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US 8,893,488 B2Granted
Compressed air engine and power train system
OwnerFrederick Michael Shofner, IIinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An engine and drive train system suitable for personal or commercial transportation vehicles. The system converts the expansive energy of compressed air or gas into mechanical energy to produce motion or force. The engine of the present invention further uses the intrinsic kinetic energy of the vehicle in motion to generate and store compressed air or gas for in-situ or later use. The engine may also be used for braking by the introduction of high pressure air or gas at maximum displacement.
Claims18
A power train system, comprising:
- a compressed air or gas supply;
- an accelerator or power switch;
- a compressed air or gas engine with at least one internal chamber configured for extracting energy from compressed air or gas, said engine operating in a first mode when the accelerator or power switch is engaged, and a second mode when the accelerator or power switch is not engaged,
- wherein in said first mode the compressed air engine receives said compressed air or gas from the compressed air or gas supply, said compressed air or gas subsequently expanding inside said chamber during an expanding power stroke and producing power via an output shaft, and
- further wherein in said second mode the chamber in the compressed air or gas engine receives low or ambient pressure air or gas, said low or ambient pressure air or gas subsequently being compressed until reaching a threshold pressure sufficient to cause a compression valve to open and deliver the compressed air or gas to a storage tank or to the compressed air or gas supply.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.