Rotary Engine Spark Plug Relocation for Chamber Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Guided-vane rotary internal combustion engines face challenges in sealing working chambers to prevent gas leakage and efficiently utilize chambers based on power demands, with current designs allowing flow communication between chambers and inefficient fuel usage.
Innovation Solution
The engine features a rotor assembly with sector-mounted spark plugs and a high voltage feed-through system for igniting the air/fuel mixture, along with a control unit to selectively activate or deactivate working chambers, ensuring effective sealing and optimized power output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spark plug is mounted within an outer wall of the housing interior, then ignition of the air/fuel mixture is achieved, but flow communication is permitted between adjacent chambers as each vane moves past the spark plug
Solution Approach 1:
The spark plug is extracted from the outer wall of the housing and relocated to the rotor body. This removes the source of the sealing problem at the housing wall and places the ignition source within the rotating assembly, eliminating the stationary opening that caused flow communication between chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor body serves as an intermediary structure that carries the spark plug internally. By using the rotor body as the mounting location, the patent creates a mobile platform for ignition that does not require stationary openings in the housing, thus maintaining chamber sealing while ensuring reliable ignition through the rotor-mounted spark plug.
2Power
If all working chambers are utilized, then full operating power is achieved, but fuel consumption and exhaust emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The engine transitions from a static configuration where all chambers are always active to a dynamic system where the number of active chambers can be adjusted. The controller selectively activates or deactivates individual working chambers based on real-time power demands, allowing the engine to adapt its operational state and optimize the balance between power output and fuel efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The operational parameter of chamber activation status is changed from a fixed state (all chambers always active) to a variable state (selective chamber activation). By controlling which chambers are active based on power demand, the engine can adjust its effective displacement and power output, reducing fuel consumption and emissions when full power is not required.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances sealing between working chambers, improves fuel efficiency, and allows for adaptive power output by selectively activating chambers, reducing exhaust emissions and conserving fuel.
Implementation Method 1
a spark plug mounted within a rotor body for igniting the air/fuel mixture contained within the working chamber
Implementation Method 2
igniting the air/fuel mixture contained within the working chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A guided-vane rotary internal combustion engine including a plurality of working chambers which are separated from one another by way of vane assemblies which rotate with a rotor assembly about an axis employs a rotor assembly having a plurality of sectors wherein each sector is associated with a corresponding working chamber and a plurality of spark plugs wherein each spark plug is mounted within a corresponding sector for igniting an air/fuel mixture contained within a corresponding working chamber. A rotor disk is mounted upon the rotor assembly for rotation therewith and acts as a distributor through which energizing charges are conducted to the spark plugs. In addition, a controller is utilized for selectively activating or de-activating the working chambers of the engine upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.