Claims
- 1. An engine, comprising:a housing; a first rotor mounted for rotation in the housing about a first axis, said first rotor including first and second opposite facing contoured faces and a surface defining at least part of a sphere having a center; a second rotor mounted for rotation in said housing about a second axis said second rotor including third and fourth contoured faces and a surface defining at least part of a sphere having a common center with said center of said first rotor; the first axis and second axis being offset from being collinear by an angle α and intersecting at the common centers of the rotors; each contact face of each rotor being defined by the locus formed as the rotors rotate about their respective axes by points on the other rotor; the points of each rotor that define the locus lying along an outer edge of a cone whose central axis is essentially a radius extending outward from the common centers of the rotor at an angle α/2 from a normal to the axis of the other rotor; said first and second contoured faces being mirror image identical and said third and fourth contoured faces being mirror image identical and said first and third contoured faces being arranged in face-to-face engagement; whereas said engagement of said mirror image contoured faces prevents backlash between said rotors so as to maintain a predetermined gap between said faces during operation of said engine.
- 2. The engine of claim 1 in which the first and second rotors face each other axially across the common center of the rotors, and the first rotor is a master rotor and the second rotor is a slave rotor.
- 3. The engine of claim 1 in which the housing has an interior surface defining at least a partially spherical cavity, whose center coincides with the common center of the rotors and the interior surface cooperates with the contoured faces of the rotors to form the chambers.
- 4. The engine of claim 2 in which the contour faces have axially inward and outward ends, and the side faces engage an inward end of one contact face with the outward end of an adjacent contact face at a bottom dead center position.
- 5. The engine of claim 1 in which each rotor includes a shaft and the vanes of each rotor extend into the shaft of the other rotor.
- 6. The engine of claim 1 in which the apex of the cone is essentially at the common center of the rotors.
- 7. The engine of claim 1 in which points on each rotor on the central axis of the cone follow a teardrop shape locus having an inflection point when the points cross a plane passing through the common center of the rotors and perpendicular to the axis of the other rotor.
- 8. The engine of claim 1 in which opposed contact faces of adjacent lobes define secondary chambers, the secondary chambers being sealed by contact of tips of the lobes of each rotor with the contoured faces of the other rotor and pockets are formed in each rotor at axially inward ends of each contact face at the point of contact of the tips of the lobes of each rotor with the contoured faces of the other rotor.
- 9. The engine of claim 1 in which the apex of the cone extends past the common center of the rotors where the contour line of the cone is scaled down towards the center of the rotor.
- 10. The engine of claim 7 in which the apex of the cone extends past the common center of the rotors where the contour line of the cone is scaled down towards the center of the rotor.
- 11. The engine of claim 10 in which a constant fluid gap is produced to allow particulate matter of a known size to pass therethrough.
- 12. The engine of claim 1 in which the apex of the cone does not extend to the common center of the rotors where the contour line of the cone is scaled away from the center of the rotor to create an interference gap clearance between the contoured faces.
- 13. The engine of claim 1 in which opposed side faces define primary chambers and opposed contact faces define secondary chambers, and the side faces extend into each rotor in which they are formed beyond the locus formed by a cone on the other rotor as the rotor rotates.
- 14. The engine of claim 1 in which the first rotor has the same profile as the second rotor.
- 15. The engine of claim 1 in which opposed side faces define primary chambers and opposed contact faces define secondary chambers, and the secondary chamber seals only momentarily at the point of minimum volume of the secondary chamber.
- 16. The engine of claim 1 in which:the first rotor has a rotor contact end and the rotor contact end of the first rotor is surrounded by the second rotor; each contoured face of the first rotor includes a pair of contact faces and side faces connecting the contact faces to thereby define a piston; and each contoured face of the second rotor includes a pair of contact faces and side faces connecting the contact faces to thereby define a cylinder, one cylinder corresponding to each piston.
- 17. The engine of claim 16 in combination with an external combustion chamber and the ports that include:an expansion port at the top of the rotors connected to the external combustion chamber; a compression port at the bottom of the rotors connected to the external combustion chamber; an intake port on the side of the engine in which the rotors move from bottom to top; and an exhaust port on the side of the engine in which the rotors move from bottom to top.
- 18. The engine of claim 17 in which the ports are disposed within the second rotor.
- 19. The engine of claim 17 in which the expansion port and the compression port are on opposite sides of a plane bisecting the first and second axes.
- 20. The engine of claim 1 further including a power source connected to drive one of the first and second rotors.
- 21. An engine, comprising:a housing having an interior surface that defines an inlet port and an outlet port; a first rotor mounted for rotation on the housing about a first axis, said first rotor including first and second opposite facing contoured faces and an outer surface defining at least part of a sphere having a center; a second rotor mounted for rotation on said housing about a second axis said second rotor including third and fourth contoured faces; the first axis and second axes being offset from being collinear by an angle α and intersecting at the common centers of the rotors; each contour face of each rotor being defined by the conceptual locus lying along an outer edge of a cone whose central axis is essentially a radius extending outward from the common centers of the rotor at an angle α/2 from a normal to the axis of the other rotor and the points on the cone define each contour face as the rotors rotate about their respective axes; said first and second contoured faces are on opposite sides of a lobe on the first rotor and said third and fourth contoured faces are on opposite sides of a lobe on the second rotor and said first and third contoured faces being arranged in face-to-face engagement; whereas said engagement of each contour face of each rotor prevents backlash between said rotors so as to maintain a predetermined gap between said faces during operation of said engine.
- 22. The engine of claim 21 in which the first and second rotors face each other axially across the common center of the rotors, and the first rotor is a master rotor and the second rotor is a slave rotor.
- 23. The engine of claim 21 in which the housing has an interior surface defining at least a partially cylindrical cavity, whose center coincides with the common center of the rotors and the housing interior surface cooperates with the contoured faces of the rotors to form the chambers.
- 24. The engine of claim 22 in which the contact faces have axially inward and outward ends, and the contour faces engage an inward end of one contact face with the outward end of an adjacent contact face.
- 25. The engine of claim 21 in which each rotor includes a shaft and the vanes of each rotor extend into the shaft of the other rotor.
- 26. The engine of claim 21 in which the apex of the cone is essentially at the common center of the rotors.
- 27. The engine of claim 21 in which points on each rotor on the central axis of the cone follow a teardrop shape locus having an inflection point when the points cross a plane passing through the common center of the rotors and perpendicular to the axis of the other rotor.
- 28. The engine of claim 26 in which points on each rotor on the central axis of the cone follow a teardrop shape locus having an inflection point when the points cross a plane passing through the common center of the rotors and perpendicular to the axis of the other rotor.
- 29. The engine of claim 21 in which opposed contact faces of adjacent lobes defining secondary chambers, the secondary chambers being sealed by contact of tips of the vanes of each rotor with the contoured faces of the other rotor and pockets are formed in each rotor at axially inward ends of each contact face at the point of contact of the tips of the vanes of each rotor with the contoured faces of the other rotor.
- 30. The engine of claim 21 in which the apex of the cone extends past the common center of the rotors where the contour line of the cone is scaled down towards the center of the rotor.
- 31. The engine of claim 29 in which the apex of the cone extends past the common center of the rotors where the contour line of the cone is scaled down towards the center of the rotor.
- 32. The engine of claim 31 in which a constant fluid gap is produced to allow particulate matter of a known size to pass therethrough.
- 33. The engine of claim 21 in which the apex of the cone does not extend to the common center of the rotors where the contour line of the cone is scaled away from the center of the rotor to create an interference gap clearance between the adjacent contoured faces.
- 34. The engine of claim 21 in which opposed side faces define primary chambers and opposed contact faces define secondary chambers, and the side faces extend into each rotor in which they are formed beyond the locus formed by a cone on the other rotor as the rotor rotates.
- 35. The engine of claim 21 in which the first rotor has the same profile as the second rotor.
- 36. The engine of claim 21 in which opposite forward and base surfaces of opposing rotors define primary chambers and opposed contact faces define secondary chambers, and the secondary chamber seals only momentarily at the point of minimum volume of the secondary chamber.
- 37. The engine as recited in claim 21 where the contoured surfaces further comprising base region and a tip region.
- 38. The engine as recited in claim 37 where the tip region of each contoured face has a central axis that coincides with the central axis of the cone used to define the adjacent surface of the opposite rotor.
- 39. The engine as recited in claim 37 where the tip region of the first contoured surface has a central axis that coincides with the central axis of the cone used to define a portion of the third contoured surface.
- 40. The engine as recited in claim 37 where the first and second contoured faces are portions of opposite facing vanes that collectively comprise a lobe of the first rotor and the third and fourth contoured faces are portions of opposite facing vanes that collectively comprise a lobe of the second rotor.
- 41. The engine as recited in claim 40 where the central axis of the cone that defines the third surface coincides with a central axis of the first tip.
- 42. The engine as recited in claim 41 where the first tip has an outer surface that is a distance from the central axis of the first tip less than the distance from the cone used to define the third surface to the central axis at a given distance from the common center of the rotors.
- 43. The engine as recited in claim 42 where the difference between the outer surface that is a distance from the central axis of the first tip less than the distance from the cone used to define the third surface at a given distance from the common center of the rotors defines the fluid film thickness thereinbetween.
- 44. The engine as recited in claim 43 where the cone defining the third surface dynamically shifts along the central axis to provide a smaller fluid film thickness at a top dead center and a bottom dead center regions of rotation and a greater fluid film thickness at the approximate region ninety degrees between the top dead center and bottom dead center regions.
- 45. The engine as recited in claim 37 where a recess or channel area is formed-between the tip and base portions of the first contoured face.
- 46. The engine as recited in claim 45 where the channel forms a relief gap that reduces sheer stresses on fluid in this area when the third rotor tip is adjacent thereto.
- 47. The engine as recited in claim 45 where the first and second rotors have a top dead center region near the obtuse angle between the first and second axis and a bottom dead center region near the acute angle between the first and second, axis.
- 48. The engine as recited in claim 47 where the tip radius of the first contoured surface is modified as a slightly flattened shape whereby increasing the radius of curvature at the point of contact near the top dead center region of rotation.
- 49. The engine as recited in claim 48 where the fluid thickness between the tip region of the first rotor adjacent to the first contoured face and third contoured faces of the second rotor is not constant throughout the rotation of the first and second rotors.
- 50. The engine as recited in claim 47 where the tip of each lobe near the bottom dead center region of rotation has a reduced gap clearance between the first and second rotors.
- 51. The engine as recited in claim 21 where the cone dynamically moves along its central axis to provide a variable gap between the contact tip of each vane and the contoured face of each vane.
- 52. The engine as recited in claim 22 where the first and second rotors are adapted to rotate in a first direction where the first contoured face is a leading-edge face.
- 53. The engine as recited in claim 52 where the fluid film at the leading contact surfaces of each lobe of the power rotor will be slightly less than the trailing faces.
- 54. The engine as recited in claim 37 where the first and second contoured faces are portions of a vane that collectively comprise a lobe.
- 55. The engine as recited in claim 54 where the volume between the first and second surfaces of the first rotor is substantially filled in with material to provide strength for the lobe.
- 56. The engine as recited in claim 40 where the volume between the third and fourth surfaces of the second rotor is substantially filled and with material to provide strength for the lobe.
- 57. The engine as recited in claim 21 were each contoured face has a contact tip that is adapted to engage the contact face of the adjacent contoured face of the opposite rotor.
- 58. The engine as recited in claim 57 where the radially outward region of the contoured faces are in closer proximity to the adjacent contoured face of the opposite rotor than the radially inward region creating an interfering angular interfacial gap.
- 59. The engine as recited in claim 57 where the radially inward region of the contoured faces are in closer proximity to the adjacent contoured face of the opposite rotor than at the radially outward region thereby creating and interfering reverse angular interfacial gap.
- 60. The engine as recited in claim 21 were the center region of the engine has an inner spherical component that has an outer surface that at least partially forms a sphere having a spherical center that coincides with the intersect point of the common centers of the rotor.
- 61. The engine as recited in claim 60 where the inner spherical component is press fitted into the first rotor.
- 62. The engine as recited in claims 60 where the inner spherical component is essentially a solid fixture with the first rotor.
- 63. The engine as recited in claim 62 where the second rotor has an interior surface that is adapted to engage the inner outer surface of the spherical component.
- 64. The engine as recited in claim 63 where a fluid film seal is provided between the interior surface of the second rotor and the outer surface of the inner spherical component.
- 65. The engine as recited in claim 60 where a bearing seal for the shaft of the first and second rotors are employed.
- 66. The engine as recited in claim 69 where the first rotor is a power rotor.
- 67. The engine as recited in claim 64 where the second rotor is a power rotor.
- 68. The engine as recited in claim 60 above where the inner spherical component is rigidly connected to the second rotor and the first rotor has an interior surface that forms at least part of a sphere having a centerpoint at the common centers of the rotors and is adapted to engage the inner spherical component.
- 69. The engine as recited in claim 68 where a fluid film seal between the outer surface of the inner spherical component and the inner surface of the second rotor is provided when the engine is in operation.
- 70. The engine as recited in claim 21 where the first rotor is made from steel and the second rotor is made from brass.
- 71. The engine as recited in claim 21 where the second rotor is made from bronze.
- 72. The engine as recited in claim 21 were the inlet port and the outlet port are configured to have shapes complementary to intersecting contoured faces of the rotors.
- 73. The engine as recited in claim 47 where the engine is adapted to be used for downhole water and oil pumping.
- 74. The engine as recited in claim 47 where each rotor is connected to a shaft that is supported by bearings.
- 75. The engine as recited in claim 74 where the bearings are high-speed fluid film bushings.
- 76. The engine as recited in claim 47 where the inlet port is in communication with a low-pressure region and the outlet port is in communication with a high-pressure region.
- 77. The engine as recited in claim 76 where the portion of the casing between the inlet port and the outlet port at the top dead center region of the rotors engages the outer surface of the rotors to provide a seal.
- 78. The engine as recited in claim 77 where the portion of the casing between the inlet port and the outlet port at the bottom dead center of the rotors engages the outer surface of the rotors to provide a fluid seal.
- 79. The engine as recited in claim 47 where the inlet port is positioned so as each chamber reaches its maximum volume the tip regions of each rotor forming a chamber enters the top dead center seal region.
- 80. The engine as recited in claim 78 where the inlet port is in communication with the chambers formed by the first and second rotors during the expansion of the chambers thereby drawing fluid therein.
- 81. The engine as recited in claim 78 where the outlet port is in communication with the chambers formed by the first and second rotors during the compression portion of rotation of the chambers thereby exiting fluid to the outlet port.
- 82. An engine comprising a housing adapted to house a first rotor having a first central axis of rotation, a second rotor having a second central axis of rotation that intersects the first central axis of rotation and is offset from being collinear from the first central axis an angle alpha, the first rotor having a plurality of lobes each having a first contoured face and a second contoured face and the second rotor having a plurality of rotor heads each having a first contoured face and a second contoured face whereby each contoured face is defined by a locus line along an outer edge of a conceptual cone of the opposing rotor where the center axis of the locus intersects the intersect point of the first central axis and the second central axis and is at an angle which is an angle alpha/2 away from a normal to the central axis of rotation of the opposing rotor whereby the locus defines each contoured face and the engagement of contoured faces between the said rotors to maintain a predetermined gap between said faces during operation and a center sphere having a surface that defines at least part of a sphere is adapted to engage a corresponding inner surface on at least one of the rotors with a fluid film gap thereinbetween.
- 83. The engine as recited in claim 82 where the cone has a convergence point that extends beyond the intersect point of the first and second axes of rotation.
- 84. The engine as recited in claim 82 where the first rotor further comprises a spherical center ball and the second rotor comprises an interior spherical surface adapted to engage the spherical ball.
- 85. The engine as recited in claim 82 where the first rotor has a central region that has an outer surface that defines at least part of a sphere.
- 86. The as recited in claim 83 where the clearance gap between the contact faces allows particulate matter of a known size to pass therethrough.
- 87. The engine as recited in claim 85 where the second rotor has a surface that defines at least part of a sphere and is adapted to engage the central region of the first rotor.
- 88. The engine as recited in claim 82 where the second rotor has a central region that has an outer surface that defines at least part of a sphere and the first rotor has an inner surface that defines at least part of a sphere and is adapted to receive the inner portion of the second rotor.
- 89. The engine as recited in claim 82 where the casing of the engine comprises a surface defining an inlet passageway, and a second surface defining an outlet passageway.
- 90. The engine as recited in claim 89 where the first rotor is adapted to have a torque placed thereupon to pump a fluid from the inlet passageway to the outlet passageway.
- 91. The engine as recited in claim 82 where the conceptual cone used to define the first and second contoured faces of the first rotor has a different radius of expansion.
- 92. The engine as recited in claim 91 where the conceptual cone used to define the first and second contoured faces of the second rotor has a different radius of expansion.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/086,838, which was filed May 26, 1998 and is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/085,139, which was filed May 26, 1998 and now matured into U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,463 which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 08/401,264 filed Mar. 9, 1995 now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,196.
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Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/086838 |
May 1998 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/401264 |
Mar 1995 |
US |
Child |
09/085139 |
|
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/085139 |
May 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/318572 |
|
US |