US3688751A

US3688751A - Rotary engine construction

Info

Publication number: US3688751A
Application number: US88919A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward H Sahagian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-11-12
Filing date: 1970-11-12
Publication date: 1972-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-05

Abstract

An improved rotary engine construction includes an outer cylindrical housing formed with conically shaped end portions through which is axially disposed a stationary tubular shaft. Within the housing, a pair of cooperating rotor mechanisms are mounted around the shaft in spaced apart relationship. Each of the two rotor mechanisms includes hub portions rotatable about the stationary shaft and supported around each of the hub portions is a set of circumferentially spaced cylinders and cam guided piston units. The stationary tubular shaft is formed with passageways communicating with the cylinders through which fuel and oxidant are introduced in timed relationship, compressed, ignited, and the products of combustion exhausted periodically during rotary travel of the cylinders. As combustion takes place in the cylinders, respective pistons are displaced first radially outwardly and then inwardly by means of cam rollers attached to the outer ends of the pistons. The cam rollers are guided along sinuous cam tracks which extend continuously around the inner periphery of the cylindrical housing and which provides for moving each cylinder and piston through a 360* path of travel. Ring gears rotatably mounted around the tubular shaft and secured at inner sides of the rotor mechanisms mesh with a beveled driving gear fast on an output shaft. The output shaft extends radially outwardly through the outer cylindrical housing in suitable bearing means.

Description

United States Patent Sahagian Sept. 5, 1972 [54] ROTARY ENGINE CONSTRUCTION [72] Inventor: Edward H. Sahagian, 67 Chester St., Arlington, Mass. 02174 [22] Filed: Nov. 12, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 88,919

[52] US. Cl ..l23/44 B, 123/44 E [511 Int. Cl ..F02b 57/10 [58] Field of Search.....l23/45, 44, 43 A, 43 B, 43 C,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,894,496 7/1959 Townsend 123/44 2,069,646 2/ 1937 Cohen ..123/8.45 I 3,207,137 9/1965 Lanahan ..123/8.09 X 2,174,664 10/ l 939 Korany l 23/ 8.45

Primary Examiner-Allan D. Herrmann Attorney-Munroe H. Hamilton [57] ABSTRACT An improved rotary engine construction includes an outer cylindrical housing formed with conically shaped end portions through which is axially disposed a stationary tubular shaft. Within thehousing, a pair of cooperating rotor mechanisms are mounted around the shaft in spaced apart relationship. Each of the two rotor mechanisms includes hub portions rotatable about the stationary shaft and supported around each of the hub portions is a set of circumferentially spaced cylinders and cam guided piston units. The stationary tubular shaft is formed with passageways communicating with the cylinders through which fuel and oxidant are introduced in timed relationship, compressed, ignited, and the products of combustion exhausted periodically during rotary travel of the cylinders.

As combustion takes place in the cylinders, respective pistons are displaced first radially outwardly and then inwardly by means of carn rollers attached to the outer ends of the pistons. The cam rollers are guided along sinuous cam tracks which extend continuously around the inner periphery of the cylindrical housing and which provides for moving each cylinder and piston through a 360 path of travel. Ring gears rotatably mounted around the tubular shaft and secured at inner sides of the rotor mechanisms mesh with a beveled driving gear fast on an output shaft. The output shaft extends radially outwardly through the outer cylindrical housing in suitable bearing means.

9 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEBsEP sun I 3.688.751 sum 1 or 1 5x ::il::ii imam PATENTEDSEP 51912 3,688,751

SHEET 2 0F 7 ROTARY ENGINE CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toan internal combustion engine of the four-cycle class in which a fuel and oxidant are combined and introduced into cylinder chambers as gaseous mixtures which are thereafter compressed by reciprocating pistons and ignited with the resulting products of combustion being exhausted. More particularly the invention is concerned with an internal combustion engine in which a plurality of cylinders having reciprocating pistons are constructed and arranged to rotate about a stationary control shaft and rotative movement of the cylinders and pistons is employed to drive an output shaft.

It is a chief object of the invention to devise an improved internal combustion'engine and to provide in such an engine more power with less engine weight, thus achieving greater efficiency.

Another object of the invention is to devise a rotary cylinder type of engine and to eliminate torque in the mechanism by means of dual rotor mechanisms capable of rotating in two opposite directions to accomplish a balancing of torque stresses in the apparatus.

Another object is to devise a combination of parts in an internal combustion motor in which the use of cam shaft and pins, valves and springs are substantially eliminated.

The nature of the invention and its other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the internal combustion engine of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view.

r FIG. 3 1s a detail fragmentary view of a stationary tubular shaft member for the internal combustion engine ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a cross section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a cross section taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating fuel supplying and cooling apparatus for the engine.

FIG. 10 is a cross section taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 1 1 is a detail view of valve port means.

FIG. 12 is a plan development view of inlet and exhaust structure.

FIG. 13 isa detail view of distributor means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring more in detail to the structure shown in the drawings, numeral 2 indicates a cylindrical housing member at opposite ends of which are secured circular wall portions 5 and 5 together with conically shaped closure elements 2aand 212. These parts are detachably secured together by bolts or other conventional fastening means as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 4. Also located in the housing 2 is a central wall member W which is more clearly shown in FIG. 7. The lower section of the space enclosed by the housing 2 and the circular wall portions 5 and 5 is separated by the central wall or baffie W and is designed to contain volumes of lubricating oil V1 and V2 at either side of the central wall member W as indicated in FIG. 4. These volumes of oil are employed to lubricate moving parts of the engine structure as hereinafter described.

Housing 2 may be mounted on a suitable base such as the support 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. There may also be supported on the base or adjacent to it a fuel tank and coolant reservoir of some conventional nature connected into the housing at some convenient point.

At one side of the housing 2 is a removable wall section 3 secured by fastenings as 3a, and located through section 3 is an output shaft 6 supported for rotation in bearings 8, as is most clearly indicated in FIGS. 4 and 7. At the inner end of output shaft 6 is fixed a bevel gear 10 which is arranged to be engaged and driven from two opposite sides by two spaced

ring gears

12 and 14. The

ring gears

12 and 14 are mounted for rotative movement around cylindrical bushings as 16 and 18 fixed to a stationary shaft which is generally denoted by arrow S and which extends axially through the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 4. The shaft S is constructed with a solid central section 20 and is recessed at its opposite ends to provide elongated tubular sections 20a and 20b as illustrated in FIG. 4. In FIG. 3, the shaft S is shown removed from the housing 2.

In accordance with the invention, I provide around the inner peripheral surface of the housing 2 a pair of cylindrically shaped liners L1 and L2 which are secured, for example, by fastenings as B1 (FIG. 6) and B2 (FIG. 5). Inner peripheral portions of these liners L1 and L2 are formed with two endless cam tracks T1 and T2 spaced apart at either side of central wall W and shaped in a sinuously curved manner as is most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. It will be observed that the tracks are spaced from the axis of the stationary shaft S distances varying uniformly in a definite pattern which provides for inner peaks or high points H1, H2, H3, H4 in cam track T1 (FIG. 6) and inner peaks or high points H5, H6, H7, H8 in cam track T2 and also outer valleys or low points G1, G2, G3, G4 in cam track T1 (FIG. 5) and outer valleys or low points G5, G6, G7, G8 in cam track T2.

In combination with the housing liner construction and shaft and gear means above noted, I have further devised a pair of special rotor mechanisms generally denoted by the reference characters R1 and R2 in FIG. 4. Rotor mechanism R1 is shown in more detail in FIG. 6 while rotor mechanism R2 is further illustrated in 0 FIG. 5. Rotor mechanisms R1 and R2 are each formed Supported around hub portions 28 and 30, preferably as integral parts thereof, are two sets of circumferentially spaced apart fuel burning chambers comprised by cylinder and piston units. Included in the sets of cylinder and piston units shown in FIG. 5 are cylinder sections C1, C2, C3 and C4. In the set of cylinder and piston units shown in FIG. 6 are cylinder sections C5, C6, C7, C8.

Mounted for reciprocating movement in the cylinder sections C1, C2, C3 and C4 are pistons P1, P2, P3, P4 and in the cylinder sections C5, C6, C7 and C8 are respective pistons P5, P6, P7, P8. Pivotally pinned in the outer ends of the pistons are cam rollers M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Each of these cam rollers are constructed and arranged to engage against and be guided in adjacent cam track surfaces of the cam tracks T1 and T2. The arrangement of the cam rollers and their respective pistons relative to the cam tracks is such that a definite sequence of operations are carried out and continuously cycled. In each cycle a piston moving from a high point to a low point draws a fuel mixture intoits cylinder chamber. As the piston continues its travel, moving from a low point to a high point, the mixture is compressed and fired. Internal combustion forces displace the piston outwardly to the next low point in the cam track and as the piston moves form this low point to the next succeeding high point, gases are exhausted. The piston is then ready to repeat the cycle described and a similar cycling is carried out by each of the remaining pistons of rotor mechanism R1 as well as all of the pistons of rotor mechanism R2.

An important feature of the invention consists in the means which I have devised for supplying a fuel mixture on the intake stroke of each piston travel, as well as providing for a flow of coolant and removal of exhaust gases. I have found that I may accomplish all three of these functions in a novel manner by utilizing portions of the stationary shaft to form a series of circumferentially spaced passageways which comprise fluid conduit means communicating at innermost points with the cylinder chambers and at outermost points with a fuel mixture supply from a carburetor and fuel tank, a coolant reservoir and discharge outlets.

Considering these parts in further detail, attention is directed to FIGS. 9 and 10 where I have illustrated diagrammatically a fuel tank 40 which may be located as earlier noted on the base 4 or at some conveniently adjacent point. Fuel from the tank 40 is furnished by a pump 42 through a conduit 43 to a manifold structure 44 in which a conventional carburetor device may be contained to receive the fuel and mix it with air. The manifold structure is intended to be mounted around shaft S at some suitable location as, for example, externally of the housing 2, as indicated diagrammatically in dotted lines at the right hand side of FIG. 4. Also connected into the manifold structure 44 is a coolant conduit 46 through which coolant may be circulated from a reservoir or radiator device 48 of conventional nature by means of a pump 50. Numeral 52 denotes an exhaust discharge outlet member.

As is more clearly shown in FIG. 10, the

conduits

43, 46 and 52 communicate with passageways 43a, 46a, and 52a which are concentrically arranged in the manifold as shown. In addition, the fuel passageway 43a is provided with a series of radially inwardly extending ducts 43b, 43c, 43d, 43c; likewise coolant passageways 46a is provided with a series of coolant ducts 46b, 46b, 46c, 46c, 46d, 46d, 46e, 46. Exhaust passageway 52a is provided with a series of exhaust ducts 52b, 52c, 52d, 52e.

In combination with the manifold and its multiple duct arrangement described, I further form in the tubular extensions 20a and 20b of shaft S sets of multiple elongated passageways as illustrated in FIG. 10 and on a larger scale in FIG. 8. As shown therein the tubular extension 20a and 20b in each of their quadrants or quarter sections are formed with four circumferentially spaced passageways which extend through the outer circumferential wall portions of the tubular extensions as shown. For example, in tubular extension 20a shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, there are formed fuel inlet passageways 43f, 43g, 43h, 43:,

exhaust passageways

52f, 52g, 52h, 52i, and coolant circulating passageways 46f, 461", 46g, 46g, 46h, 46h, 46i, 46i. Similar openings are provided in tubular extension 20b. These passageways are further illustrated in FIG. 3 and in a developed form in FIG. 12.

To introduce fuel mixtures into respective cylinder chambers and provide for firing the mixtures and exhausting products of combustion, the fuel passageways in tubular extensions 20a and 20b are arranged to extend radially outwardly through the tubular walls as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Communicating with these radially extended portions of the passageways noted are four sets of fuel inlets and exhaust outlets formed in the rotating hub portions 28 and 30 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

As noted, for example, in FIG. 6, portions of hub 28 constituting an inner end wall of cylinder C5 is formed with fuel inlet 43j, end wall of cylinder wall C6 is formed with passageway 43k, end wall of cylinder C7 is formed with inlet passageway 43!, and end wall portion of cylinder C8 is formed with fuel inlet 43m. Likewise end portions of cylinder C5, C6, C7 and C8 are formed with

exhaust passageways

52j, 52k, 521 and 52m. The hub portion 30 it will be understood is similarly formed with inlet and outlet passageways and similar but primed numeralshave been indicated in the diagrammatic drawing of FIG. 11. I may also provide for a balancing effect by having the cylinder chambers connected by passageways as 28f, 28g, 28h, 281', as shown in FIG. 6. The invention is not limited to such passageways, however.

Also formed in the hub portions 28 and 30, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and II are combustion ducts including combustion ducts 28a, 28b, 28c, 28d in hub portion 28, and

combustion ducts

30a, 30b, 30c, 30d in hub portion 30. These combustion ducts provide for combustible mixtures compressed in their respective cylinders to be ignited of fired by spark plug means. The spark plug means in my invention comprise the spark plugs 60 and 62 (FIG. 4) which are secured in inner ends of the tubular extensions 20a and 20b respectively and inner parts of these spark plugs extend, as shown in FIG. 4 to intersect a common region of meeting of the combustion ducts noted.

Ignition means for controlling the firing of combustible mixtures in the various sets of cylinders may be of any suitable type, and in one preferred form, I provide distributor means located at opposite ends of the housing 2 externally of the walls 5 and 5' and arranged around the tubular extensions a and 20b.

As shown in FIG. 4, and in more detail in FIG. 13, a distributor member 64 is contained within a housing 66 fixed around the shaft extension 20a as noted in FIG. 4. The distributor 64 is attached at one side to an adjacent portion of hub 28 and rotates with the housing around the shaft 20a and has contact points 68 and 68, better shown in FIG. 13. Arranged to move into contact with the contact point 68 are contact brushes 70 and 70 which are resiliently contained by springs 71, 71 in a tubular housing 72 and 72'. Electrical ignition lines 74, and 74 provide for periodically firing the spark plugs 60 and 62 in a timed relationship. Various other means of igniting may be employed.

By means of the arrangement described, it will be understood that the distributor revolves with the rotor with its contact points 68 and 68', 180 apart and when the contact brushes 70 and 70' engage against the distributor contact points 68 and 68' circuits are-closed and the spark plugs fire every 180 of rotative movement of the rotor.

In operating the engine now described, a suitable starting means connected in some conventional manner to the rotor mechanism may be employed to start the engine. The starter mechanism, although not shown in the drawings, may be of electric or mechanical type employing suitable gearing or other actuating means.

As earlier described, displacement of a leading piston causes it to move with its respective cam roller outwardly along an adjacent cam track surface, and this provides a suction stroke for drawing a fuel mixture into its respective fuel burning chamber. Travel of the cam roller along its cam track surface produces rotative movement of the hub portion and locates the fuel passageways in the hub with corresponding fuel passageways in the stationary shaft for a period long enough to properly charge the cylinder. As the cam roller moves from the low point in its cam track and starts inwardly. toward a high point, the fuel passageways are closed and the gas mixture is suitably compressed and prepared for ignition.

During this second rotative movement of the piston, the fuel chamber moves into register with one of the combustion ducts which communicates with a spark plug in the stationary shaft. Also the distributor moving with the hub portion comes into contact with a brush closing a circuit and the compressed mixture is then ignited. The force of this internal combustion drives the piston outwardly along its cam track to provide a power output impulse, thus continuing rotative movement of the cylinder and piston. It will be understood that similar power output impulses take place with respect to remaining pistons working along the cam track T1 and likewise similar power output impulses are developed by the pistons working along the cam track T2.

At the end of the power output stroke, the piston starts upwardly again and the exhaust passageways through the annular hub and the stationary shaft are brought into register, at which time the products of combustion are exhausted. The cycle described is then ready to be repeated. It will be understood that by using conventional ignition and timing means described, the firing of the various cylinder and piston units is carried out in a suitably timed relationship. It is pointed out that an important feature of this method of operating an internal combustion engine resides in the use of an endless cam track structure to induce rotative movement of a hub around a stationary shaft as the activated cam rollers are caused to move in and out along the cam track and continuously returning the pistons into a retracted position for further activation by internal combustion.

It will be apparent that a greater or lesser number of fuel burning chambers and pistons may be employed and I may vary the details of construction of the cam rollers and cam tracks and various other changes may be made.

lclaim:

1. Improved rotary engine construction comprising an outer cylindrical housing, a stationary shaft member axially disposed through the housing and having its opposite ends recessed to form tubular portions which define elongated annular wall sections and enclosed chambers, an output shaft supported through one side of the cylindrical housing for rotation about an axis extending radially outwardly of said housing, driving gear means fixed to an inner end of the power output shaft, rotor mechanisms rotatably mounted around the tubular shaft at opposite sides of the power output shaft, ring gear means fast on the rotor mechanisms for meshing with said driving gear means at two opposite sides thereof, each of said rotor mechanisms including fuel combusting chambers and supporting hub portions, and pistons mounted for reciprocating movement in their respective fuel combusting chambers, cam means for producing rotative movement of the rotor mechanisms in response to internal combustion displacement of the pistons, conduit means including a plurality. of sets of circumferentially spaced apart passageways formed internally of each of said tubular portions and extending radially outwardly through the stationary shaft in communication with respective fuel combusting chambers of the rotor mechanisms for supplying fuel mixtures and exhausting combusting gas mixtures, and ignition means including distributor apparatus for igniting gas mixture in the fuel combusting chambers in timed relationship.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which the power output shaft includes a gear secured at an inner end thereof, and said fuel burning rotor mechanism includes axially spaced sets of fuel combusting chambers, reciprocating pistons in the chambers and supporting hub portions mounted for rotation around the stationary shaft at opposite sides of the said output shaft, gear means fixed to inner sides of the hub portions in a position to mesh with the output shaft gear at opposite sides thereof, each of said axially spaced sets of fuel combusting chambers including four fuel combusting chambers and reciprocating piston units circumferentially spaced apart around the stationary shaft at intervals, cam rollers pivotally attached at outer extremities of said pistons, cam liner means secured around the inner periphery of the housing and being formed with spaced apart cam tracks for engaging said cam rollers, said cam tracks presenting sinuous cam guiding surfaces which extend toward and away from the stationary shaft uniformly in a reversely curved manner at 90 intervals around the said housing to provide a four-cycle reciprocation of each of the said pistons and a continuous rotative travel of the fuel combusting chambers about the said stationary shaft, said stationary shaft and tubular portions being provided with internal circumferentially spaced apart passageways for supplying fuel to each of the fuel combusting chambers, passageways for exhausting products of combustion, and passageways for conducting flows of coolant at either side of said passageways for exhausting combustion gases, spark plug means mounted in said stationary shaft and distributor means rotatable with said hub portions for igniting fuel mixtures in said chambers in timed relationship.

3. A structure according to claim 2 in which the said passageways for supplying fuel and exhausting products of combustion occur in staggered relationship in the stationary shaft whereby register of a passageway in the shaft and an adjacent hub portion for one fuel combusting chamber may be selectively utilized with all remaining passageways being sealably closed.

4. A structure according to claim 1 in which said tubular portions define elongated annular wall sections and enclosed chambers and said circumferentially spaced passageways being formed internally of the annular wall sections.

5. A structure according to claim 1 in which the tubular portions are defined by elongated annular wall sections and enclosed chambers and said ignition means includes spark plugs located in the enclosed chambers of the tubular portions.

6. A structure according to claim 1 in which the tubular portions define elongated annular wall sections and enclosed chambers and said annular wall sections being internally formed with coolant passageways which are arranged at either side of the said exhaust passageways in cooling relationship therewith.

7. A structure according to claim 1 in which the distributor apparatus is mounted for rotation with the rotor mechanisms around the stationary shaft and operable to periodically actuate the ignition means.

8. A structure according to claim 1 in which the supporting hub portions of the rotor mechanisms are located radially therethrough passageways through which fuel mixtures and combustion gas mixtures may pass and said passageways in the hub portions occurring in staggered relationship to provide for successively registering the passageways with respective combustion chambers.

9 A structure according to claim 1 in which the said passageways for fuel mixtures and exhaust products of combustion include inlet and outlet portions occurring in staggered relationship in the said stationary shaft, whereby register of a passageway in the shaft and an adjacent hub portion for one fuel combusting chamber may be selectively utilized with all remaining passageways being sealably closed.

Claims

1. Improved rotary engine construction comprising an outer cylindrical housing, a stationary shaft member axially disposed through the housing and having its opposite ends recessed to form tubular portions which define elongated annular wall sections and enclosed chambers, an output shaft supported through one side of the cylindrical housing for rotation about an axis extending radially outWardly of said housing, driving gear means fixed to an inner end of the power output shaft, rotor mechanisms rotatably mounted around the tubular shaft at opposite sides of the power output shaft, ring gear means fast on the rotor mechanisms for meshing with said driving gear means at two opposite sides thereof, each of said rotor mechanisms including fuel combusting chambers and supporting hub portions, and pistons mounted for reciprocating movement in their respective fuel combusting chambers, cam means for producing rotative movement of the rotor mechanisms in response to internal combustion displacement of the pistons, conduit means including a plurality of sets of circumferentially spaced apart passageways formed internally of each of said tubular portions and extending radially outwardly through the stationary shaft in communication with respective fuel combusting chambers of the rotor mechanisms for supplying fuel mixtures and exhausting combusting gas mixtures, and ignition means including distributor apparatus for igniting gas mixture in the fuel combusting chambers in timed relationship.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which the power output shaft includes a gear secured at an inner end thereof, and said fuel burning rotor mechanism includes axially spaced sets of fuel combusting chambers, reciprocating pistons in the chambers and supporting hub portions mounted for rotation around the stationary shaft at opposite sides of the said output shaft, gear means fixed to inner sides of the hub portions in a position to mesh with the output shaft gear at opposite sides thereof, each of said axially spaced sets of fuel combusting chambers including four fuel combusting chambers and reciprocating piston units circumferentially spaced apart around the stationary shaft at 90* intervals, cam rollers pivotally attached at outer extremities of said pistons, cam liner means secured around the inner periphery of the housing and being formed with spaced apart cam tracks for engaging said cam rollers, said cam tracks presenting sinuous cam guiding surfaces which extend toward and away from the stationary shaft uniformly in a reversely curved manner at 90* intervals around the said housing to provide a four-cycle reciprocation of each of the said pistons and a continuous rotative travel of the fuel combusting chambers about the said stationary shaft, said stationary shaft and tubular portions being provided with internal circumferentially spaced apart passageways for supplying fuel to each of the fuel combusting chambers, passageways for exhausting products of combustion, and passageways for conducting flows of coolant at either side of said passageways for exhausting combustion gases, spark plug means mounted in said stationary shaft and distributor means rotatable with said hub portions for igniting fuel mixtures in said chambers in timed relationship.

9. A structure according to claim 1 in which the said passageways for fuel mixtures and exhaust products of combustion include inlet and outlet portions occurring in staggered relationship in the said stationary shaft, whereby register of a passageway in the shaft and an adjacent hub portion for one fuel combusting chamber may be selectively utilized with all remaining passageways being sealably closed.