Claims
- 1. A rotary device, the device comprising:a first rotor rotatable about a first axis and having at its periphery a recess bounded by a curved surface; a second rotor counter-rotatable to said first rotor about a second axis, parallel to said first axis, and having a radial lobe bounded by a curved surface; the first and second rotors being coupled for rotation and being intermeshed; a housing in which the rotors are enclosed, the housing having a first arcuate recess which is coaxial with the first rotor, an edge of the recess of the first rotor forming a sliding seal with the first arcuate recess during a portion of the rotation of the first rotor, and the housing having a second arcuate recess which is coaxial with the second rotor, the lobe of the second rotor forming a sliding seal with the second arcuate recess during a portion of the rotation of the first rotor, such that, for a portion of the rotation of the rotors, there is defined between the first and second rotors and the arcuate recesses of the housing transient chamber of volume which progressively decreases on rotation of the rotors; and, said rotor recess, said rotor lobe, and said housing arcuate recesses extending helically in the axial direction, and the housing arcuate recesses being formed in a section of the housing which is axially movable relative to said housing and said rotors, whereby axial movement of said movable section varies the maximum volume of the transient chamber.
- 2. A rotary device according to claim 1, comprising side walls which define with the rotors the transient chamber, the side walls having recesses into which the movable section is movable.
- 3. A rotary device according to claim 1, comprising a control device to control movement of the movable section.
- 4. A rotary device according to claim 1, the rotary device forming a portion of an internal combustion engine, the device comprising an operator control device whereby the operator can control the position of the movable section.
- 5. A rotary device according to claim 1, wherein the curved surfaces are contoured such that during passage of said rotor lobe through said rotor recess, said recess surface is continuously swept, by both a tip of said lobe and a movable location on said lobe which location progresses along said lobe surface, to define said transient chamber.
- 6. A rotary device according to claim 1, wherein the movable section is mounted on a linear bearing for reciprocating movement parallel to the axes of both rotors.
- 7. A rotary device according to claim 6, comprising side walls which define with the rotors the transient chamber, the side walls having recesses into which the movable section is movable.
- 8. A rotary device according to claim 1, the device being a compressor, comprising pressure measuring means for measuring the pressure of a working fluid in the transient chamber and the pressure in a receiver to be supplied with compressed fluid from the transient chamber.
- 9. A rotary device according to claim 8, comprising control means for controlling movement of the movable section so that the pressure in the transient chamber is substantially equal to the pressure in a said receiver immediately prior to transfer of the working fluid from the transient chamber to a said receiver.
- 10. A rotary device according to claim 8, comprising a reed valve in a delivery port between the transient chamber and a said receiver.
- 11. A rotary device according to claim 10, comprising control means for monitoring the difference between the pressure of a working fluid in a said receiver and the maximum allowable pressure in a said receiver and for controlling movement of the movable section to adjust the delivery flow rate of working fluid from the transient chamber to a said receiver in accordance with the usage of the compressed fluid.
- 12. A rotary device according to claim 1, wherein the speed of rotation of the first, recessed, rotor is lower than the speed of rotation of the second, lobed, rotor by a ratio, less than 1:1, of whole numbers.
- 13. A rotary device according to claim 12, wherein both rotors have respectively equiangularly spaced recesses and lobes in the same ratio of recesses to lobes as the speed ratio.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9702342 |
Feb 1997 |
GB |
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Parent Case Info
This is a Continuation of: International Application No. PCT/GB98/00345 filed Feb. 4, 1998.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1118800 |
Dec 1961 |
DE |
162157 |
Nov 1985 |
EP |
484885 |
May 1992 |
EP |
2098662 |
Nov 1982 |
GB |
9106747 |
May 1991 |
WO |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/GB98/00345 |
Feb 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/362085 |
|
US |