Displacement Power Controllers and Applications

A displacement power controller for variable displacement fluid or gas power control, the displacement power controller having:

• (a) a housing with at least 4 fluid exchange ports;
• (b) a power exchange cavity in fluid communication with the at least 4 fluid exchange ports and having an inner surface;
• (c) a cam adjustably positioned in the power exchange cavity and in fluid communication with the at least 2 pairs of fluid paths, the cam being translationally movable within the power exchange cavity;
• (d) a cylinder block within the cam, the cylinder block having an axis of rotation and at least four piston bores;
• (e) a plurality of pistons slidably movable within the at least 4 piston bores provided under outward radial pressure to maintain contact with the inner wall of the cam;
• (f) the cam, cylinder block, and pistons collectively acting as a power transfer assembly (PTA);
• (g) whereby the PTA forms the first and second pairs of chambers within the PEC and is adjustable via relative motion between the cylinder block and cam, whereby the relative motion adjust the relative volume of the first and second pairs of chambers.

A fluid system for controlling an actuator, the system comprising:

• (a) a fluid source that provides a fluid source flow under pressure;
• (b) an actuator that performs work in the system using an input fluid flow;
• and
• (c) a rotational displacement power controller for variable displacement of fluid or gas power control, wherein
• (1) the rotational displacement power controller operable to receive the fluid source flow under pressure from the fluid source and to modulate the fluid source flow into an adapted fluid flow to be provided as the input fluid flow for the actuator,
• (2) the rotational displacement power controller further comprising at least four ports, at least one of the at least four ports being connected to receive or augment the fluid source flow, at least one of the at least four ports being connected to provide the input fluid flow to or receive fluid flow from the actuator, and at least two additional ports of the at least four ports being connected to receive or discharge fluid,
• (3) the rotational displacement power controller defining a first fluid path between a first two of the at least four ports and a second fluid path between a second two of the at least four ports;
• (4) the rotational displacement power controller defining four cavities, whereby two cavities are defined along each of the first and second fluid paths, thereby defining a first pair of cavities along the first fluid path and a second pair of cavities along a second fluid path;
• (5) the rotational displacement power controller including a translational mechanism by which fluid volumes of the respective first and second pairs of cavities can be adjusted relative to each other to define a fluid volume ratio between the first pair and second pair of cavities;
• (6) whereby the rotational displacement power controller can modulate the input fluid flow to or from the actuator by transforming the fluid flow while substantially preserving energy in the system by modulating the fluid volume ratio between the first and second pairs of cavities.