Rotary engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9995209-B2
Application number	US-201514661255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A rotary engine has a circular shaped rotor and stator. The rotor has an expansion chamber for combustion and the stator has thrust director gate that passes through a passageway through the stator face to alternatively ride along the face of the rotor or to ride within the expansion chamber of the rotor. Passageways through the stator and radially close to the thrust director gate allow for air, fuel, and an ignition source to pass through the stator allow for ignition and expansion of the fuel within the expansion chamber. The thrust director allows for thrust to be applied to the rotor to rotate the rotor. An exhaust manifold, also passing through stator, and also radially aligned with the expansion chamber allows exhaust gases from combustion to be released from the expansion chamber as the rotor rotates the expansion chamber adjacent to the exhaust manifold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary engine, comprising:
a circular shaped rotor and a circular shaped stator;
the rotor being engaged to an output shaft for transmitting mechanical energy;
the rotor having an expansion chamber for combustion;
the stator having a thrust director gate passing through a stator face to alternatively ride along a face of the rotor or to ride within the expansion chamber of the rotor;
passageways through the stator face and radially close to the thrust director gate allowing for air, fuel, and an ignition source to pass through the stator allowing for ignition and expansion of combustion gases of the fuel within the expansion chamber;
the thrust director gate allowing for thrust to be applied to the rotor to rotate the rotor; and
an exhaust manifold, also passing through the stator, and also radially aligned with the expansion chamber allowing for exhaust gases from combustion to be released from the expansion chamber as the rotor rotates the expansion chamber adjacent to the exhaust manifold.

2. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:
the expansion chamber is a protrusion from the rotor in an axial direction from the rotor face;
the rotor operates in close proximity to the stator; and
the expansion chamber protrudes from the rotor axially opposite the rotor face that is in close proximity to the stator.

3. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 2 further comprising: a distal end of the thrust director gate being shaped to ride within and closely align with the expansion chamber as the rotor rotates the expansion chamber past the thrust director gate.

4. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 2 in which the expansion chamber being half donut shaped.

5. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising:
an air charge manifold, a fuel injector engaged to a fuel injector line, and a fuel igniter engaged to their respective passageways through the stator face in a similar radial location as the thrust director gate and the expansion chamber;
the thrust director date, air charge manifold, fuel injector, and fuel igniter being engaged such that upon rotor rotation a leading edge of the expansion chamber coming into contact with the thrust director gate first with the thrust director gate being urged into the expansion chamber through a thrust director gate actuator;
upon such rotation of the rotor, the expansion chamber coming into contact with the air charge manifold, fuel injector, and fuel igniter;
the air charge manifold configured such that air from the air charge manifold enters the expansion chamber through a first passageway of the passageways through the stator face;
the fuel injector and fuel injector line configured such that fuel enters the expansion chamber through the fuel injector line and the fuel injector through a second passageway of the passageways through the stator face; and
the fuel igniter being engaged through a third passageway of the passageways through the stator face to allow the fuel igniter to commence ignition of the air and fuel mixture within the expansion chamber.

6. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a surface of the expansion chamber from a leading edge of the expansion chamber to an expansion chamber lower surface being sloped to allow a distal end of the thrust director gate to smoothly transition from the stator face to the expansion chamber lower surface at the beginning of a power stroke of the rotary engine; and
a surface of the expansion chamber from a trailing edge of the expansion chamber to the expansion chamber lower surface being sloped upwards to allow the distal end of the thrust director gate to smoothly transition from the expansion chamber lower surface to the stator face at the end of the power stroke.

7. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the expansion chamber is half donut shaped.

8. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the thrust director gate actuator is a spring.

9. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the thrust director gate actuator is a hydraulic actuator.

10. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the thrust director gate actuator is a solenoid.

11. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the output shaft is engaged to a vehicle transmission.

12. The rotary engine as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the output shaft is engaged to an electrical generator.

13. A rotary engine, comprising:
a circular shaped first rotor and a circular shaped first stator;
the first rotor being engaged to an output shaft for transmitting mechanical energy;
the first rotor having a first expansion chamber for combustion;
the first stator having a first thrust director gate passing through a first stator face to alternatively ride along a face of the first rotor or to ride within the first expansion chamber of the first rotor;
a circular shaped second rotor and a circular shaped second stator;
the second rotor being engaged to the output shaft;
the second rotor having a second expansion chamber for combustion configured such that the second expansion chamber faces the first expansion chamber;
the second stator having a second thrust director gate passing through a second stator face to alternatively ride along a face of the second rotor or to ride within the second expansion chamber of the second rotor;
a first plurality of passageways through the first stator and radially close to the first thrust director gate allowing for air, fuel, and an ignition source to pass through the first stator allowing for ignition and expansion of combustion gases of the fuel within the first expansion chamber;
a second plurality of passageways through the second stator and radially close to the second thrust director gate allowing for air, fuel, and an ignition source to pass through the second stator allowing for ignition and expansion of combustion gases of the fuel within the second expansion chamber;
the first plurality of passageways through the first stator being axially opposed to the second plurality of passageways through the second stator;
the first thrust director gate allowing for thrust to be applied to the first rotor to rotate the first rotor;
the second thrust director gate allowing for thrust to be applied to the second rotor to rotate the second rotor;
a first exhaust manifold passing through the first stator, and radially aligned with the first expansion chamber allowing for exhaust gases from combustion to be released from the first expansion chamber as the first rotor rotates the first expansion chamber adjacent to the first exhaust manifold; and
a second exhaust manifold passing through the second stator, and radially aligned with the second expansion chamber allowing for exhaust gases from combustion to be released from the second expansion chamber as the second rotor rotates the first expansion chamber adjacent to the first exhaust manifold.

14. The rotary engine of claim 13 , wherein: the first expansion chamber and the second expansion chamber define circular segments that are opposingly aligned.

15. The rotary engine of claim 13 , further comprising:
radial fan blades that are engaged to and between the first rotor and the second rotor.

16. The rotary engine of claim 15 , further comprising:
a rotary engine housing encompassing the first rotor, the second rotor, the first stator, and the second stator;
a radial air inlet engaged to the rotary engine housing allowing entry air flow to the rotary engine housing and further allowing air flow in vicini

Assignees

• Int Eng Ip Co Llc

Inventors

• Larson Gerald L

Classifications

• Y02T10/17

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02B53/12

  Ignition · CPC title

• F02B53/10 Primary

  Fuel supply; Introducing fuel to combustion space · CPC title

• F02B53/04

  Charge admission or combustion-gas discharge · CPC title

• F01C1/356

  with vanes reciprocating with respect to the outer member · CPC title