Axially rotating free piston

摘要

A piston slidably engaged in relation to the longitudinal axis of a shaft rotationally journaled proximate opposed ends to a housing which allows reciprocal travel of the piston within a cylinder of the housing with the external surface of the piston and the internal surface of the cylinder providing mated portions of a piston rotation generation assembly which induces rotation of the piston within the cylinder during reciprocal travel of the piston along the length of the shaft with the piston having rotationally fixed engagement with the shaft such that rotation of the piston within the cylinder generates a corresponding rotation of the shaft.

主权项

1. An axially rotating piston device, comprising:
a housing which defines a cylinder having a length disposed between a first cylinder head and a second cylinder head; a shaft rotationally journaled to at least one of said first cylinder head or said second cylinder head, said shaft having one of a spline or a groove extending along the longitudinal axis of said shaft; a first piston disposed in said cylinder defining a first chamber and a second chamber within said cylinder, said first piston having an axial passage communicating between a first face and a second face, said axial passage having one of a spline or a groove extending along the longitudinal axis of said axial passage, said spline of said shaft or said spline of said axial passage mating with said groove of said shaft or of said groove of said axial passage allowing slidable mated relation of said first piston along the longitudinal axis of said shaft and fixed rotational engagement of said first piston and said shaft; and a first channel guide including a self aligning bearing set into said cylinder wall of said cylinder and a peg mounted in the inside race of said self aligning bearing; a first annular channel having an elliptical path disposed in said first piston, said first channel guide engaging said annular channel, whereby occurrence of sliding engagement of said first piston along the longitudinal axis of said shaft generates axial rotation of said piston in said cylinder and a corresponding rotation of said shaft.