Spherical internal combustion engine
First Claim
1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a housing, said housing includes a spherical cavity therein, a generally spherical displacement member rotatably mounted in said spherical cavity in said housing by axial bearings, shaft means rotaoably mounted in said housing and engaged with said displacement member to be selectively driven thereby, a nutating member rotatably mounted on said shaft means and engaged with said spherical displacement member so as to impart motion thereto.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rotary displacement device which can be a spherical internal combustion engine, comprising a housing having a generally spherical cavity therein; a displacement member with generally spherical inner and outer configurations mounted within the cavity in the housing; and a drive mechanism including a drive shaft with a nutating member mounted thereto at a spherically shaped mounting portion positioned within the inner spherical configuration of the displacement member. The drive mechanism, displacemnent member and spherical cavity all share a common, fixed, center point. The displacement member travles in an arc within the cavity such that the axis of the arc passes through the center point. The displacement member drives the nutating member through a defined movement path which path passes through the center point. The nutating member drives the drive shaft in a rotational path the axis of which passes through the common center point. This operation distinguishes this rotary displacement device from all other known nutating and/or spherical engines.
21 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
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a housing, said housing includes a spherical cavity therein, a generally spherical displacement member rotatably mounted in said spherical cavity in said housing by axial bearings, shaft means rotaoably mounted in said housing and engaged with said displacement member to be selectively driven thereby, a nutating member rotatably mounted on said shaft means and engaged with said spherical displacement member so as to impart motion thereto.
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2. An engine housing comprising,
a housing enclosing a spherical cavity therein, a displacement member with at least one spherical surface mounted within said spherical cavity in said housing, a notating member with at least one spherical surface, said nutating member engaged with and operative to selectively move said displacement member, and a drive shaft with at least one spherical surface, said drive shaft engaged with said nutating member and selectively movable therewith.
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10. A rotary displacement device comprising,
a housing which includes a spherical cavity therein, a displacement member with a generally spherical configuration mounted within said spherical cavity in said housing, said displacement member including a generally spherical cavity therein, a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft and a nutating member mounted thereto, said drive shaft and said notating member configured to define a generally spherically shaped mounting portion of said drive mechanism, said drive mechanism mounted in engagement with said displacement member within said spherical cavity in said housing, wherein said displacement member is operative to travel in an arc within said spherical cavity in said housing and to engage and move said nutating member which causes said drive shaft to rotate around its axis.
Specification