Variable Displacement Power Controllers and Applications

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

• a housing with at least four fluid exchange ports;
• a power conversion cavity in fluid communication with the at least four fluid exchange ports and having an inner surface;
• a movable member adjustably positioned in the power exchange cavity, the movable member being translationally movable within the power conversion cavity;
• a first cylinder block in mechanical engagement with the movable member, the first cylinder block being rotatable about an axis of rotation and having at least four piston bores;
• a second cylinder block in mechanical engagement with the movable member, the second cylinder block being rotatable about the axis of rotation and having at least four cylinder bores;
• a first plurality of pistons of slidably movable within the at least four piston bores of the first cylinder block and provided under pressure to maintain contact with the movable member;
• a second plurality of pistons slidably movable within the at least four piston bores of the second cylinder block and provided under pressure to maintain contact with the movable member;
• whereby the movable member is operable to increase the displacement volume of the first plurality of pistons as it decreases the displacement volume of the second plurality of pistons by the relative movement of the movable member between the first and second plurality of pistons;
• whereby the relative motion proportionately adjusts the displacement volume of the first and second plurality of pistons whereby as an effective chamber volume of one of the first and second plurality of pistons is increased, the effective chamber volume of the other of the first and second plurality of pistons is decreased.

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 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 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 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 displacement power controller defining four chambers, whereby two chambers are defined along each of the first and second fluid paths, thereby defining a first pair of chambers along the first fluid path and a second pair of chambers along a second fluid path;
• (5) the displacement power controller including a translational mechanism by which fluid volumes of the respective first and second pairs of chambers can be adjusted relative to each other to define a fluid volume ratio between the first pair and second pair of chambers;
• (6) whereby the displacement power controller can modulate the input fluid flow to or from the actuator by transforming the fluid flow while preserving energy in the system by modulating the fluid volume ratio between the first and second pairs of chambers.