Abstract:
Systems for powering vehicles using compressed air and vehicles involving such systems are provided. In this regard, a representative system includes: a power source configured to power an air compression system, the air compression system comprising at least one air compressing piston; a compressed air storage system, comprising at least two storage tanks configured to store compressed air from the air compression system; a valve configured to control release of air from the compressed air storage system into a rotor system; the rotor system comprising a first air jet configured to direct the released air into a plurality of paddles located about a circumference of at least one rotor, thereby turning the at least one rotor.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60/953,823, entitled “Comprehensive Compressed Air Rotary Drive System for Most Vehicles”, filed Aug. 3, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The disclosure generally relates to vehicle power systems. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Vehicular travel is the backbone of life in the modern world. The problem of how to efficiently and cleanly power vehicles for the transport of people and goods is one of the most important questions facing society today. Most vehicle engines are powered by petroleum-derived fuels. Petroleum is a limited resource, and can be highly polluting to the environment. Ethanol and other alternative fuels may be an improvement over petroleum-derived fuels in some respects, but have other attendant issues such as a lack of available refueling stations. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    Systems for powering vehicles using compressed air and vehicles involving such systems are provided. In this regard, a first exemplary embodiment of a system for powering a vehicle using compressed air comprises: a power source configured to power an air compression system, the air compression system comprising at least one air compressing piston; a compressed air storage system, comprising at least two storage tanks configured to store compressed air from the air compression system; a valve configured to control release of air from the compressed air storage system into a rotor system; the rotor system comprising a first air jet configured to direct the released air into a plurality of paddles located about a circumference of at least one rotor, thereby turning the at least one rotor. 
         [0007]    A second exemplary embodiment of a system for powering a vehicle using compressed air comprises: three rotors having paddles located about the respective rotor circumferences, the radius at which the paddles are located on the first rotor being larger than the radius at which the paddles are located on the second rotor, and the radius at which the paddles are located on the second rotor being larger than the radius at which the paddles are located on the third rotor, the three rotors rotating together about a shaft; an air jet configured to direct compressed air into the paddles located about the circumference of the rotors, thereby turning the rotors in a rotational direction, the air jet being directed at the first rotor during a first range of rotations per minute (RPMs), being directed at the second rotor during a second range of rotations per minute, and being directed at the third rotor during a third range of rotations per minute; wherein the first range is smaller than the second range, and the second range is smaller than the third range. 
         [0008]    A third exemplary embodiment of a system for powering a vehicle using compressed air comprises: a power source configured to power at least one air compressing piston; at least two compressed air storage tanks configured to store compressed air from the at least one air compressing piston; a multi-rotor system having paddles located about respective rotor circumferences, the radius at which the paddles are located on a first rotor being larger than the radius at which the paddles are located on a second rotor, the rotors rotating together about a shaft; a first air jet configured to direct compressed air into the paddles located about the circumferences of the three rotors, thereby turning the rotors and the shaft in a rotational direction; an air release regulator valve coupled to an accelerator pedal of a vehicle, the air release regulator valve being positioned between the compressed air storage system and the air jet, the air release regulator valve configured to control the speed of the automobile; and the shaft configured to power a driveshaft of the automobile, the driveshaft further configured to turn at least a wheel of the automobile. 
         [0009]    Other systems, methods, features and/or advantages of this disclosure will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and/or advantages be included within this description and be within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  shows schematic diagram of a vehicle with a compressed air vehicle drive system for powering the vehicle. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an air compression system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of an air compression system. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a detailed view of an embodiment of a compressed air storage system. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a detailed view of an embodiment of a rotor system. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side view of an embodiment of a rotor, reverse jet, air brake, and housing. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a side view of an embodiment of a rotor and housing. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a rotor with a compression drive housing. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8A  is an enlarged view of an embodiment of a compression drive housing 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  shows a view of an embodiment of a compression drive housing. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 10A-10D  show additional views of an embodiment of a compression drive housing. 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  shows a front view of an exemplary cross section of rotor housing placement on a base. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  shows exemplary placement of synthetic oil-soaked material on an embodiment of a rotor. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    Systems for powering vehicles using compressed air and vehicles involving such systems are provided, several exemplary embodiments of which will be described in detail. Embodiments of the drive system may be non-polluting and energy efficient, and could be used easily within the framework of current infrastructure. In some embodiments, the compressed air used to produce the power may be compressed using solar power, which is an abundant, free resource, and the only exhaust from the drive system may be filtered air. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  schematically depicts a vehicle (e.g., an automobile) that includes front wheels  105 L and  105 R, rear wheels  104 L and  104 R, and an embodiment of a compressed air powered drive system. At the front of the automobile is an air compression system  101 , which provides compressed air into compressed air storage system  102 . The storage system  102  in turn powers a rotor system  103 , which rotates the rear wheels  104 L and  104 R of the automobile, thereby propelling the automobile. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary embodiment of an air compression system that may be used in the system of  FIG. 1 . The air compression system comprises a cylindrical hydraulic piston housing  201 , which is connected to two cylindrical pneumatic piston housings  202 A and  202 B via piston rod  203 . The cylindrical pneumatic piston housings  202 A and  202 B have filtered air intakes  204 A and  204 B, respectively, and are connected to air output  205 , which connects to the compressed air storage system. The piston  207  contained in housing  201  is powered by a hydraulic pump (not shown) via hydraulic hoses  206 A and  206 B. In some embodiments, the hydraulic pump may be powered by at least two banks of 12-volt batteries; one bank may be in use while the other is being recharged by, for example, a solar power or generator system located at an appropriate place in the vehicle. The piston  207  thereby actuates piston rod  203 , which powers pneumatic pistons  209 A and  209 B within pneumatic piston housings  202 A and  202 B. The pistons  207 ,  209 A, and  209 B, and rod  203  work together as one moving piece in a linear reciprocating motion. Air flows from air intakes  204 A and  204 B through one-way entrance valves  210 A,  210 B,  210 C and  210 D into piston housings  202 A and  202 B, where the air is compressed by the motion of pistons  209 A and  209 B. Compressed air then leaves piston housings  202 A and  202 B via one-way exit valves  211 A,  211 B,  211 C and  211 D to air output  205 , which connects to the compressed air storage system. The pistons  209 A and  209 B are double-acting pistons that deliver compressed air on both strokes of the piston. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  shows an alternative embodiment of an air compression system. In this embodiment, double-acting pistons  301 A and  301 B, housed in piston housings  305 A and  305 B, respectively, are powered by a heavy-duty electric motor  302 . Motor  302  may be geared down for power. Air enters the system at intakes  303 A,  303 B,  303 C, and  303 D via one-way entrance valves  304 A,  304 B,  304 C, and  304 D. The air is then compressed within the piston housings  305 A and  305 B by pistons  301 A and  301 B, and sent to the compressed air storage system through one-way exit valves  307 A,  307 B,  307 D, and  307 D via compressed air output  306 . The forgoing examples are not limiting; any appropriate mechanism may be used to actuate the pistons that compress the air, and any appropriate number of air compressing pistons may be used. 
         [0028]    An embodiment of a compressed air storage system is shown in  FIG. 4 . The system comprises storage tanks  402  and  403 , which are coupled to intake control valve  404 , release valve  405 , and air regulator valve  406 . The tanks include optional air pressure release valves  408 A and  408 B for regulating the air pressure within the tanks. Compressed air travels to the storage tanks  402  and  403  via piping  401 . The airflow is directed to fill either tank  402  or  403  by an intake control valve  404 , which is an electronically controlled directional valve in this embodiment that is configured to allow only one of the tanks to fill at any given time. The air enters the tanks via one-way entrance valves  409 A and  409 B. Airflow out of the tanks is controlled by release valve  405 . The release valve  405  may be electronically controlled to allow only one tank to release air at a time. The drive system releases air from a first full tank  402  until the first tank  402  is depleted, at which point the release valve  405  will switch over to second tank  403 , which may have been refilled by the air compression system  101  while the first tank  402  released air. Then, while tank  403  releases air into the system, tank  402  is refilled. When both tanks are full the air compressor system does not need to run. In some embodiments there may be more than two air storage tanks, depending on the configuration of the drive system. After passing through valve  405 , the air is directed to the rotors by air release regulator valve  406 . Valve  406  may be spring-loaded and may be connected to the accelerator pedal of the automobile, to control the airflow and thereby control the speed of the vehicle. When the accelerator pedal is pressed the valve  406  opens releasing controlled amounts of air to the rotor system through piping  407 A and  407 B. The forgoing example is not limiting; more than two air tanks may be used if desired. 
         [0029]    An exemplary layout of the rotor system is shown in  FIG. 5 . The system comprises three pairs of rotors,  502 L and  502 R,  503 L and  503 R, and  504 L and  504 R, with a set of three rotors being associated with each wheel  104 L and  104 R, and with power shafts  505 L and  505 R, respectively. The rotors rotate with power shafts  505 L and  505 R. The compressed air travels through piping  501  from valve  406  to the rotors. The largest diameter rotors  502 L and  502 R create the most torque and power, and are used for startup, low speeds, reverse, and airbrake. Medium-sized rotors  503 L and  503 R are used for intermediate speeds. Rotors  504 L and  504 R are the smallest of the rotors, used for maximum speeds. In an exemplary form of operation, when rotors  502 L and  502 R achieve maximum rotations per minute (rpm), airflow is switched to rotors  503 L and  503 R. When rotors  503 L and  503 R in turn achieve maximum rpm, airflow is switched to rotors  504 L and  504 R. Only one matched pair of rotors is powered by the airflow at any given time. The power from rotors  502 L and  502 R,  503 L and  503 R, and  504 L and  504 R is transferred to power shafts  505 L and  505 R, which is coupled via mechanisms  506 L and  506 R to the driveshafts  507 L and  507 R. The driveshafts  507 L and  507 R turns the wheels  104 L and  104 R, respectively, of the vehicle. 
         [0030]      FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of the largest rotors  502 L and  502 R. The rotor  606  has paddles situated at continuous intervals about its circumference, similar to the paddles on a waterwheel. The air jet or nozzle  601  forces air at a high velocity into the paddles  602  on the circumference of the rotor  606 , causing rotational movement of the rotor about power shaft  608 . Used air is released via output  603 . Additional air jets may be directed at the paddles  602  of rotor  606 , such as a reverse jet  604  and airbrake  605 . Jets  604  and  605  push rotor  606  in the opposite direction as jet  601 , to either slow or reverse the movement of the rotor. This allows the vehicle to be backed up, or assists the mechanical brakes in stopping the automobile so that it may be stopped faster than using the mechanical brakes alone. In one embodiment, the air brake is engaged at vehicle speeds of over 35 miles per hour. Rotor  606  may include an oil-soaked synthetic material placed around the rotor in the paddles and on all surfaces where near contact occurs, to stop the leakage of air and thereby make the drive system more efficient. An exemplary placement of this material is shown in  FIG. 12 , element  1201 . 
         [0031]    An embodiment of the smaller rotors  503 L and  503 R, and  504 L and  504 R, is shown in  FIG. 7 . The rotor has paddles situated at continuous intervals about its circumference, similar to the paddles on a waterwheel. Air jet or nozzle  701  directs compressed air into paddles  702  on the circumference of the rotor  704 , causing rotational motion of the rotor about power shaft  706 , and the used air is released via output  703 . This embodiment of the smaller rotors is for forward propulsion only, and does not have a brake. Rotor  704  may include an oil-soaked synthetic material placed around the rotor in the paddles and on all surfaces where near contact occurs, to stop the leakage of air and thereby make the drive system more efficient. An exemplary placement of this material is shown in  FIG. 10 , element  1001 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 8  shows a cross-section through an example rotor of  FIG. 7 . Rotor  801  rotates about bearing  802 , which turns power shaft  505 . The rotor  801  is contained in housing  803 , which is mounted on base  804 . The efficiency of the rotor is further enhanced by the compression drive chamber  805 , which is shown in an enlarged view in  FIG. 8A . 
         [0033]      FIGS. 9 and 10  show detailed views of an embodiment of compression drive chamber  805  of  FIG. 8A ; the drive chamber  805  increases air tolerances and reduces drag through the use of tightly controlled tolerances. The compression drive chamber also reduces the surface area contact between the rotor and other surfaces, thereby reducing air loss and making the rotor system more efficient. A synthetic oil soaked material strip is placed around the rotor on all surfaces where contact occurs to reduce air loss, as shown by locations  1201  in  FIG. 12 . Referring to  FIG. 9 , the air jet assembly  901  directs compressed air into the compression drive housing  902 , causing the paddles  903  to turn the rotor.  FIG. 10A  shows a side cross section of the compression drive housing  902 , and  FIG. 10B  shows a front view of  FIG. 10A  as viewed along section line  10 B- 10 B.  FIG. 10C  shows a top view of the compression drive housing  902 , and  FIG. 10D  shows a cross section of  FIG. 10C  as viewed along section line  10 D- 10 D. There is a compression drive chamber on each rotor; notably, there is an additional compression drive chamber located at the reverse/air brake jets  604  and  605  on the large rotor  606  of  FIG. 6 . All the air that passes through the compression drive chambers is used to create rotational energy and power in the rotors. 
         [0034]      FIG. 11  shows in detail the locations of the air intake jets and exhaust ports of the right-hand side of the rotor system of  FIG. 5 . Intake jets  1101 A,  1101 B, and  1101 C power rotors  502 R,  503 R, and  504 R. Used air exhausts to ports  1102 A,  1102 B, and  1102 C. The rotors  502 R,  503 R, and  504 R rotate about bearing housings  1103 A,  1103 B, and  1103 C, respectively, which rotates power shaft  505 . Reverse air intake  1104  and air brake intake  1105  function to slow and reverse the motion of rotor  502 R. Rotors  502 L,  503 L, and  504 L operate in the same manner as the right side of the rotor system. 
         [0035]    The rotors  502 L,  502 R,  503 L,  503 R,  504 L, and  504 R are similar in structure, size being the main notable difference. In the above embodiments, three rotors per wheel is merely used as an example; it is within the contemplation of the present disclosure to include either more or less rotors, depending on the type of vehicle being powered. In another embodiment, the disclosed drive system may power a 4-wheel-drive automobile. To achieve this, two large rotors of the type of  502 L and  502 R may be used to power the front wheels  105 L and  105 R of the automobile of  FIG. 1 . A rotor system may also be used to turn a propeller, powering aircraft or water-going vehicles. 
         [0036]    The compressed air drive system contemplated by the present disclosure may be energy efficient and non-polluting. In some embodiments, the only exhaust is filtered air. Embodiments that utilize solar power stored in battery banks to power the air compressor may be operated virtually for free, and would not require stops at refueling stations. Various embodiments may be used to power such diverse types of vehicles as automobiles, trucks, tractor-trailers, trains, propeller-driven aircraft, heavy equipment, boats, ships, ATVs, water vehicles, or snowmobiles; the list of possible applications is not exhaustive. 
         [0037]    It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of this disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.