Rotary device for use in an engine
OwnerGilbert S. Staffendinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary device for an engine includes a stator and a rotor concentric with and rotatable about an axis with respect to the stator. The rotor and the stator cooperate to provide a working chamber. A plurality of vanes are supported for radial movement on one of the stator and the rotor. Fluid is taken into the working chamber through an intake port and exhausted from the working chamber through an exhaust port. A biasing device biases each of the vanes to seal against one of the stator and the rotor. An actuator moves each of the vanes radially against the biasing device to a retracted position to vary a thermodynamic cycle of the rotary device as the rotor rotates with respect to the stator.
Claims41
A method of manipulating a fluid by decoupling the respective compression and expansion ratios between a first working chamber and a second working chamber where the first and second working chambers communicate with one another through a common fluid passage, each working chamber of the type provided by at least one rotary device having a stator and a rotor rotatable with respect to the stator about an axis to manipulate the fluid where the rotor and the stator cooperate to provide the working chambers, said method comprising the steps of;
- rotating the rotor to admit a first quantity of fluid into the first working chamber at an inlet pressure and then altering the volume of the first quantity of fluid within the first working chamber by a first compression or expansion ratio to establish a first fluid pressure that is different than the inlet pressure,
- delivering the quantity of fluid at the first fluid pressure from the first working chamber to the common fluid passage as the rotor rotates,
- rotating the rotor to admit a quantity of fluid into the second working chamber from the common fluid passage at a second fluid pressure and then altering the volume of the second quantity of fluid within the second working chamber by a second expansion or compression ratio to establish an outlet fluid pressure that is different than the second fluid pressure,
- providing controlled and intermittent fluid communication between the common fluid passage and the second working chamber to charge the second working chamber with the quantity of fluid at the second fluid pressure, and
- storing the fluid delivered from the first working chamber in the fluid reservoir to establish the stored fluid pressure therein
- varying the first compression or expansion ratio relative to the second expansion or compression ratio simultaneously with said steps of rotating the rotor to achieve on-the-fly changes in a thermodynamic cycle utilizing the fluid.
A rotary system comprising;
- a first rotary device on a first axis including a stator extending about said first axis and a rotor rotatable with respect to said stator,
- said rotor and said stator of said first rotary device cooperating to define a working volume therebetween with said working volume changing by a first compression or expansion ratio as said rotor is rotated with respect to said stator,
- an exhaust port extending into said first rotary device for periodically opening to said working volume to exhaust the fluid from said first rotary device at a first pressure,
- a second rotary device on a second axis including a stator extending about said second axis and a rotor rotatable with respect to said stator,
- said rotor and said stator of said second rotary device cooperating to define a working volume therebetween with said working volume changing by a second expansion or compression ratio as said rotor is rotated with respect to said stator,
- an intake port extending into said second rotary device for periodically opening to said working volume to deliver the fluid into said second rotary device at a second pressure, and
- a common fluid passage interconnecting said exhaust port of said first rotary device and said intake port of said second rotary device for receiving the fluid received from said exhaust port of said first rotary device at the first pressure and transmitting the fluid into said intake port of said second rotary device at the second pressure;
- and
- means for varying the first compression or expansion ratio relative to the second expansion or compression ratio to decouple the thermodynamic cycle of said first rotary device from said second rotary device on-the-fly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.