Vehicle braking and kinetic energy recovery system

Abstract

An auxiliary kinetic energy recovery system is provided for a vehicle with a rotary sliding vane engine including a compressor, a combustion chamber and a motor in which the braking is done by connecting the rotor of the compressor to a wheel and braking rotation of the rotor by controlling the gas flow through the rotary sliding vane compressor, such as by varying the outlet to increase the pressure ratio. This eliminates the conventional friction brakes. The compressed air generated during braking is fed to a surge tank for later use in operating the vehicle engine, thus recovering a portion of the kinetic energy of the vehicle. Additional amounts of kinetic energy are recovered by means of a closed circuit compressible gas circulating system which comprises an auxiliary compressor actuated by the same shaft as that attached to the engine compressor. Expansion of the compressed gas provides torque to the rotor of a motor which drives a shaft by means of which kinetic energy can be recovered as storable electrical power or compressed air. The rotary slide vane motor can also be used as the brake by controlling the inlet thereto. The compressor and motor can be separate units or portions of one unitary rotary sliding vane device. The compressor-brake and motor-brake can be used together or separately and as integral or separate parts of a rotary sliding vane engine and also with other different types of engines.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.