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US 3,941,030 AGranted
Fluid pressure-gravity motor
OwnerPatrick Massunginventor
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OwnerPatrick Massunginventor
Estimating the term…
The specification discloses a motor activated by a combination of fluid pressure, such as air, and gravity. The motor comprises a rotor, the shaft of which carries a cylindrical shell divided into an even number of sectors or cells. Each cell contains an envelope or bag of elastomeric material which communicates through a transverse passage in the shaft with the bag of a diametrically opposite cell. Each connected pair of bags contains a supply of high density liquid, such as Mercury, sufficient to fill one bag. A rotary valve carried on the shaft outboard of the shaft bearings controls admission and release of fluid pressure to and from the cells in the cylindrical shell via longitudinal passages in the shaft communicating therewith to sequentially supply fluid pressure to the cells to expel the liquid from bags in lower cells to bags in upper cells, thereby producing a torque on the rotor due to gravity acting on the Mercury in the upper cells.
A fluid pressure-gravity activated motor comprising a rotor having a shaft by which the rotor is mounted for rotation about the axis of said shaft and a series of rigid chambers circumferentially arranged about said shaft, a bag of flexible elastomeric material within each of said chambers, means providing communication between the bags in each pair of chambers on diametrically opposite sides of the shaft of said rotor, and a quantity of high density liquid contained in one bag of each pair of said bags, which liquid is shifted therefrom to the other bag of the pair in a diametrically opposite chamber due to compression of the said one bag by fluid under pressure acting directly on said one bag, and rotary valve means by which fluid under pressure is supplied in timed sequence to successive rigid chambers to effect compression of the bag therein.
A fluid pressure-gravity activated motor comprising a cylindrical shell secured to a shaft mounted for rotation in a stationary housing, said shell having a plurality of circumferentially arranged rigid cells, a bag of elastomeric material in each of said cells communicating with the bag in a diametrically opposite cell, a given quantity of high density liquid in one of said bags being transferred to the bag in a diametrically opposite cell to effect a weight unbalance productive of a rotational torque on said shell, and rotary valve means having a rotor rotatable in synchronism with said shaft and selectively controlling the supply of fluid pressure to and its release from said cells to directly compress said bags with said fluid pressure or to relieve pressure thereon to cause flow of said liquid from the bag in one of said cells to the bag in a diametrically opposite cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.