Compound displacement mechanism for simplified motors and compressors

Abstract

A rotating and reciprocating positive displacement mechanism which draws in a metered volume of gas and then expands or compresses that quantity of gas before expelling it. The mechanism has useful application as a compressor, a compressed gas motor, an expanding vapor engine, or a hot gas engine, where generation of heat by combustion can be either internal or external to the expansion mechanism. The primary advantages of the mechanism over conventional mechanisms used in these applications include (1) few moving parts, (2) easily constructed parts of simple geometry, (3) feasibility of compound operation (i.e. two-stage expansion or compression), (4) relatively constant input or output torque throughout the operating cycle, and (5) relative absence of high pressure peaks during the operating cycle (even when used as an internal combustion engine).