Pneumatic-based drive power for motorized vehicles
AssigneeHarris Corporation
InventorKeith C. Sneddon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic drive system for a motorized vehicle includes an air compressor that is operable to couple with a main drive shaft of the motorized vehicle so as to activate the air compressor and generate pressurized air during a braking operation of the motorized vehicle, an accumulator that is operable to receive and store pressurized air from the air compressor during the braking operation, and a pneumatic motor that receives the pressurized air from the accumulator to activate the pneumatic motor. During activation, the pneumatic motor provides energy to the main drive shaft during an acceleration operation of the motorized vehicle.
Claims18
A pneumatic drive system for a motorized vehicle, the motorized vehicle including a main drive shaft that propels the vehicle and a main drive engine configured to selectively couple with the main drive shaft to provide energy to the main drive shaft, the system comprising:
- an air compressor that is operable to couple with the main drive shaft so as to activate the air compressor and generate pressurized air during a braking operation of the motorized vehicle, wherein the pressurized air is obtained by drawing air from an environment surrounding the motorized vehicle into an inlet of the air compressor, and the air compressor is only operable during the braking operation;
- an accumulator that is operable to receive and store pressurized air from the air compressor during the braking operation;
- a pneumatic motor that receives the pressurized air from the accumulator to activate the pneumatic motor such that, during activation of the pneumatic motor, the pneumatic motor provides energy to the main drive shaft separately and independently from the main drive engine during an acceleration operation of the motorized vehicle, wherein the pressurized air that is received by the pneumatic motor to provide energy to the main drive shaft is exhausted from an outlet of the pneumatic motor to the environment surrounding the motorized vehicle;
- and
- a controller that selectively couples the air compressor with the main drive shaft during the braking operation and selectively activates the pneumatic motor during the acceleration operation, wherein the controller is configured to determine a magnitude of a braking force corresponding with a braking command input by a user and whether to utilize one or both of the air compressor and a main braking system of the motorized vehicle during the braking operation;
- wherein the accumulator does not provide pressurized air to the main drive engine.
A method of operating a motorized vehicle with a pneumatic drive system, the motorized vehicle including a main drive shaft that propels the vehicle and a main braking system and a main drive engine configured to selectively couple with the main drive shaft to provide energy to the main drive shaft, the method comprising:
- coupling an air compressor with the main drive shaft during a braking operation of the motorized vehicle, wherein the coupling of the air compressor with the main drive shaft activates the air compressor to generate pressurized air during a braking operation of the motorized vehicle, the pressurized air is obtained by drawing air from an environment surrounding the motorized vehicle into an inlet of the air compressor, and the air compressor is only operable during the braking operation;
- determining, via a controller that selectively couples the air compressor with the main drive shaft during the braking operation and selectively activates a pneumatic motor during an acceleration operation, a magnitude of a braking force corresponding with a braking command input by a user and whether to utilize one or both of the air compressor and the main braking system of the motorized vehicle during the braking operation;
- receiving and storing pressurized air from the air compressor within an accumulator;
- and
- providing the pressurized air from the accumulator to activate a pneumatic motor during an acceleration operation of the motorized vehicle, wherein activation of the pneumatic motor provides energy to the main drive shaft separately and independently from the main drive engine, the pressurized air that is received by the pneumatic motor to provide energy to the main drive shaft is exhausted from an outlet of the pneumatic motor to the environment surrounding the motorized vehicle, and the accumulator does not provide pressurized air to the main drive engine.
A pneumatic drive system for a motorized vehicle, the motorized vehicle including a main drive shaft that propels the vehicle and a main drive engine configured to selectively couple with the main drive shaft to provide energy to the main drive shaft, the system comprising:
- an air compressor that is operable to couple with the main drive shaft so as to activate the air compressor and generate pressurized air during a braking operation of the motorized vehicle, wherein the pressurized air is obtained by drawing air from an environment surrounding the motorized vehicle into an inlet of the air compressor, and the air compressor operates only during the braking operation;
- an accumulator that is operable to receive and store pressurized air from the air compressor during the braking operation;
- and
- a pneumatic motor that receives the pressurized air from the accumulator to activate the pneumatic motor such that, during activation of the pneumatic motor, the pneumatic motor provides energy to the main drive shaft separately and independently from the main drive engine during an acceleration operation of the motorized vehicle, wherein the pressurized air that is received by the pneumatic motor to provide energy to the main drive shaft is exhausted from an outlet of the pneumatic motor to the environment surrounding the motorized vehicle;
- wherein the accumulator does not provide pressurized air to the main drive engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.