US1880224A - Rotary engine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 4, 1932.

H. E. wlLsEY ROTARY ENGINE Oct. 4, 1932. H. E. wlLsEY 1,880,224

ROTARY ENGINE Filed March 3, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet' 2 llalxdl y in www y m yl.

INVENTOR [ferr-1J E P/Vr'iwq ATTORNEY Oct. 4, 1932'. H, E, WlLsEY 1,8%,224

ROTARY ENGINE Filed March 3. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet. (5

INVENTOR WITNESS Harry ZEC Missy .6 l A W MMV-0.

ATTORN EY Od. 4, 1932. E,-W|| SEYY l 1,880,224

ROTARY ENGINE Fi'led March 3. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Y WITNESS liar-,3, E11/Wawy? ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1932 UNETE HARRY E. WILSEY, OF MIAMI, .ARIZONA ROTARY ENGINE Application filed March 3,

This invention relates to improvements in rotary engines of the type shown for example in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,042,018 to Macoinbei, granted October 22, 1912, wherein a 5 plurality of parallel cylinders are arranged in concentric relation about a common axis and are mounted rigidly with respect toeach other and arranged to be revolved bodily around their common axis through recipro- 10 cation of their pistons, With the plane of rotation transverse te the longitudinal axes of the cylinders, rotation b ein g accomplished through a stroke plate to Which the ends of 1 piston connecting rods are ball jointed, which 5 stroke plate is arranged in a plane at an angle to the plane of cylinder rotation and for rotation about the axis of cylinder rotation, the angularity of the plate, permitting relative i'eciprocatory movement of the pistons in '20 their cylinders and presenting resistance causing the expansion of the fuel ignited behind the pistons to react against the cylinders and cause movement thereof in the line of less resistance constituted by rotation about said common axis. rlhe invention is designed to improve prior two-cycle engines of this type.

@ne feature of the invention consists in a Q0 cylinder 'and piston construction designed -to provide increased efficiency through permitting alcnger piston stroke, a more eiii'cient scavenging of exhaust gases, and the injection of a fuel charge into the combustion chamber of the cylinder Without the use of stroke-limiting fuel diverting baiiies on the heads of the pistons. Y

A second feature consists in the construction and mounting of the stroke plate and the connection of the piston rods thereto through provision of a continuous annular support for thestroke plate on a rigid axial support shaft, With the piston rods ball jointed to the stroke plate and guided for rectilinear movenient parallel With the axis of cylinder rotation.

A further feature improves the construction of the pistons themselves by providing a fuel charge by-pass traversing the piston and 7 9 having abaiii'e therein diverting the charge against heat hns on the interior of the piston 1930. semina. 432,919.

head, serving'the double. purpose of cooling the pistons and preheating the fuel mixture to increase its efhciencyl A As another feature, I have 4designed improved supporting means for the cylinder providing a common supportl for said cylinders mounted concentric to and revoluble with said cylinders about their axis of rotation, the cylinder supports involving annular supporting plates journaling on a fixed support shaft concentric with said axis. Additionally, I have mounted the cylinders, connecting rods and stroke plate on supports for axial rotatory movement as a unit with the pistons and connecting rods maintained for rectilinear movement in the longitudinal axis of the cylinders. With the connectingrods ball jointed to the angular stroke plate, their maintained rectilinear movement through the resistance offered by said vplate thereto, provides increased torques to the reactance force of the ignited charges.

These various features and other features of construction and design Will be more clearly apparent from the following'de'tailed speciiication` which is to be readf'in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof and in Which Figure 1 is a. longitudinal vertical section through a rotary engine of the type described embodying the improvements of the present invention. j i Figure 2 is a similar section on an enlarged scale through the cylinder end of the assembly, vvit-h opposed cylinders and their 'pistons ,showing at the beginningA and end of' their power strokes, respectively.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1 through the oil reservoir and stroke plate housing. Figure 4 is a. transverse vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1 through the rear ends of opposed cylinders and through the rotary fuel valve. P Figure 5 is a similar section on line 5 5 of Figure 1 through the fuel jet passages and exhaust ports of opposed cylinders.

Figure 6V is an enlarged detail in section showing the mounting of and bearings for the stroke plate on the xed axial supporting shaft and the ball jointed connection o'f a piston rod with the stroke plate.

Figure 7 is a transverse vertical section through the intake manifold taken on line 7 7 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a similar section, taken on line S- of Figure 1V through the connecting rod gui e.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, it will be seen, by reference to Fig. 1, that the hub of the motor is constituted by; affixed tubular rectilinear shaft 1 which is to be appropriately supported and which adjacent its outer or front end is provided with an internal closure plug 2 and at an 'intermediate point with a second plug 3 (Fig..2) partitioning offthe intervening.portion of the hollow shaft and forming a lubricant holding and distributing chamber 4.

Adj acentthe rear or inner'end, 4a third and cylindrical closure plug -(Fig. 2,) is` inserted, thespace enclosed betweeaplugsB-and 5 constituting #a fuel chamber 6.v lThese .last namedlplugsmay be-axially'bored and an oil pressure gaugeitube 7 Vmay. extend therethrough-and Voutwardlyfrom the rear end of shaft 1 *for connectiony to .anappropriate pressure gauge. Thetube-.atthe-front and rear ends of the plugs 3 and 4 is provided with suit-able packingglands to-prevent the entrance ofl-ubricantinto thefuel-chamber 6 and the escape offuelffrom said chamber.

`Adjacent and forwardly of the plug 5, the tubular -shaftlis provided'iwith a series of fuel intakefports 8. AA domed sleeve -9 overlies these ports and is held in position ony the shaft by end collared packing glands l10. The bottom. of the. domed sleeve 9 is .provided with a-fuel intake port 11 :andtheendflange 12A-off-arfuel`intake pipe 13 .is boltedto the bottom of sleeve-9 with its pipe communicating with said port. A suitable carburetor14 is attached to said pipe; v

Adjacent-and rearwardly of the closure or partitioning plug3,.the:fuel chamber section of the shaft is provided With groups of outlet slots 15 externally overlaidbyaa distributing ring 16ported'in alinement .with the slotslsand keyed tothe shaft. A duct 17 traversing the plug 3,. shaft 1. and` ring l16 conducts .lubricant `-from fchamber 4 to the outer face ofiring .16 whichf serves as a bearing foracooperating rotary sleeve valve hereinafter' described.

F orwardly of the. plug 3--and overlying the adjacent lubricant chamber 4 of the shaft, the inner-.race plate of. a roller bearing18 is fixed on the shaft. The hub 19 of an annular support plate 20 seats over the outer raceplate of .the lbearing and vis revolubly mounted thereon .for.rotationaboutithe shaft as an axis. The hub isprovided with a rearwardlyoffset flange21'fromwhich depending'an annular packing ring 22 lembracing the shaft andgprovidin-g an annular lubricant channel 23 between it and the roller bearing 18 into which lubricant is led from chamber 4 by a duct 24 in shaft 1.

Y A plurality of cylinders 25, of which only two are shown, have their outer or non-compression ends open, internally threaded and provided with peripheral abutment flanges 26. These' ends of the cylinders are inserted in bores of corresponding diameter in the support plate 20 adjacent its outer edge and are clamped thereto with their longitudinal axes in parallel with each other and with the shaft 1 by externally threaded end closure plates n27 having peripheral flanges 28 engaging the opposed face of the support plate 20.

Theseplates 27 are centrally bored to guide in the longitudinal axes of their cylinders the tubular connecting rods 29 threading into the bases of their pistons 30 and extending outwardly through the bores in the closure plates which are packed by glands 31 as shown.

rIhe cylinders 25 which, as shown, are of the externally finned air cooled type, are also rotatably supported adjacent their opposite orcompression ends by a second annular support plate .32 having an axial hub'33 housing and resting on the outer race of a roller bearing assembly 34' retained within the hub by an end bushing 35 threading. on the external periphery of shaft 1 and locked in position by abacking lock nut 36 likewise threaded on the shaft, the forward side of the hub has a depending annular packing flange 37 engagingthe shaft and the rear open side of the hub is closed by an annular packing plate 38. The inner faces of the roller bearing Vand bushing are grooved; the rear face of the bushingischanneled` and a lubricantl tube 39 extending through the-lock nut 36 provides means for vfeeding lubricant to the bearing as through the usual pressure gun. Between the hub flange 37 and the distributing ring 16,` a coiled spring 41 encircles shaft l and maintains the ring against its seat on the shaft.

The second support plate 32 is provided in alinement with the cylinders 25 with bores having rabbetted inner faces in which are fitted rabbetted peripheral anges 40 formed on the cylinders 25, the cylinders being thus supported by and rotating with plates 2O and 32 with theirf longitudinal axes in parallel with each other and .with shaft 1.

VForwardly or outwardly from the `roller bearing 18 of the first cylinder support plate 20, the shaft 1 is reduced in external diameter providing a shoulder 42. Seating against this shoulder at its rear or inner end and keyed to the shaft is a hub 43 (Fig. 1) having its peripheral face formed with a channel 44 therein extending in a plane inclined to the rightangular transverse plane of rotation of the support plates. 20 and 32 and their cylinders. The opposite sides of this channel are faced with side thrust bearings 45 and at the base of the channel a central groove 46 extending in a similarly inclined plane seats a circular ball bearing 47.

The inner circular edge of an annular stroke plate 48 engages and journals on the central roller bearing 47 with its adjacent side faces engaging the side thrust bearings 45, the stroke plate extending outwardly from hub 43 in an inclined plane alined with that of the channel 44 and itsvcentral base groove and confronting and lying in out* wardly spaced relation to the outer ends of cylinders 25 and their support plate 20. The inner end of hub 43 is held firmly against shoulder 42 by a clamping nut 49 threading on the shaft and backed by a lock nut 50, these two members serving to space the outer end of the hub from a lubricant pump casing hereinafter described. A lubricant duct 51 passing through shaft 1 and hub 43 conveys lubricant from shaft chamber 4 to the ball bearing 47, and other ducts 52 (Fig. 6) convey lubricant from groove 46 to the side,

thrust ball bearings 45. A spacing sleeve 53 extends between the rear or inner end of hub 43 to the axial roller bearing 18 of support plate 20 and is provided with a lubricant ej ecting opening therein alining with a lubri cant duct 54 in the shaft to spray lubricant upon the connecting rods 29.`

Outwardly of the hub 43 and spaced therefrom by the nuts 49,50, the hollow hub 55 of a lubricant pump casing encircles and is journaled on the reducedperiphery of shaft 1 and encloses therewithin a spiral gear ring 56 fixed on the shaftand lubricant entrance ducts 57 in the enclosed portion of the shaft. A tubular housing 58 integral with the hub 55 extends radially outward therefrom and has appropriately journaled therein a rotatable pump shaft 59 mounting a spiral gear 60 on its inner end meshing with the spiral gear ring 56. The tubular casing 58 at its outer end is laterally enlarged to house a toothed pump gear 61 meshing with a Second toothed' gear 62 fixed on the outer end of the shaft. The laterally enlarged portion of the casing is provided with a lubricant intake opening, the gears 61-62 functioning as the usual gear type pump to draw in and force lubricant through the tubular housing 58 to the hub 55.

The outer end of the tubular casing 58 is rigidly secured to the inner face of an annu lar housing plate or drum 63 whose inner or rear edge is bolted to the peripheral edge of the cylinder support plate 2O and whose outer or or front edge isy similarly bolted tol the peripheral edge of an annular drive plate 64 having an axial hub portion 65 journallin g on a roller bearing assembly 66 carried on a shaft sleeve 67 and retained within the hub by a washer plate which in turn is held thereagainst and spaced from they pump housing by spacing washers or nuts 69 threaded externally on the shaft 1 and engaging the pump casing hub 55 at the side'opposite to the spacing nuts 49, 50. The hub 65 has its outer face formed with a packing flange 70 guides into frictional tightly clamped seating engagement in the drive plate. The tubular guides extend in alinement with the longitudinal axes of the cylinders 25 and are open at their inner or rear ends to receive the outer ends of the tubular connecting rods 29 which are provided with external peripheral ribs 29a (Fig. 8) seating in the grooves 73 of the guides.

The tubular connecting rods pass through i circular openings or sockets 77 in the stroke plate 48 faced by bushing rings 78 and are enlarged to provide spherical-enlargements 79 of a diameter to seat in these openings and provide universal ball joint connections with the stroke plate in the line of theircylinder axes. AThe ball joints or spherical enlargements 79 are retained in the stroke plate sockets by annular cross head plates 80 embracing opposite sides of the stroke plate and having concaved inner faces conforming to and engaging the spherical faces of the ball joint spheres 79. f

The housing 63 encloses therewithin between the drive plate 64 and support plate 20, the lubricant chamber portion of the shaft,

the stroke plate and its hub, the gear pump housing, the tubular guides and the connecting rods. It constitutes also a rigid connection between the drive plate and the cylinder supporting plate 2O and forms a lubricant is.

reservoir. rlhe outer end of the pump casing is fixed to the housing drum 68 and rotates therewith, the gear 60 on the inner end of the pump shaft riding over the fixed spiral gear 56 on shaft 1 and rotating the pump f shaft to cause its gears 61-62 to draw oil or other lubricant down into the tubular case 58 and to the hub 55 from whence it passes through the shaft ducts into the lubricant chamber 4 and is distributed as described.' It will be noted that the inner or rear face of th-e drive plate roller bearing assembly 66 is exposed on the interior of the housing 68 and is directly lubricated. Since the lubricant is thrown to the outer side of the hous-v ing by centrifugal action in the rotation of the housing about the shaft, the pump gears 61-62 will always feed lubricant while the engine is in operation.

The cylinders 25 and pistons 30 are of par-l ISD ticularly advantageous construction'and have peculiar combinative interrelation. While 'I have shown only two cylinders in diametrically opposed relation, it will be obvious that this number may be increased as desired and as consistent with the size of the motor and that the stroke plate and connecting rod connectionsand gui-ding means will be duplicatively increased accordingly, aswell as cylinder and piston arrangement and mounting.

The engine herein involvedis oft-he two cycle type andthe cylinder and piston constructed ofthe present invention is designed to provide increased efficiency through provisions for longer stroke, more complete scavenging, cooling of the piston head and preheating of the fuel passing to the combustion chamber of the cylinders.

Accordingly, the outer or noncompression ends of the cylinders 25 at their sides adjacent shaft 1 and outwardly of the distributing sleeve 16 are formcdwith longitudinally extending peripheral enlargements 81 providing for internal longitudinally extending fuel receiving passages 82 having their opposite ends ported into lcommunication with the interior of the cylinder. Fuel tubes 83 threaded into the enlargements 81 intermediate of their ends extend-inwardly therefrom and seat in bores in a valve sleeve 84 closely fitting over and revolving onthe fuely distributing ring 16 on shaft 1 and are held in the sleeve bores-by packing glands 85 backed by nuts 86 threaded on the tubes 83. As shown (Fig. 2) the valve sleeve 84 is provided with opposed ffuelintake openings with which the tubes 83 communicate. As thissleeve rotates with the cylinders, support and drive plates, etc., about shaft 1 as an axis the group as for example where two cylinders only are used), or groups of ports 15 will register successively with successive tubes 83 in the cycle of rota-tion, the registration period being, obviously,l timed tothe rearward movement of the pistons on their compression stroke to draw a charge of fuel into the outer noncompression end of the cylinder, this Vcharge being forced by the piston on its succeeding firing stroke through by-passes to the compression end of the cylinder for compression and firing on the next succeeding compression stroke. i

This is accomplished by providing the cylinder walls at the sides opposed t o the receiving passages 82 with similar longitudinally extending peripheral enlargements 87 providing for longitudinal internal fuel jet passages 88 ported at their opposite ends into communication with the interior of thev cylinder. The passage 88 constitutes, at the sides of the cylinder opposite thereto, a. prolongation of the receiving passage 82 in the direction ofthe compression end of the cylinder, with the intake or outermost end port 88a opposed to the innermost or discharge port mediate the opposed passages 82 and 88 are provided with exhaust ports 89 therein. l/Vith the exhaust ports so located with reference to the fuel jet ports and the latter inclined toward the compression end of the cyl- Y inder, I am enabled to dispense with the usual jet diverting baflie plate on the exterior of the cylinder head and thus permit further inward or compression movement of the piston and a longer stroke thereof. Furthermore the location of the exhaust ports with reference to the fuel jet ports, enables, in a two cycle engine, a more complete scavenging of the exhaust and maximum power from the explosion since these exhaust ports will not be opened until close to the end of the power stroke when the gases have reached their fullest possible expansion.

The fuel received in the passage 82 on the compression strokeof the piston is forced by the piston on its power stroke through the passage to its discharge port 82?) and is permitted by the piston, at the time of maximum pressure on the fuel toby-pass through the interior of the piston under substantial pressure to enter the intake port 88a of the fuel jet passage for discharge therefrom as a jet irecte'd to the compression end of the cylin- This result, accompanied by cooling of the piston head and preheating of the by-passing fuel, is accomplished advantageously by the piston construction as shown in Fig. 2 in which the pistons 80 are of hollow construction with internally threaded sockets 90 in their outer ends to receive the threaded ends of the connecting rods 29. Adjacent the head ofthe piston a conical partition 91 forms with the adjacent interior surface of the piston head a'transverse passage or fuel by-pass 92 across through the interior of the piston. The side walls of thepiston at the opposite ends of the passage 92 are formed with ports 93 which, at the end of the power stroke of a piston (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2) alines with and cross connects the discharge port 826 of the fuel receiving passage and the intake port 88a of the fuel jet passage. The conical partition 91 acts as a baille or deflector and directs the by-passing fuel against the inner face of the piston head or end, which may have one or more heat radiating fins 94 formed thereon. The head of the piston is thus continuously cooled by the by-passing fuel which, by absorption of the fin radiated heat,vis preheated before entering the combustion chamber, with obvious resultant advantage. With the exhaust ports positioned to be opened by the piston at and slightly prior to the completion of its power stroke (as seen in Fig. 2), they are located at the natural head of expansion of burning gases iov and not only is maximum permissible expansion thereof secured prior to exhausting but the exhaust occurs at that point to which the expanding gases normally flow and increased scavenging is therefore secured as compared to previous location of the exhaust and intake ports in substantial opposition with an intervening piston baille deflecting the incoming fuel.

Since the operation of the type of internal combustion engine involved herein is Well known, the preceding detailed description of the structure and function of the specific mechanism of the present invention renders recapitulation of its operation unnecessary.

The specific form of the invention described herein While representing a preferable embodiment of the inventive idea, is intended as illustrative rather than restrictive and is subject to modification in form and arrangement to suit different conditions of manufacture and use in consonance with the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fixed tubular bearing shaft having a fuel chamber therevvithin, a plurality of cylinders arranged about said shaft with their longitudinal axes in parallel With each other and with said shaft, and revolubly mounted to rotate about said shaft in unison, longitudinal fuel intake passages formed Within each cylinder Wall adjacent its outer non-compression end at the side adjacent said shaft in transverse alinement with each other and with said fuel chamber and communicating at opposite ends with the interiors of their cylinders, a valve sleeve surrounding said shaft and rotatable With said cylinders said shaft and sleeve having spaced ports adapted to register at certain times to place said fuel chamber in communication with said fuel intake passages intermediate of their ends, discharge ports in said fuel chamber portion of the shaft alined with and enclosed by said rotatable cylinder valve sleeve, pistons in said cylinders of greater longitudinal extent than the length of said intake passages having transverse fuel passages therethrough adjacent their heads alining at one end With the inner ends of said cylinder-intake passages at the end of the outward strokes of their pistons, longitudinal fuel jet passages formed in the cylinder Walls at the inner end of the cylinders at the sides opposite to the intake passages and having `their outer ends communicating With the interiors of their cylinders at points alining With the other end of s-aid transverse piston fuel passage at the end of the outward piston stroke, and having their inner ends communicating With the interior of the cylinders adjacent their inner combustion ends and inclined to direct a fuel jet charge to said end.-

2. InV an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fixed rectilinear bearing shaft, aplurality of cylinders arranged With their longitudinal axes in parallel With said shaft and With each other, a common support f-or said cylinders mounted for rotation therewith as a unit about said shaft as an axis, an annular strokeplate spaced from said cylinders and their support lying in a plane inclined to the path of revolution of said cylinders and their support, a continuous circular bearing for said plate fixed on said shaft, pistons mounted in said cylinders for reciprocation, a drive plate journaled on said shaft in spaced relation to said cylinders and stroke plate and rigidly connected with said cylinder support `for conjoint rotation therewith, guides on said plate alined With said cylinders, connecting rods extending from said pistons through said stroke plate and into cooperative relation to said plate guides for restriction thereby to reciprocation in the plane of their cylinder axes, said connecting rods having universal joint connections With the stroke plate.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fixed rectilinear bearing shaft, a pair of spaced annular support plates journaled on said shaft for rotation thereabout-as an axis, a plurality of cylinders carried by and conjointly rotatable With support plates With their longitudinal axes in parallel with said shaft and with` each other, a stroke plate rotatably journaled on said shaft in spaced relation to said cylinders and support plate and extending and rotatable in a plane inclined to the plane of rotation thereof, pistons mounted in said cylinders for reciprocation, connecting rods extending from said pistons and having universalV joint connection With said stroke plate, and a drive plate rotatably mounted on said shaft connected with said cylinder support plates for conjoint rotation therewith, and having guiding means thereon in alinement With the cylinders cooperating with their connecting rods to guide and maintain said rods in the plane of the longitudinal axis of their cylinders.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fixed rectilinear bearing shaft, a pair of spaced annular support plates journaled on said shaft for rotation there# about as an axis in planesat right angles to the shaft axis, a plurality of cylinders carried by and conjointly rotatable with said support plates With their longitudinal axes in parallel Vvyith each other and with `said' )tot shaft, a bearing hubfixedto said shaft in outwardly spaced relation from said support plates and cylinders having' a circular guide channel in a plane inclined to the right angular plane of rotation of said support plates and cylinders, an annular stroke plate.

having a continuous circular bearing in said guide channel and extendingvin a similarly inclined plane, a drive plate revolubly mountedon said shaft outwardly of and spaced from said stroke plate and rigidly connected with said cylinder support plates for conjoint rotation therewith, tubular guides offset inwardly from said drive plate in axial alinement with the longitudinal axes of said cylinders, pistons mountedin said cylinderl for reciprocation, connectingrods extending from said pistonsin thelineof the longitudinal axes of their cylinders through said stroke plate with their outer ends extendingl into said tubulary guides and maintained by said guides inthe longitudinal axes of-their cylinders, said .connecting rods` having universal bearings in said stroke. plate in `said longitudinal axes.

5. Inian internalcombustionengine, the4 combinationv of a fixed rectilinear bearing shaft, a pair of spaced annularsupportV plates journaled on said shaft forV rotation tllereaboiitas an kaxis in planes at rightangles to the shaft axis, aplurality of cylinders carried by and conjoiiltly rotatable,

with said; support plates -withdtlieir longitudinal axes-in parallel with eachother and with said shaft, a bearing hub fixed to said.A shaft in outwardly spaced relation from. saidsiipport plates and cylindershaving acircular guide channel in a plane inclined to;the right angular plane ofrotation of said sup,-y

poit plates and cylinders, anannular strokeplate having a continuous circular bearingl in said guide, channeland extending ina similarly inclined plane, a drive plate revolublyk mounted on said shaft outwardlyv of and 'spaced from said stroke plate, tubular guides offset inwardly from said drive plate in axial alinement with the longitudinal axes of said cylinders, an annularhousing rigidly connecting theouter edges ofsaid drive.V

plate and the adjacent cylinder support plate for conjoint rotation thereof and enextending from said pistonsin the line ofl the longitudinal axes of their cylinders through said stroke plate with theirouter ends extendingrin said tubular guides and maintained by said guides-in the longitudinalaxes offtheir cylinders, said connecting' rods having universal bearings in said stroke plate in said longitudinal'axes.

6. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a fixed rectilinear tubular bearing shaft internally 'partitioned to provide fuel and lubricant holding chambers, an annular support plate rotatably journaled yon said shaft, a plurality of cylinders supported thereon for conjointrotation about the fuel chamber portion of said shaft-as an axis and having their longitudinal axes in parallel with each other and with said shaft, a valve sleeve carried by and rotating with said cylinders about said shaft and periodically ported intocommunication with thev fuel chamber thereof, and with thel interi-or of said cylinders, a bearinghub fixedion the lubricant chamber portion of the shaft in outwardly spaced relation to said cylinders having a circular guidechannel inclined to the plane of rotation of, said cylindersl andported into communication with said lubricant chamber, an annular stroke plate .opposed to said cylinders having a continuous-circular bearing on said guide and extending in a similarly inclined plane, adrive platespaced outwardly fromv the stroke platehaving an axial bearing surfaceZ journaled on said lubricant chamber portion of the shaft and ported into communication therewithand having inwardly offset tubular guides ali'ning with the longitudinal axes lof said cylinders, pistons mounted in; said-cylindersfor reciprocation, connecting rods `extending from said pistons in the line of the longitudinalv axes of vtheir cylinders-through said stroke plate with their outer endsl extending in said tubular guides and maintained therebyin the longitudinal axial line of-tlieir cylinders, `with said rods provided with universal bearings on said strokaplate, in the ,line of said longitudinal axes, an annular f housing rigidly connecting the-outer edgesof saiddrive and support plates forconjoint rotation thereof and enclosingn the lubricant chamber of the shaft, said hub, stroke plate, tubular guides and connectingrods therewithinand providing a lubricantfreservoir, means-for feeding lubricant therefrom to said shaft lubricant cham.-

ber and means forrfeeding fuel to said shaft fuell chamber. y

7. `In an internal combustion engine, the combination of afixed bearing shaft having ajfuel chamber therein, a plurality of cylinders journalled for ,rotation about said shaft as Van` axis and having their longitudinal axes in parallel with-each otherr and withsaid shaft, a valve sleeve rotatablewith said'cylinders about said shaft and periodically ported .v 11

into communication with said fuel chamber and with the interior of said cylinders, a stroke plate journalledy on said shaft in spaced relation. to said, cylinders for-rotation about anaxS inclined to theaxis of said shaft, pis.`

tons mounted in said cylinders for recprocaton therein, connecting rods extending from said cylinders and having` a universal connection With said stroke plate, and a drive plate rotatable With said cylinders and having guide means thereon in alnement with said oyllnders and for cooperatlon Wlth sald connecting rods.

HARRY E. WILSEY.

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