WO1995002114A1 - Planetary gears reciprocating piston machines - Google Patents
Planetary gears reciprocating piston machines Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1995002114A1 WO1995002114A1 PCT/GB1994/001456 GB9401456W WO9502114A1 WO 1995002114 A1 WO1995002114 A1 WO 1995002114A1 GB 9401456 W GB9401456 W GB 9401456W WO 9502114 A1 WO9502114 A1 WO 9502114A1
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- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- axis
- crankshaft
- rotor
- machine
- sun gear
- Prior art date
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01B—MACHINES OR ENGINES, IN GENERAL OR OF POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT TYPE, e.g. STEAM ENGINES
- F01B13/00—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion
- F01B13/04—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion with more than one cylinder
- F01B13/045—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion with more than one cylinder with cylinder axes arranged substantially tangentially to a circle centred on main shaft axis
Definitions
- the reciprocating mechanism usually consists of a piston constrained to reciprocating motion relative to a rotating crankshaft, by being housed in a cylinder or sleeve that is part of, or rigidly joined to the housing of a rotating crankshaft, with the piston and crankshaft being connected by either a connecting rod or a yoke (as in the skotch yoke mechanism), in such a manner as to permit the simultaneous reciprocating motion of the piston and rotation of the crankshaft.
- a disadvantage of existing reciprocating mechanisms used in applications for transmitting power is that any component of force or pressure transmitted through the axis of rotation of the crankshaft, at any time, does no work and hence causes a reduction in the amount of power being transmitted.
- the reduction in power transmission varies throughout the reciprocating cycle and causes extreme 'Dead Points' when no power is transmitted, such as when the piston is at the 'top dead centre' and 'bottom dead centre' positions.
- This invention relates to Planetary Reciprocating Piston Machines and provides an improvement to machines using reciprocating mechanisms in the following manner:
- variable volumed cavity formed between the inner circular surface of the outer housing, the open ended cylinder or sleeve of the rotor, the piston and a combination of suitable seals between these components is capable of sequentially admitting and discharging working fluid (working fluid meaning liquid, gas or any combination of liquids and/or gases to form a mixture) via suitably located ports in the outer housing and/or rotor and retaining the working fluid while work is done on it by the machine (as in the case of a compressor, pump or blower) or while it it
- the locii of its crankpin and its piston pin about the sun gear axis can be expressed in cartesian and polar co-ordinates. Taking an initial condition to be when the crankshaft lies parallel to the cylinder axis with the piston either at or near its 'Top Dead Centre' position at the top of its cylinder or sleeve and when in this position an arbituary 'X' axis is taken as originating from the sun gear/rotor axis and extending through its crankshaft axis, as is shown in Figure 4, using a sign convention that all angular measurement in the direction of crankshaft travel is positive, with relevant dimensions and angles defined in the following way:
- ⁇ (Phi) angle of crankshaft travel about its axis, counted from the cylinder or sleeve axis in the direction of crankshaft rotation
- Rs Pitch Circle Radius of Sun Gear
- V(psi) angle between an extension a line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the cylinder or sleeve axis, CP for any angle
- Figure 1 shows an example of the basic construction of the 10 invention with a single piston in the rotor.
- Figure 2 shows an example of a 'Two Stroke' Internal Combustion Engine with a rigid link connecting the crankshafts of the two reciprocating mechanisms to a central output shaft.
- Figure 3 shows an example of a 'Four Stroke' Internal Combustion Engine with a rigid link connecting the crankshafts of the three reciprocating mechanisms to a central output shaft.
- Figure 4 shows an example of a general kinematic diagram of the principal of operation of the invention.
- Figure 5 shows an example of an exploded view of an assembly of 25 the major parts of this invention.
- the proportion of a component of force or pressure passing through the axis of rotation of the crankshaft that does work is calculated as the absolute value of the Sine of the angle between an extension of the line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the axis of the cylinder or sleeve, ( ⁇ in Figure 4). ie.
- Sin ⁇ Proportion of force or pressure passing through the axis of the crankshaft that does work. This angle should not be 0 degrees, 180 degrees or an integer multiple of 180 degrees.
- the ratio of teeth on the sun gear to teeth on the planetary gear can be of any value, ie. the sun gear can have 'n' times the number of teeth on the planetary gear, where 'n'can be any positive value.
- the reciprocating mechanism performs '2n' reciprocating strokes per revolution of the rotor and the crankshaft performs 'n' revolutions about its own axis per revolution of the rotor.
- the crankshaft since the reciprocating mechanism revolves around the stationary sun gear axis with the rotor, the crankshaft performs 'n+1' absolute revolutions (relative to the stationary outer housing) per revolution of the rotor.
- the major parts of the Planetary Reciprocating Machine are the rotor, the reciprocating mechanism to which the planetary gear or gears are attached, the outer housing to which the sun gear or gears are attached, the power input/output elements which enable power to be supplied to or be taken from the machine and a suitable set of sealing elements which enable the working fluid to be retained in the variable cavities formed between moving and/or non moving parts of the machine.
- the major parts can be manufactured as complete units or as an assembly of smaller parts joined by any method of fusion or fastening.
- the basic construction of the rotor is in the form of a cylindrical prism, which may or may not have a central cavity about its axis and can be supported by bearings in the outer housing about its axis.
- This cavity acts as a housing for the piston, constrains the piston to reciprocating motion relative to its crankshaft axis as the rotor rotates and forms part of the variable cavity that retains the working fluid.
- crankshaft main journals are mounted in the flat sides of the rotor on the sides of the cavity that houses the crankshaft, with or without suitable bearings, in such a way as to enable the crankshaft to rotate about its own axis as the piston carries out its reciprocating motion in the cylindrical cavity.
- An example of a rotor to house a single piston is shown in Figure 5.
- a rotor can be made with any number of cavities as described above, which may or may not be interconnected, so as to hold any number of reciprocating mechanisms.
- the rotor is located in position and made to rotate by a planetary gear or gears on each main journal of each crankshaft housed in the rotor which meshes or mesh either directly or through other connecting gears with the stationary sun gear or gears on the outer housing.
- the planetary gear or gears can be positioned either inside a cavity or cavities in the rotor or outside the rotor. If a sufficient number of crankshafts are used, spaced out at suitable angles around the rotor axis, the planetary gears on their main journals can be made to support the rotor about the sun gear axis instead of it being supported on bearings in the outer housing. Further cavities may be made in the rotor for other purposes such as ports for the working fluid, housings for the power input/output elements, lubrication channels, cooling channels, balancing of the rotor, to reduce the weight of the rotor and so on.
- the reciprocating mechanism can be of the Piston - Connecting Rod - Crankshaft type or of the Skotch Yoke type and has the piston housed in the cylindrical cavity of the rotor with the main journals of the crankshaft housed in the sides of the rotor cavity with or without suitable bearings in such a way as to enable the crankshaft to rotate about its axis as the piston carries out its reciprocating motion in the cylindrical cavity.
- One or more planetary gears are fixed to the crankshaft main journals and free to turn with the crankshaft in such a way as to mesh with the stationary sun gear or coaxial sun gears on the outer housing.
- the construction of the piston is such as to form part of a suitable cavity to accommodate the working fluid.
- the piston and/or the stationary outer housing may have recessed cavities to accommodate the working fluid during the compression stroke of the cycle of the reciprocating mechanism.
- a machine can be designed to have one or more reciprocating mechanisms in the rotor, each with one or more planetary gears on each crankshaft, meshing with one or more concentric stationary sun gears. If more than one planetary gear is used on a crankshaft, each planetary gear must have the same pitch circle diameter and mesh with the same sun gear or different sun gears of equal pitch circle diameter and the ratio 'n' of the pitch circle diameter of the sun gear or gears to that of the planetary gear or gears will be equal to the ratio 'n' of the number of sun gear teeth to planetary gear teeth, which can be any value. All planetary gears that mesh with any sun gear must have identical pitch circle diameters.
- the outer housing is a fixed stationary housing which houses all of the other major parts and to which the stationary sun gear or gears are attached.
- the basic construction of the outer housing is such as to encompass the rotor by means of end housings attached to either side of a rotor housing with a circular inner face.
- An example of an outer housing is shown in Figure 5.
- the inner circular face of the rotor housing is such that it forms part of the variable cavity that retains the working fluid.
- a sun gear or coaxial sun gears are attached to at least one face of the outer housing which meshes or mesh with the planetary gear or gears on the crankshaft main journal or journals of the reciprocating mechanism or mechanisms in each rotor.
- the outer housing may have cavities for purpose such as ports for the working fluid, housings for the power input/output elements, lubrication channels, cooling channels, it may have attachment points for any auxilliary equipment and it may perform other functions such as assist in cooling the machine and so on.
- the sealing elements are constructed so as to retain the working fluid in its variable cavity during the parts of the machine's cycle that this is necessary.
- a seal is required to seal the clearance between the top end of the cylinder or sleeve and the inner circular surface of the outer housing as the rotor revolves within this circular surface.
- This seal is shaped in the form of the part of the inner circular surface of the outer housing that it rests against, as is shown in Figure 5 and can be held in position at the top of the cylinder or sleeve in a recessed groove around the edge of the cylinder or sleeve.
- a suitable spring can be used hold it against the inner circular surface of the outer housing and the seal can be shaped so that the working fluid forces it against the inner surface of the outer housing to provide the required sealing force.
- the seal should be constructed from a material suitable of withstanding the high temperatures, pressures and wear and abrasion associated with this function, such as a matallic or ceramic material.
- a machine can be designed with one or more rotors and associated parts as described above, either all contained within the same stationary outer housing or in separate or combined housings with or without intermediate housing walls between them, with the reciprocating mechanisms consisting of any combination of separate and/or linked crankshafts.
- Power can be transmitted to or from each rotor of the machine by various methods. Power can be directly supplied to or taken from the rotating rotor or any component that revolves within the rotor such as the revolving crankshaft via suitable bearings or bushes.
- Each planetary gear on each crankshaft or a separate gear or gears on each crankshaft can mesh with an idler gear or gears, which in turn mesh with a gear or gears on a central input/output shaft, whose axis is parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis.
- Each planetary gear on each crankshaft or a separate gear or gears on each crankshaft can mesh with the internal teeth of one or more annular gears whose axes are parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis and which are free to turn about this axis.
- the major parts of this machine may also be constructed to accommodate air cooling fins, passages for liquid coolants and passages for lubricants.
- the sun gear having an integer multiple 'n' times the number of teeth on the planetary gear
- the rotor houses 'n+1' similar reciprocating mechanisms, with all with the crankshaft axes of their reciprocating mechanisms equally spaced out at angles of '360/(n+l)' degrees around the rotor axis in such a manner that the crankshafts all point in the same absolute directions relative to the stationary outer housing, it is possible to connect the same point on each of the crankshafts to a rigid link that will revolve with them and which can be linked, via the axis that passes through the centroid of the points of connection to the crankshafts, to a central input/output shaft, whose axis is parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis via a crankshaft, eccentric cam lobe or an internally toothed annular gear.
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Abstract
A machine such as an Internal Combustion Engine, Compressor, Pump or Blower, in which a reciprocating mechanism (4, 5, 6), is housed in a circular rotor (2) which is free to rotate about its axis of rotation and is itself housed within the inner circular surface of a stationary outer housing (1) whose axis is coaxial with that of the rotor. The open ended cylinder or sleeve (3) in which the piston is housed is orientated so that its axis does not pass through the axis of rotation of the rotor such that as it performs its reciprocating motion, the reciprocating mechanism along with the rotor, is made to simultaneously revolve around the axis of a stationary sun gear (8) or coaxial sun gears whose axis is also coaxial with the axis of the rotor, by means of a planetary gear (7) or gears fixed to the crankshaft axis which meshes with the sun gear.
Description
PLANETARY GEARS RECIPROCATING PISTON MACHINES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Reciprocating machines such as Internal Combustion Engines, Compressors, Pumps and Blowers which convert reciprocating motion to and from rotary motion as part of the process of power transmission are well known. The reciprocating mechanism usually consists of a piston constrained to reciprocating motion relative to a rotating crankshaft, by being housed in a cylinder or sleeve that is part of, or rigidly joined to the housing of a rotating crankshaft, with the piston and crankshaft being connected by either a connecting rod or a yoke (as in the skotch yoke mechanism), in such a manner as to permit the simultaneous reciprocating motion of the piston and rotation of the crankshaft. A disadvantage of existing reciprocating mechanisms used in applications for transmitting power is that any component of force or pressure transmitted through the axis of rotation of the crankshaft, at any time, does no work and hence causes a reduction in the amount of power being transmitted. The reduction in power transmission varies throughout the reciprocating cycle and causes extreme 'Dead Points' when no power is transmitted, such as when the piston is at the 'top dead centre' and 'bottom dead centre' positions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
This invention relates to Planetary Reciprocating Piston Machines and provides an improvement to machines using reciprocating mechanisms in the following manner:
A machine such as an Internal Combustion Engine, Compressor, Pump or Blower, in which a reciprocating mechanism, such as a Piston - Connecting Rod - Crankshaft mechanism or a Skotch Yoke mechanism, is housed in a circular rotor which is free to rotate about its axis of rotation and is itself housed within the inner circular surface of a stationary outer housing whose axis is coaxial with that of the rotor. The open ended cylinder or sleeve in which the piston is housed is orientated so that its axis does not pass through the axis of rotation of the rotor (ie. is not a radial of the rotor), such that as it performs its reciprocating motion, the reciprocating mechanism along with the rotor, is made to simultaneously revolve around the axis of a stationary sun gear or coaxial sun gears whose axis is also coaxial with the axis of the rotor, by means of a planetary gear or gears fixed to the crankshaft axis which meshes with the sun gear and is free to turn with the crankshaft, in such a manner that the variable volumed cavity formed between the inner circular surface of the outer housing,
the open ended cylinder or sleeve of the rotor, the piston and a combination of suitable seals between these components, is capable of sequentially admitting and discharging working fluid (working fluid meaning liquid, gas or any combination of liquids and/or gases to form a mixture) via suitably located ports in the outer housing and/or rotor and retaining the working fluid while work is done on it by the machine (as in the case of a compressor, pump or blower) or while it carries out work on the machine (as in the case of an internal combustion engine) during the machine's cycle of operation.
It is possible to have the axis of the cylinder or the sleeve slightly offset from the axis of rotation of the crankshaft, as is done at present in some reciprocating machines, but as it is in these cases, this has a negligible effect on the amount of power transmitted.
For any angular rotation of the crankshaft of a reciprocating mechanism, the locii of its crankpin and its piston pin about the sun gear axis can be expressed in cartesian and polar co-ordinates. Taking an initial condition to be when the crankshaft lies parallel to the cylinder axis with the piston either at or near its 'Top Dead Centre' position at the top of its cylinder or sleeve and when in this position an arbituary 'X' axis is taken as originating from the sun gear/rotor axis and extending through its crankshaft axis, as is shown in Figure 4, using a sign convention that all angular measurement in the direction of crankshaft travel is positive, with relevant dimensions and angles defined in the following way:
O = Rotor Axis = Sun Gear Axis = Origin CA = Crankshaft Axis
CP = Crankpin Axis
PS = Piston Pin Axis
Φ (Phi) = angle of crankshaft travel about its axis, counted from the cylinder or sleeve axis in the direction of crankshaft rotation Rs = Pitch Circle Radius of Sun Gear
Rp = Pitch Circle Radius of Planetary Gear n = Rs/Rp
Rcr = Radius of Crankshaft
= Distance from crankshaft axis to crankpin axis y (gamma) = Rcr/Rp
Lcr = Distance from crankpin axis to piston pin axis
* (Lambda) = Rcr/Lcr a = Perpendicular distance which cylinder or sleeve axis is offset from crankshaft axis (a=0 if there is no offset)
* (kappa) = a/Rcr
V(psi) = angle between an extension a line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the cylinder or sleeve axis, CP for any angle
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and
5 readily carried into effect, some constructions of the invention are hereby described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows an example of the basic construction of the 10 invention with a single piston in the rotor.
Figure 2 shows an example of a 'Two Stroke' Internal Combustion Engine with a rigid link connecting the crankshafts of the two reciprocating mechanisms to a central output shaft.
15
Figure 3 shows an example of a 'Four Stroke' Internal Combustion Engine with a rigid link connecting the crankshafts of the three reciprocating mechanisms to a central output shaft.
20
Figure 4 shows an example of a general kinematic diagram of the principal of operation of the invention.
Figure 5 shows an example of an exploded view of an assembly of 25 the major parts of this invention.
In the drawings, the major parts are labelled with the following numbers:
30 1 - Stationary Outer Housing
2 - Rotor
3 - Open Ended Cylinder or Sleeve (in rotor)
4 - Piston
5 - Connecting Rod
35 6 Crankshaft of Reciprocating Mechanism
7 - Planetary Gear
8 - Stationary Sun Gear
9 - Port for Admission of Working Fluid
10 - Port for Discharge* of Working Fluid
40 11 - Recessed cavity in Sationary outer housing and/or in piston
12 - Rigid Link Connected to Crankshafts of Reciprocating
Mechanisms
13 - Linkage to Central Input/Output Shaft
45 14 - Possible Location for Spark Plug and/or Fuel Injection Nozzle (for use in Internal Combustion Engines)
15 - Flat End of Stationary Outer Housing with a Sun Gear attached
16 - Seal to seal the clearance between the top end of the
50 cylinder or sleeve and the inner circular surface of the Stationary Outer Housing
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
With the requirement that the axis of the cylinder or sleeve does not pass through the axis of rotation of the rotor, a proportion of any component of force or pressure that passes through the axis of rotation of the crankshaft does work, thus decreasing the reduction in power transmission. In general, the proportion of a component of force or pressure passing through the axis of rotation of the crankshaft that does work, is calculated as the absolute value of the Sine of the angle between an extension of the line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the axis of the cylinder or sleeve, ( Ψ in Figure 4). ie. Sin ψ = Proportion of force or pressure passing through the axis of the crankshaft that does work. This angle should not be 0 degrees, 180 degrees or an integer multiple of 180 degrees. The ideal orientation of the cylinder or sleeve axis is to be perpendicular to the line joining the axis of rotation of the crankshaft and that of the rotor ( = 90 or 270 degrees), as in this orientation, all of the component of force or pressure passing through the axis of rotation of the crankshaf does work and overcomes the 'Dead Points', but consideration has to be given to the fact that the orientation of the axis of the cylinder or sleeve has an effect on the shape of the variable cavity for the working fluid.
The ratio of teeth on the sun gear to teeth on the planetary gear can be of any value, ie. the sun gear can have 'n' times the number of teeth on the planetary gear, where 'n'can be any positive value. With this ratio, the reciprocating mechanism performs '2n' reciprocating strokes per revolution of the rotor and the crankshaft performs 'n' revolutions about its own axis per revolution of the rotor. Also, since the reciprocating mechanism revolves around the stationary sun gear axis with the rotor, the crankshaft performs 'n+1' absolute revolutions (relative to the stationary outer housing) per revolution of the rotor.
In the case where the number of teeth on the sun gear is an integer multiple of the teeth on the planetary gear, the piston travels through the same path during each rotation of the rotor. This relationship implies that the sun gear has 'n' times the number of teeth on the planetary gear, where 'n' =
-L £* f -r? f • • C ϋ •
The major parts of the Planetary Reciprocating Machine are the rotor, the reciprocating mechanism to which the planetary gear or gears are attached, the outer housing to which the sun gear or gears are attached, the power input/output elements which enable power to be supplied to or be taken from the machine and a suitable set of sealing elements which enable the working fluid to be retained in the variable cavities formed between
moving and/or non moving parts of the machine. The major parts can be manufactured as complete units or as an assembly of smaller parts joined by any method of fusion or fastening. The basic construction of the rotor is in the form of a cylindrical prism, which may or may not have a central cavity about its axis and can be supported by bearings in the outer housing about its axis. There is a cylindrical cavity to house the piston of each reciprocating mechanism bored from the outer circular wall and connected to a suitable cavity which accommodates the crankshaft and the other elements of the reciprocating mechanism in such a way that the axis of this cylindrical cavity does not pass through the axis of rotation of the rotor (ie. is not a radial of the rotor). This cavity acts as a housing for the piston, constrains the piston to reciprocating motion relative to its crankshaft axis as the rotor rotates and forms part of the variable cavity that retains the working fluid. The crankshaft main journals are mounted in the flat sides of the rotor on the sides of the cavity that houses the crankshaft, with or without suitable bearings, in such a way as to enable the crankshaft to rotate about its own axis as the piston carries out its reciprocating motion in the cylindrical cavity. An example of a rotor to house a single piston is shown in Figure 5. A rotor can be made with any number of cavities as described above, which may or may not be interconnected, so as to hold any number of reciprocating mechanisms. The rotor is located in position and made to rotate by a planetary gear or gears on each main journal of each crankshaft housed in the rotor which meshes or mesh either directly or through other connecting gears with the stationary sun gear or gears on the outer housing. The planetary gear or gears can be positioned either inside a cavity or cavities in the rotor or outside the rotor. If a sufficient number of crankshafts are used, spaced out at suitable angles around the rotor axis, the planetary gears on their main journals can be made to support the rotor about the sun gear axis instead of it being supported on bearings in the outer housing. Further cavities may be made in the rotor for other purposes such as ports for the working fluid, housings for the power input/output elements, lubrication channels, cooling channels, balancing of the rotor, to reduce the weight of the rotor and so on.
The reciprocating mechanism can be of the Piston - Connecting Rod - Crankshaft type or of the Skotch Yoke type and has the piston housed in the cylindrical cavity of the rotor with the main journals of the crankshaft housed in the sides of the rotor cavity with or without suitable bearings in such a way as to enable the crankshaft to rotate about its axis as the piston carries out its reciprocating motion in the cylindrical cavity. One or more planetary gears are fixed to the crankshaft main journals and free to turn with the crankshaft in such a way as to mesh with the stationary sun gear or coaxial sun gears on the outer housing.
The construction of the piston is such as to form part of a suitable cavity to accommodate the working fluid. The piston and/or the stationary outer housing may have recessed cavities to accommodate the working fluid during the compression stroke of the cycle of the reciprocating mechanism.
A machine can be designed to have one or more reciprocating mechanisms in the rotor, each with one or more planetary gears on each crankshaft, meshing with one or more concentric stationary sun gears. If more than one planetary gear is used on a crankshaft, each planetary gear must have the same pitch circle diameter and mesh with the same sun gear or different sun gears of equal pitch circle diameter and the ratio 'n' of the pitch circle diameter of the sun gear or gears to that of the planetary gear or gears will be equal to the ratio 'n' of the number of sun gear teeth to planetary gear teeth, which can be any value. All planetary gears that mesh with any sun gear must have identical pitch circle diameters. It is possible to have different types of planetary gears on each crankshaft such as helical gears with different helix angles or combinations of different types of gears such as spur gears with helical gears as long as each planetary gear meshes with a sun gear of the same type with the correct tooth pitch and profile. The outer housing is a fixed stationary housing which houses all of the other major parts and to which the stationary sun gear or gears are attached. The basic construction of the outer housing is such as to encompass the rotor by means of end housings attached to either side of a rotor housing with a circular inner face. An example of an outer housing is shown in Figure 5. The inner circular face of the rotor housing is such that it forms part of the variable cavity that retains the working fluid. A sun gear or coaxial sun gears are attached to at least one face of the outer housing which meshes or mesh with the planetary gear or gears on the crankshaft main journal or journals of the reciprocating mechanism or mechanisms in each rotor.
The outer housing may have cavities for purpose such as ports for the working fluid, housings for the power input/output elements, lubrication channels, cooling channels, it may have attachment points for any auxilliary equipment and it may perform other functions such as assist in cooling the machine and so on.
The sealing elements are constructed so as to retain the working fluid in its variable cavity during the parts of the machine's cycle that this is necessary. A seal is required to seal the clearance between the top end of the cylinder or sleeve and the inner circular surface of the outer housing as the rotor revolves within this circular surface. This seal is shaped in the form of the part of the inner circular surface of the outer housing that it rests
against, as is shown in Figure 5 and can be held in position at the top of the cylinder or sleeve in a recessed groove around the edge of the cylinder or sleeve. A suitable spring can be used hold it against the inner circular surface of the outer housing and the seal can be shaped so that the working fluid forces it against the inner surface of the outer housing to provide the required sealing force. The seal should be constructed from a material suitable of withstanding the high temperatures, pressures and wear and abrasion associated with this function, such as a matallic or ceramic material.
The clearance between the piston and the cylinder or sleeve can be sealed with conventional seals to stop the working fluid from leaving its varible cavity and to stop lubricating oil or other fluids from entering this cavity, as is done on existing reciprocating machines. Conventional seals and/or gaskets may also be required for sealing clearances or joints in other parts of the machine. A machine can be designed with one or more rotors and associated parts as described above, either all contained within the same stationary outer housing or in separate or combined housings with or without intermediate housing walls between them, with the reciprocating mechanisms consisting of any combination of separate and/or linked crankshafts.
Power can be transmitted to or from each rotor of the machine by various methods. Power can be directly supplied to or taken from the rotating rotor or any component that revolves within the rotor such as the revolving crankshaft via suitable bearings or bushes.
Each planetary gear on each crankshaft or a separate gear or gears on each crankshaft can mesh with an idler gear or gears, which in turn mesh with a gear or gears on a central input/output shaft, whose axis is parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis. Each planetary gear on each crankshaft or a separate gear or gears on each crankshaft can mesh with the internal teeth of one or more annular gears whose axes are parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis and which are free to turn about this axis.
The major parts of this machine may also be constructed to accommodate air cooling fins, passages for liquid coolants and passages for lubricants. In the special case of the sun gear having an integer multiple 'n' times the number of teeth on the planetary gear, if the rotor houses 'n+1' similar reciprocating mechanisms, with all with the crankshaft axes of their reciprocating mechanisms equally spaced out at angles of '360/(n+l)' degrees around the
rotor axis in such a manner that the crankshafts all point in the same absolute directions relative to the stationary outer housing, it is possible to connect the same point on each of the crankshafts to a rigid link that will revolve with them and which can be linked, via the axis that passes through the centroid of the points of connection to the crankshafts, to a central input/output shaft, whose axis is parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis via a crankshaft, eccentric cam lobe or an internally toothed annular gear. It is possible to have a machine with two or more identical rotors of this design with the rigid links from each rotor connected to either a common input/output shaft or seperate input/output shafts whose axis or axes are parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axes via any combination of crankshafts, eccentric cam lobes and/or internally toothed annular gears as described above.
Claims
1. A machine such as an Internal Combustion Engine, Compressor, Pump or Blower, in which a reciprocating mechanism, such as a Piston - Connecting Rod - Crankshaft mechanism or a Skotch Yoke mechanism, is housed in a circular rotor which is free to rotate about its axis of rotation and is itself housed within the inner circular surface of a stationary outer housing whose axis is coaxial with that of the rotor, with the open ended cylinder or sleeve in which the piston is housed being orientated so that its axis does not pass through the axis of rotation of the rotor (ie. is not a radial of the rotor), such that as it performs its reciprocating motion, the reciprocating mechanism along with the rotor, is made to simultaneously revolve around the axis of a stationary sun gear or coaxial sun gears whose axis is also coaxial with the axis of the rotor, by means of a planetary gear or gears fixed to the crankshaft axis which meshes with the sun gear and is free to turn with the crankshaft, in such a manner that the variable volumed cavity formed between the inner circular surface of the outer housing, the open ended cylinder or sleeve of the rotor, the piston and a combination of suitable seals between these components, is capable of sequentially admitting and discharging working fluid (working fluid meaning liquid, gas or any combination of liquids and/or gases to form a mixture) via suitably located ports in the outer housing and/or rotor and retaining the working fluid while work is done on it by the machine (as in the case of a compressor, pump or blower) or while it carries out work on the machine (as in the case of an internal combustion engine) during the machine's cycle of operation.
2. A machine as in Claim 1 whereby the proportion of a component of force or pressure passing through the axis of rotation of the crankshaft that does work, is calculated as the absolute value of the Sine of the angle between an extension of the line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the axis of the cylinder or sleeve.
3. A machine as in Claim 1, wherby taking the ratio of Sun Gear teeth to planetary gear teeth to be 'n', the reciprocating mechanism performs '2n' reciprocating strokes per revolution of the rotor and the crankshaft performs 'n' revolutions about its own axis per revolution of the rotor and 'n+1' absolute revolutions (relative to the stationary outer housing) per revolution of the rotor.
4. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby the number of teeth on the sun gear is an integer multiple of the teeth on the planetary gear.
5. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby the axis of the cyilinder 5 or sleeve in the rotor is offset from the crankshaft axis.
6. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby the outer housing has more than one sun gear.
10 7. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby the crankshaft has more than one planetary gear, to mesh with either the same or different sun gears on the outer housing.
8. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby the rotor has more than one 15 reciprocating mechanism, each with one or more planetary gears on each crankshaft, meshing with one or more concentric stationary sun gears.
9. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby there is more than one 20 rotor either all contained within the same stationary outer housing or in separate or combined housings with or without intermediate housing walls between them, with the reciprocating mechanisms consisting of any combination of separate and/or linked crankshafts. 25
10. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby a seal is used to seal the clearance between the top end of the cylinder or sleeve and the inner circular surface of the outer housing as the rotor revolves within this circular surface, being shaped in the form
30 of the part of the inner circular surface of the outer housing that it rests against and is held in position at the top of the cylinder or sleeve in a recessed groove around the edge of the cylinder or sleeve.
35 11. A machine as in Claim 10, whereby the seal is held in position against the inner circular surface of the outer housing by a suitable spring.
12. A machine as in Claim 10 whereby the seal is shaped so that 40 the working fluid forces it against the inner surface of the outer housing to provide the required sealing force.
13. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby Power is directly supplied to or taken from any rotating rotor or any component that
45 revolves within a rotor such as the revolving crankshaft via suitable bearings or bushes.
14. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby each planetary gear on each crankshaft or a separate gear or gears on each crankshaft
50 can mesh with an idler gear or gears, which in turn mesh with a gear or gears on a central input/output shaft, whose axis is parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis.
15. A machine as in Claim 1, wherby each planetary gear on each crankshaft or a separate gear or gears on each crankshaft can mesh with the internal teeth of one or more annular gears whose axes are parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis and which are free to turn about this axis. 5
16. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby the sun gear has an integer multiple 'n' times the number of teeth on the planetary gear and the rotor houses 'n+1' similar reciprocating mechanisms, with all with the crankshaft axes of their
10 reciprocating mechanisms equally spaced out at angles of '360/(n+l)' degrees around the rotor axis in such a manner that the crankshafts all point in the same absolute directions relative to the stationary outer housing, enabling the same point on each of the crankshafts to be connected to a rigid
15 link that revolves with them and which is linked, via the axis that passes through the centroid of the points of connection to the crankshafts, to a central input/output shaft, whose axis is parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axis via a crankshaft, eccentric cam lobe or an internally toothed annular
20 gear.
17. A machine as in Claim 16, whereby there are two or more identical rotors of this design with the rigid links from each rotor connected to either a common input/output shaft or
25 seperate input/output shafts whose axis or axes are parallel and concentric to the stationary sun gear axes via any combination of crankshafts, eccentric cam lobes and/or internally toothed annular gears.
30 18. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby for any angular rotation of the crankshaft of a reciprocating mechanism, the locii of its crankpin about the sun gear axis is expressed in the following cartesian and polar co-ordinates, taking an initial condition to be when the crankshaft lies parallel to the
35 cylinder axis with the piston either at or near its 'Top Dead Centre' position at the top of its cylinder or sleeve and when in this position an arbituary 'X' axis is taken as originating from the sun gear/rotor axis and extending through its crankshaft axis, using a sign convention that all angular 0 measurement in the direction of crankshaft travel is positive, with relevant dimensions and angles defined in the following way:
O = Rotor Axis 5 = Sun Gear Axis
= Origin
CA = Crankshaft Axis 0 CP = Crankpin Axis
PS = Piston Pin Axis Φ (Phi) = angle of crankshaft travel about its axis, counted from the cylinder or sleeve axis in the direction of crankshaft rotation
Rs = Pitch Circle Radius of Sun Gear
Rp = Pitch Circle Radius of Planetary Gear n = Rs/Rp
Rcr = Radius of Crankshaft
= Distance from crankshaft axis to crankpin axis
Y (gamma) = Rcr/Rp
Lcr = Distance from crankpin axis to piston pin axis
-* (Lambda) = Rcr/Lcr a = Perpendicular distance which cylinder or sleeve axis is offset from crankshaft axis (a=0 if there is no offset)
K (kappa) = a/Rcr
V(psi) = angle between an extension a line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the cylinder or sleeve axis, the cartesian coordinates of the crankpin axis CP for any angle Φ (phi) of crankshaft travel are given by:
the polar coordinates of the crankpin axis CP for any angle Φ (phi) of crankshaft travel are given by:
( 1+n) 2 2 ( l+n)
Rcp=Rcr + Cos ( Φ+Ψ) + 1 γ2 y
"( l+n) Sin( */n) + v Sin [Φ (n+l )/n+V ]
0cp=Tan 1
( 1+n ) Cos ( <£/n ) + Y Cos [Φ ( n+1 ) /n+ψ ]
SUBSTITUTE SHEET {RULE 26)
19. A machine as in Claim 1, whereby for any angular rotation of the crankshaft of a reciprocating mechanism, the locii of its piston pin about the sun gear axis is expressed in the following cartesian and polar co-ordinates, taking an initial condition to be when the crankshaft lies parallel to the cylinder axis with the piston either at or near its 'Top Dead Centre' position at the top of its cylinder or sleeve and when in this position an arbituary 'X' axis is taken as originating from the sun gear/rotor axis and extending through its crankshaft axis, using a sign convention that all angular measurement in the direction of crankshaft travel is positive, with relevant dimensions and angles defined in the following way: O = Rotor Axis
= Sun Gear Axis = Origin
CA = Crankshaft Axis
CP = Crankpin Axis
PS = Piston Pin Axis Φ (Phi) = angle of crankshaft travel about its axis, counted from the cylinder or sleeve axis in the direction of crankshaft rotation
Rs = Pitch Circle Radius of Sun Gear
Rp = Pitch Circle Radius of Planetary Gear n = Rs/Rp Rcr = Radius of Crankshaft
= Distance from crankshaft axis to crankpin axis y (gamma) = Rcr/Rp Lcr = Distance from crankpin axis to piston pin axis
-* (Lambda) = Rcr/Lcr a = Perpendicular distance which cylinder or sleeve axis is offset from crankshaft axis (a=0 if there is no offset)
K (kappa) = a/Rcr v(psi) = angle between an extension a line joining the axis of rotation of the rotor and the crankshaft axis, through the crankshaft axis and the cylinder or sleeve axis, the cartesian coordinates of the piston pin axis PS for any angle Φ (phi) of crankshaft travel are given by:
Rpsy
0ps=Tan l
Rpsxj
20. A machine as in Claim 1, as described by any of the alternatives in Figures 1 - 5.
21. A machine as in Claim 1, incorporating any combination of any number of Claims 2 -20.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU70790/94A AU7079094A (en) | 1993-07-05 | 1994-07-05 | Planetary gears reciprocating piston machines |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB939313985A GB9313985D0 (en) | 1993-07-05 | 1993-07-05 | Planetary reciprocating piston machine |
| GB9313985.5 | 1993-07-05 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1995002114A1 true WO1995002114A1 (en) | 1995-01-19 |
Family
ID=10738386
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB1994/001456 WO1995002114A1 (en) | 1993-07-05 | 1994-07-05 | Planetary gears reciprocating piston machines |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU7079094A (en) |
| GB (1) | GB9313985D0 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1995002114A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1997049908A1 (en) * | 1996-06-26 | 1997-12-31 | Jamuca Feliks | Ic engine with a rotary piston |
| WO2015022614A1 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2015-02-19 | Adedapo Ogunmuyiwa | Improvements to planetary gears reciprocating piston machines |
| WO2017063710A1 (en) * | 2015-10-16 | 2017-04-20 | Evirgen Bülent Pulat | Rotary-piston cylinder engine |
| CN111807529A (en) * | 2020-07-10 | 2020-10-23 | 见嘉环境科技（苏州）有限公司 | Sewage impeller type aeration oxygenation device and use method thereof |
Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DD113069A5 (en) * | 1973-07-04 | 1975-05-12 | ||
| FR2300218A1 (en) * | 1975-02-10 | 1976-09-03 | Uchikoba Sayoko | Radial piston IC engine - cylinders are contained in rotor turning at one third of crankshaft speed (NL120876) |
| DE2610869A1 (en) * | 1976-03-15 | 1977-09-29 | Heinz Rohde | Rotary IC engine with reciprocating pistons in rotor - has inlet and exhaust openings in surrounding housing and crankshafts at cylinder ends facing rotor rotation direction |
| US4077365A (en) * | 1975-08-06 | 1978-03-07 | Schlueter James B | Expansible chamber apparatus |
| US4166438A (en) * | 1976-11-11 | 1979-09-04 | Gottschalk Eldon W | Machine with reciprocating pistons and rotating piston carrier |
| US4741300A (en) * | 1987-06-04 | 1988-05-03 | Benson Donald W | Rotating cylinder internal combustion engine |
-
1993
- 1993-07-05 GB GB939313985A patent/GB9313985D0/en active Pending
-
1994
- 1994-07-05 AU AU70790/94A patent/AU7079094A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1994-07-05 WO PCT/GB1994/001456 patent/WO1995002114A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DD113069A5 (en) * | 1973-07-04 | 1975-05-12 | ||
| FR2300218A1 (en) * | 1975-02-10 | 1976-09-03 | Uchikoba Sayoko | Radial piston IC engine - cylinders are contained in rotor turning at one third of crankshaft speed (NL120876) |
| US4077365A (en) * | 1975-08-06 | 1978-03-07 | Schlueter James B | Expansible chamber apparatus |
| DE2610869A1 (en) * | 1976-03-15 | 1977-09-29 | Heinz Rohde | Rotary IC engine with reciprocating pistons in rotor - has inlet and exhaust openings in surrounding housing and crankshafts at cylinder ends facing rotor rotation direction |
| US4166438A (en) * | 1976-11-11 | 1979-09-04 | Gottschalk Eldon W | Machine with reciprocating pistons and rotating piston carrier |
| US4741300A (en) * | 1987-06-04 | 1988-05-03 | Benson Donald W | Rotating cylinder internal combustion engine |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1997049908A1 (en) * | 1996-06-26 | 1997-12-31 | Jamuca Feliks | Ic engine with a rotary piston |
| WO2015022614A1 (en) | 2013-08-16 | 2015-02-19 | Adedapo Ogunmuyiwa | Improvements to planetary gears reciprocating piston machines |
| WO2017063710A1 (en) * | 2015-10-16 | 2017-04-20 | Evirgen Bülent Pulat | Rotary-piston cylinder engine |
| US11261733B2 (en) | 2015-10-16 | 2022-03-01 | Bülent Pulat EVIRGEN | Four-stroke rotary- piston engine with adjustable compression ratio and adjustable valve control times |
| CN111807529A (en) * | 2020-07-10 | 2020-10-23 | 见嘉环境科技（苏州）有限公司 | Sewage impeller type aeration oxygenation device and use method thereof |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU7079094A (en) | 1995-02-06 |
| GB9313985D0 (en) | 1993-08-18 |
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