Desmodromic mechanism and fluid pump
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsAndré Louis Boehman, Philip John Gregory Dingle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A desmodromic mechanism exhibits reciprocating motion of a pair of cam followers driven by a single cam. The mechanism is useful in a fuel pump that pressurizes a liquid for delivery to a fuel rail of a combustion engine. A desmodromic lever is symmetric about its rotational axis and maintains continuous contact between cam lobes and cam followers for the entirety of each rotational cycle. The mechanism is particularly useful in multi-piston pumps required to deliver higher than normal volumes of liquid fuel, as is the case with low energy density alternatives to diesel fuel.
Claims20
A desmodromic mechanism wherein reciprocating motion of a pair of cam followers is driven by a single cam and a desmodromic lever, each cam follower being in continuous contact with the cam,
- wherein a rising flank of the cam moves one of the cam followers radially outward while the desmodromic lever simultaneously moves the other of the cam followers radially inward to maintain contact with a falling flank of the cam, and
- wherein an interface where the lever contacts the cam follower is a sliding interface.
A desmodromic mechanism wherein reciprocating motion of a pair of cam followers is driven by a single cam and translation axes of the respective cam followers form an angle of 60°, 135°, or 108°.
A desmodromic mechanism wherein reciprocating motion of a pair of cam followers is driven by a single cam and a desmodromic lever, each cam follower being in continuous contact with the cam,
- wherein a rising flank of the cam moves one of the cam followers radially outward while the desmodromic lever simultaneously moves the other of the cam followers radially inward to maintain contact with a falling flank of the cam, and
- wherein translation axes of the respective cam followers are perpendicular.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.