Rotary Piston Engine Toroidal Chamber Pulse Detonation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Rotary piston engines face challenges in achieving complete circular movement due to the complexity of manufacturing and the need for reaction plates, and most engines do not rotate through a full circular arc, limiting their efficiency and commonality.

Innovation Solution

A rotary piston engine design that utilizes pulse jet or pulse detonation principles, incorporating a housing with a pre-combustion chamber, combustion/detonation chamber, and a toroidal chamber, where a fuel air mixture is compressed, ignited, and the resulting combustion or detonation gases provide motive power to a piston moving in a continuous unobstructed circular path, allowing for 4 or more Otto cycles in a single revolution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If reaction plates are moved in and out of a toroidal cylinder to provide reaction for expanding combustion gases, then complete circular rotary piston movement is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomplete circular rotary piston movementVSAvoidreaction plates mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the reaction plates from the system entirely. Instead of using reaction plates that move in and out of the toroidal cylinder, the design allows combustion gases to expand directly against the piston in a simplified configuration, eliminating the complex reaction plate mechanism while still achieving complete circular piston rotation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than using reaction plates to push the piston through complete circular motion, the invention inverts the approach by having the piston rotate continuously through 360 degrees with combustion occurring in a fixed chamber, allowing the piston to be driven by gas expansion directly against its surface without intermediate reaction components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Device complexity

If pistons reciprocate over a part of a circle, then device complexity is reduced, but power output and efficiency are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepiston movement rangeVSAvoidpower output

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The invention enables continuous 360-degree piston rotation with combustion occurring throughout the entire circular path. Multiple combustion chambers are positioned around the piston's orbital path, ensuring that power strokes occur continuously as the piston completes each revolution, maximizing power output while maintaining simple piston geometry

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The design employs periodic ignition of fuel-air mixtures in multiple combustion chambers positioned around the piston's orbital path. As the piston rotates through complete circles, combustion occurs in sequence in different chambers, providing periodic power impulses that drive continuous rotation and increase overall power output

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Productivity

If 4 or more Otto cycles are achieved in a single revolution, then productivity increases, but control complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveOtto cycles per revolutionVSAvoidcombustion cycle control

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the combustion system into multiple separate combustion chambers positioned around the piston's orbital path. Each chamber can be independently ignited to produce power strokes, allowing 4 or more Otto cycles to occur in a single piston revolution. This segmentation simplifies control compared to attempting to achieve multiple cycles in a single chamber

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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

The engine achieves efficient piston movement with reduced vibration and improved balance, enabling continuous 360-degree rotation and increased power output through controlled combustion or detonation cycles, enhancing the operational efficiency and manufacturing simplicity.

Implementation Method 1

a fuel air mixture is compressed

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

the resulting combustion or detonation gases

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Implementation Method 3

the resulting combustion or detonation gases

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDetonation: Detonation

Implementation Method 4

the resulting combustion or detonation gases provide motive power to a piston

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure gradient: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentUS7591129B2Rotary piston engine

Publication Date: 2009.09.22 WORRELL KENNETH ERWIN

AI summary

A rotary piston engine having a housing defining an un-obstructed circular toroidal chamber, a toroidal segment piston in said chamber, a detonation chamber having an outlet substantially tangential to the outer diameter of said toroidal chamber wherein said piston is driven in a continuous circular orbit by energy derived from pulse-detonation generated shock wave and pulse-jet gas flow.