The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 06, 1985
Filed:
Apr. 04, 1984
Roelf J Meijer, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Benjamine Ziph, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Ted M Godett, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Stirling Thermal Motors, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Abstract
An improved construction for a thermal engine, particularly a Stirling engine, comprising a two-part drive shaft. One part of the drive shaft contains the swashplate mechanism and is journaled on the engine housing so that the component of force acting on the swashplate which induces bending of the drive shaft is reacted on the housing by the journaling of the one part of the shaft. The second shaft part is separate from but operatively coupled with the first-mentioned shaft part and has its own journal mounting on the housing. The operative coupling in the disclosed embodiment is by means of a spline connection between the two shaft parts which are in coaxial alignment. The second shaft part is journaled on a housing part which is separable from other parts of the housing on which the first shaft part is journaled. A pressure seal between the rotating drive shaft and the housing is provided between the second shaft part and its housing part, and in this way the seal is substantially isolated from the effect of bending loads imparted to the drive shaft by the swashplate mechanism.