US3224421A - Rotary engines with rotating distributors - Google Patents

Description

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Dec. 21, 1965 PERAS 3,224,421 I ROTARY ENGINES WITH ROTATING DISTRIBUTORS Filed June 22, 1962 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 3,224,421 ROTARY ENGINES WITH ROTATING DISTUTORS Lucien Peras, Billancourt, France, assignor to Regie Nationale des Usines Renault, Billancourt, Seine, France Filed June 22, 1962, Ser. No. 204,522

Claims priority, application France, June 29, 1961,

866,503, Patent 1,301,866; June 30, 1961, 866,686,

Patent 1,301,878

6 Claims. (Cl. 123-8) The present invention relates to a rotary engine with a rotor having an epicycloidal profile with N lobes and a stator having N-I-l lobes.

Engines of this type comprise N +1 working chambers formed by the lobes of the stator; they each possess a combustion chamber which is generally located in the centre of the working chamber.

In this type of engine, the distribution, that is to say the supply of fuel gas and the exhaust of the burnt gases, is effected by valves operated by sets of cams.

The invention contemplates a new arrangement, according to which the distribution is eifected by means of a rotating distributor fixed to the rotor and being provided with appropriate ports.

According to the preferred form of embodiment, the rotor is provided with one or two circular lateral plates extending beyond the periphery of the epicycloid of the rotor and coaxial with the rotor, so that they rotate at the same speed and with the same eccentricity as the rotor with respect to the stator.

Thus, the working chambers are defined by:

(1) The epicycloidal profile of the rotor;

(2) The two lateral plates forming the object of the invention;

(3) The conjugate profile of the stator.

These side plates permit of the synchronized supply to the working chambers of the stator of the fuel mixture produced from one or a number of carburettors or of any injection system, and arriving through lateral conduits located in the casings, and permitting also of the evacuation of the burnt gases by other lateral or radial conduits placed in the casings.

To this end, the side plates are pierced with admission and exhaust ports externally to the profile of the rotor, the said ports forming a communication between the supply conduits or the exhaust conduits with the working chambers or combustion chambers.

When two side plates are provided, the admission ports are placed in one of them and the exhaust ports are located in the opposite side plate, which permits a scavenging action of the gases to be obtained. In the form of construction with a single side plate, the latter comprises simultaneously the admission and exhaust ports.

An important advantage of the present invention resides in that it is then possible to arrange the lateral fiuidtight segments simultaneously in the rotating side plates and in the fixed casings into which the conduits open, and thus obtain a more effective fluid-tightness.

In the first place, it is thus possible to place on the stator a radial segmentation and a lateral segmentation of substantially epicycloidal shape, constituted by one or a number of superposed tracks of arcuate segments supported on the radial segments.

In addition, removable segments can be placed at the periphery of the rotating side plates and a second set of movable segments close to the centre of these side plates.

According to a particular form of construction, the distributor is constituted by a single side plate rotating at the same speed as the rotor, but which instead of being carried eccentrically like the rotor on the crank-shaft, is

mounted axially on a beariig of the crank-shaft, the drive being effected through a mechanical coupling by eccentrics from the rotor.

The invention will now be described in more detail, reference being made by way of example to the forms of embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a rotary engine according to the invention.

FIGURE 1A is an interior view, partially in section, of the front casing;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the front along the line II--II of FIG. 1 with the side plate removed, showing the rotor, the stator and the fixed segments, the working and combustion chambers;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the front rotating plate and showing the admission ports;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the rear rotating plate with its exhaust ports;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the front casing with its radial admission passages;

FIG. 6 is a front view of an alternative form of construction, in which a rotating side plate is provided at the same time with admission ports and exhaust ports;

FIG. 7 is a partial section of a further alternative form, in which the rotating front plate is provided at the same time with admission ports and exhaust ports;

FIG. 8 is a partial section of an alternative form in which the rotating side plates are discs of small thickness, Without cooling and coupled to the rotor;

FIGS. 9 to 14 represent diagrammatically different relative positions of the rotor and the stator during operation;

FIG. 15 is a new form of construction of the side plates;

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal section of the rotary engine according to the invention;

FIG. 17 is a cross-section along the line II-II, showing the rotor, the stator, the drive of the rotating distributor, and on which has been shown the shape of the supply and exhaust ports together with their peripheral position with respect to the rotor and their relative positions;

FIGS. 18 to 27 show various relative positions of the rotor, stator and distributor during a cycle of operation.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown at 1 the rotor, at 2 the central annular portion of the stator, at 3 and 4 the lateral casings of the stator, at 5 and 6 the rotating side plates rigidly fixed to the rotor, and at 7 a front casing. Plates 5 and 6' are attached to side plates 5 and 6 and are wear plates. The plates 6' and 5' could also be temperature compensation plates if desired.

The rotor 1 has an epicycloidal profile and rotates eccentrically in the stator 2, in which are formed work chambers such as 8. These chambers each comprise a combustion chamber 9 extending over the whole width of the stator. A sparking plug housed in a central hollowed out portion of the stator is mounted in the centre of each combustion chamber. This arrangement facilitates the thermal symmetry of the rotor and the stator. The two rotating side plates 5 and 6 are fixed to the rotor by any appropriate means and rotate eccentrically in the circular cavities 10 and 11 formed in the stator, which cavities extend peripherally beyond the work chambers such as 8.

The rotor 1 in two portions (the hub 12 and the body 13) is mounted by a bearing bush 14 on the eccentric part 15 of the crank-shaft 16, which has two bearing surfaces 17 and 18 rotating in journal bearings 19 and 20 housed in the casings 3 and 7.

At each extremity of the crank-shaft are mounted on the one hand a fiy -wheel 21 carrying an eccentric weight 2, and on the other hand the front casing 7 which constitutes a mixer 23 carrying radial conduits 24 and an eccentric weight 25 housed between two conduits 24. A pinion 26 and a ring 27 drive the auxiliary members of the engine.

An admission conduit 28 and a circular volute 29 permit of access to the radial tubes 24. Exhaust conduits 30 formed in the casing 3 lead to the collector (not shown). The fixed casings are cooled by water circulating in cavities such as 31, 32 etc.

The rotor is cooled by oil circulation arriving at A, passing out at B, and following the circuit C in chain-dotted lines. The oil circulates in cavities 33 of the rotor and passes into the rotating end-plates and 6, which have cavities such as 34-and 35.

Fluid tightness to gas and water is effected by means of the fixed radial segments such as 36; the fixed lateral segments such as 37 and 38, and by the rotating segments such as 39 and 40.

The admission ports 41 and 42, formed in the rotating plate 6 are adapted to deliver into the work chambers such as 8 at one extremity 43, and re-close the admission by the other extremity 44.

The shape of these ports is not symmetrical, and the section of the port increases from the beginning of the admission and then re-closes abruptly so as to facilitate a good filling intake through large sections of passage (see FIG. 3).

The exhaust ports 45 and 46 formed in the rotating plate 5 have on the other hand a section which increases rapidly and then decreases slowly, starting from the beginning of the exhaust period to the end (see FIG. 4).

Through the casing 4, the rotating admission conduits 24 communicate with the ports 41 and 42' by means of circular openings 47 which are extended as far as possible, leaving between them only the arms 48 which can be given a wing profile so as to improve the circulation of the gases (see FIG. 5)

In the'alternative' formshown in FIG. 8', the end- plates 49 and 50 are of small thickness and are not provided with cooling cavities. These plates are fixed to the rotor 1 by any appropriate means. They are provided with admission and exhaust ports such as those previously described, 41, 42, 45, 46. Two fixed lines of'segments on each side of the end-plates provide the necessary fiuid tightness.

These lines such as 51, 52, 53' and 54 are arranged following'a circular are as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 6, the admission and exhaust ports may be carried by the same end-plate.

In the alternative form shown in FIG. 7, the front plate 55 carries lateral admission ports 56 and radial exhaust ports 57. The end-plate is cooled with oil by the cavities 58 which communicate with those of the rotor 1.

The opposite end-plate 59 is of small thickness and is not provided with admission or exhaust ports, and serves only for fluid-tightsealing by means of the lines of segments such as those of FIG. 8.

FIGS. 9 to 14 describe the distribution of the gases in oneof the work chambers during a power cycle by means of admission and exhaust ports; these ports are provided either in the two end-plates, in which case the two plates are set one with respect to the other and with respect to the summit of a lobe of the rotor, or, in the other alternative arrangement, the ports are grouped in pairs on the same end-plate and the setting of the ports is the same'as in the preceding arrangement.

In order to simplify the explanation, it has been assumed that the ports are on the same end-plate.

FIG. 9 corresponds to the top dead-centre at the beginning of admission, with a slight scavenging action on the burnt gases by communication of the two ports across the combustion chamber.

FIG. corresponds-to full admission. The admission ports, by their conjoint movement of circumferential and radial rotation due to the eccentricity of the end-plate, come in front of the work chamber so as to permit the introduction of fresh gases through a large opening.

FIG. 11 corresponds to the end of admission and to the beginning of compression.

FIG. 12 corresponds to the end of compression, the lobe of the rotor completely fills the work chamber, except for the combustion chamber, and ignition takes place.

FIG. 13 corresponds to the beginning of the exhaust period.

FIG. 14 corresponds to full exhaust.

It can be seen that there are (N-l-l) complete cycles for a set of two conjugate admission and exhaust ports, corresponding to N +1 work chambers, and thus 2(N +1) cycles for one revolution of the rotor when there are two sets of ports.

In the example considered, the stator has five work chambers and the rotor has four lobes. In consequence, the number of cycles per revolution of the rotor is 10 and the number of cycles per revolution of the crankshaft is 10/4 or 5/2, due to the fact that the crank-shaft rotates at four times the speed of the rotor. This corresponds to the distribution of a conventional engine with five cylinders.

FIG. 15 shows a further form of construction of the lateral plates 6a which are shaped so as to have an external profile conjugate with that of the epicycloid of the rotor, in order that the housing of the casings in which these end-plates move may follow the external profiles of the plates, which makes it possible to reduce the external dimensions of the casings and eventually permits of the addition of a radial packing seal on the periphery of the end-plates.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, there is seen at 61 a rotor having an axis 0, at 62 a stator, at 63 and 64 two lateral casings, at 65' the rotating distributor, at 66 the crank-shaft with an axis 0 carrying an eccentric 67 on which rotates the rotor 61, the latter having for that purpose a bearing bush 68 mounted in the driving pinion 69. The stator has N +1 combustion chambers 70 located in the centre of the work chambers 71 of variable volume, de-liniited between the conjugate contours 71 of the stator and the epicycloid 72 of the rotor. One spark plug 73 per chamber 70 is mounted in the centre of this latter and is housed .in a hollowed out portion of the stator. The rotating distributor 65 has two admission ports 74 and 75 and two exhaust ports 76 and 77. The admission ports communicate with a circular collector 78 which receives the carburetted gases from one or a number of carburettors 79 connected by a conduit 80 to the collector 78. The exhaust ports communicate with a circular exhaust collector 81.

The crank-shaft 67 is carried by bearings 82 and 83. On one extremity of the crank-shaft is mounted a flywheel 84 which can carry eccentric weights or balancing holes 85.

At the other extremity is mounted a rotating balancing member 86 also carrying eccentric weights 87 and balancing holes 88', together with a drive for the auxiliary parts of the engine by the pinions 89 and 89 and a dynamo pulley 90.

The casings are cooled by water circulation 91 and the rotor by oil circulation 92-. The rotating distributor 65 is itself also cooled by oil circulation from the channels of the crank-shaft 93 through the bearing 83.

According to the invention, the distributor 65 which is mounted coaxially on a bearing surface of the crank-shaft 66 is driven by a double eccentric 94, constituted by a disc 95 and two wrist- pins 96 and 97, the latter being placed in the centre of the disc 95. The disc 95 and the wristpin 97 are housed in the distributor 65, and the wrist-pin 96 is housed in the rotor 61. r

In FIG, 17, the centre of the disc 95 has been marked as A and the centre of the housing of the wrist-pin 96 as A.

It can be seen that 00 AA form a parallelogram which is deformable during the respective rotation of the rotor 61 and the distributor 65, and that 00 remains parallel to AA which permits the distributor to rotate at the same speed as the rotor, with a maximum relative radial displacement equal to twice the distance between centres O0 Three eccentrics have been provided located at 120 so as to produce a continuous drive of the distributor by the rotor.

Tightness against gas and oil is ensured by the fixed radial segments 98 and by a chain of fixed segments 99 arranged on a circular arc 99 associated with the segment 98.

On the other hand, the distributor 65 carries two rotating circular segments 100 and 101, and the front casing 64 carries a fixed circular segment 102.

FIGS. 18 to 27 show different positions of the rotor, the stator and the distributor for a complete cycle and one work chamber 71.

FIG. 18 relates to the beginning of the admission period, an admission port admits the fresh gases into the chamber 71.

The external shape of this port corresponds with the top of the combustion chamber 70, while the internal shape with a double curvature is determined in order to follow the external contour of the fixed Work chamber 71, so as to permit rapid inlet of the gases.

FIG. 19 represents the admission time.

FIG. 20 represents the end of admission in the chamber 71.

FIG. 21 represents the beginning of compression.

FIG. 22 shows the end of the compression period.

FIG. 23 illustrates the position at the instant of the explosion in the chamber 71. The spark plug of this cylinder produces the spark in the combustion chamber.

FIG. 24 shows the position of the gas expansion.

FIG. 25 shows the position at the beginning of exhaust. The port 77 moves over the contour of the work chamber 71 by its internal contour.

FIG. 26 represents the position of exhaust.

FIG. 27 shows the position at the end of the exhaust period.

The complete cycle is effected for one half revolution of the rotor; as there are (N +1) chambers, there are thus N +1 cycles per half revolution of the rotor, and 2(N +1) cycles per revolution of the rotor.

In the example considered, there are five chambers; there are thus ten cycles per revolution of the rotor and of the end-plate. As the crank-shaft rotates at four times the speed of the rotor, there are /4 or 2.5 cycles per revolution of the crank-shaft, which corresponds to five cycles for two revolutions of a conventional engine with five cylinders. The order of firing is 1, 3, 5, 2, 4, the work chambers being numbered in the direction of rotation of the crank-shaft.

I claim:

1. In a rotary engine comprising a stator having a peripheral wall with N +1 lobes disposed about an axis, and easing on the axial sides of said peripheral wall, said stator forming a working chamber, an epicycloidal rotor with N lobes, a shaft rotatably mounted in said casing along said stator axis, an eccentric fixed to said shaft and carrying said rotor for rotation relative to said shaft and said eccentric, combustion chambers at the radially outermost portion of each of said stator lobes, a mounting means, a distributor means consisting of not more than one side-plate fixedly mounted on at least one of the lateral faces of said rotor and rotating with the latter at the same speed, individual conduits to each of said combustion chambers located in the casings for, respectively, the admission into said chambers of combustible gases and the removal from said chambers of exhaust gases, said distributor means being arranged intermediate said conduits and their respective combustion chambers and provided with ports passing in front of said combustion chambers and cyclically connecting the latter with the appropriate conduit.

2. A rotary engine in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the rotor comprises a side-plate on each of its sides, one of the said side-plates being provided with ports co-operating with the supply conduits, the other said side-plate co-operating with the exhaust conduits.

3. A rotary engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein the stator is provided with radial fluid-tightness segments and with lateral sealing segments arranged in circular arcs around the lobes of the stator and supported by the radial segments, the fixed or moving lateral segments being also provided at the internal and external peripheries of the side-plates.

4. A rotary engine in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that a mixer for the supply gases is provided in front of one of the said casings, the mixer comprising an admission conduit and a circular volute.

5. A rotary engine according to claim 4, in which said side plates are secured to the lateral faces of said rotor with one of said side plates being positioned between said rotor and said mixer.

6. A rotary engine according to claim 4, wherein said ports for the admission of the combustible have sections increasing slowly in the direction of rotation of said rotor and decreasing rapidly, their outer rims having substantially the same curvature as the lobes of said stator and coming substantially in correspondence with the contour of said lobes when they permit full admission of combustible in said chambers, and wherein said ports for the removal of the exhausts have sections increasing rapidly in the direction of rotation of said rotor and decreasing slowly, their outer rims having substantially the same curvature as the lobes of said stator and coming substantially in correspondence with the contour of said lobes when they permit full removal of the exhausts from said chambers, the corresponding ports for the admission in and the subsequent removal from a same chamber being laterally so positioned one with respect to another that the admission of combustible in said chamber begins slightly before the end of the removal of the exhausts whereby a slight scavening of the exhausts from said chamber is obtained.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,459,637 6/1923 Poyet 103130 2,138,490 11/1938 Haller 123-8 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,559 1908 Great Britain. 496,342 11/1938 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Wanket et al.: Bauart und gegenwartiger Entwicklungsstand einer Trochoiden-Rotationskolbenmaschine In. MTZ 21(2), pp. 3345, February 1960, TJ751M6.

SAMUEL LEVINE, Primary Examiner.

LAURENCE V. EFNER, KARL I. ALBRECHT,

Examiners.

Claims (1)

1. IN A ROTARY ENGINE COMPRISING A STATOR HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL WITH N+1 LOBES DISPOSED ABOUT AN AXIS, AND CASING ON THE AXIAL SIDES OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID STATOR FORMING A WORKING CHAMBER, AN EPICYCLOIDAL ROTOR WITH N LOBES, A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CASING ALONG SAID STATOR AXIS, AN ECCENTRIC FIXED TO SAID SHAFT AND CARRYING SAID ROTOR FOR ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID SHAFT AND SAID ECCENTRIC, COMBUSTION CHAMBERS AT THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST PORTION OF EACH OF SAID STATOR LOBES, A MOUNTING MEANS, A DISTRIBUTOR MEANS CONSISTING OF NOT MORE THAN ONE SIDE-PLATE FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON AT LEAST ONE OF THE LATERAL FACES OF SAID ROTOR AND ROTATING WITH THE LATTER AT

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