US3074387A - Rotary internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

Jan- 22, 1953 R. c. GESCHWENDER 3,074,337

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 1'7, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 22, 1963 R. c. GESCHWENDER 3,074,387

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 17, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 22, 1963 R. c. Gr-:scHwENDl-:R 3,074,387

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 17, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 3,074,387 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 3,074,387 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTIN ENGINE Robert C. Geschwender, Lincoln, Nebr., assigner te Lancaster Research and Development Corporation, Linceln, Nebr., a corporation of Nebraska Filed May 17, 1961, Ser. No. 110,735 11 Claims. (Cl. 123-16) This invention relates to rotary internal combustion engines, and more specically to engines of this type in which all piston-forming elements have a fixed angular relationship.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of an internal combustion engine of the rotary type in which the pistons are `carried in fixed angular relationship to one another upon a single rotor, and in which reciprocating sliding vanes which are piston components have their reciprocating movements accurately and positively controlled by positive-drive linkages, and more particularly by so-called slider-crank linkages driven by planetary gear trains, whereby a substantial amount of sliding friction is avoided; and the provision of an engine of this class which is comparatively simple to construct, and efficient and reliable in operation. Other objects and 4features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is an end view of the engine, with parts broken away to show various features in diiferent fragmentary cross sections;

FIG. 2 is an axial section taken on line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view in isometric form, showing a rotor, its end plates, one vane therefor, and one planetary gear;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a blocking rotor; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are cross sections taken on lines 5 5, 6 6 and 7 7, respectively, of FIG. 2.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Details of various running seal means are not elaborated herein because they Will be of appropriate springpressed varieties known to the art. For convenience in identification they are arbitrarily illustrated by stippling.

In the isometric views (FIGS. 3 and 4), several teeth only are shown on the several gears illustrated. It will be understood from the remaining drawings that each of these gears has teeth throughout its periphery and that the single planetary gear shown is illustrative of twelve of the Same actually used.

The term oval will hereinafter be used ygenerically to designate a bisymmetrical form like, or identical with, an ellipse, having comparatively long and short axes.

Briey, the engine comprises a casing forming an inner chamber in which is located a circular main rotor carrying radially slidable vanes, the outer margins of which (except as to certain sealing parts) follow (but are not directly constrained by) the chamber form. The arrangement is such as to provide expansible chambers for carrying out intake, compression, explosion and exhaust events of a four-cycle energy-conversion process. The slidable vanes lare reciprocated by positive-drive, socalled slider-crank mechanisms having the usual advantages of pin-type linkages. Each slider-crank mechanism is driven by a planetary gear means meshed with coaxial sun gear means affixed to the casing. An auxiliary blocking member cooperates tangentially with the main rotor for the purpose of `dividing intake and exhaust spaces. This blocking member is preferably in the form of a rotor driven by a gear attached to the main rotor and meshing with a pinion which drives the blocking rotor.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. l-3, there is shown at numeral 1 a casing consisting of a central ring 3, the inside of which has an oval contour 5 of bisymmetrical shape on perpendicular short and long axes X-X and Y Y. At 7 and 9 are shown intake and exhaust pockets, respectively. These pockets 7 and 9 are narrower in an axial direction than the width of the surface 5 of ring 3. The ring 3 is flanked by attached end plates 11 and 13, respectively. These provide annular end pockets 15 and 17, surrounding central bearings 19 and 21 of plates 11 and 13, respectively.

At numeral 23 (FIG. 3) is shown a circnlarly symmetrical rotor mounted upon a power shaft 25, the latter being supported in the bearings 19 and 21. It, with the oval form of surface 5 establishes two opposite crescentshaped spaces extending across the long axis Y Y joined by smaller spaces extending across the short axis X-X. The rotor has six radial slots 27 located at 60 intervals, each slot being for the reception of a slidable T-shaped vane 29. The width of the upper cross-over portion 31 of each vane 29 equals the rotor width. Opposite sides of the rotor 23 contain recesses 33. Stem portions 35 of the T-shaped vanes 29 have widths equal to the rotor Width between the bottoms of the rotor recesses 33. Seals 37 in the rotor 23 engage opposite -faces of the vanes 29. Gudgeon pins 39, which extend from the opposite sides of the stem 35 of each vane 29, are located for movements in the opposite recesses 33.

Bolted to the right side of the rotor 23 (FIGS. 1-3) is `a circular plate 41 in which is au opening 43 surrounding bearing 21. This ring 41 contains an inside pocket 45 for the reception Vof six gudgeons 47 extending toward the rotor 23.

Bolted to the left side of the rotor 23 is another ring 49 which also contains a pocket 45', like pocket 45 in ring 41 (see FIG. 2). Ring 49 also carries a set of six gudgeons 47', coaxial with the gudgeons 47 in plate 41. On each of the gudgeons `47, 47 is a rotary planetary gear 51. These mesh with and roll around fixed sun gears 53. The sun gears 53 are coaxially positioned around bearings 19 and 21 of the casing 1. Each planetary gear 51 carries a gudgeon pin 55. The gears 51 are so phased that the gudgeon pins 55 are coaxial by pairs in the opposite spaces 33. At numerals 57 are shown connecting links, each of which connects one pair of gudgeon pins 39 and 55.

When the rings 41 and 49 are attached to the rotor and the resulting assembly located in the casing 1, the

with respect to the circular portions of the pockets 15 and outer margins of the rings 11 and 13 have running ts/ 17, respectively. Attachment is made by bolts such as 2 (FIG. 2) passing through holes such as 4 and threaded into holes 6 in the rotor (see also FIG. 3). Ring seals 59 are provided in suitable grooves in the rings on plates 41 and 49 to resist leakage at these running fits. lIt will be noted from FIG. 2 that the inner faces of the rings `49 and 41 are ush with the inner faces of the plates 11 and 13, respectively, to produce sidewise coplanar surfaces for running cooperation with the opposite at ends of the T-heads 31 of the vanes 29.

Sealing strips 61 arerprovidedingrooves along the sides and outer margins of the T-heads 31 of vanes ,279. lIt will be apparent that the outer strips ofthe sealing stripsA 61 ,cannot escape Yfrom their .vanes 29i1:i passing over the in- Qake .exhaust pockets 7 and 9 because the latter are narrower in anfaxial direction than the width of surface Sadnarrower, thanithewfidthsof the T-,head portions 31.

f'lnviewof the above, it will be seenthat upon turning of the rotor`23, the planetary gears 51 mesh with and roll around the sun gears 53, yto reciprocate -the vanes 29 intherotor'laf Reciprocation ,occurs ,by means of the slide ,mechanisms constituted by Ithe gudgeon pins .55 Von .gears .5 1acting asv cranksthe vanes V29 .Withtheirgudgeon pins n39 acting Vas sliders'andlthe'links 57 lacting as con- `necting links betweenthe gudg'eon pins of the cranks and sliders. It this sensethat the term slider-crank mechanism is .used-herein' as defining .',the means for coupling ,the gear`s 11'and thevanes 29, in order to reciprocate vthe latter. The-numbers of l.teeth-'selected 'for theplanetary gears v5,1 and' the sun'ge'ars 53 vare vin the ratio. of l':2 (24 and 48lteeth, respectively). Therefore, veach 'planetary gear 5 1 drives its'respective vane 29 'inward and outward twice jper revolution. "I 'he ,resulting oval trajectory of the'outer'margin' off each vane defines the shape along Ywhich thejinner surface i5l ofthe ring ismachined with a slight-clearance'. ACentrifugalforce does not force 4the outer margins .of the vanesinto ,engagement with the Slightly claringcvaljinner 'face i5 of member 3. Only the outerfpacking strips 61 are s o forcedtoclosethe gaps duej'foclearance. The oval formsof the'face 5 andV tra- .iectories of the outer vane margins are ,in the inature of @Sew-coincident ellpses- The result ziS a wnstruction by .nrmansA .f which comparatively small Spares arelfQrmed between :the eval inside ofthe ring 3 andthe circular rotor 123 at' oppQsite ends o f A.the small vtfll 1 1 ter of the oval;'andlcmparatvelylareef'spaces at opposite ends' of 'theilarge perpendicular diameter o f the oval.

I'he'ileft-hand fing "49 iS .constructed with @integrated ,gear 63 which meshes with a pinion 65 attached ,to a

in a cylindrical-portion69boredout inthe lower portion 'o'f '3. Atti and L10 itisfnecked down to fitinholes ,12, andlft o f rings 11-and"13,'respectively Packing rings 1;6 and v1'8 are-employed in necks 8 and 10, respectively.

"former vbeing' carried in Ya lbearing'inla coverfp1ate'75 '-boltedtoplate *'11,- and -th'e"la"tter in afbearing` in plate i173. 'Ihe upper part of the cylindrical portion 69 inring 3 is open." LE,Flankingportions 79 are shaped to coincide with -'the inner-oval Yform 5. Thus anupper -part 81 of the Vcylinder 67 extends out across the small space 83 into t instance with vthe passage of a cooperating groove 85. j'llerefore,'regardless ofthe rotor position, the `intake pocket? will always Ybe separatedtrom the exhaustpocket 9, either by fa condition of-tangency`between the cylindrical faces between the main rotor 23 and auxiliary rotor 67, or by the position of a passing vane end in a passing groove S5.

As will be noted from FIG. 1, an intake port 87 communicates with the intake pocket 7, and an exhaust port 89 communicates with the exhaust pocket 9. It is assumed that a suitable carburetor system is connected with the intake 87, to carburet air with fuel such as a mixture of gasoline and air. It is also assumed that suitable exhaust and muier connections are made with the exhaust port i89. At numeral 91 s shown a suitable ignition device such as, for example, a continuously operating electrical glow plug.

Operation is as follows:

As the rotor turns, the planetary gears 51 roll onfthe sun gears 53, thus causing the slider-crank linkages constit-uted by gudgeons 55, 39 and connecting links 57 to reciprocate the vanes 29 in the rotor as it turns. This sweeps the vanes through the various spacings between the rotor 23 and the inner oval form 5` of ring 3.

A suction event develops during an angular vane -movement A of a given vane, drawing in combustible :fuel through v port 87, port 87 ybeing sealed ol fronrthe exhaust port -89 by the intervening auxiliary blocking rotor 67. A compression event occurs during an angular vane movement B of the same vane and continues ,until the compression pressure becomes ya maximum, at which Y time the lglow plug 91 becomes exposed by .-said V given v.During this movement the leading .vane with face gb has an increasing area over that of -the adjacent 'following .vane face b until face b' passes the Y-Y.exi s. After this the diierencediminishes and becomes equalas `YI7' passes point 93. Thus .upon gas expansion there; QCCurs a net clockwise `driving torque upon the rotor. EIheex- -Apansion and torque eventsV continue until a charge ,be- ,tween surfaces such as b and b' becomes exposed `to the fexhaust port, as .illustrated at thelower in EIG. 1. 'Such .exposure .first occurs wheneter .Said given-vage crosses the point 93. Y

In short, a suction event Astarts -when a leading .vane crosses point 95. A succeeding compression eventoccurs after the next trailing vane crosses this same ,point .95. Compression Y.then Vfollows until the tirst-nameld ,leading Vvane arrives atpoint 97, at ,which location its succeeding trailing vane is symmetrically positioned with respectto the short axis of theovalon the vertical center line ,X4-X. After that, expansion occurs Vbetween the adjacent vanes until the leading .vane reaches point 9 3. After this, the

Astated exhaust event occurs.

,pair of vanes operating in theangular range C.

From the above it will be seen that, -since, there is.,a positivecontrol of the reciprocations ofthe vanes by the Yslider-crank mechanisms, centrifugal force is prevented ,from drivingthe outer marginsofthevanesinto forcible sliding contact-withthe innersnrface k5 rof ,theqing 'Only the sealing means inthe vane slots are subject to such forces. Since the weights of these are considerably less than the total weights of the vanes, only a small amount of rubbing friction is encountered between the seals and the surface 5.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

claim:

l. A rotary engine comprising a radially slotted main rotor assembly, slidable vanes in the slots, tixed sun `gear means, planetary gear means mounted on the rotor assembly and meshing with the fixed sun gear means, a slider-crank means connecting each planetary gear with a vane to be reciprocated thereby to move the margins of the vanes in a predetermined trajectory, a casing surrounding the rotor and the vanes and having an inner surface formed along said trajectory, said casing having intake and exhaust ports, a blocking means in the casing located tangently to the rotor and separating the intake port from the exhaust port, the shape of said trajectory being such as to produce upon rotation of the rotor in the casing expanding and contracting spaces between the casing, rotor and pairs of vanes, the number of vanes and gear-driven slider crank assemblies being six and the tooth ration between each planetary gear means and the sun gear means being 1:2, whereby said trajectory is of oval form, said blocking means being in the form of an auxiliary rotor located on a short axis of said oval form between the intake and exhaust ports which are located on opposite sides of said axis, the auxiliary rotor having a surface operating tangently to the outer surface of the main rotor and being gear-driven therefrom, said auxiliary rotor including slot means adapted to pass margins of the vanes moving with the main rotor.

2. A rotary engine according to claim l, wherein the tooth ratio in the gear drive between the rotors, and the number of slots in the auxiliary rotor, are such that passage of each successive vane margins past the auxiliary rotor is accommodated.

3. A rotary engine according to claim 1, wherein said slot means consists of a pair of opposite slots and the gear drive from the main rotor consists of a gear on the main rotor and a meshed gear on the auxiliary rotor, the tooth ratio of the former to the latter being 3:1.

4. A rotary engine comprising a casing of inside bisymmetrical oval shape, said shape having intersecting long and short axes, a main rotor in the casing symmetrically formed for opposed small spacings with respect to said oval shape on the short axis and for opposed larger spacings on the long axis, an auxiliary rotor carried near one end of the short axis and extending across the adjacent close spacing into tangent relationship with the main rotor, intake and exhaust pockets communicating with the outside of the casing on opposite sides of said auxiliary rotor, sun gear means surrounding the intersection of said axes and attached to the casing, a number of planetary gear means rotatably mounted upon the main rotor and meshing with said sun gear means respectively, a number of substantially radially slidable vanes in the main rotor equal in number to said number of planetary gear means, slider-crank means connecting each planetary gear means with a vane to reciprocate the same for controlled positive motion of its end in an oval trajectory closely paralleling the inside oval shape of the casing, a gear drive connecting the main and auxiliary rotors consisting of a drive gear connected with the main rotor meshed with a driven gear on the auxiliary rotor, said auxiliary rotor being provided with a number of recesses adapted to pass vane ends during their movements past said auxiliary rotor.

5. A rotary engine comprising a casing of inside bisymmetrical oval shape, said shape having intersecting long and short axes, a circular main rotor in the casing closely spaced with respect to said oval shape at two points on the short axis and less closely spaced at two points on the long axis, a circular auxiliary rotor carried by the' casing on said short axis and extending across one of the two close spacings and into tangent relationship to the main rotor, intake and exhaust pockets communicating with the outside of the casing on opposite sides of said auxiliary rotor, sun gear means surrounding the intersection of said axes and attached to the casing, several planetary gear means rotatably mounted upon the main rotor and meshing with said sun gear means, a number of radially slidable vanes in the main rotor equal in number to the number of planetary gear means, slider-crank means connecting each planetary gear means with a vane to reciprocate the same for controlled positive motion of its end in an oval trajectory closely paralleling the oval inside shape of the casing, a gear drive connecting the main and auxiliary rotors consisting of a drive gear on the main rotor meshed with a driven gear on the auxiliary rotor, said auxiliary rotor being provided with a number of recesses adapted to pass vane ends during their movements past said auxiliary rotor.

6. A rotary engine according to claim 5, wherein the number of connected vanes and planetary gear means is six and the tooth ratio between each planetary gear means and the sun gear means is 1:2.

7. A rotary engine according to claim 6, wherein the number of recesses in said auxiliary rotor is two, and wherein the tooth ratio of the drive gear on the main rotor to the driven gear on the auxiliary rotor is 3:1.

8. A rotary engine according to claim 5, including ignition means located in the casing at a part of the oval shape adjacent said short axis.

9. A rotary engine according to claim 5, including ignition means located in the casing at a part of the oval shape adjacent said short axis and on its side corresponding to the side on which the exhaust pocket is located with respect thereto.

10. A rotary engine comprising a casing of bisymmetrical oval interior shape having perpendicular short and long axes, a substantially circular main rotor therein forming therewith two crescent-shaped spaces on opposite sides of the short axis, said crescent shapes joining one another through narrow spaces extending across said short axis, an auxiliary blocking rotor on the short axis in tangent relation with the main rotor and blocking one of said narrow spaces, reciprocating vanes in the main rotor, driving mechanisms for said vanes, planetary gear means adapted to actuate said driving mechanisms upon main rotor rotation to reciprocate the vanes to sweep through said spaces, at least one slot in the auxiliary rotor adapted to pass vane ends during main rotor movements, an intake pocket connecting with one end of one crescent shape adjacent one side of the auxiliary rotor, an exhaust pocket connecting with the adjacent end of the other crescent shape on the other side of the auxiliary rotor, and ring means in the casing connected adjacent to the opposite end of the last-named crescent shape and on that side of the short axis upon which said exhaust pocket is located.

ll. A rotary engine comprising a radially slotted main rotor having axially opposite recesses containing pairs of coaxially aligned gear pins supporting pairs of planetary gears, the latter carrying coaxially aligned drive pins, a slidable vane in each slot having opposite coaxial driven pins, a margin of each vane extending from said rotor, pairs of connecting links articulating said pairs of driving and driven pins, an auxiliary rotor carrying a driven gear and having slot means therein, a drive gear on the main rotor meshed with said driven gear on the auxiliary Y auxiliary rotor margins of vanes which successively pass rotor,` said gears being adapted vto coordinate movements of sun gears aixed to said'rcasing vand meshing with reof the rotors to accommodate in the slot means yof lthe speetive members of said pairs of planetary gears.

said vauxiliary rotor, a casing Vsupporting said auxiliary References Cited m the me O-f 'thls pa ent rotor -and siirrounding said main rotor, said casing -havf5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ing an inside oval shape in Athe plane of movements of 2,302,254 Rhine Nov. 17, 1942 said slidable-vanes, said main rotor and said casing hav- 2,612,879 Hibbard Oct. 7, 1952 ing -closely'tting circular shapes anking the portions of the main rotor in which said Varies reciprocate Aand a pair FOREIGN PATENTS i L i

Claims (1)

1. A ROTARY ENGINE COMPRISING A RADIALLY SLOTTED MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY, SLIDABLE VANES IN THE SLOTS, FIXED SUN GEAR MEANS, PLANETARY GEAR MEANS MOUNTED ON THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY AND MESHING WITH THE FIXED SUN GEAR MEANS, A SLIDER-CRANK MEANS CONNECTING EACH PLANETARY GEAR WITH A VANE TO BE RECIPROCATED THEREBY TO MOVE THE MARGINS OF THE VANES IN A PREDETERMINED TRAJECTORY, A CASING SURROUNDING THE ROTOR AND THE VANES AND HAVING AN INNER SURFACE FORMED ALONG SAID TRAJECTORY, SAID CASING HAVING INTAKE AND EXHAUST PORTS, A BLOCKING MEANS IN THE CASING LOCATED TANGENTLY TO THE ROTOR AND SEPARATING THE INTAKE PORT FROM THE EXHAUST PORT, THE SHAPE OF SAID TRAJECTORY BEING SUCH AS TO PRODUCE UPON ROTATION OF THE ROTOR IN THE CASING EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING SPACES BETWEEN THE CASING, ROTOR AND PAIRS OF VANES, THE NUMBER OF VANES AND GEAR-DRIVEN SLIDER CRANK ASSEMBLIES BEING SIX AND THE TOOTH RATION BETWEEN EACH PLANETARY GEAR MEANS AND THE SUN GEAR MEANS BEING 1:2, WHEREBY SAID TRAJECTORY IS OF OVAL FORM, SAID BLOCKING MEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF AN AUXILIARY ROTOR LOCATED ON A SHORT AXIS OF SAID OVAL FORM BETWEEN THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST PORTS WHICH ARE LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID AXIS, THE AUXILIARY ROTOR HAVING A SURFACE OPERATING TANGENTLY TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE MAIN ROTOR AND BEING GEAR-DRIVEN THEREFROM, SAID AUXILIARY ROTOR INCLUDING SLOT MEANS ADAPTED TO PASS MARGINS OF THE VANES MOVING WITH THE MAIN ROTOR.

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