Rotary vane motor

• US 20040187803A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rare Industries, Inc. (Tilray Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rare Industries, Inc. (Tilray Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: Regev, Aron
• Granted Patent: US 6,886,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/18A
• CPC Class Codes: F01C 1/077 having toothed-gearing type drive
• CPC Class Codes: F01C 20/12 using sliding valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01C 20/18 characterised by varying the volume of the working chamber by changing the positions of inlet or outlet openings F01C20/10
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 53/00 Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines internal-combustion aspects of rotary pistons or outer members for co-operation therewith F02B55/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 53/04 Charge admission or combustion-gas discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19884 Irregular teeth and bodies

Abstract

A rotary vane motor uses a gear train arrangement for controlling the position of the vanes as well as the compression ratio of the motor. The motor includes a first pair of vanes namely a leading and trailing vane defining a working chamber therebetween and an opposed second pair of vanes namely a leading and trailing vane defining therebetween a second working chamber. Preferably the motor uses a pair of second order elliptical gears for controlling movement of the vanes to define an intake stage, a compression stage, an expansion stage, and an exhaust stage. In a preferred structure of the motor both the intake port and the exhaust port are movable to change or alter the intake stage and the exhaust stage respectively.

Claims

1. A rotary type motor comprising a first rotary member having a pair of leading vanes and a second rotary member having a pair of trailing vanes with each rotary member having a common central rotation axis, each leading vane having an associated and tailing vane which define therebetween a working chamber such that two opposed working chambers are defined on opposite sides of said central rotation axis, said vanes rotating within a cylindrical chamber and during each revolution each leading vane and associated trailing vane complete an intake stage, a compression stage, a power stage, and an exhaust stage of a combustion cycle;

said cylindrical chamber including an exhaust port and an intake port, said vanes each including a drive shaft with said drive shafts being interconnected by drive train, said drive train controlling relative movement of said trailing vane towards and away from said leading vane as said vanes rotate about said central rotation axis to define said stages of said combustion cycle;

said drive train further including means for varying the position of said trailing vanes relative to said leading vanes to vary the compression ratio of said motor.

2. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for varying the relative position of said trailing vanes is a planetary gear system with a movable outer ring gear, a central sun gear and a pair of planetary gears, whereby movement of said ring gear varies the position of said trailing vanes relative to said leading vanes and depending upon the direction of rotation of said ring gear the compression ratio is increased or decreased.

3. A vane motor as claimed in claim 2 wherein said ring gear is adjusted during the operation of said motor to vary the compression ratio.

4. A vane motor as claimed in claim 3 including a motor working parameters sensing arrangement and a processor for adjusting the compression ratio as a function of sensed motor parameters.

5. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said intake port includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular position of the intake port along said cylindrical chamber.

6. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said exhaust port includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular position of the exhaust port along said cylindrical chamber.

7. A vane motor as claimed in claim 5 wherein said exhaust port includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular position of the exhaust port along said cylindrical chamber.

8. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cylindrical chamber includes an open exhaust portion which is partially closed by said exhaust port, said exhaust port being movable along said exhaust portion whereby the position of the exhaust port is movable along said cylindrical chamber.

9. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cylindrical chamber includes an open intake portion which is partially closed by said intake portion, said intake port being movable along said intake portion whereby the position of the intake port is movable along said cylindrical chamber.

10. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said leading vane has a non planar surface facing the associated trailing vane which in combination with said trailing vane during a compression stage of said cycle defines a combustion chamber which is shifted outwardly away from said central rotation axis.

11. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 including an adjustable intake port movable in to different intake operating positions of said cylindrical chamber, each intake operating position having a different timing relationship with said vanes to alter air intake characteristics of said motor.

12. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said exhaust port is movable to different exhaust operating positions of said cylindrical chamber, each exhaust operating position having a different timing relationship with said vanes to alter the exhaust characteristics of said motor.

13. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 including an adjustable intake port movable in to different intake operating positions of said cylindrical chamber, each intake operating position having a different timing relationship with said vanes to alter air intake characteristics of said motor and wherein said exhaust port is movable to different exhaust operating positions of said cylindrical chamber, each exhaust operating position having a different timing relationship with said vanes to alter the exhaust characteristics of said motor.

14. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 including a direct fuel injector positioned in said cylindrical chamber to insert fuel between said leading and trailing vanes during said compression stage.

15. A vane motor as claimed in claim 14 including a lubricant injector which injects a lubricant into a non-working chamber defined between a trailing vane and a lead vane.

16. A vane motor as claimed in claim 1 including a fuel injector for injecting fuel into said working chamber for combustion during said compression stage.

21. A rotary type motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for varying the position of said trailing vanes relative to said leading vanes to vary the compression ratio is movable between a first position operable with a first fuel and a different position operable with a fuel different than said first fuel.

22. A rotary type motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said compression ratio is varied according to a fuel used to operate said motor.

23. A rotary vane motor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first rotary member is of a mass significantly greater than the mass of said second rotary member.

24. A rotary vane motor as claimed in claim 23 wherein the mass of said first rotary member is at least 50% greater than the mass of said second rotary member.

17. A rotary type motor comprising a first rotary member having a pair of leading vanes and a second rotary member having a pair of trailing vanes with each rotary member having a common central rotation axis, each leading vane having an associated and trailing vane which define therebetween a working chamber such that two opposed working chambers are defined on opposite sides of said central rotation axis, said vanes rotating within a cylindrical chamber and during each revolution each leading vane and associated trailing vane complete an intake stage, a compression stage, a power stage, and an exhaust stage of a combustion cycle;

said cylindrical chamber including an exhaust port and an intake port, said vanes each including a drive shaft with said drive shafts being interconnected by gear train, said gear train including a pair of second order elliptical gears which determine the relative movement of said trailing vanes towards and away from said leading vanes as said vanes rotate about said central rotation axis and define said stages of said combustion cycle;

said gear train further including means for varying the position of said trailing vanes relative to said leading vanes at any point in said combustion cycle to thereby vary the compression ratio.

18. A vane motor as claimed in claim 17 wherein said means for varying the relative position of said trailing vanes is a planetary gear system with a movable outer ring gear, a central sun gear and a pair of planetary gears, whereby movement of said ring gear varies the position of said trailing vanes relative to said leading vanes and depending upon the direction of rotation of said ring gear the compression ratio is increased or decreased.

19. A vane motor as claimed in claim 18 wherein said ring gear is adjusted during the operation of said motor to vary the compression ratio.

20. A vane motor as claimed in claim 17 wherein said intake port is movable relative to said cylindrical chamber for adjusting the intake characteristics of said motor and said exhaust port is movable relative to said cylindrical chamber for adjusting the exhaust characteristics of said motor.