초록 ▼

Stirling cycle engines with hot and cold gerotor sets separated by an insulation barrier. The barrier has regenerative gas passages to allow gasses to flow therethrough thus connecting displacing chambers of the hot and cold gerotor sets. Each gerotor set has a rotor within a stator and displacing c

Stirling cycle engines with hot and cold gerotor sets separated by an insulation barrier. The barrier has regenerative gas passages to allow gasses to flow therethrough thus connecting displacing chambers of the hot and cold gerotor sets. Each gerotor set has a rotor within a stator and displacing chambers created in an offset space therebetween. The stators may rotate about the rotors, or vice-versa. Either the rotor of the cold gerotor set has an axis of rotation offset with respect to the rotor of the hot gerotor set or the stator of the cold gerotor set has an axis of rotation offset with respect to the stator of the hot gerotor set, and the non-offset rotors or stators rotate about a common axis and are rotationally connected and create an angular phase offset between connected hot and cold chambers. The gerotor apparatuses may be utilized for a Stirling cycle engine for generating electricity, for example.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A closed Stirling cycle power system, comprising: a housing having a drive shaft defining a central axis;a hot side including a hot rotor and a hot stator and hot side displacing chambers created in an offset space therebetween, the hot stator and hot side displacing chambers being fixed with res

1. A closed Stirling cycle power system, comprising: a housing having a drive shaft defining a central axis;a hot side including a hot rotor and a hot stator and hot side displacing chambers created in an offset space therebetween, the hot stator and hot side displacing chambers being fixed with respect to the housing and centered around the central axis, while the hot rotor rotates within the hot stator about a hot rotor axis offset with respect to the central axis and is connected to rotate the drive shaft, and wherein the hot rotor axis orbits around the central axis;a cold side including a cold rotor and a cold stator and cold side displacing chambers created in an offset space therebetween, the cold stator and cold side displacing chambers being fixed with respect to the housing and centered around the central axis, while the cold rotor rotates within the cold stator about a cold rotor axis offset with respect to the central axis and is connected to rotate the drive shaft, and wherein the cold rotor axis orbits around the central axis, wherein the rotational angle of the cold rotor is out of phase with the rotational angle of the hot rotor; anda stationary barrier member of thermally insulating material between the hot and cold sides, the barrier member having regenerative gas passages to allow gasses to flow therethrough thus connecting the displacing chambers of the hot and cold sides, whereinwhen rotary power is applied to the drive shaft the device will act as a heat pump and the hot side will get hotter and the cold side will get colder. 2. The power system of claim 1, further including; a battery; andan electric generator having the drive shaft as an input and coupled to recharge the battery. 3. The power system of claim 2, further including; a drive transmission;an internal combustion engine coupled to the drive transmission; andan electric drive system coupled to the drive transmission and powered by the battery. 4. The power system of claim 1, wherein the rotational angle of the cold rotor is 90° out of phase with the rotational angle of the hot rotor. 5. The power system of claim 1, wherein the cold stator includes a plurality of heat-dissipating fins on its exterior. 6. The power system of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft extends outward through the cold stator and connects to the cold rotor through an offset bearing. 7. The power system of claim 1, further including regenerative material placed within the regenerative gas passages that permits gas flow therethough and has good thermal conductivity. 8. The power system of claim 7, wherein the regenerative material is a metallic wool. 9. The power system of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft is rotationally connected to the hot and cold rotors which both rotate about shafts which are connected to the drive shaft through offset connectors. 10. The power system of claim 9, wherein the offset bearings of the hot and cold rotors are both fixed to rotate with a central shaft that extends through a space within the barrier member, and further including a counterweight attached to rotate with the central shaft within the space in the barrier member. 11. The power system of claim 1, further including a heat conductive heater backplate mounted between the hot side and stationary barrier member and a heat conductive cooler backplate mounted between the cold side and stationary barrier member, wherein both the heater and cooler backplates have a plurality of small gas ports aligned with the regenerative gas passages within the stationary barrier member. 12. A closed Stirling cycle power system, comprising: a housing having a drive shaft defining a central axis;a hot gerotor set having a hot rotor with a first number of outwardly-extending lobes rotating within a stationary hot stator having a second number of recesses sized to closely receive the lobes, the first number being one less than the second number, and displacing chambers created in an offset space between the hot rotor and hot stator;a cold gerotor set having a cold rotor with a third number of outwardly-extending lobes rotating within a stationary cold stator having a fourth number of recesses sized to closely receive the lobes, the third number being one less than the fourth number, and displacing chambers created in an offset space between the cold rotor and cold stator,wherein the respective recesses of the cold stator and the hot stator are aligned, and the cold rotor has an axis of rotation offset with respect to the hot rotor, and wherein the cold and hot rotors are connected to rotate the drive shaft; anda stationary barrier member of thermally insulating material between the hot and cold gerotor sets, the barrier member having regenerative gas passages at the outward extents of the aligned hot and cold stator recesses to allow gasses to flow therethrough, wherein the displacing chambers of the hot and cold gerotor sets are connected via the regenerative gas passages, whereinwhen rotary power is applied to the drive shaft the device will act as a heat pump and the hot side will get hotter and the cold side will get colder. 13. The power system of claim 12, further including; a battery; andan electric generator having the drive shaft as an input and coupled to recharge the battery. 14. The power system of claim 12, wherein the rotational angle of the cold rotor is 90° out of phase with the rotational angle of the hot rotor. 15. The power system of claim 12, wherein the cold stator includes a plurality of heat-dissipating fins on its exterior. 16. The power system of claim 12, wherein the drive shaft extends outward through the cold stator and connects to the cold rotor through an offset bearing. 17. The power system of claim 12, further including regenerative metallic wool placed within the regenerative gas passages that permits gas flow therethough and has good thermal conductivity. 18. The power system of claim 12, further including a heat conductive heater backplate mounted between the hot gerotor set and stationary barrier member and a heat conductive cooler backplate mounted between the cold gerotor set and stationary barrier member, wherein both the heater and cooler backplates have a plurality of small gas ports aligned with the regenerative gas passages within the stationary barrier member. 19. The power system of claim 12, wherein the drive shaft is rotationally connected to the hot and cold rotors which both rotate about shafts which are connected to the drive shaft through offset connectors. 20. The power system of claim 19, wherein the offset bearings of the hot and cold rotors are both fixed to rotate with a central shaft that extends through a space within the barrier member, and further including a counterweight attached to rotate with the central shaft within the space in the barrier member.