Internal combustion engine and output motion transducer
OwnerAlbert A. Southardinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A motion transducer wherein a variable volume chamber of a trochoidal rotary mechanism is operatively connected by a liquid working fluid to a variable volume chamber of a reciprocating piston mechanism, whereby a rotary motion can be converted to a reciprocating motion and vice versa. An internal combustion engine directly productive of aone of such kinds of motions is drivingly connected to the transducer to obtain the other kind of motion as output. The piston of a reciprocating internal engine can be movable in unison with the piston of the reciprocating system, or alternatively, the rotary shaft of a Wankel-type internal combustion engine can be directly coupled to the rotary shaft of the trochoidal rotary mechanism.
Claims18
In a method of converting a rotary motion to a linear reciprocating motion and vice versa, the steps comprising establishing and maintaining liquid fluid communication between first and second variable volume chambers during a predetermination portion of a rotary motion cycle, and varying the volume of the first chamber as a function of the position of a linearly movable piston in a cylinder partially bounding such chamber, while concurrently varying the volume of the second chamber as the latter is caused to orbit a central axis as a function of the position of a rotor mounted for eccentrically orbiting the central axis within a cavity bounded by a trochoidal wall, with the second chamber being bounded by the rotor and the trochoidal with which it is in sliding engagement, and with the rotor being mechanically coupled to rotary shaft coincident with the central axis.
A method for converting the reciprocating piston motion of an internal combustion engine to rotation of an output shaft, said method involving the provision of a cavity bounded by a trochoidal wall with an eccentrically mounted rotor disposed in such cavity and slidingly engaged with the wall to define a chamber therebetween that varies in volume on movement of the rotor, the steps of varying the volume of the chamber by hydraulically coupling the chamber to the reciprocating piston motion, and mechanically coupling the rotational and eccentric motion of the rotor to impart rotation to the output shaft.
A motion transducer employing a liquid working fluid that operatively interconnects first and second elements respectively mounted for rotary motion and linear reciprocating motion, said transducer comprising a trochoidal wall bounding a cavity of such configuration and having a lobe, said first element being a rotary shaft operatively coupled to a rotor eccentrically mounted thereon and disposed in said cavity, said rotor sealingly engaging said wall to define chambers therebetween that orbit the shaft during rotation of the shaft, said transducer additionally comprising a cylinder, and said second element being a piston mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder and separating the interior of the cylinder into an outer chamber and a pumping chamber of variable volumes, aand means providing fluid-tight fluid communication through said wall between the interiors of said pumping chamber and the cavity at a position adjacent said lobe in an arrangement such that a liquid disposed in the cavity about the rotor and in the pumping chamber is contained and alternately moves between the cavity and the pumping chamber during respective rotation of the shaft and reciprocation rotation of the shaft and reciprocation of the piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.