communicating with the compression subchamber on rotation of the rotor; a supercharger having a turbine side and a compressor side wherein the compressor side is in communication with the compressor subchamber through the air intake and supplies precompressed air to the compressor subchamber; and, means for varying the effective volumetric displacement of the compression subchamber in conjunction with the precompression of air by the supercharger comprising at least one displaceable plug valve in the housing wherein the duration of the compression cycle period is varied with the volumetric displacement of the subchamber decreasing as the pressure of the precompressed air increases.