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US 4,070,860 AGranted
Automotive accessory engine
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorCharles M. Hanson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus that uses waste heat from an internal combustion engine to de a heat engine which provides a mechanical output therefrom to drive automotive accessories. A Stirling engine is used as the heat engine.
Claims3
In an apparatus for converting heat energy from a heat source to mechanical energy, an apparatus comprising:
- a Stirling heat engine comprised of a hot volume in a hot cylinder that is interfaced with a heat source and a heat exchanger, wherein said heat source is an automotive exhaust pipe and said heat exchanger comprises a mass of heat conductor material surrounding a portion of said exhaust pipe and is in intimate contact with said hot volume and a heat insulator material surrounding said mass of heat conductor material and said hot cylinder;
- and
- a means for cyclically varying the working fluid volume enclosed within said Stirling heat engine to drive a piston operated crankshaft having a driven device connected thereto wherein rotary motion is imparted to said driven device for doing mechanical work.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.