Internal-combustion engines – Rotating cylinder – Parallel to shaft
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-16
2003-03-04
Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3748)
Internal-combustion engines
Rotating cylinder
Parallel to shaft
C123S04400R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06526925
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to rotary fluid transfer devices such as pumps and internal combustion engines, and particularly rotary internal combustion engines. The invention also relates to methods for generating mechanical work from chemical potential energy using such engines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Internal combustion engines have been conceived of in a variety of designs. A well-known and commonly used internal combustion engine design is a reciprocating piston engine. Reciprocating piston engines, however, have several disadvantages. Reciprocating piston engines tend to be large and heavy, and are of complex construction. Reciprocating piston engines typically comprise a large number of moving parts. Accordingly, reciprocating piston engines typically experience relatively rapid wear and have relatively low rates of utilization of the potential energy in the fuel consumed by such engines. The large weight of reciprocating piston engines typically results in a low power-to-weight ratio. In addition, reciprocating piston engines commonly employ designs, which introduce opposing forces on the drive mechanism during engine operation, decreasing net power and efficiency of the engine, and promoting wear on the drive mechanism.
Another known internal combustion engine design is the rotary engine. The rotary engine was originally devised to provide a simplified means for converting energy in fuel into rotary motion as compared to conventional reciprocating piston engines. In addition, the rotary engine was intended to provide a more efficient engine with fewer moving parts. Such an engine would, in theory, be less susceptible to wear than conventional reciprocating piston engines as a result of the reduction in the number of moving parts. Rotary engines have also been developed in an attempt to obtain increased power-to-weight ratios over those of conventional reciprocating piston engines.
Rotary engines to date have been met with limited success, however, because drawbacks in known rotary engine designs have prevented rotary engines from replacing conventional reciprocating piston engines as a preferred engine design. In some rotary engine designs, the relative speed between adjacent moving and stationary parts is such that effective sealing between such moving and stationary parts during engine operation is not reliably achieved over extended periods of use. Such ineffective sealing may result in decreased engine performance and/or efficiency. For example, some rotary engines utilize stationary chambers that are periodically sealed by a rotating rotor. Because the rotor is often rotating at high speed with respect to the stationary chambers during engine operation, effective sealing by the rotor of gases or fluids in the chambers is not reliably accomplished. Such ineffective sealing of the chambers may allow gases or fluids within the chambers to escape thus reducing engine efficiency and/or performance.
Some rotary engines incorporate protuberances extending from an inner rotating rotor which protuberances remain in contact with a stationary outer housing substantially throughout the rotor revolution to thereby define distinct closed chambers between the rotor and the outer housing for gas or fluid compression and expansion. Rotor rotation typically causes the protuberances to move with respect to the outer housing while the protuberances are in intimate contact with the outer housing. The movement of the protuberances with respect to the outer housing causes frictional energy losses in the engine, thus reducing engine efficiency and performance. In addition, respective protuberances may not form continuous seals with the outer housing throughout the entire rotor revolution, thus breaching respective closed chambers between respective protuberances and the outer housing. Such breaches of the closed chambers may allow gases within the breached chambers to escape, thus reducing the amount of working gases within the combustion chamber, and thereby reducing engine efficiency and performance.
A further problem that exists in known rotary engines is dynamic imbalances introduced to the engine through eccentric rotation of the rotor. Such dynamic imbalances can cause excessive wear on engine parts.
The rotary internal combustion engines proposed to date have failed to sufficiently overcome the problems discussed above.
It is therefore desired to have internal combustion engines which address certain limitations of known rotary and reciprocating piston engines. In addition, it is desired to have internal combustion engines which exploit the inherent rotary engine advantages over conventional reciprocating piston engines.
Specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide engines and pumps having increased efficiency over conventional reciprocating piston engines and pumps.
It is a further object of the invention to provide engines having increased power-to-weight ratios over conventional rotary and reciprocating piston engines.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide engines and pumps which effectively trap and seal gases within one or more chambers.
A further object of the invention is to provide engines and pumps which maintain dynamic internal balances.
It is another object of the invention to provide engines and pumps having significantly reduced frictional losses as compared to known rotary engines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is generally directed toward a rotary device for receiving fluid input and generating a fluid discharge therefrom. The rotary device comprises a stationary outer housing, a rotatable cylinder housing, and a rotatable wheel. The stationary outer housing has a circumferential outer wall comprising a first outer surface and a second opposing annular inner surface. The cylinder housing is positioned within the outer housing, and comprises a generally annular outer surface disposed toward and positioned in generally close juxtaposition with at least a portion of the second inner surface of the outer housing. The cylinder housing further includes a central opening therein and a plurality of open cylinders defining passages extending from the central opening generally to the outer surface of the cylinder housing. The cylinder housing further defines a central housing axis of rotation. The rotatable wheel is positioned within the central opening, and defines a wheel axis of rotation displaced from the cylinder housing axis of rotation. At least one inlet aperture receives fluid input into the rotary device and thus into the at least one open cylinder. At least one discharge aperture discharges fluid from the rotary device. A plurality of pistons are connected to the wheel, and extend into respective ones of the open cylinders thereby to define closed fluid processing chambers between the pistons and the inner surface of the outer housing. The rotatable wheel, the pistons, and the rotatable cylinder housing are cooperatively designed and configured to rotate substantially in unison within the stationary outer housing whereby the pistons move in reciprocating paths along longitudinal axes of the cylinders such that sizes of spaces within the cylinders between top sides of the pistons and the tops of the fluid processing chambers alternately increases and decreases, thereby defining variable angles &bgr; of about 10 degrees to about 30 degrees, at heads of the pistons between the longitudinal axis of the respective cylinder and a radian extending from the wheel axis of rotation to the head of the respective piston.
In preferred embodiments, the outer housing includes at least one aperture sized and configured to receive an igniter, the aperture being positioned proximate a compression locus of the rotary device.
In preferred embodiments, the rotary device includes at least one igniter disposed in the respective igniter aperture.
In some embodiments, the outer housing includes at least one aperture for intake of fresh air, at least one aperture for intake of fuel, and at least one aperture for
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