Electromagnetic engine
AssigneeSearete LLC
InventorsRoderick A. Hyde, William H. Gates, III, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Clarence T. Tegreene, Thomas A. Weaver, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Victoria Y. H. Wood
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Abstract
An engine includes a piston slidably disposed in a cylinder with a closed end. The engine further includes a converter operable with the piston to convert mechanical energy of the piston to electrical energy in the converter in a stroke and convert electrical energy of the converter to mechanical energy in the piston in at least one other stroke.
Claims4
An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a first piston slidably disposed in a first cylinder, the first cylinder having a first closed end;
- a first port configured to admit a reactant to the first cylinder;
- a first converter operable with the first piston to convert mechanical energy of the first piston from and to electrical energy within a piston cycle;
- a second piston slidably disposed in a second cylinder, the second cylinder having a second closed end, the second piston moveable in the second cylinder independent from the first piston being moveable in the first cylinder;
- a second converter operable with the second piston to convert mechanical energy of the second piston from and to electrical energy;
- and
- wherein the first and second converters are configured to move the first and second pistons synchronously.
A method of operating an internal combustion engine including a first piston slidably disposed in a first cylinder and a second piston slidably disposed in a second cylinder, the method comprising:
- actuating the first piston using a first converter during a first piston cycle;
- actuating the second piston in a second cylinder using a second converter independently from the actuating the first piston;
- and
- wherein the actuating the first piston and the actuating the second piston are performed synchronously.
A method of operating an internal combustion engine including a first piston slidably disposed in a first cylinder and a second piston slidably disposed in a second cylinder, the method comprising:
- actuating the first piston using a first converter during a first piston cycle;
- actuating the second piston in a second cylinder using a second converter independently from the actuating the first piston;
- and
- wherein the actuating the first piston and the actuating the second piston are performed asynchronously.
An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a first piston slidably disposed in a first cylinder, the first cylinder having a first closed end;
- a first port configured to admit a reactant to the first cylinder;
- a first converter operable with the first piston to convert mechanical energy of the first piston from and to electrical energy within a piston cycle;
- a second piston slidably disposed in a second cylinder, the second cylinder having a second closed end, the second piston moveable in the second cylinder independent from the first piston being moveable in the first cylinder;
- a second converter operable with the second piston to convert mechanical energy of the second piston from and to electrical energy;
- and
- wherein the first and second converters are configured to move the first and second pistons asynchronously.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.