Rotary internal combustion engine

Abstract

A rotary internal combustion engine is disclosed which provides a power rotor that rotates about its center on a shaft in a stator housing. The power rotor has spring-loaded sliding vanes seated in diametrically opposed radial slots thereon. The outer ends of the vanes contact the interior surface of the stator housing at all times as they sweep through an arcuate compression and expansion chamber defined therein. Adjacent the stator housing is a housing portion having a cylindrical cavity in which a rotary transfer valve rotates on a shaft. The periphery of the rotary transfer valve which has a sealing contact with the interior surface of the cylindrical cavity has generally U-shaped pockets formed on diametrically opposed portions thereof. A cam wheel assembly is keyed to the shaft of the power rotor and a follower in the form of a timing wheel is keyed to the shaft of the rotary transfer valve. The action of the continuously rotating cam wheel assembly on the timing wheel provides for intermittently rotatably advancing the rotary transfer valve to position each pocket thereon opposite a port provided on the rear end of the compression chamber and then opposite a port provided on the front end of the expansion chamber to thereby transfer a compressed quantity of fuel-air mixture from the leading side of a vane to the trailing side thereof as the vane is rotatably advanced by the power rotor from the compression chamber into the expansion chamber.