Rotary engine having combustion controllers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10443489-B2
Application number	US-201615382859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Dec 23, 2015
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A rotary engine including a housing having therein N lobe accommodating portions (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3), and combustion chambers communicating with the lobe accommodating portions, respectively, a rotor having N−1 lobes eccentrically rotating centering on a center of the lobe accommodating portions, and consecutively accommodated in the respective lobe accommodating portions during the eccentric rotation, and combustion controllers provided at both sides of each combustion chamber, and configured to limit a combustion range of mixed gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary engine, comprising:
a housing having formed therein N lobe accommodating portions, where N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3, and combustion chambers in communication with respective ones of the lobe accommodating portions;
a rotor having N−1 lobes that eccentrically centering on a center of the lobe accommodating portion, the N−1 lobes being consecutively accommodated in the respective lobe accommodating portions during the eccentric rotation; and
combustion controllers provided at both sides of each combustion chamber, and configured to limit a region for combustion of mixed gas,
wherein each of the combustion controllers includes
a mounting portion formed within the housing and in communication with the corresponding lobe accommodating portion, and
a control unit disposed in the mounting portion, wherein a portion of the control unit protrudes into the lobe accommodating portion and recedes into the mounting portion, the control unit being brought into contact with the lobe during compression and expansion processes to limit the region for combustion of the mixed gas,
wherein the control unit includes a moving member disposed in the accommodating groove and having the portion of the control unit that protrudes into the lobe accommodating portion and recedes into the accommodating groove through the hole, the moving member being brought into contact with the lobe during the compression and expansion processes to limit the area for combustion of mixed gas, and wherein the moving member further includes:
an air hole formed through the protruding portion; and
a cover disposed on the protruding portion to selectively open and close the air hole according to a pressure difference.

2. The rotary engine of claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion includes
an accommodating groove that defines a space for accommodating the moving member therein, and
a hole that extends between the accommodating groove and the lobe accommodating portion, wherein the portion of the moving member that protrudes into the lobe accommodating portion moves through the hole, the hole having a smaller cross section than the accommodating groove.

3. The rotary engine of claim 2 , wherein the control unit includes
an elastic supporting member supported on the accommodating groove and provided to elastically press the moving member toward the lobe accommodating portion.

4. The rotary engine of claim 3 , wherein the moving member extends in a thickness direction of the rotor.

5. The rotary engine of claim 3 , wherein the moving member includes
a base portion formed in a plate-like shape that abuts against an inner side wall of the accommodating groove when the moving member is fully extended in response to being pressed by the elastic supporting member, and
a protruding portion that protrudes from the base portion, the protruding portion protruding into the lobe accommodating portion and inserted into the accommodating groove through the hole.

6. The rotary engine of claim 5 , wherein the elastic supporting member is interposed between the base portion and an inner side surface of the accommodating groove to elastically support the moving member.

7. The rotary engine of claim 6 , wherein the elastic supporting member is a plate spring formed in a shape that is convex toward the base portion.

8. The rotary engine of claim 1 , wherein the cover is disposed on one surface of the protruding portion, adjacent to the combustion chamber, such that mixed gas present at a side of the control unit opposite the combustion chamber flows toward the combustion chamber during the compression process.

9. The rotary engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
an intake-side housing cover coupled to the housing to cover one side of each of the lobe accommodating portions and connected to an intake manifold through which the mixed gas is introduced; and
an exhaust-side housing cover coupled to the housing to cover another side of each of the lobe accommodating portions and connected to an exhaust manifold through which exhaust gas is discharged,
wherein the mixed gas present at a side of the control unit opposite the combustion chamber flows toward the combustion chamber through a gap between the intake-side housing cover and the moving member and a gap between the exhaust-side housing cover and the moving member during the compression process.

10. The rotary engine of claim 9 , further comprising:
a guide gear fixed to the intake-side housing cover to guide the eccentric rotation of the rotor;
a rotor gear disposed on the rotor and rotatable while internally engaged with the guide gear; and
a crankshaft disposed eccentric from a central portion of the rotor to transfer generated driving force.

11. The rotary engine of claim 1 , wherein an outer shape of the rotor has an epitrochoidal curve that is a curve drawn by an arbitrary point at a position spaced apart from a center of a rolling circle with a radius of r by a distance E while the rolling circle rolls along an outer circumference of a base circle with a radius of R, and
wherein the outer shape of the rotor is determined by the equation:

Ro
⁡

(
α
)

=

[

R
⁡

(
α
)

⁢

sin
⁡

(

θ
⁡

(
α
)

)

R
⁡

(
α
)

⁢
cos
⁢

⁢

(

θ
⁡

(
α
)

)

1

]

θ
⁡

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yu Byeonghun
• Lee Yunhi
• Lee Changeon
• Lee Byeongchul
• Lee Kamgyu

Classifications

• F02B55/08 Primary

  Outer members for co-operation with rotary pistons; Casings · CPC title

• F02B2053/005

  Wankel engines · CPC title

• F04C2250/00

  Geometry · CPC title

• F02B53/04

  Charge admission or combustion-gas discharge · CPC title

• F01C19/025

  Radial sealing elements specially adapted for intermeshing engagement type machines or engines, e.g. gear machines or engines · CPC title