GB2390346A

GB2390346A - Compressed air vehicle engine with auxiliary motor

Info

Publication number: GB2390346A
Application number: GB0026317A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Neil Macmullen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-10-27
Filing date: 2000-10-27
Publication date: 2004-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 2020-10-27
Also published as: GB0026317D0; GB2390346B

Abstract

A hybrid engine for a vehicle includes a compressed air drive comprising a vaned member 13 which drives a shaft 3. An auxiliary electric motor 2 is also included so that the shaft 3 can be driven by either the motor 2, the compressed air drive or both. At least 2 of the vehicle's wheels 12 may be driven by the shaft 3. Air is supplied from cylinders 6 to the vaned member 13 which acts as a turbine. Air flow can be improved by use of a vacuum expansion tank 9. The vaned member is located in a chamber provided with a seal 14 and sealed bearings 4. The vaned member 13 also acts as an impeller, supplying air via a non-return valve 7 to a compressor unit 8 for recharging the cylinders 6.

Description

AIRDRIVEN VEHICLE ENGINE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL AUXILIARY ELECTRIC

DRIVE.

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO AN AIRDRIVEN VEHICLE ENGINE WITH

SUPPLEMENTAL AUXILIARY ELECTRIC DRIVE.

VEHICLE ENGINES ARE WELL KNOWN FOR THIER POWER SOURCES SUCH

AS, STEAM ENGINES, GAS ENGINES, ELECTRIC ENGINES, DIESEL ENGINES,

AND PETROL ENGINES. GAS, DIESEL AND PETROL ENGINES, HAVE PLENTY

OF POWER, BUT ARE NOISY, SMELLY, AND EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN AND

RUN. THEY ALSO CARRY THE RISK OF FIRE AND EXPLOSION IN ACCIDENTS

BECAUSE THEY DEPEND ON VOLATILE AND COMBUSTIBLE FUELS FOR

THIER PROPULSION. STEAM ENGINES ARE OUTDATED, BEING

CUMBERSOME AND SLOW IN OPERATIONS REQUIRING AGILE

MANOUVERABILLITY, AND ARE NOT COST EFFECTIVE GENERALLY.

ELECTRIC ENGINES ARE CHEAPER AND QUIETER THAN THE OTHER

ENGINES, BUT ARE CONDITIONAL TO SLOW RUNNING AND FREQUENT

RECHARGING OVER LONG PERIODS, THE LACK OF REAL ENGINE POWER

BEING A FORMIDABLE HANDICAP.

ACCORDING TO THE PRESENT INVENTION THERE IS PROVIDED AN AIR

DRIVEN VEHICLE ENGINE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL AUXILIARY ELECTRIC

DRIVE.

COMPRISING AN IMPELLER DRIVE SHAFT CONTAINED IN A CONTOURED

SEALED PRESSURISED UNIT. THE IMPELLER DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING

THROUGH THE SEALED UNIT AT EACH END BY SEALED BEARINGS IN

WHICH, THE DRIVE SHAFT CAN TURN FREELY, OR UNDER POWER, APPLIED

BY THE VARIABLE AIR PRESSURE, WITH OR WITHOUT HELP FROM THE

ELECTRIC SUPPLEMENTAL AUXILIARY DRIVE. THE ELECTRIC DRIVE CAN

BE USED INDEPENDANTLY OF THE AIR DRIVE OR VICE VERSA. UNLIKE ITS

COUNTERPARTS THIS ENGINE RUNS ON A SEALED OR SEMI SEALED

COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM SUPPORTED WHERE NECESSARY BY THE

ELECTRIC SUPPLEMENTAL DRIVE, IT IS THEREFORE NOT ONLY CLEAN AND

QUIET, IT IS ALSO CHEAP TO MAINTAIN AND RUN. IT PROVIDES THE

MISSING LINK "DRIVE POWER" WHICH IS PRODUCED BY THE AIR ENGINE.

AIR APPLIED TO THE IMPELLER UNIT UNDER PRESSURE BY SEALED PIPES

RUN FROM COMPRESSED AIR CYLINDERS USING ONE WAY VALVES. THE

COMPRESSED AIR CYLINDERS CAN BE ADDED TO, OR SUBTRACTED FROM,

DEPENDING ON THE SIZE AND TYPE OF ENGINE POWER REQUIRED FOR

THE DRIVE. THE CYLINDERS ARE SUPPLIED INDEPENDANTLY BY AN AIR

COMPRESSOR UNIT, SHOULD THE REQUIRED PRESSURE FOR DRIVE

REQUIRE IT.

SERVING THE SYSTEM ALSO CAN BE AN OUT FLOW, OR VACUUM INDUCING

UNIT WHICH PROVIDES A VARIABLE INDUCED PRESSURE LOSS, BY WAY OF

AN EXIT PIPE FROM THE IMPELLER DRIVE UNIT, THROUGH ONE WAY

VALVES, BACK TO THE INPUT OR COMPRESSOR TOP UP UNIT, OR SUPPLY

UNIT, OR TO ATMOSPHERE. THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE BEING VARIABLY

EXITED FROM THE DRIVE UNIT BY WAY OF AN ACCELERATOR CONTROL

FOOT PEDDLE OR OTHER MEANS, WILL HELP DETERMINE THE SPEED AND

POWER OF THE IMPELLER DRIVE TO THE ROAD WHEELS. BECAUSE THE

IMPELLER DRIVE SHAFT EXITS THE DRIVE UNIT AT BOTH ENDS,

INDEPENDENT, OR 2 WHEEL OR 4 WHEEL DRIVE IS AVAILABLE. SIMILARLY

THE ELECTRIC DRIVE CAN BE USED AT IETHER END OF THE IMPELLER

DRIVE SHAFT, OR, AT BOTH ENDS. IN THIS WAY THE ELECTRICS CAN HELP

DRIVE THE IMPELLER SHAFT WHICH IN TURN CAN HELP CHARGE AND

DRIVE THE ELECTRIC ENGINE AND SYSTEMS. THIS ENGINE CAN

THEREFORE RELACE OR UTILISE ALL OTHER ENGINES!

THE IMPELLER HOUSING UNIT, CAN BE CONTOURED, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

IF NECESSARY TO THE REQUIRED IMPELLER SHAPE.

THE UNIT MAY BE DISSASEMBLED FOR INTERIOR ACCESS IF NECESSARY.

THE UNIT MAY ALSO BE ADAPTED TO VARIABLE SIZES AND DIMENSIONS

AND USES, WITH USING REPLACEABLE, OR VARIABLE PARTS, INCLUDING

OPPOSITE DRIVE FACILLITY.

THE UNIT MAY BE SINGLE OR USED IN UNISON WITH OTHER LIKE OR

INDEPENDANT UNITS, IN VARIABLE FORMATIONS AND SIZES. THE UNIT OR

UNITS CAN BE USED AT ANY ANGLES FROM HORIZONTAL TO VERTICAL,

INCLUDING MOVEMENT IN OPERATION. THE UNIT OR UNITS IMPELLER MAY

BE FITTED WITH FLEXI OR RIGID ANTI AIR LOSS FACILITIES, SUCH AS,

SEALS, VALVES, SKIRTS AND SO ON. THE UNIT MAY BE USED AS A POWER

GENERATOR AND OR CAPACITOR, INDEPENDANT OF OR IN HARMONY WITH

OTHER ELECTRICAL UNITS OR SYSTEMS. THE UNITS IMPELLER DRIVE MAY

BE SPLIT INTO DIFFERENT SECTIONS. THE UNITS IMPELLER DRIVE, MAY BE

PROVIDED WITH ADAPTABLE FACILLITIES FOR VARIABLE DIMENSIONS OR

TYPES OF IMPELLER VANES FOR DIFFERENT DRIVE FACILLITIES. THE

ENGINE, UNIT, PROPELLER OR IMPELLER, AND SHAFT MAY BE

CONSTRUCTED IN ANY KNOWN MATERIALS AND MAY BE ADAPTED FOR USE

WITH ALL KNOWN POWER SOURCES OR COMBINATIONS OF THE SAME,

SUCH AS PETROL, DIESEL, HYDROLICS, AIR, WATER, GAS, STEAM,

SUNLIGHT, ELECTRIC, AIR AND SO ON. THE ENGINE CAN BE USED IN

SPACE, ON LAND, IN THE AIR, ON OR UNDER WATER. ALLTHOUGH

DESIGNED FOR VEHICLES, IT CAN ALSO BE USED FOR ANY OTHER

PURPOSE LIKE ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, MEDICINE AND SO ON.

A SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION WILL NOW BE DESCRIBED BY

WAY OF EXAMPLE WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1

SHOWS IN PERSPECTIVE THE AIRDRIVEN VEHICLE ENGINE WITH

SUPPLEMENTAL AUXILIARY ELECTRIC DRIVE

FIGURE 2

ILLUSTRATES THE ELECTRIC DRIVE

FIGURE 3

SHOWS THE DRIVE SHAFT

FIGURE 4

SHOWS THE SEALED SUPPORT BEARINGS

FIGURE 5

SHOWS THE INLET AIR PRESSURE PIPE

FIGURE 6

SHOWS COMPRESSED AIR CYLINDERS

FIGURE 7

SHOWS NONE RETURN VALVES

FIGURE 8

SHOWS AIR COMPRESSOR SUPPLY UNIT

FIGURE 9

SHOWS VACUUM EXPANSION TANK

FIGURE 10

SHOWS VARIABLE PRESSURE EXIT PIPE

FIGURE 1 l SHOWS RE ENTRY PIPE TO COMPRESSOR AND EXIT PIPE TO ATMOSPHERE

OR OTHER USE

FIGURE 12

SHOWS ROAD WHEELS

FIGURE 13

SHOWS IMPELLER SHAFT AND VANE

FIGURE 14

SHOWS AIR SEAL

FIGURE 15

SHOWS ELECTRIC SUPPLY

FIGURE 16

SHOWS ALTERNATIVE DRIVE SHAFT WITH MORE IMPELLER VANES FOR

FIGURE 17

SHOWS INDEPENDANT SUPPLY PIPES FROM COMPRESSOR TO CYLINDERS

Claims

Il CLAIMS

1. A compressed air engine with a supplementary auxiliary electric drive comprises an impeller drive shaft extending through a pressurised sealed or semi sealed unit, such that the drive shaft can turn freely or under power applied by the variable air pressure with or without help from the electric supplementary auxiliary drive. The electric drive can be used independently of the air drive and/ or vice versa.

2. An engine according to claim 1 incorporating the use or partial use of a vacuum system incorporated into its design, in order to help provide a self serving system.

An engine substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.