Rotary positive-displacement scavenging device for rotary vane pumping machine

• US 6,244,240 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mallen Research Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Mallen Research Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Mallen, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Denion, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, THAI BA
• Application Number:
  US09/302,512
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 123/243, 123/244, 418/227, 418/253, 418/235, 605/11
• US Class Current: 123/243
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/027 four
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2/20 with dissimilar tooth forms F04C2/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2/3441 the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation

Abstract

A rotary vane pumping machine includes a stator and rotor in relative rotation. The rotor has a plurality of radial vanes slots and each one of a corresponding plurality of vanes slides within a radial vane slot of the rotor. Each pair of adjacent vanes defines a vane cell. A rotary scavenging disk is disposed along the stator circumference, and is sized such that the rotary scavenging disk extends into the vane cell. An outer circumferential edge of the rotary scavenging disk is in sealing proximity with an outer circumferential edge of the rotor and recesses within the rotary scavenging disk mesh and seal with the extending and retracting vanes.

Claims

1. A rotary vane pumping machine comprising:

a stator assembly comprising an annular ring, the inner circumferential surface of the annular ring defining a contoured surface of a stator cavity;

a rotor spinning around a rotor shaft axis, the rotor shaft axis being a fixed rotational axis relative to the stator cavity, the rotor having a plurality of radial vane slots and the rotor and stator being in relative rotation;

a plurality of vanes, each of the plurality of vanes extending and retracting within a corresponding one of the radial vane slots of the rotor, wherein a pair of adjacent vanes defines a vane cell; and

a rotary scavenging disk disposed along the annular ring and extending into the vane cell, wherein an outer circumferential edge of the rotary scavenging disk being in sealing proximity with an outer circumferential edge of the rotor, and

wherein the rotary scavenging disk contains at least one recess formed along the outer circumferential edge thereof.

2. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 1, further comprising a disk shaft extending through the annular ring of the stator assembly, about which the rotary scavenging disk spins.

3. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 2, further comprising a disk shaft gear disposed along the disk shaft, and a rotor shaft gear disposed along the rotor shaft, wherein the disk shaft gear and rotor shaft gear mate to synchronize the rotation of the rotor and the rotary scavenging disk.

4. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one recess is defined by circumferentially spaced rotary scavenging disk seal projections along the outer circumferential edge thereof.

5. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 4, wherein a vane tip portion of each vane selectively contacts and slides along an inner wall of the at least one recess as the vane extends and retracts within the corresponding one of the radial vane slots of the rotor.

6. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 4, wherein an azimuthal face of each vane selectively contacts one of the rotary scavenging disk seal projections of the rotary scavenging disk as the vane extends and retracts within the corresponding one of the radial vane slots of the rotor.

7. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 5, wherein an azimuthal face of each vane selectively contacts one of the rotary scavenging disk seal projections of the rotary scavenging disk as the vane extends and retracts within the corresponding one of the radial vane slots of the rotor.

8. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 4, wherein the vane tip portion is rectangular and comprises a leading tip portion and a trailing tip portion, and wherein the trailing tip portion first contacts and slides along an inner wall of the at least one recess, and then the leading tip portion contacts and slides along the inner wall of the at least one recess.

9. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of recesses formed along the outer circumferential edge of the rotary scavenging disk, wherein each recess is alternatively brought into contact with the vane as the vane extends and retracts within the corresponding one of the radial vane slots of the rotor.

10. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 9, further comprising a housing on the stator assembly enclosing the rotary scavenging disk.

11. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 10, further comprising a fresh air pipe connected to the housing, wherein fresh air communicates with one of the recesses in the rotary scavenging disk.

12. The rotary vane pumping machine of claim 1, further comprising an intake port and an exhaust port communicating with the vane cells.

13. A two-stroke internal combustion vane engine comprising:

a stator assembly comprising an annular ring, the inner circumferential surface of the annular ring defining a contoured surface of a stator cavity;

a rotor spinning around a rotor shaft axis, the rotor shaft axis being a fixed rotational axis relative to the stator cavity, the rotor having a plurality of radial vane slots and the rotor and stator being in relative rotation;

a plurality of vanes, each of the plurality of vanes extending and retracting within a corresponding one of the radial vane slots of the rotor,

wherein the plurality of vanes, the stator cavity, and the rotor defining a plurality of vane cells, the vane cells creating cascading volumes of intake, compression, combustion, expansion, and exhaust, to enable the two-stroke internal combustion engine; and

a rotary scavenging disk disposed along the annular ring and extending into at least one of the vane cells, wherein an outer circumferential edge of the rotary scavenging disk being in sealing proximity with an outer circumferential edge of the rotor,

wherein the rotary scavenging disk contains at least one recess formed along the outer circumferential edge thereof, and

wherein each of the plurality of vanes sequentially meshes with the at least one recess to achieve at least one of scavenging and induction within the vane cells.

14. The two-stroke internal combustion vane engine of claim 13, further comprising a throttle plate disposed upstream of the rotary scavenging disk to throttle the two-stroke engine.

15. The two-stroke internal combustion vane engine of claim 14, further comprising a carburetor disposed upstream of the rotary scavenging disk.

16. The two-stroke internal combustion vane engine of claim 14, further comprising a fuel injector disposed upstream of the rotary scavenging disk.