Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
This invention relates generally to internal cambustion engines and relates
specifically to a rotary
internal combustion engine having a four degrees of t~eddom rotor, confined
into a calculated
internal housing contour watt. As a perfectly balance rotary engine without
crankshali, this
invention is a true rotary engine, by opposition to rotary piston engine. This
rotary engine also
50 relates to compressors, and pressure or vacuum pumps.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART:
Many rotary engine concepts have been proposed including in pressure energy
converter mode,
rotary engine or compressor as in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,068,985. 3,996,899: a
rotary disk engine as
in U.S. Patent No. 5,404,850; a rotary planetary motion engine as in U.S.
Patent No. 5,399.1)78; a
rotary detonation engine as in U.S. Patent No. 4,741.154; a rotary combustion
engine as in UE
Patent No. 2,448.828, U.S. Patent Nos. 3.933.131. 4,548.171. 5,036.809; the
Wankel type engine
as in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,228.183, 4,308,002, 5,305.721. and a continuous
combustion engine as in
60 U.S. Patent No. 3,99ti,899. Most rotary engines, and particularly the
Wankel and those deu;ribed
in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,442,257, 3,6 i 4.277, 4,144,866. 4,434.?57. UE Patent
No. 3,027,208 are
based on the principle of volume variation between a curve and a moving cord
of fixed len~,nh as
a sliding single piston-object. This invention does rwt use this principle,
since the housing cnntour
wall has four zones of ma.~cimum curvature, and the maximum volume as well as
the compressed
volume, are both located in a minimum curvature area.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE IIYVENT10N:
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The object of this invention is to provide a new engine concept making use of
a tbur degrees of
70 freedom rotor, confined inside an internal housing contour wall,
constituting an hybrid piston-
turbine engine where the rotor acts alternatively and srnularly as a
compressor turbine and a
power turbine, unifying in one, both of the turbines in a cunventiunal gas
turbine engine.
An other object of this invention is to provide a low noise, perfectly
balanced, -rero vibration, low
rpm engine, making use of a more efficient and less N(), productive
asynnnetric pressure cycle,
giving less time to compression and exhaust stroke, and allowing more time and
volume to the
intake and combustion stroke.
A further object of this invention is to provide a fast accelerating, oero
dead time engine, and to
80 provide an engine almost universal in relation to enemy sources. which can
run efficiently on
pneumatic, steam, hydraulic, liquid and gas fuel internal combustion, and due
to its short pressure
peak and cold intake area characteristics, is as well suitable for photo-
detonation mode an<I pure
hydrogen fuel combustion.
An other further object of this invention is to provide a high weight and
volume density engine,
compressor or pump, without need of any valve, check valve ur obstruction, and
with neither a
crankshaft or a flywheel.
In order to achieve those objects, the present invention uses a four degrees
of freedom rotor X, Y,
90 8, ~, confined into a calculated internal housing contour wall, which dues
not require any ventral
power shaft ur support for most applications. This concept has an optimum
efficiency lihv the
piston, because the maximum expansion volume at the end of each stroke is
exactly equal to the
volume generated by the movement c>fthe tangential surtace cf push over a
rotation.
The rotor is composed of four inter-linked pivoting blades, the end pivots of
which are supported
by a set of tour carriages, free to rock un those same end pivots. The
assembly of the four blades
and four carriages forms the rotor which is confined ~ ithin the internal
housing contour wall.
Two plane side covers close the engine end. Intake, sparkplug and exhaust
ports are made either
radial in the housing, or axial in the side covers, or both.
100
Sealing with the side covers is effected by a system of linear and pellet type
seals in contact with
the plane side covers. and a spring loaded housing contour seal (apex) sitting
on each carriage
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located in-between its set of carriage wheels, and always perpendicular to the
housing contour
wall. The chamber is defined by two successive contour seals, and extend
between the housing
contour wall, and the related pivoting blade.
Rotation of the rotor brings successively the pivoting hlades farther and
closer of the housing
contour wall, thus producing the compression needed by the wgme. with
possibility of very high
compression ratio. Since there are four pivoting blades simultaneously
involved in the four
t l0 strokes cycle, this engine fires tour times every revolution, with ao
dead time. 'fhe central wgine
area is empty, but can have a central power shatt, linked to the four pivoting
blades, or hold other
devices such as an electric generator. a jet blades, a blown or a pump.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
A more complete appreciation of the invention will be readily apparent when
considered in
reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a rotary intental combustion engine
according to the
120 present invention (seals not shown);
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal blow up sectional view for two ditfierent rotor angle
positions, show ing a
square blades rotation arrangement nn the left., and a lozenge arrangement on
the right.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
Referring to FIG. I, an exemplary rotary internal combustion engine according
to the present
invention is shown and is designated generally by reference numeral 10. The
rotary engine 10
includes a housing 1 I with a particular internal housing contour wall 12 and
two lateral plane
13U covers, containing a rotor composed of tour pivoting hlades I , and four
rocking carriages I 7 and
carriage wheel 18. Each pivoting blade 13 has a tiller tip 14 and a traction
slot I5, and their two
ends pivots 16 sit nn their respective rocking carriages I %.
The basic geometry of the rotor is ~hown oo the FICi. 3 blow up, for two
different rotor angle
positions. The rotor is composed of four (one more blade 13 is shown due to
blow up) pivoting
blades 13 playing a similar ri~lc as the pistons or turbine blades, Mme end of
each pivoting blade
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having a female end pivot 16 and the other end a male end pivot 16. Each end
pivot 16 sits into
one of the four rocking carriages 17 (one more carriage 17 is shown due to
blow up). Each
carriage 17 is free to rotate around the same end pivot l6 in such a way as to
be continuously and
140 precisely in contact with the housing contour wall 1?. Each rocking
carriage 17 carries a Ituusing
contour seal of one of different deign 24, '_~. 26 midway between the carriage
wheel awe, 19.
The chamber is defined by two successive contour seal, 24 or 25 or 26, and
extends between the
housing contour wall 12, and the related pivoting blade l3. 'There are four
variable volume
chambers forming two quasi-independent consecutive circuits, each producing a
compression and
an expansion stroke, which start and end simultaneously. In the tour strokes
engine operation. the
first circuit is used to compress and to expand after cumbusnon, the next
circuit is used t« expel
the exhaust and to intake the air.
A central power shaft 32 is not needed for the engine to operate. However a
central power shaft
150 32 can be driven through a set of mechanical coupling ann5 s3 as shown in
Fl(~. 2, attached to the
blades l3 by means of the traction slots I 5 and through a set of braces 34,
the ends of which are
linked to the central power shaft. Those bra4es 34 are also useful to remove
the RPM harmonic
modulation on the power shaft. Notice from FIGS. I and 2 that the central
power shaft ,_' with
braces 33, 34 is a sliding plug-in unit. easily removed through the back cover
central hole 23
without dismantling the engine. In some applications, a central hearing
attachment not shmvn is
used to diminish the load pressure on the carriages l7 and against the
opposite housing cantuur
wall 12. When a central bearing is used. carriage wheels 18 pan be replaced by
rubbing pads wince
their rote is then only to maintain thv ::arriages 17 properly aligned for
adequate contour wal 24,
25, 26 angle. No tensioning device h<is been proven necessary ti> keep all
carriages 17 in good
160 contact with the housing contour wall 12.
The assembly of carriage 1? and carriage wheels 18 must be voluminous but not
necessarily
heavy, in order to fill a substantial volume iu the chamber. Pivoting blades
13 are shaped w ith a
filler tip 14 to allow the control o1' the residual vulunte in the upper and
lower chamhers at
maximum pressure square cunfcguration, as seen on FIG. 1. and 2 left. The top
of the filler tip 14
must be shorten such to permit an adequate compression ratio. and to insure
that only a fraction of
the gas is in the tiny interstices at the time of fire. Because the pressure
pulse at top dead ceirter is
much shorter than in piston engine. the share of the combustion chamber is
much less critical.
Carriage wheels 18 should be wide to reduce contact pressure mth the housing
contour wall 12.
t70 To distribute wear, the t1'Ont and back carriage wheels 18 of the same
carriage 17 are positioned
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off line with overlapping paths. For smoother operation, roller bearings are
inserted in the blade's
13 female end pivot 16, to link friction free the cylindrical end of each
pivoting blade 1.i to the
carriage 17 end pivot surface.
A lateral seal for the low pressure applications is used on each side cover
21,22, and is made of a
compression ring along the end pivot 16 path 20. 'This yuasi-elliptical seal
is made of a slight
deformation of a flexible metal sheet jacket (not showni. For high-pressure
application, standard
gate like linear seals 28 in the rotor blades I., are provided. .1t erld pmots
16, the lateral sealing is
assumed by a set of arc blade pellets 29, circular blade pellets 30, and
carriage grooved pellets 31,
180 all pressing against the side covers 2l, 22. Z'he larbc blade pellet 30
gains to have a hole (not
shown) in the center to prevent pressure push back.
Spring loaded housing contour seals 24, 25, 26 of different possible designs
are incorporated in a
groove in the carriages 17 between the axes 19 of the two carriage wheels 18
to insulate the
chambers. Each housing contour seal 24, 25 26 sits on a rocking carriage 17 in
such a manner as
to be always perpendicular to the engine housing contour wall 12. For
intermediary pressure
applications, a sliding gate type seal 24 is used. A butterfly type seal 25
suitable for low to
moderate pressure applications is made of a stack of flat springa, which has
the advantage of a
minimal course during the rotation, but rnay be subject to e~ceasive t~iction
at high pressure. An
190 advanced split contour seal 26 design suitable for very demanding
applications uses a ,loped
groove in the carriage 17, and the internal chamber pres,ure to help
maintaining itself in place at
all time. This split contour seal design 26 uses the flat springy 27 anchored
in the carriage wheel
17 area 18 also to oppose the tangential force. 'The split contour seal 26
contact point with the
housing contour wall 12 is off the carriage 17 groove sloped plane for a
positive pressure
contribution.
For counter-clockwise rotation as a li>ur strokes combustion engine, the four
chambers are used in
a sole circuit and the cycle is: intake, compression, expansion, and exhaust.
The left upper axial
38 or radial 37 ports is fitted with a spark plug. 'The top right port 39 is
closed with a removable
200 plug 40. Ports 41, 42 are intakes from a conventional carburetor or must
be fitted with a ~~as or
diesel injector. Exhaust is expelled at ports :f3, ~t4. In order to pass along
the flame and make a
continuous combustion engine. a small channel 36, Icx:.ated along the internal
housing contour
wall 12 next to the spark plug 3i at port 37, allows a voluntary flow back of
hot gas into th~~ next
ready-to-fire combustion chamber when each of the contour seals 24, 25. 26
passes over 36. The
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amount of flow in the channel 36 can be controlled by screwing or unscrewing
the spark plug 35.
Depending of its size, this channel 36 may or may not be call an ignition
transfer cavity ,6. and
permits continuous combustion like in a turbine ~:n~tine and in the same time
generates a
dynamically enhanced compression ratio in the almost ready-to-fire combustion
chamber,
allowing for a more complete and faster combustion. Furthermore, the four
housing contour seals
210 24, 25, 26 are at variable distances during rotation, such as to permit an
additional geometric
volume pressure enhancement. The additional compression may lead to desirable
or not photo
detonation (kicking) and diesel pressure leval when a diesel injector is
located at spark pug 35
positions 37 and/or 38. In the ports 38 of the side cover '_ l, 22, the spark
plug lays witlin the
ignition transfer cavity 36 which is made large enough to withhold a small
quantity of hot gas
until the next ready to fire mixture comes up, which does allow for continuous
combustion but
without the dynamically enhanced compression ratio. Alternative ports 38, 42,
44 on lateral the
side cover 21. 22 other better air-tight conditions while crossing in front of
the ports due to the
large carriage 17 lateral surface. An ignition-timing advame can be built-in
by slightly shifting
the effective position of the spark plug 35 and/or the channel location 36. By
blowing high-
220 pressurized air into the port 37, 38 holding the spark plug or into the
ignition transfer cavity 36,
the rotor accelerates until the self starting point is reached. No
synchronization of the sparks is
required, and continuous high-frequency sparks or glow plug. do 'The exhaust
in the side ewers
21, 22 is progressive through a long arc port 44 which could all«w. by flowing
early exhaust
through a standard Venturi, to produce a depression helping the late exhaust
cleanup. This rotary
engine 10 can also run as rivo parallel two strokes engine circuits,
compression - expansion and
compression - expansion, by blowing the exhaust with an intake mixture
available from an
external blower as in the conventional multi pistons two atrok~s engines.
As an additional feature, this rotary engine 1U requires few parts compared to
a piston engine.
230 Due to the continuous combustion and to its self=synchroni~xd capability,
this engine 10 is
suitable for applications where high reliability is required. Avarage angular
rotation speed ui'cach
end pivot 16 (back and forth) of the pivoting blade I 3 is about one third of
the central power shaft
32 RPM, while carriage wheels l8 rotate at 6 times the central power shaft 32
RPM. This engine
central power shaft 32 rotates at only a fraction of the maximum RPM of a
piston engine
except in detonation mode, with an idle under 200 RPM Having a much better
torque continuity
than the piston engine, this engine Ill does require less flywheel efte;ct and
less gearbox ratio for
most applications.
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To help cooling and reduce lubrication, at least one of the lateral side
covers 21, 22 has n large
240 central hole 23 exposing the pivoting bladea 13 central area of the rotor
such that all part, of the
engine 10 are external, except for the carriage i7 and carriage wheels 18
which are alv~ays in
good thermal contact with the housing contour wall l?. A simple way to
lubricate is tv use a
mixture of fuel and oil even in the tour strokes engine mode, bur more
sophisticated applications
could incorporate pressurized oil distribution system,. Since the seats are
the only Friction
surfaces, the need of lubrication is minimized by an optimal choice of anti-
friction material,.
Movement of the carriage wheels I tc on the inner housing contour wall 12
allows for heat transfer
and distribution to the whole housing 1 I. The pivoting blades 13 are cooled
by lateral contact,
and by ventilating wings (not shown) located toward the central engine area.
Since this engine 10
250 does not have any oil pan or inactive room, it is suitable tbr operation
in all orientations, <tnd in
submerged or hostile environments. t urthermore, due m the continuous
combustion, this rngine
can be used under water as a salt contained pump ur qt prupul5ion unit, ur in
electrically
conductive environments.
In addition to the internal combustion engine, this engine 1 U cart be used as
a compressed fluid
pneumatic, steam. or hydraulic energy converter mode motor. l he engine 10
then uses the two
quasi independent symmetrical chamber circuits in parallel, with all port
plugs 44 removed. For
counter-clockwise rotation, intakes are housing ports 37. 41 and exits an;
ports 39, 43. Turyue is
generated symmetrically in the two opposed expansion chambers and adds up, and
the rotor is
260 almost self=starting. Except when ports are in the sides covers 21, 22,
the direction of rotation can
be reversed by reversing the direction of the tlow. When used as a tluw meter,
the rotary engine
10 also works in both directions. Mechanically driven, this fluid energy
converter mode rumor 10
becomes a compressor, ur a pressure ur vacuum pump, with the same two quasi-
independent
circuits working their own cycle. In compressor mode, this rotary engine I U
builds up pressure by
adding four chamber volumes per revolution and per chamber circuit, without
making use of a
limiting check valve, providing that some temporary back flow is acceptable.
Total pumped
volume can reach up to ?0% of the housing contour wall l? volume per rotation.
The housing I l,
the pivoting blades 13, and the carriages 17 can be made of metal, glass,
ceramic or plastic. the
later mostly tbr compressor, pump or water hydraulic engine applications.
3 i ()
Calculation of the SAINT-HILAIRE's (from the name of the physicist who made
the calculation)
housing contour wall 12 family of curves is quite complex. 1 o achieve the
desired characteristics
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and to distribute stress and constraints on the housing 1 I. a proper
selection of distances between
carriage wheel axes l9 (Distw), wheel diameter 18 (Dw) and carriage 17 height
(H) must be made.
At first it is not obvious that such a housing contour wall 12 exists,
particularly a monotone one
without lobes, but it does in practice within an interesting range of the
deformation parameters (P)
defined as the ratio of the minimum lozenge diagonal (L.U""") to the maximum
(LD"~"). ,1s the
rotor rotates, pivoting blades 13 align in a square contiguratiean as in F1G.
l and in tire left
arrangement of FIG. 2. with the upper and lower chamber at top dead center. At
that moment. the
280 t<vo upper and lower carriages 17 tend to align themselves almost
horiwntally. The carria=es 17
angle (:G,~) with the horizon in the square configuration, determines whether
or not the rotor will
need a central bearing support to stabilize lateral motion. 'Cu avoid the
central support, we have
selected for the housing contour wall 12 shown in FiG. I and 2. a deformation
parameter tP) of
0.800, which leads to an angle U,y of 28.00 degrees. hoc the current case
(P=.800), lozenge corner
angle varies from 90.000 +/- 12.680 degrees.
A numerical spreadsheet application has been developed to calculate the
housing contour wall 72
family of curves. The method constrains the symmetry of the housing contour
wall I? only
through the center and first calculates the mathematical profile (nut a
contour at this stage) of the
290 centers of the carriage wheels i9. Calculations start with an approximate
mathematical pr~scile of
the carriage wheel centers 19 and calculate the profile ?U of the carriage
pivots I6, which is
imaged through the lozenge transformation into a mathematical quality control
profile 20 of the
pivots 16 about 90 degrees out of phase. Profile of the carriage wheel centers
19 aru then
modified by Monte C arlo random perturbations method or convergent algorithm,
until there two
calculated protile 20 of the carriage pivots 16 and the mathematival profile
20 of quality control
pivots l6 become identical and in coincidence, Close analytic mathematical
match of the profile
of the carriage wheel centers 19 "~,Y" has been found to he of the following
form, with three
adjustable parameters (A, B, C):
30o X~W=A.(H+LDm"xl2).
( I -C.ABS(cos(Z))).cus(Z);
Polar: Angle = arctan ( Y~." 1 X~" )
Y~.~=B.(H+LD,~;"I2).sin(Z);
Radius = Sqrt (X~", ' + Y~" ' )
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Where Z is a generating angle, not the actual angle of the prof ile of the
carriage wheel cenmrs 19
position. Error using this formula does not exceed 0.4°~0: a second
order correction reducea this
error by almost ten folds. Exact mathematical protite~ do not exist except for
some particular
310 parameters selection. The length of the pivoting blade (1_, for lozenge
side) is measured tram the
center of the male end pivot I6 at one extremity to the center of the female
end pivot 16 at the
other. The following sets of parameter values, normalised to the pivoting
blade 13 length ((.,),
generate acceptable final profile of the carriage wheel centers 19.
Corresponding parameters
values are given below for 3 values of the deformation P
Lozenge deformation parameter
P = (LDmi. ~ LD".~J
0.800 0.75(i 0.700
3?0 Lozenge side (L=) end pivot to pivot:
I .000 I .000 I .000
Distance between carriage wheels (Dist"):
O.liU7 0.578 0.551
Carriage wheel diameter (Dw):
0.303 0.289 0.276
Height of the carriage (H):
;;0 0. I 52 0,14=1 U. I 38
Square carriage angle (GS~~):
28.00 22.62 16.72
Lozenge corners angle: 90 degrees +~-
12.68 16.26 2U.U1
Larger final profile diameter:
2.258 ?.24~ 2.231
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Smaller final profile diameter:
I .901 1.809 I .720
Constant A:
1.048 1.036 1.022
Constant B:
1.029 I .02 l I .U ! ~
350 Constant C:
0.422 0.~8b t).778
For P < 0.7b0, the profile 19 of the carriage wheel centers and of the housing
contour wall 12
start to show lobes. 'Chose solutions are also mathematically acceptable, but
do generate higher
stress on the rotor. Housing contours wall l2 have also been calculated for
two interesting limit
cases:
a) Instead of a carriage 17, only one carriage wheel, centered at the end
pivots 16 of the pivoting
blades 13 (distance between carriage wheel axes Dist" = 0. and carriage height
H = 0); and
b) No carriage wheel at all, meaning that the end pivot 16 of the pivoting
blade 13 are rubbing on
360 the housing contour wall 12 (additional constraint of carnage wheel
diameter Dw= 0).
These configurations require in practice a central bearing support.
Final housing contour wall f 2 is the profile of the carriage wheel centers 19
enlarged by a carriage
wheel radius (D" / 2) all around, plus the thickness of any replaceable sleeve
if used. The
selection of an optimum housing contour wall 12 is done li>r a high radius
angular variation rate
near top dead center, and such as the tinal expansion volume is near the
volume generated by the
movement of the variable tangential surface of push. Those carriage wheel
center l9
mathematical profiles and housing contour walls 12 generally look like a
rounded Turner
parallelepiped with tour zones of maximum curvature, or two lohes with six
cones of maximum
370 curvature at higher eccentricity, and contrary to vane devices Ilese
housing contour walls i2
allow for high-pressure ratio without any intake volume reduction.
W E CLAIM:
