Patent Application
20100251986
Planetary Mechanism, Mechanism Frame, Rotatable Reaction Base, Element, Carrier, Drive Shaft, Sun, Planetary Shaft, Planet, Gear, “Odonto-Knodax” (Cam Gear), “Overlap Avoidance Helical Configuration”,
Machine of “Volume Variation”, Machine of “Chemical Volume Variation” (Internal Combustion Engine), Machine of “Mechanical Volume Variation”, Machine of “Thermal Volume Variation”, Toroidal Shell, Toroidal Piston, Piston Face, Piston Peripheral Rib, Piston Arm, Piston Hub, Pair of Cooperating Pistons, Peripheral Slot of Toroidal Shell, “Stathmos” (Station), Intake/Inlet Port, Exhaust/Outlet Port, “Thermopylae” (Heat “Ports”), Exhaust Gas Collector, Electric Engine, Electric Generator, Electric Motor, Hybrid Engine.
Main Axis, Planetary Axis, Generating Line of Toroid, Angular Dimension, Angular Position, Angular Distance, Angular Travel, Axial Direction, Axial Position, Axial Thickness,
Transmission Ratio, Variable Transmission Ratio, Toothing Formation Point, Pressure Angle, “Helical Toothing Gradient”, Progressiveness,
“Period”, “Meta-Stathmeusis” (Re-Stationing) Process, “Diadocho-Kinesis” Operation, Functional Cycle, Thermodynamic Cycle, Hydrodynamic Cycle, Refrigeration Cycle, “Extended Kinematic Cycle”, “Cycle Propagation Direction”, Compression Ratio,
Procedures Redistribution, Periods Rearrangement, Motion Distribution.
(The terms in quotation marks are newly introduced and suggested as the most appropriate for each case in order to define newly introduced Structures and Processes.)
The invention relates to a mechanism which kinematically interconnects a plurality of elements which rotate around a common central axis, this mechanism thus forming the central core about which may be structured any machine which involves the coaxial rotation of its elements at variable and different for each element velocities, the main applications of this mechanism in the large family of such machines being in:
Machines of volume variation in general, wherein a variation of a certain volume is effected exclusively via the motion of an element generally termed piston, this motion, therefore, being called piston stroke, but often also displacement or sweep, said machines being referred to in the international documentation also as volumetric machines or positive displacement machines, said machines being:
Electric machines with a multiple-part rotor, of improved efficiency or other particular specifications, using either single-phase current or multi-phase current, for conversion either of mechanical work to electric energy, being electric generators, or electric energy to mechanical work, being electric motors.
Hybrid engines which are a combination of the aforementioned electric engines either with machines of volume variation, in general, or with machines of chemical volume variation, in particular, said hybrid engines having cooperating sections which manage different forms of energy, directly and most efficiently.
In order to retrieve other mechanisms currently in use, of any degree of relation to the mechanism of the present invention, one may refer to the international documentation and to simple or specialized applications and implementations related, of course, to the aforementioned categories of machines, whereby pretty soon it is made clear that the machines of volume variation of any kind have at times become the object of significant research efforts, aiming either at the improvement of these mechanisms or at their complete replacement with innovative and more efficient mechanisms, therefore everything that forms part of the state of the art can be located through the exhaustive review of the most important machines of volume variation alone.
The aforementioned machines of volume variation are indeed widely used and especially the internal combustion engines constitute the vast majority of mobile energy production units of any kind, both for terrestrial and for marine use, while they are also used in stationary energy production units or in mobile energy production units for aerial use, where reaction engines of any kind undoubtedly prevail.
Further on we will focus on internal combustion engines in particular, since any conclusions reached will also be relevant to and apply to the other categories of machines of volume variation, the latter being clearly simpler than internal combustion engines, both in construction and in operation.
While there have been numerous, important and quite distinct efforts to produce internal combustion engines even since the era when steam engines prevailed, efforts which are distinguished by their broad vision and intelligence, their revolutionary and creative spirit, their persistence and patience, up to this day only two types of such engines have finally prevailed, namely the reciprocating piston engines and the Wankel-type rotary engines.
On one hand, reciprocating piston engines are distinguished for their incomparable reliability, precisely because they use the already established technology of sealing the piston within the cylinder via sealing rings inside grooves and have thus been able to fulfill for a long time the ever increasing ecological but also economical requirements of low fuel consumption and low pollution exhaust gases, but they face problems of kinematic nature, which consist mainly in undesirable oscillations or even barely tolerable vibrations, because the kinematic solution chosen, this being none other than the combination of a crank with piston rods, allows neither the smooth operation nor the flexibility of applying kinematic improvements on the thermodynamic cycle itself.
On the other hand, Wankel engines are impressive due to their naturally self-evident design, from a kinematic point of view, and, indeed, as far as their implementation is concerned, they appear to have a markedly smooth, almost rotary motion, but they face serious sealing problems and, as a result, they have an uncertain future due to the aforementioned ecological, but also economical trends, or some extremely complex supplementary arrangements need to be applied, before the main engine in order to improve the combustion and after the main engine in order to refine the exhaust gases, said arrangements completely distorting the whole philosophy of simplicity and efficiency marking the initial idea behind this engine.
Apart from the two very important and well-established engine categories just mentioned, more specific efforts to configure an even more efficient, both piston-bearing and rotary, internal combustion engine have been made, leading to engines which met no further development and application, some of these engines resembling a particular application of the mechanism of the present invention merely as to the fact that they also have a toroidal shell and toroidal pistons, said engines appearing in documents with the publication numbers:
GB367234 (Applicant: J. Dedieu—Publication: 1932),
U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,705 (Applicant: S. Masahiro—Publication: 1972),
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,405 (Applicants: J. Kecit et al—Publication: 1976),
US20040261757 (Applicants: A. Nathan et al—Publication: 2004),
US20050263129 (Applicant: M. Wright—Publication: 2005),
WO/1986/006786 (Applicants: H. Groeneveld, H. Soltess—Publication: 1986),
WO/2001/081729 (Applicant: L. Fragiacomo—Publication: 2001),
WO/2006/042423 (Applicant: VGT Technologies Inc.—Publication: 2006),
but being substantially different from the specific application of the Mechanism of the present invention, mainly because they suffer in the following domains:
Apart, also, from the aforementioned inventions, the inventions with the following publication numbers also refer to the configuration of a pure mechanism similar to the mechanism of the present invention:
EP0371690 (Applicant: K. Takimoto—Publication: 1990),
WO/2004/053356 (Applicant: F. Muller—Publication: 2004),
being, however, also substantially different from the mechanism per se of the present invention.
Finally, the invention with the publication number:
WO/2007/125373 (Applicant: P. Zaraphonitis—Publication: 2007),
which hereafter will be referred to as “Concentric Distributive Oscillating Transmission” is similar to the mechanism of the present invention, but also differs substantially from it, since the power distribution or collection in the former is achieved via a common, for all the elements, planet, being called a poly-planet, said configuration leading to a severe topological complexity, while in the present invention the power distribution or collection is achieved via a common, for all the elements, sun, said configuration leading to a small number of additional moving parts, but also to a clearly superior, topologically, structure with incomparable compactness and robustness.
From the point of view of the main application of the mechanism of the present invention, that means from the point of view of the machines of volume variation and especially of internal combustion engines, the challenge that the technical world is faced with nowadays, as long as it is seriously intended that thermal engines of any kind remain dynamically in the foreground, is to design from scratch an engine capable, on the one hand, of combining as many virtues as possible, and, on the other hand, of avoiding as many drawbacks as possible from the ones found in the aforementioned categories of engines.
Experience up to now has shown that the design of such an engine should be done literally on a completely new basis. It is proven absolutely necessary to apply the sealing technology of piston engines, but it is strongly questioned whether the quest for an optimal way of power transmission, from its point of production via combustion to the engine output, has been set on a proper basis.
Taking into account all that has been mentioned above, the exceptional kinematic simplicity of the Wankel-type rotary engines appears to set the absolute standards, but is, unfortunately, absolutely bound to the particular function of this engine and cannot be isolated and applied to other types of engines, therefore, the systematic application of hybridization principles cannot bear fruit in this case and it is absolutely necessary that any available technique for the development of innovative ideas be used, the sole guidelines being the application of optimal sealing and the simplicity of power transmission after its production, the final aim being definitely a piston-bearing but also most probably a rotary engine, far superior to all engines currently in use.
Since, however, an intensive research activity worldwide has already started decades ago and is still ongoing, with the objective of designing such an engine, and since the proven, via other achievements, most competent independent researchers and the proven, via other successful applications, most efficient scientific and technological institutes, take part in this struggle, with overwhelming technical, design, computational and manufacturing means, yet no satisfactory result has been produced, the following question plausibly arises:
is it technically possible to design and, even further, to manufacture such an engine?
A specific application of the present invention gives a definitely affirmative answer to the previous question, said application constituting the simplest, and at the same time the most effective, proposal with regard to the aforementioned challenge:
The Toroidal Hermetic Rotary Extended Expansion Engine (THREEE), built around the Coplanar Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission (CHIDOT), is an engine which combines in the best possible manner the advantages of the reciprocating piston engine with those of the rotary engine, being both piston-bearing and purely rotary, while avoiding the crucial problems that these two types of engines have.
In general, this engine consists of a shell which is an almost continuous hollow toroid, either stationary or moving in space, and of pistons which are parts of either a solid or a hollow toroid, of appropriate dimensions so as to cooperate with the shell, each of said pistons having two active faces, said pistons moving within the shell with respect both to the shell and to each other, performing a purely rotary motion, so that the internal surface of the shell, on the one hand, and the faces of two successive pistons lying opposite each other, on the other hand, form, consecutively and at the proper position, the volume required at each period of a thermodynamic cycle, the complex sequence of these motions being effected via a special planetary mechanism which connects the pistons to the engine drive shaft kinematically and either receives torque from the pistons or transmits torque to the pistons.
For a most clear presentation of the structure and operation of the engine and in order to explain some of its peculiarities, it is necessary at this point to proceed to the following agreements, on condition that the engine drive shaft moves in one direction:
The internal surface of the shell, in particular, is a toroidal surface, i.e. a surface of revolution, the generating line of this surface being any planar, closed and smooth curve lying completely on one side of and at an adequate, for manufacturing and operational purposes, distance from the revolution axis of construction of the toroidal surface, said axis coinciding with the functional central axis of the engine being called “main axis”, the most appropriate generating line being the ellipse and the simplest curve suggested being the circle, while the external surface of the shell may be of any form, satisfying any manufacturing requirements.
The continuity of this hollow toroid is interrupted only by a peripheral slot which extends on the whole periphery of the shell at any angular position on the generating line of the toroidal surface and preferably on its inner side, i.e. the side lying towards the revolution axis of construction of the toroidal surface, and having an axial width determined by mechanical strength requirements, since said peripheral slot is required for the mechanical connection of each piston to a central, different for each piston, hub via an arm.
In addition, the shell has units of an appropriate number, equally spaced along its periphery, each of said units being called a “stathmos” (station) and having at least one “intake” port, at least one device for effecting “ignition” by any means (via spark or via fuel injection at a self-ignition pressure or otherwise) and at least one “exhaust” port, and possibly also other openings and devices (preheating, cooling and others) for improving the performance of a thermodynamic cycle.
The pistons in particular, are almost identical in structure, while each piston is formed on a structural frame made of a material of high strength and low density and designed in such a manner that the necessary strength for receiving any force and torque produced during the performance of the thermodynamic cycle is achieved, together with the least possible moment of inertia and centrifugal force.
A connecting rod is used with its two ends fixed on the two toroidal parts of the piston close to the two active faces, no other connection between said rod and the structural frame of the piston being present, the thermal expansion coefficient of said rod being less than or equal to the thermal expansion coefficients of the other structural parts that constitute the structural frame of the piston, so that the deviation from the toroidal shape caused by the temperature changes is dimensionally compensated for, said toroidal shape being maintained, at least in the regions close to the faces, and consequently the required excellent cooperation between said faces and the respective internal surface of the shell is pursued.
Each piston has two limiting faces, which are the surfaces generated by the section of certain parts of a toroid, i.e. a solid of revolution, the external limit of the cross-section of said solid being derived from the internal limit of the cross-section of the shell via an internal offset by a radial gap, necessary for the differentiated expansions, due to different materials or different temperatures during the operation of the engine, while the revolution axes of construction of the pistons and the functional axis of rotation of the pistons coincide with the main axis, resulting in that a most hermetic sealing of the pistons with respect to the cooperating internal shell walls is achieved, via the sealing rings inside grooves lying on the body of the toroids, in a meridian plane, close to both faces.
Moreover, the piston faces have any appropriate shape which favors the most effective production of torque with respect to the rotation axis of the pistons, by the pressure generated by the exhaust gases, said piston faces fitting each other perfectly when the complete expulsion of exhaust gases at each thermodynamic cycle is required, wherein the simplest such shape to be used is the plane and particularly the meridian plane.
Furthermore, each piston has a peripheral rib, i.e. a peripheral extension, said extension being practically part of the ring of the toroidal shell which was cut out in order to form the peripheral slot, said peripheral rib having an axial thickness corresponding to the one of the cut out ring and being deployed from an angular position between the piston faces, which lies at an adequate, with regard to mechanical strength, angular distance from the, either rear or front, piston face, towards this face, extending outside the piston body boundaries towards the, either following or leading, respectively, piston, said peripheral rib having an angular width such as, on the one hand, to cover adequately the opening of the peripheral slot when the, either following or leading, respectively, piston is at its maximum distance from said piston, and, on the other hand, to allow for the unobstructed relative motion of the two pistons up to the point where their cooperating faces contact each other.
Inside grooves formed on the peripheral rib of the piston and on the opposite, with regard to the axial direction, sides of the peripheral slot of the shell, there are two groups of peripheral sealing elements, one of said groups being held inside a groove on the aforementioned peripheral rib, and thus following the motion of the piston, the other being held inside a groove on the peripheral slot of the shell, and thus covering continuously the whole periphery and following the motion of the shell, each of said groups consisting of at least two elements situated on both sides of the peripheral rib with regard to the axial direction, said sealing elements either having a special meander cross-section or being spring steel elements or elements of special chemical composition or a combination of these, thus ensuring the hermetic sealing of the pistons with the cooperating shell walls in the peripheral direction.
Each piston also has lateral surfaces, which are the convex surfaces of conjugate to the shell toroids, at angular positions on the generating line of the toroid where their presence is necessary for sealing the intake port and the exhaust port.
Finally, each piston has an arm fixed on said peripheral rib on the whole of its axial thickness and extending to an adequate, with regard to mechanical strength, angular width, from the edge of the peripheral rib located between the piston faces to the, either rear or front, depending on the deployment of the peripheral rib, face position, thus supporting the main body of the piston and also supporting the peripheral rib on the whole of its angular width, said arm extending, right after its fixing on the peripheral rib, in parallel to the machine central axis and in both directions to an adequate height with regard to the capacity of receiving any non-axial torque, said arm extending from these two edges in two planes perpendicular to the main axis, up to the area around this axis, where two hubs, respectively, having their centers on said axis, are formed and receive any non-axial torque, allowing only the unobstructed rotation of the piston, and since all pistons are supported on a central shaft, said pistons always having rotational freedom, it follows that the hubs are formed at axially different planes and, therefore, although preferably identical in shape, differ in their axial support position, while the hubs of each piston preferably have the same axial distance.
Besides, the pistons are functionally absolutely identical and have appropriate angular dimensions, are of an appropriate number and are distributed along the periphery of the shell in such a manner, that for each pair of cooperating pistons, the rear face of the leading piston and the front face of the following piston form, consecutively and at the appropriate position, the volumes required at each period of the thermodynamic cycle, while all periods are performed simultaneously.
The “intake” ports, any other required openings and the “exhaust” ports of each “stathmos” (station) are alternately covered by lateral sealing and uncovered, depending on the relevant requirements, solely via the motion of the pistons within the shell, without there being need for the presence of other elements, resulting in the reduction of the number of moving parts to a minimum.
Since the position where the ignition takes place, if it is required, is specific and fixed on the shell, an electric circuit is activated on each “stathmos” (station), solely via the motion of the pistons as well, without there being need for the presence of other elements, such as the classic electric distributor in other engines, resulting also in the reduction of the number of moving parts to a minimum.
This engine, due to its internal kinematic mechanism, is capable of performing any thermodynamic cycle, executing all the required motions with the greatest efficiency possible, and especially it is capable of performing extremely specialized motions of an optimized, even an ideal, thermodynamic cycle, such as:
Then, all the piston motions are designed on the basis of an ideal thermodynamic cycle, taking into account all the contact forces and inertial forces, so that both the acceleration and the deceleration of each piston are performed optimally, while it is possible to achieve the oscillating intake of the air-fuel mixture for improved mixing, and its in-motion combustion for an improved combustion, since the placement of the spark plug or of the injection nozzle either on the leading piston or on the following piston or on both pistons and the resulting differentiation of the flame propagation rate inside a compressed air-fuel mixture, said mixture also being subject to the favorable effect of inertial forces, is only a matter of choice.
Parallel to the aforementioned motions of the pistons, due to the fact that each piston has two active faces and consequently participates in two successive pairs of cooperating pistons, the other pairs of cooperating pistons also perform consecutively the same motions with the appropriate phase difference, while the whole process, which may be repeated ad infinitum, is called “diadocho-kinesis” (successive motion) operation.
Besides, precisely because of the fact that each piston has two active faces, it follows that the period that is performed between the rear face of the leading piston and the front face of the following piston, may afterwards be performed at the space either before the front face of the leading piston or behind the rear face of the following piston, an option which thus also defines the direction of propagation of the cycle, said direction being either the same as or opposite to the direction of motion of the pistons, respectively, always viewed within an extended kinematic cycle.
The performance of all the required motions, with precision and progressiveness (the latter in the sense of keeping the maximum value of the derivative function of the output travel with respect to the input travel relatively low), but also with an absolutely constant engagement, and without any auxiliary mechanisms for accelerating, decelerating or immobilizing the pistons, is achieved via a special combination of planetary systems, said combination being called “Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission” mechanism.
The structural parts of said mechanism are:
The term “Heterocentric” Transmission relates to the aforementioned configuration, according to which the required planets achieve the desired kinematic interconnection of the pistons between them, while they are located at different angular positions around the central axis and therefore their planetic axes of rotation define different centers on a plane perpendicular to said central axis, as opposed to the configuration of the Concentric Distributive Oscillating Transmission, where the likewise defined centers of all the required planets coincide.
The operation of said mechanism is as follows:
The planetary shaft of each piston, due to the simultaneous cooperation of the reaction planet with the conventionally stationary reaction sun and of the action planet with the action sun, the latter being actually the (input or output) drive shaft of the mechanism, and due to the rotation of said action sun, is forced simultaneously to rotate around its planetary axis and to revolve around the central axis of the machine, said motions being both of variable velocity, while the carrier on which said planetary shaft is supported, i.e. the arm of the respective piston, is also forced to rotate around the central axis, because of the revolution of the planetary shaft around the central axis.
Due to the fact that the planetary shaft of any piston, as just described above, appears during the design, initially, with two degrees of freedom, one of which, i.e. the possibility of revolution around the main axis, is afterwards constrained via the prescribed motion of the specific piston, the arbitrary definition of the rotation of this planetary shaft around its planetary axis takes place as well, so that the condition that the mean value of the variable transmission ratio, both between the reaction sun and the reaction planet and between the action sun and the action planet, is a rational number, is in any case satisfied, which means that at an integral number of complete revolutions of the action and the reaction sun corresponds an integral number of complete revolutions of the action and the reaction, respectively, planet, this condition ensuring that, after appropriate integral numbers of complete revolutions of all the cooperating elements, these elements will return again at their initial position of engagement.
However, in the case where it is required that the action sun and the action planet are standard gears, the planetary shaft performs an oscillating motion both around the main axis and around its planetary axis, therefore it is not possible for the reaction sun and the reaction planet to be standard gears as well.
Likewise, in the case where it is required that the reaction sun and the reaction planet are standard gears, the planetary shaft performs an oscillating motion both around the main axis and around its planetary axis, therefore it is not possible for the action sun and the action planet to be standard gears as well.
Finally, when the arbitrarily defined motion of the planetary shaft around its planetary axis is any other than the ones just described above, it is not possible neither for the action sun and the action planet nor for the reaction sun and the reaction planet to be standard gears.
Hence, in the case where any two machine elements cooperate in a pure rotation, and it is required that the motion of at least one of them is oscillating, the toothing must be of a special construction and more precisely of a variable transmission ratio, and consequently, reference is not made to cooperating standard gear wheels but to an application of a combination of their design philosophy with the design philosophy of cams, cams being machine elements capable of producing an oscillating motion, whereby each of these special machine elements may be called “odonto-knodax” (cam gear).
According to the above discussion, the motion of the planetary shaft around its planetary axis is arbitrarily defined, satisfying mainly the condition of progressiveness, i.e. of keeping at a minimum, and in any case within allowable limits, the fluctuation of the variation of the transmission ratio, so that the value of the pressure angle is kept within the limits found also in standard toothings, this result allowing for further improvement by controlling and adjusting the rest of the design parameters of the toothing per se.
Thus, given the relative motion between the action sun and the action planet, the ratio of transmission between them, whether constant or variable, is calculated and the respective toothing profile is constructed.
Likewise, given the relative motion between the reaction sun and the reaction planet, the ratio of transmission between them, whether constant or variable, is calculated and the respective toothing profile is constructed as well.
In the case that, during the operation of a pair of either standard gears or “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears), the mean value of the transmission ratio is not a rational number, i.e. an integral number of revolutions of one does not correspond to an integral number of revolutions of the other, and it is required that one of the two machine elements, whether standard or of special type, rotates by more than one complete revolution, then, if the toothings are planar, a part of one toothing will meet with a part of the other toothing with which it is not meant to cooperate, this having certainly disastrous consequences, this case being termed a “Non-conjugate Toothing Overlap”.
In the case, also, that the mean value of the transmission ratio is a rational number, said condition taking place in the majority of standard gear applications and also being satisfied in the present application, which is most important for the present analysis, the aforementioned problem is solved within the plane by juxtaposing the same toothing profile repeatedly, the number of repetitions being derived from the reduced fraction of the aforementioned mean value of the transmission ratio, but although this solution gives very good results with standard gears, except in extreme cases where said reduced fraction is a ratio of very large integers, the same proposal for “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears), in the vast majority of cases, leads to a great restriction of the angular space within which the variation of the transmission ratio has to be effected, resulting finally in that this variation becomes extremely abrupt and in that the derived pressure angle is non-functional and impossible to manufacture, this case being termed a “Variation Space Shrinkage”.
In order to face the aforementioned undesirable circumstances, in special cases of standard gears but also, mainly, in the majority of cases of “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears) with significant fluctuation of the variable transmission ratio, the toothings of cooperating elements, where it is required that at least one element rotates by more than one complete revolution, are deployed at different axial positions, either discontinuously, in a stepped mode for different parts of the toothing, i.e. stepwise, or continuously, i.e. helically, the deployment in both cases being called, as a generalized case, an “Overlap Avoidance Helical Configuration”, the thus generalized “helix” having an appropriate generalized “gradient” (with the meaning of the ratio of the produced axial displacement to the respective angular displacement) so that, on the one hand each of said elements cooperates exclusively with the element with which it is designed to cooperate, and, on the other hand, the axial height of said helical configuration, and consequently the total axial height of the mechanism, are not excessively increased.
Remark:
The overlap avoidance helical configuration defined above is in no way related to the currently used helical toothing per se or, more precisely, it is an application of the same, but rather inversed, rules of its construction under a more macroscopic view, meaning that, as in the case of the currently used helical toothing, an additional turning angle is imposed for each contact point on a tooth, dependent on the axial position and aiming at an overlap of operating periods of successive teeth, respectively in the case of overlap avoidance helical configuration an axial displacement for each tooth is imposed, either once per tooth or in an absolutely continuous manner, aiming, on the contrary, at the avoidance of an overlap of non-conjugate operating periods, and if, for reasons of strength and operation of the toothings or for smoother and more quiet operation of the machine, the use of the currently known helical toothing is also required, there is no problem in the coexistence of these two different types of spatial deployment.
All the toothings are fixed with the required mechanical strength directly on the respective shafts, and said toothings may be either all external or a combination of external toothings for all the planets and internal toothings for all the suns, the latter arrangement being advantageous from a topological aspect, but not efficient for considerable and abrupt fluctuations of the transmission ratio.
During the aforementioned “helical” deployment process, the only requirement is that each formation point of the toothing of one element corresponds both angularly and axially to the respective formation point of the cooperating toothing of the other element, the “helical” deployments being either of opposite directions for the two cooperating elements in case of using external toothings for all the elements or of the same direction in a different case.
Furthermore, from the aforementioned “helical” deployment process, result conjugate toothings that are consequently completed after an integral number of turns (with the meaning of the material deployment), in general different for each toothing, said toothings having additionally at least half a tooth before their starting point, the profile of said tooth corresponding to the one right before the ending point, and at least half a tooth after their ending point, the profile of said tooth corresponding to the one right after the starting point, said additions being in accordance with the aforementioned “helical” deployment.
Due to the aforementioned additions, the engagement of each element with the corresponding cooperating element is absolutely constant and when the cooperation of the “helical” toothings is terminated at one of their two ends, a new cooperation has already started at their other end, with the degree of overlap of the toothings, during the transition of their engagement from the ending point to the starting point anew, being exactly the same as the degree of overlap of the toothings between teeth, and it is in fact possible to improve the degree of overlap further, in order to achieve an even smoother and more quiet operation, by applying the currently used helical toothing, and in any case without any mechanism of immobilization or temporary connection.
For those toothings which are required to be deployed “helically”, it is recommended, although not absolutely necessary, that the “helices” are continuous for all the elements, and of constant pitch for all the suns, mainly for reasons of mechanical strength, especially in case that the sun is common for all the planets and therefore exposed to greater stresses.
Finally, it is recommended that all the used toothings, either planar or “helically” deployed, for all the elements of the same type, i.e. for all the action suns, when these are more than one, and for all the reaction suns, when these are more than one as well, and for all the action planets and for all the reaction planets as well, are identical.
In the case of one separate action sun per action planet the cooperation between them is simple and already described, but in the case of a common action sun for all the action planets, at each period the respective to said period section of the toothing of the action sun will cooperate with the respective section of the toothing of the action planet of any one piston and afterwards the next section of the always unitary toothing of the action sun will cooperate with the next section of the toothing of the action planet of the same piston performing uninterruptedly the next period, while the initial, for the present description, section of the toothing of the action sun will be at a proper position to cooperate with the respective section of the toothing of the action planet of the next piston so that the latter piston will perform the respective period, and so on ad infinitum, the action sun being in continuous engagement with all the action planets simultaneously.
Likewise, in the case of one separate reaction sun per reaction planet the cooperation between them is simple and already described, but in the case of a common reaction sun for all the reaction planets, at each period the respective to said period section of the toothing of the reaction planet of any one piston will cooperate with the respective section of the toothing of the reaction sun and afterwards the next section of the toothing of the reaction planet of the same piston will cooperate with the next section of the always unitary toothing of the reaction sun performing uninterruptedly the next period, while the initial, for the present description, section of the toothing of the reaction planet of the next piston will be at a proper position to cooperate with the respective section of the toothing of the conventionally stationary reaction sun, so that the latter piston will perform the respective period, and so on ad infinitum, the reaction sun being in continuous engagement with all the reaction planets simultaneously.
From another point of view, it is possible to locate the socket configuration of the planetary shaft at the side opposite to the side of the main body of the piston, with respect to the central axis, so that said socket configuration and the corresponding planetary shaft can act as a counterweight to the main body of the piston, without there being need for the presence of any other element for the static and dynamic balancing of the mechanism.
As shown by the detailed presentation of this combination of planetary systems, when the design and the implementation of its distributive structure and operation are practicable, a significant saving of machine elements and especially of those with toothings of variable ratio, and also an important degree of compactness and robustness are achieved.
In the more simplified version of the engine, the shell is stationary in space and the engine output, i.e. the shaft which produces work and is therefore called a “drive shaft”, is the action sun, while the introduction of air-fuel mixture and the gas exhaust are achieved by stationary piping fixed on the shell.
In the more advanced version of the engine, the action sun is stationary in space or fixed on a rotatable base, with the same properties as the rotatable base of the reaction sun previously described, and the drive shaft is the shell, while the introduction of air-fuel mixture is effected from the external space on the moving shell via piping and rotary type sealing and the gas exhaust is effected via a specially configured stationary exhaust gas collector, among the advantages of this arrangement being the even smoother engine operation, but also the drawing off of any residual exhaust gas energy via their aerodynamic reaction on the appropriately curved walls of the exhaust gas collector, said reaction leading to an additional torque on the moving shell.
Remarks:
At this point it should be stressed that the extended kinematic cycle has been divided into periods so that at each period the action sun performs the same angular travel, while the number of these periods is equal to the number of the pistons, so that, at any given moment, each period is performed exclusively on one piston and on each piston is performed exclusively one period, and afterwards the same period is performed on the next piston and on the same piston is performed the next period, so that on each piston are performed sequentially all periods and each period is performed sequentially on all pistons, a matter on which no explicit reference had been made before, since a number of crucial questions had to be examined thoroughly prior to this designation, such as “which are all the required processes for the optimal execution of any functional cycle?”, or “how is it possible for all these processes to constitute a unified and unobstructedly repeated operation?”, and, finally, “in which way is it possible to redistribute said processes so that a number of periods results, which allows for the optimal design and manufacture of such an engine?”.
Furthermore, it should be stressed that the term “Period” is used instead of the term “Stroke”, on the one hand because it represents a substantially different meaning, for the reason that after the aforementioned redistribution of processes it is possible for a Period to include a part of a Stroke or, more frequently, more than one complete Strokes, where the term “Stroke” has its current meaning in technical terminology of a “Time Interval in a Process”, and on the other hand because the term “Period” already exists in the english technical terminology with exactly the same meaning as in the present proposal, while at the same time the confusion by the use of the term “Stroke”, which sometimes has the meaning “Period of Time” and sometimes the meaning “Displacement in Space”, is avoided.
After all these explanations it is rendered clear enough that in order to define the Periods, there is a technique which consists in a redistribution of all required processes, as already described, in a total rearrangement and distribution of all these in a specific and optimum number of Periods, and in a precise kinematic design of all these Periods except one, because, due to the mathematical properties of the “Diadocho-Kinesis” Operation, the remaining Period is defined by the other already defined Periods.
Following the way of the presentation until now, for a most proper explanation of the structure and operation of the mechanism, it is deemed necessary to present a specific application of this mechanism, wherein it appears as the interconnecting internal mechanism of an internal combustion engine, while it is advisable to show firstly the kinematic and dynamic requirements that arise from the operation of this engine and afterwards the manner in which these requirements are satisfied by the proper design of the particular parts of this mechanism and especially of the toothings of variable transmission ratio.
This internal combustion engine, in particular, is an engine with petrol as its fuel, i.e. a gas engine, either with a carburetor or with direct or indirect fuel injection, the extended kinematic cycle in said application consisting of three periods, which are:
We assign to the number of periods of the extended kinematic cycle an equal number of pistons. We also select the following manufacturing parameters:
Static Parameters:
Number of “stathmoi” (stations): one,
Generating line of internal toroidal surface: circle,
Piston face: meridian plane,
Peripheral slot position: internally,
Peripheral rib direction: to the following piston,
Peripheral rib support: fully supported on the whole of its angular width by the arm of the piston,
Type of ignition unit: spark plug,
Position of ignition unit: center of rear face of the piston,
Type of toothings for reaction sun and reaction planet: external and of variable transmission ratio, i.e. external “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears),
Topology and type of cooperation of reaction sun: planar and common for all the reaction planets,
Type of toothings for action sun and action planet: external and of constant transmission ratio, i.e. external standard gears,
Topology and type of cooperation of action sun: planar and common for all the action planets.
Since all used suns and planets are planar, the exerted forces, both on the action and on the reaction side, are applied exclusively within one plane, different for each side, which allows for the term “Mechanism of Coplanar Application of Forces” or, briefly, “Coplanar Mechanism”.
Kinematic Parameters:
Drive shaft: action sun,
Toroidal shell: stationary with respect to the frame of mechanism,
Frame of mechanism: stationary in space,
Reaction sun: fixed on a rotatable, with respect to the frame of the mechanism, base,
Direction of propagation of functional cycle: opposite to the direction of rotation of the pistons,
Direction of rotation of action sun: opposite to the direction of rotation of the pistons,
Number of revolutions of action sun per cycle: half,
Number of revolutions of planetary shaft around its planetary axis per cycle: one,
Angular travel of Intake phase per cycle to periphery ratio: one to five,
Angular travel of Expansion phase per cycle to periphery ratio: three to five.
In this specific application the ratio of the angular travel of Expansion phase to the angular travel of Intake phase is three to one, which explains the use of the term “Extended Expansion” Engine, while it is possible for this ratio to be as large as desirable, in the sense that the maximum travel of Expansion phase that this engine can achieve is firstly defined and afterwards, taking into account the respective ratio suggested by the Theory of Combustion, the travel of Intake phase is calculated.
Due to these selections, a balanced arrangement is achieved between the ratio of the air-fuel mixture intake volume per drive shaft revolution to the total torus volume and the ratio of the exhaust gas expansion volume per drive shaft revolution to the total torus volume on the one hand, and the minimum root width at the most highly loaded point of the “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears), the pressure angle value and, therefore, the toothing efficiency on the other hand.
The engine which corresponds to the aforementioned manufacturing parameters is shown in the attached figures:
In
In
In
In
In
In
In
In
The numbers appearing in
Bodies, in general:
1—piston number 1, as a total,
2—piston number 2, as a total,
3—piston number 3, as a total,
4
r—first half of stationary toroidal shell, to the reaction side, with mounting legs and connecting rods,
4
a—second half of stationary toroidal shell, to the action side, with mounting legs,
5—drive shaft, with splined formation for power transmission on both ends,
6—reaction sun, fixed on a rotatable, with respect to the shell, base,
7—action sun, fixed on the drive shaft,
8
r—flywheel, on the reaction side, with screwed flange formation for power transmission,
8
a—flywheel, on the action side, with screwed flange formation for power transmission,
9—rotatable base of reaction sun, for adjusting travels and/or timing of the engine,
10—actuator of reaction sun rotatable base, for adjusting travels and/or timing of the engine,
11—planetary shaft of piston number 1, with reaction planet and action planet fixed on it,
11
r—reaction planet, fixed on planetary shaft of piston number 1,
11
a—action planet, fixed on planetary shaft of piston number 1,
12—planetary shaft of piston number 2, with reaction planet and action planet fixed on it,
12
r—reaction planet, fixed on planetary shaft of piston number 2,
12
a—action planet, fixed on planetary shaft of piston number 2,
13—planetary shaft of piston number 3, with reaction planet and action planet fixed on it,
13
r—reaction planet, fixed on planetary shaft of piston number 3,
13
a—action planet, fixed on planetary shaft of piston number 3.
Shell, in particular:
14—internal surface of the toroidal shell,
15—peripheral slot of the toroidal shell,
16—fuel intake port,
16*—fuel intake port (shown on this cross-section only in order to explain the operation of the engine),
17—gas exhaust port,
17*—gas exhaust port (shown on this cross-section only in order to explain the operation of the engine),
18—external permanent electric supply, for the spark plug,
19—gap between exhaust port and intake port, for cooling/cleaning and inspection/maintenance,
20—peripheral sealing ring, fixed on the toroidal shell,
21—cap for filling oil sump of the engine,
22—cap for emptying oil sump of the engine.
Piston (any piston), in particular:
23—thermally compensating connecting rod of structural frame of the piston,
24—peripheral rib, for sealing of the peripheral slot of the shell, with meander shape,
25—peripheral sealing ring, fixed on the peripheral rib of the piston,
26—lateral sealing surface of fuel intake port, on the piston,
27—lateral sealing surface of gas exhaust port, on the piston,
28—front face of the piston,
29—rear face of the piston,
30—spark plug, on the piston,
31—arm supporting the body and the whole peripheral rib of the piston,
32—hub supporting the piston, with rotary freedom,
33—roller-bearing of the hub supporting the piston,
34—socket configuration, supporting the planetary shaft, on the arm of the piston,
35—opening on the arm of the piston, for the unobstructed motion of other planetary shafts,
36—piston static and dynamic balancing counterweight, having the shape of a circular sector,
37—electric circuit, from the brush cooperating with the shell rail to the spark plug.
In
It should be noted here that the fuel intake port and the gas exhaust port are arranged at different angular positions on the generating line of the toroid, therefore the fuel intake port, which appears correctly only in cross-section B-B of
It should be noted, also, that the socket configuration of the planetary shaft, in this specific presentation, is not located at the side opposite to the side of the main body of the piston, with respect to the central axis, hence said socket configuration and the corresponding planetary shaft do not act as a counterweight to the main body of the piston for the static and dynamic balancing of the mechanism, this arrangement having been chosen only for the purpose of better explaining the operation of the engine, since it is much clearer which planetary system corresponds to each piston.
From another point of view, it should be noted that in reality, for assembling reasons, some elements are constructed separately and are fixed together during their assembly, forming a larger group which is called a “moving part”, therefore, for the purpose of explaining, all these elements have a common hatch, while the same rule applies to the rotatable base of the reaction sun, for the reason that in this specific presentation the angular position of said rotatable base and of the reaction sun has been regulated and is fixed with respect to the frame of the engine.
Likewise, for the purpose of explaining and contrary to the conventional rules of Drawing, the hatches used for the drive shaft, which is in fact the only pure shaft in the whole of this mechanical assembly, and for the cylindrical rollers of the bearings, respectively, are the same as the hatches of all the other elements of the group that makes up their moving part.
Finally, the drawings of the six discrete main phases of the operation of the engine have been arranged on the same page, forming an easily understandable cyclic diagram, for the purpose of explaining the alternation of these phases at a glance, and therefore the inclusion of the corresponding hatches has been avoided in order to have clear, not blurred drawings.
In order to examine a complete operating cycle of the mechanism and the whole engine thoroughly, and taking into account the aforementioned figures, we consider that the engine drive shaft rotates in the conventionally forward direction in mathematics, i.e. anti-clockwise, and we assign numbers to the pistons in the conventionally opposite direction in mathematics, hence in the pair of cooperating pistons (1) and (2) the leading piston (1) and the following piston (2) are distinguished, and so on.
Therefore, the cycle, conventionally as well, starts with the leading piston (1) and the following piston (2) being in contact and at such position with respect to the shell that the rear face (29) of the piston (1) and the front face (28) of the piston (2) are located at the start of the fuel intake port (16) (
From this point the leading piston (1) moves fast until its rear face (29) reaches the so-called “fore position of intake”, achieving the induction of exclusively air-fuel mixture, while the following piston (2) moves more slowly until its front face (28) reaches the end of the fuel intake port (16), thus blocking said port, said end of the fuel intake port (16) lying at an angular distance from the “fore position of intake” which is defined as the angular travel of Intake phase, hence the first phase “Intake” of the first period “Intake—Compression” has been performed (
From this point the leading piston (1) moves slowly until its rear face (29) reaches the so-called “fore position of compression”, while the following piston (2) moves faster until its front face (28) reaches the so-called “rear position of compression”, said “rear position of compression” lying at an angular distance from the “fore position of compression” which is determined by the angular travel of Intake phase and the compression ratio, hence the second phase “Compression” of the first period “Intake—Compression” has been performed (
From this point the following piston (2) moves very slowly, while the leading piston (1) moves slightly faster so as to clear itself of the point of locally maximum proximity of the pistons, said point constituting for said kinematic mechanism the so-called “neutral point”, which is unavoidably present in any mechanical oscillating system, and at the proper moment the ignition process is activated, resulting in that the leading piston (1) moves following an optimal kinematic and dynamic design, under the pressure exerted by the exhaust gases, until its rear face (29) reaches the beginning of the gas exhaust port (17), while the following piston (2) also moves, more slowly of course, following a different, but optimal as well, kinematic and dynamic design, said design having taken into account the inertial contribution of the violent motion of the burning mass of the air-fuel mixture to the flame propagation, until its front face (28) reaches the so-called “rear position of expansion”, keeping the combustion process almost isovolumic for the time period imposed by the theory of combustion, whereby the chemical energy of the air-fuel mixture is turned into mechanical energy on the drive shaft by the applied kinematic mechanism in the most effective possible manner, while this “rear position of expansion” lies at an angular distance from the beginning of the gas exhaust port (17) which is defined as the angular travel of Expansion phase, hence the second period “Expansion” has been performed (
From this point the leading piston (1) moves slowly until its rear face (29) reaches the end of the gas exhaust port (17), while the following piston (2) moves faster until its front face (28) reaches the end of the gas exhaust port (17) as well, whereby said faces come in contact again achieving the complete expulsion of the produced exhaust gases, hence the first phase “Exhaust” of the third and last period “Exhaust—Meta-Stathmeusis” has been performed (
From this point the leading piston (1) and the following piston (2) move being constantly in contact up to the point where the front face (28) of the following piston (2) achieves an adequate sealing of said gas exhaust port (17), then the velocities of said pistons change so that the rear face (29) of the leading piston (1) is separated from the front face (28) of the following piston (2), until a considerable gap is formed between them, located at an opening (19) of equivalent dimensions on the shell, adequate for the purpose of effectively cooling and/or cleaning, even via brushes, said piston faces during engine operation, or for inspection and maintenance work, such as the replacement of the spark plug, without dismantling parts of the engine, during engine switch-off (
From this point the velocities of said pistons change again so that the front face (28) of the following piston (2) approaches the rear face (29) of the leading piston (1) until they come in contact again at a position where the rear face (29) of the leading piston (1) continues to achieve an adequate sealing of the fuel intake port (16), and from this point they move being constantly in contact until the rear face (29) of the leading piston (1) and the front face (28) of the following piston (2) reach the beginning of the fuel intake port (16), hence the second phase “Meta-Stathmeusis” of the third and last period “Exhaust—Meta-Stathmeusis” has been performed (
On the other hand, the parallel operation of the kinematic mechanism which is, practically, exclusively responsible for producing the motions just described, i.e. the operation of the Coplanar Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission, is as follows:
Due to the rotation of the action sun (7) and because of its cooperation with the action planet (11a, 12a, 13a), either active or passive, the respective planetary shaft (11 or 12 or 13) of each piston (1 or 2 or 3, respectively), on which said action planet is fixed, also because of the parallel cooperation of its reaction planet (11r, 12r, 13r, respectively) with the reaction sun (6), is forced simultaneously on the one hand to a rotation around its planetary axis and on the other hand to a revolution of this planetary axis around the central axis of the engine, these two motions being both of variable velocity, while said revolution around the central axis of the engine also drives the carrier on which said planetary shaft (11 or 12 or 13, respectively) is supported, said carrier being in this specific case the supporting arm (31) of the respective piston (1 or 2 or 3) around the central axis, as well.
As mentioned above, on the reaction side, the use of special toothing of variable transmission ratio has been selected for the reaction sun (6) and the reaction planets (11 r, 12r and 13r), hence at each period the respective to said period section of the toothing of the reaction planet (12r, for example) of any one piston (2, respectively) will cooperate with the respective section of the toothing of the reaction sun (6) and afterwards the next section of the toothing of the same reaction planet (12r) will cooperate with the next section of the always unitary toothing of the reaction sun (6), performing uninterruptedly the next period, while the initial, for the present description, section of the toothing of the reaction planet (13r, respectively, for the current example) of the next piston (3, respectively) will be at a proper position to cooperate with the respective section of the always unitary toothing of the conventionally stationary reaction sun (6), so as to perform the respective period, and so on ad infinitum, the reaction sun (6) being in constant engagement with all the reaction planets (11r, 12r and 13r) simultaneously.
Furthermore, due to the fact that it has been selected, on the one hand that the planetary shaft (11 or 12 or 13) of any piston (1 or 2 or 3, respectively) performs exactly one revolution in an extended kinematic cycle, and on the other hand that only one “stathmos” (station) is present, it follows that after the completion of an extended kinematic cycle, the reaction planet (11r or 12r or 13r) of any piston (1 or 2 or 3, respectively), will be at its exactly initial state, as far as both the angular position of its planetary axis with respect to the central axis and its own angular position with respect to its planetary axis are concerned (
When the actuator operates and rotates the base of the reaction sun a certain angular travel, any in general, but finite in the current application, either absolutely independently or in synchronization with the other motions, on the one hand the said synchronization will continue to apply perfectly, since all the relative motions with respect to the reaction sun remain unaltered, and on the other hand there will be a spatial shift, with respect to the toroidal shell, of the events which take place therein, resulting in certain changes during the operation of the engine, as for example, the change of the point where the Intake phase ends and consequently of the amount of introduced air-fuel mixture, and/or the change of the point of ignition, with results similar to the ones of the ignition advance in the internal combustion engines currently in use, and/or the change of the point where the Exhaust phase begins and consequently of the degree of exploitation of the energy of the exhaust gases.
As far as the action side is concerned, as it has also been mentioned above, the use of standard toothing of constant transmission ratio has been selected for the action sun (7) and the action planets (11a, 12a and 13a), hence the situation is much simpler and both the action sun (7) and all the action planets (11a, 12a and 13a) are standard gears, so there is no problem, topological or other, due to the simultaneous cooperation of the action sun (7) with all the action planets (11a, 12a and 13a), and also no problem of discontinuity during the transition from the end of the extended kinematic cycle to the beginning of a new such cycle.
Finally, where the piston (1 or 2 or 3) is required to move slowly with respect to the shell (4r, 4a), that is during the first phase of the period “Intake—Compression” as well as during the period “Expansion” for the following piston (2) and during the second phase of the period “Intake—Compression” and the first phase of the period “Exhaust—Meta-Stathmeusis (Re-Stationing)” for the leading piston (1), or where the piston (1 or 2 or 3) is required to move fast with respect to the shell (4r, 4a), that is during the first phase of the period “Intake—Compression” as well as during the period “Expansion” for the leading piston (1) and during the second phase of the period “Intake—Compression” and the first phase of the period “Exhaust—Meta-Stathmeusis (Re-Stationing)” for the following piston (2), this is achieved via the appropriate design of the toothings of variable transmission ratio, and in any case without there being need for the presence of any other mechanism, either for immobilization or for temporary connection.
It is thereby proven that the Coplanar Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission has the virtues of a constant and self-contained engagement, i.e. the simplicity of operation, the precision and the progressiveness, and allows the design of the engine almost without limitations, the highest priority being in the satisfaction of the requirements of any thermodynamic cycle per se, from the roughest up to the finest of them.
One full operating cycle of the engine and consequently of the mechanism is thus completed, which cycle may be repeated in an identical manner at the same “stathmos” (station), and so on ad infinitum.
By observing the positions and the motions of the examined pair of cooperating pistons, it is possible to observe the positions and the motions of all other pairs of cooperating pistons as well, these being repeated consecutively with the relative phase difference, hence it is possible to follow and fully check the aforementioned “diadocho-kinesis” operation.
Remark:
After the detailed presentation of the structure and especially the operation of the engine, it is rendered clear that the internal combustion engine in question has more features than any other similar suggestion, so that it may claim the title of the sought connecting link between the classic piston-bearing reciprocating engines and the turbine engines, combining the advantages of these two categories of engines in the best possible manner, without incorporating their most critical drawbacks at the same time.
As shown above, the Coplanar Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission is capable of performing any kinematic cycle, performing all the required motions with precision, progressiveness and the greatest efficiency possible in both directions, that is either receiving or transmitting torque, and, consequently, it is the most appropriate kinematic mechanism for the other categories of machines of volume variation, since it can satisfy any thermodynamic or hydrodynamic requirements or a combination of those, and it is capable of performing any cycle, either thermodynamic or hydrodynamic or refrigerating, with the greatest total efficiency possible, while it is also the most appropriate kinematic mechanism for any other category of machines, where it is required that a plurality of elements rotate at variable and different for each element velocities, such as the electric machines with a multiple-part rotor, for the conversion either of mechanical work to electric energy or of electric energy to mechanical work.
Therefore, the machine of mechanical volume variation has a structure and operation similar to those previously mentioned, said machine in general consisting also of a shell, which is an almost continuous hollow toroid, either stationary or moving in space, having a peripheral slot, an “Inlet” port and an “Outlet” port, and of pistons, which are parts of either a solid or a hollow toroid, with dimensions corresponding to the ones of the shell, said pistons moving within the shell with respect both to the shell and to each other, in a purely rotary motion, said pistons being kinematically interconnected via the combination of planetary systems which make up the Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission.
Things are simpler in this particular case, both with regard to manufacture and with regard to operation, because fewer differentiated motions are required, since the total of periods may include just the “influx” period and the “efflux” period, while the “meta-stathmeusis” (re-stationing) process may already be incorporated in the aforementioned periods via an appropriate kinematic design.
Likewise, the machine of thermal volume variation also has a structure and operation similar to those previously mentioned, said machine in general consisting also of a shell, which is an almost continuous hollow toroid, either stationary or moving in space, having a peripheral slot and “ports” which are not necessarily actual openings allowing the passage of matter, but areas of intentionally reduced thermal insulation allowing the passage of heat, said heat “ports” being called “thermopylae”, said machine consisting also of pistons, which are parts of either a solid or a hollow toroid, with dimensions corresponding to the ones of the shell, said pistons moving within the shell with respect both to the shell and to each other, in a purely rotary motion, said pistons being kinematically interconnected via the combination of planetary systems which make up the Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission.
Things are also simpler in this particular case, both with regard to manufacture and with regard to operation, because fewer differentiated motions are required, since the total of periods may include just the “compression” period and the “expansion” period, while the “meta-stathmeusis” (re-stationing) process may already be incorporated in the aforementioned periods via an appropriate kinematic design.
Finally, the electric machine with a multiple-part rotor, for the conversion either of mechanical work to electric energy, or else electric generator, or of electric energy to mechanical work, or else electric motor, has also a similar operation, but a different structure from the machines previously described, said machine in general consisting of at least one stator, either stationary or moving in space, which is either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, and of rotors, which are either permanent magnets or electromagnets, moving with respect both to the stator and to each other, in a purely rotary motion, said rotors being kinematically interconnected via the combination of planetary systems which make up the Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission.
Advantages:
The presentation of the advantages will be made also starting from the most complex applications of the Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission mechanism, i.e. the machines of chemical volume variation, continuing with the simpler applications of the machines of mechanical volume variation and the machines of thermal volume variation, and finishing with the applications of the electric machines with a multiple-part rotor.
Advantages in Comparison with Piston-Bearing Reciprocating Engines:
The complete absence both of “intake” valves and of “exhaust” valves, since the pistons themselves, through their motion, cover or reveal the respective ports, resulting in a drastic reduction of the number of required moving parts, while the fact that these ports are covered via lateral sealing is perfectly acceptable both with regard to manufacture and with regard to operation, since the existing pressures at these positions are kept at practically low levels.
The possibility of treating the sealing of the fuel intake port and the gas exhaust port differently, due to their disposition at different angular positions on the generating line of the toroid, via the use of different materials with different requirements in mechanical, thermal and chemical resistance, since the lateral sealing surfaces of the fuel intake port are never in contact with burning air-fuel mixture or with exhaust gas and the lateral sealing surfaces of the gas exhaust port are never in contact with air-fuel mixture.
The absence, as well, of any additional mechanism of electric current distribution, since, as the area where the ignition, if necessary, takes place is specific and fixed on the shell, an electric circuit is activated at the proper moment on each “stathmos” (station) or on the piston itself when the spark plug is located thereon, via the motion of the pistons alone, without there being need for the presence of other parts, this resulting in the drastic reduction of the number of required moving parts, as well.
Advantages in Comparison with Wankel-Type Rotary Engines:
The existence of a sufficient and effective surface for converting the total pressure exerted by the exhaust gases on the face of the piston into a force on the piston.
The existence of a sufficient and effective lever arm for converting the total force applied by the exhaust gases on the piston into a torque around the main axis.
The achievement of sealing of optimal quality during the formation of the required volume, especially during the “Expansion” period, when pressures and temperatures of critically high levels are noted, said quality approaching the quality of the respective piston sealing inside a cylinder via sealing rings inside conjugate grooves, being only slightly inferior, since a slight distortion of the cooperating parts takes place during the transformation from the geometrical shape of the cylinder to the one of the torus.
Advantages in Comparison with Other Piston-Bearing Rotary Engines:
The achievement of a perfectly adequate sealing of the peripheral slot of the shell, which is necessary for the mechanical connection of each piston to a central hub, via the peripheral rib of each, either leading or following, according to the deployment of the peripheral rib, piston, using only two groups of peripheral sealing elements, said sealing elements being either elements of a special meander shape or spring steel elements or elements of special chemical composition or a combination of these, said sealing elements being located on both sides of said peripheral rib, with regard to the axial direction.
The achievement of the smoothest possible operation of the engine, via a configuration where the number of pistons is equal to the number of periods of the aforementioned extended kinematic cycle, so that, at all times, the rear face of some piston performs the “Expansion” period and receives the driving pressure of the exhaust gases.
Advantages in Comparison with all Other Machines of Chemical Volume Variation:
An application of maximum simplicity in design, which leads to an unrivalled effectiveness, while, from this point of view, only the initial idea for the Wankel-type rotary engine is slightly superior to the present proposal, but the embodiment of this initial idea is rather inferior, because of the many problems arising in its application.
The possibility of burning a fuel of very low volatility, since, after each combustion process, and during the engine operation, an adequate gap is formed between the pistons, located at an opening of equivalent dimensions on the shell, the cleaning of the piston faces being effected through said gap, either via air or even via brushes.
The possibility of performing either inspection or even maintenance work, such as the replacement of the spark plug, if said spark plug is located on the piston, without there being need for a difficult, time consuming, costly and even unsafe dismantling of the engine.
Performance of any functional cycle with regard to thermodynamics and kinematics, since it is possible to differentiate the angular travels of the pistons within each period, and hence it is possible to perform any improving actions within any thermodynamic cycle, for a better combustion or a more efficient exploitation of the energy of the exhaust gases.
Performance of a specific thermodynamic cycle, during which the engine may start with the drawing-in of pure air-fuel mixture, continue with its compression up to a predetermined compression ratio, go on with the expansion of the burning air-fuel mixture, which results in an angular travel of the leading piston almost equal to the one required for the complete exploitation of the energy of the exhaust gases, said angular travel being a practically unlimited multiple of the angular travel of the intake phase, and finish with the complete expulsion of the exhaust gases, said cycle being capable of repetition in an identical manner ad infinitum.
Having achieved the complete expulsion of the exhaust gases, which is practically more difficult, it is also possible, if desired, to achieve the partial expulsion of the exhaust gases, either for the purpose of their complete recombustion or for performing any other improvement process, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition.
The possibility, with minimal limitations, of achieving either a practically isovolumic combustion according to the requirements of the Otto cycle or a practically isobaric combustion according to the requirements of the Diesel cycle, or any other intermediate state.
The possibility of totally stopping the operation of the engine and restarting it, with any desired frequency, in order to achieve the minimum fuel consumption, when the conditions allow it, said mode of operation being termed “Stop and Start” operation.
The possibility of preconditioning the air-fuel mixture by preheating before or during its introduction in the shell, since there is an ample, directly accessible and available for heating lateral surface of the shell, different from the combustion area.
The possibility, as well, of preconditioning the air-fuel mixture, by its in-motion or oscillating intake and the resulting improved mixing, via a design which takes into account the layers or the turbulences created or simply favoured by inertial forces.
The possibility of in-motion combustion of the air-fuel mixture for the improvement of said combustion, when the placement of the spark plug or of the injection nozzle either on the leading piston or on the following piston or on both pistons has been selected, since a differentiation of the flame propagation rate inside a compressed air-fuel mixture is achieved, said mixture being subject to the favourable effect of inertial forces due to its violent motion.
The possibility of cooling the combustion area via air, since there is also an ample, directly accessible and available for cooling lateral surface of the shell, other than the area of intake, but, to a great extent, also due to the “meta-stathmeusis” (re-stationing) process, and even more if the insertion of the parting motion of the pistons, for cooling and cleaning, takes place.
The achievement of a further improvement in the smoothness of the engine operation in the case where the shell is the drive shaft, since the ratio of the minimum to the maximum angular velocity of the part moving more slowly is considerably improved.
The possibility of further improvement of the total efficiency of the engine by the drawing off even of the residual energy of the exhaust gases in the case where the shell constitutes the drive shaft, the exhaust gases being led through the exhaust port, which terminates in the form of an inclined nozzle on the outer side of the shell, towards the appropriately curved walls of the exhaust gas collector, the shell thus being driven also by reaction in its direction of motion.
Advantages in Comparison with Other Machines of Mechanical and Thermal Volume Variation:
The achievement of unique simplicity in operation, with an excellent sealing and a minimal number of moving parts, while several of the aforementioned advantages relate clearly to both the machines of mechanical volume variation and the machines of thermal volume variation of the present proposal as well, in comparison with the respective machines being currently in use.
The possibility of disposing the low temperature area and the high temperature area in machines of thermal volume variation at any distance from each other required by the design of such machines, due to the insertion of the “meta-stathmeusis” (re-stationing) process, so that, on the one hand an excellent thermal insulation in the simplest manner is achieved, and on the other hand the refrigeration cycle per se may be optimized, resulting in the feasibility of the design and manufacture of a most efficient machine of thermal volume variation in general, and particularly of a Stirling machine which achieves an efficient power production with the least possible temperature differences between the low temperature area and the high temperature area.
Advantages in Comparison with Other Machines for the Conversion of Mechanical Work to Electric Energy and Machines for the Conversion of Electric Energy to Mechanical Work:
The possibility of performing any kinematic cycle suggested by the Theory of Electricity, referencing either to single-phase or multi-phase electric current, so that the exerted forces, either electric or magnetic, develop either acceleration or deceleration on the separate rotors by an optimal design of motion, while the drive shaft, which in fact is either the input shaft or the output shaft, rotates with uniform motion.
The possibility of operation with only a part of the phases of a multi-phase electric current, since it is possible to design the machine so that the drive shaft rotates with uniform motion even when the separate rotors rotate with possibly asymmetrically variable motion, i.e. so that a mechanical rectification and/or a mechanical smoothing of an asymmetric electric current is achieved.
The possibility of constitution of a machine, either of volume variation in general, or of chemical volume variation in particular, with an electrically assisted improvement of the motion per se as well as of the dynamic balancing during its operation, either in general or specifically within certain periods.
The possibility of constitution of a very compact hybrid machine, whose parts cooperate and interact in the most direct way, even though they manage different energy forms.
Advantages in Comparison with the Transmission Mechanisms of all Other Machines:
The achievement of an exceptional simplicity in operation, with any precision specified, and with any progressiveness required during the acceleration and deceleration of any moving parts, and thereby the possibility of optimally designing the machine and satisfying any motion requirements, from the roughest up to the finest, without any practical limitations.
The possibility, during the operation of the machine, of controlling and adjusting many parameters related to the travels and/or the timing of the mechanism, by adjusting the angular position of the base of the reaction sun with respect to the frame of the mechanism, said adjustment taking place either only once, or at specific points within the functional cycle, of a specific duration, or on a continuous basis, either absolutely independently or in synchronization with the other motions, either finite or perpetual, modifying the functional cycle per se to a great extent.
The achievement of an absolutely constant engagement of all toothings, standard and special, with a degree of overlap exactly the same as the degree of overlap of the toothing between teeth, and with the possibility of further improving this degree of overlap, in order to achieve an even smoother and more quiet operation, by applying the currently used helical toothing, and in any case without any mechanism of immobilization or temporary connection.
The possibility, during the design phase, of controlling and adjusting either the variation of the transmission ratio, if this is allowable, or the rest of the design parameters of the toothing per se, for the purpose of optimizing the value of a particularly critical quantity, the pressure angle, within limits also found in standard toothings, thus achieving the optimal efficiency of the toothing and thereby the optimal total efficiency of the machine.
The achievement of considerable economy in moving parts, especially in those of complex construction, like the “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears), with everything that follows therefrom, due to the distributive structure and operation of the combination of planetary systems.
Advantages of the Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission Mechanism in Comparison with the Concentric Distributive Oscillating Transmission Mechanism:
The achievement of an unrivalled topological simplicity and therefore of an unrivalled ease of construction, assembly, operation and maintenance of the mechanism.
The achievement of an unrivalled robustness of all links of the kinematic train and, more specifically, of a most robust support of each toothing directly on its respective shaft, while all moving parts are actually and solely supported at both ends and of a most adequate mechanical strength.
The possibility of locating the socket configuration of the planetary shaft at the side opposite to the side of the main body of the piston, with respect to the central axis, so that said socket configuration and the corresponding planetary shaft act as a counterweight to the main body of the piston, without there being need for the presence of any other element for the static and dynamic balancing of the mechanism.
The achievement of significant compactness, mainly because of a most rational use of space and especially of the empty space on the inner side of the toroidal shell, close to and surrounding the central axis.
The achievement of almost the least possible weight for a given load-bearing capacity.
The achievement of as slow a rotation of the drive shaft as is required, when said shaft is actually the output shaft, i.e. in the case of any driving machine, so that the need for further reduction of the angular velocity in order to increase the produced torque is significantly reduced.
The achievement of as fast a rotation of the separate moving parts of a machine as is required, when the drive shaft of said machine is actually the input shaft and rotates slowly, so that the need for increasing the angular velocity is significantly reduced, as, for example, in the case of the combination of a Stirling engine, possibly built according to the respective application of the current proposal, the output shaft of said Stirling engine rotating slowly, with an electric generator, for which the Theory of Electricity requires a higher rotational speed of its moving parts, said electric generator being built according to the respective application of the current proposal, as well.
Advantages of the Coplanar Heterocentric Interactive Distributive Oscillating Transmission Mechanism in Comparison with the Concentric Distributive Oscillating Transmission Mechanism:
The achievement of the smoothest rotation possible, since no form of discontinuity is present and the “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears), the number of which is the least possible, are planar and have features almost identical to the ones of standard gears, while through the use of the currently known helical toothing, any differences between the performance of a pair of such “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears) and a pair of standard gears having a transmission ratio equal to the mean value of the variable transmission ratio of said pair of “odonto-knodaces” (cam gears), are almost completely eliminated.
The achievement of the smoothest possible application of forces and torques, since, on the one hand the action forces of all the elements are exerted within exclusively one plane and, on the other hand, the reaction forces of all the elements are also exerted within exclusively one plane.
The achievement of an unrivalled compactness, due to the deployment of all the toothings within exclusively one plane.
The achievement of the least possible weight for a given load-bearing capacity.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070100594 | Sep 2007 | GR | national |
