Reciprocating thermal actuator with hydraulic multiplier
OwnerJohn A. Bartoinventor
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Abstract
A reciprocating thermal actuator with hydraulic multiplier has a thermally expansible fluid (expansible by heating or in an alternative embodiment by cooling) and heat exchange means including powered means for causing the thermally expansible fluid to cycle from expanded to nonexpanded state, in the process linearly driving a small area portion of a first piston which, in turn, through a large area portion of the first piston and hydraulic fluid provision drives a second, smaller-area piston to produce a linear output motion; return may be under spring bias; a free-floating bore-fitting second piston structure and a piston sleeve head at the motion output which has a sleeve returning and guiding on a portion of the housing for stability are also disclosed.
Claims24
A system for generating a linear power stroke, comprising:
- a housing having:
- a thermally expansible fluid, means for exchanging heat cyclically with said thermally expansible fluid, a first piston having a large head and a small head, first means coupling the first piston for actuation by said thermally expansible fluid upon expansion of said fluid, a second piston, the second piston of smaller diameter than the first piston large head, second means coupling the first piston for hydraulically moving the second piston including hydraulic fluid in a space between the first piston and the second piston;
- and motion-output means associated with said second piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.