Fluid machine

• US 20050193734A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Uno, Keiichi, Ogawa, Hiroshi, Iwanami, Shigeki, Takeuchi, Yasuhiro, Asa, Hironori
• Granted Patent: US 7,263,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/657
• CPC Class Codes: F01C 13/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of engines with devices driven thereby
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/10 the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 27/00 Plants for converting heat or fluid energy into mechanical energy, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/0215 where only one member is moving
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/45 Hybrid prime mover
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/0085 Prime movers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/04 with compressor of rotary type F25B1/005, F25B1/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/14 Power generation using energy from the expansion of the refrigerant
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/02 using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines

Abstract

An expansion-and-compressor device of a fluid machine has a pump mode operation in which the expansion-and-compressor device is rotated by a driving force from a driving source to compress working fluid, and a motor mode operation in which the fluid pressure is converted into energy of movement to output kinetic energy. The fluid machine further has a transmission device for transmitting the driving force from the driving source with increased rotational speed, when the expansion-and-compressor device is operated in the pump mode operation.

Claims

1. A fluid machine comprising:

an expansion-and-compressor device having a pump mode operation in which the expansion-and-compressor device is rotated by a driving force from a driving source to compress working fluid, and a motor mode operation in which fluid pressure of the working fluid is converted into energy of movement to output kinetic energy; and

a transmission device for transmitting the driving force from the driving source to the expansion-and-compressor device with increased rotational speed, when the expansion-and-compressor device is operated in the pump mode operation.

2. A fluid machine according to claim 1, wherein

the driving source is a driving source provided outside of the fluid machine.

3. A fluid machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

an energy regenerating device for regenerating the kinetic energy as an energy of a predetermined form.

4. A fluid machine according to claim 3, wherein

the energy regenerating device is an electric rotating machine for converting the kinetic energy into an electric energy.

5. A fluid machine according to claim 3, wherein

The expansion-and-compressor device, the transmission device and the energy regenerating device are integrally formed in a housing.

6. A fluid machine according to claim 3, wherein

The expansion-and-compressor device, the transmission device and the energy regenerating device are coaxially arranged with each other.

7. A fluid machine according to claim 1, wherein

the expansion-and-compressor device has a working chamber, and is operated as a compressor device when the working fluid is compressed, and

the expansion-and-compressor device is operated as an expansion device for expanding the working fluid in the above working chamber when the expansion-and-compressor device is operated in the motor mode operation to convert the fluid pressure into the energy of movement.