Oscillating piston apparatus

Claim 2

An oscillating piston apparatus comprising a cylinder, a free piston in the cylinder, said cyliner having a side wall with a port therein, a rebound chamber containing compressible fluid for reversing the motion of the piston. said rebound chamber having as a moving wall portion a face of the piston, means including said rebound chamber for sustaining oscillatory motion of the piston in the cylinder and means for controlling the location of the center of oscillation of the piston in the cylinder, said controlling means including said rebound chamber and a passageway communicating with the cylinder via the port, said passageway bypassing a portion, and only a portion of the axial length of the cylinder, said passageway having a fluid flow impedance which is substantially the same for fluid flow in either direction through the passageway, wherein said port, said by-passed portion of the cylinder, and an unbypassed portion of the cylinder are all at least partially traversed by the piston.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the free piston is of substantially integral construction.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional dimensions of the free piston are substantially the same throughout substantially all of its length.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for sustaining includes means for alternately heating and cooling the fluid.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for sustaining includes heated passageway means communicating with said cylinder.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 further including means for heating said heated passageway means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said heated passageway means includes at least one passageway having a characteristic length and breadth which are each substantially greater than its characteristic width.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 further including another rebound chamber for reversing the motion of the piston, wherein the two rebound chambers are gaseous chambers acting as compression springs on opposite faces of the piston.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 1 further including a second port in the cylinder side wall, said passageway further communicating with the cylinder via said second port, wherein the two ports are located at different axial positions in the cylinder side wall, and the axial length of the by-passed cylinder portion is determined primarily by the axial separation and size of said ports.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the axial length of said by-passed cylinder portion is less than the axial length of the piston side wall.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the passageway is of integral construction.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said controlling means comprises groove means in the cylinder wall in said by-passed portion of the cylinder.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said passageway has no moving parts.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controlling means has no moving parts.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sustaining means has no moving parts other than the piston itself.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controlling means is of integral construction.

Claim 18

An oscillating piston apparatus comprising two cylinders, a free piston in each cylinder, each of said cylinders having a side wall with a port therein, means for sustaining oscillatory motion of each piston in its cylinder, and means for controlling the locations of the centers of oscillation of the pistons in their cylinders, said controlling means including: a common chamber for the two cylinders, said common chamber containing compressible fluid and having as moving wall portions one face of each piston, a separate rebound chamber for each piston, said rebound chamber containing compressible fluid and having as a moviNg wall portion the opposite face of the piston, and a fluid passageway for each cylinder communicating with the respective cylinder via the respective port, said passageway by-passing a portion, and only a portion, of the axial length of the cylinder, said passageway having a fluid flow impedance which is substantially the same for fluid flow in either direction through the passageway; whereby the center of oscillation of each piston is located near the mid-point of the by-passed portion of its cylinder.

Claim 19

An oscillating piston apparatus comprising two cylinders, a free piston in each cylinder, each of said cylinders having a side wall with a port therein, means for sustaining oscillatory motion of each piston in its cylinder, and means for controlling the locations of the centers of oscillation of the pistons in their cylinders, said controlling means including: a common chamber for the two cylinders, said common chamber containing compressible fluid and having as moving wall portions one face of each piston, a separate rebound chamber for each piston, said rebound chamber containing compressible fluid and having as a moviNg wall portion the opposite face of the piston, and a fluid passageway for each cylinder communicating with the respective cylinder via the respective port, said passageway by-passing a portion, and only a portion, of the axial length of the cylinder, said passageway having a fluid flow impedance which is substantially the same for fluid flow in either direction through the passageway; whereby the center of oscillation of each piston is located near the mid-point of the by-passed portion of its cylinder.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for sustaining includes means for synchronizing the oscillatory motion of the pistons.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for sustaining includes means for maintaining synchronous and opposite oscillatory motion of the pistons.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for sustaining includes means for alternately heating and cooling the fluid.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for sustaining includes heated passageway means for repeatedly heating the fluid in the common chamber.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the passageway for each cylinder consists of a passageway in said portion of the cylinder wall.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said controlling means for each cylinder comprises groove means in the cylinder wall in said by-passed portion of the cylinder.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said controlling means for each cylinder includes by-pass passageway means having no moving parts.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the free pistons are each of substantially integral construction.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the cross-sectional dimensions of each piston are substantially the same throughout substantially all of the piston length.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the axial length of said by-passed cylinder portion is less than the axial length of the piston side wall.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the sustaining means has no moving parts other than the two free pistons.

Claim 31

A naturally resonant oscillatory device comprising a chamber containing compressible fluid, said chamber having structure forming at least one peripheral wall portion susceptible to being oscillated at a natural resonant frequency of oscillation so as to cyclically decrease and increase the volume of the chamber, said chamber being substantially sealed during at least a substantial portion of the oscillation cycle, said chamber having fluid passageway means communicating with the at least one wall portion, means for heating said fluid passageway means, means for sustaining oscillatory motion of the at least one wall portion of the chamber so as to alternately decrease and increase the volume of the chamber, means including the oscillatory motion of the wall portion for repeatedly inducing a flow of cool fluid into said heated passageway means; said heated passageway means being designed in accordance with the frequency of oscillation to: (a) readily admit said cool fluid, (b) heat substantially all of said admitted fluid, (c) heat fluid in the passageway means as the oscillating wall portion moves in a direction to increase the volume of the chamber during said portion of the cycle, and (d) eject heated compressible fluid from the passageway means into a region of the chamber external to the passageway means as the oscillating wall portion moves in a direction to increase the volume of the chamber during said portion of the cycle; said cool fluid flow inducing means further including means for cooling fluid ejected from said heated passageway means, said means for sustaining including: (a) the heated fluid passageway means, (b) the flow inducing means including the motion of said wall portion and the means for cooling ejected fluid, (c) inertia of the structure, and (d) spring action of fluid compressed by the oscillating wall portion; wherein the energy for sustaining said oscillation is derived primarily from said heating and saiD cooling; wherein a net flow of fluid is induced into the heated passageway means while the volume of the chamber is decreasing during said portion of the cycle, said net flow being primarily and directly responsive to pressure variations of the fluid in the chamber resulting primarily and directly from changes in the chamber volume caused by the oscillating portion.

Claim 32

A naturally resonant oscillatory device comprising a chamber containing compressible fluid, said chamber having structure forming at least one peripheral wall portion susceptible to being oscillated at a natural resonant frequency of oscillation so as to cyclically decrease and increase the volume of the chamber, said chamber being substantially sealed during at least a substantial portion of the oscillation cycle, said chamber having fluid passageway means communicating with the at least one wall portion, means for heating said fluid passageway means, means for sustaining oscillatory motion of the at least one wall portion of the chamber so as to alternately decrease and increase the volume of the chamber, means including the oscillatory motion of the wall portion for repeatedly inducing a flow of cool fluid into said heated passageway means; said heated passageway means being designed in accordance with the frequency of oscillation to: (a) readily admit said cool fluid, (b) heat substantially all of said admitted fluid, (c) heat fluid in the passageway means as the oscillating wall portion moves in a direction to increase the volume of the chamber during said portion of the cycle, and (d) eject heated compressible fluid from the passageway means into a region of the chamber external to the passageway means as the oscillating wall portion moves in a direction to increase the volume of the chamber during said portion of the cycle; said cool fluid flow inducing means further including means for cooling fluid ejected from said heated passageway means, said means for sustaining including: (a) the heated fluid passageway means, (b) the flow inducing means including the motion of said wall portion and the means for cooling ejected fluid, (c) inertia of the structure, and (d) spring action of fluid compressed by the oscillating wall portion; wherein the energy for sustaining said oscillation is derived primarily from said heating and saiD cooling; wherein a net flow of fluid is induced into the heated passageway means while the volume of the chamber is decreasing during said portion of the cycle, said net flow being primarily and directly responsive to pressure variations of the fluid in the chamber resulting primarily and directly from changes in the chamber volume caused by the oscillating portion.

Claim 33

The device of claim 29 wherein said means for cooling said ejected fluid primarily comprises cooling of the ejected fluid by cool wall surfaces of the chamber external to said heated passageway means.

Claim 34

The device of claim 29 wherein said heating means includes means for heating said fluid passageway means substantially independently of the instantaneous phase of said at least one oscillating peripheral wall portion.

Claim 35

The device of claim 29 wherein said at least one oscillating peripheral wall portion includes two peripheral wall portions oscillating substantially in synchronism so as to, substantially with the same phase, cyclically decrease and increase the volume of the chamber.

Claim 36

The device of claim 32 wherein each of the wall portions is a free piston oscillating in a cylinder.

Claim 37

The device of claim 33 further including groove means for each cylinder bypassing only a portion of the cylinder for positioning the center of oscillation of the free piston.

Claim 38

The device of claim 32 wherein said cooling of the ejected fluid primarily includes cooling of the ejected fluid by cool walls of the chamber external to the heated passageway means.

Claim 39

The device of claim 35 wherein said cool walls primarily include walls of the chamber proximate the oscillating portions and the faces of the oscillating portions.

Claim 40

The device of claim 32 wherein the means for heating the passageway means includes means for heating the passageway means substantially independently of the instantaneous phases of the oscillating wall portions.

Claim 41

The device of claim 32 wherein said wall portions communicate both with each other and with said heated passageway means via a fluid flow connecting means, wherein said means for sustaining oscillation includes cooling of said ejected fluid by cool walls of the connecting means proximate the oscillating portions.

Claim 42

The device of claim 29 wherein said heated passageway means includes an elongated passageway having an average length substantially greater than its average width.

Claim 43

The device of claim 29 wherein said chamber is substantially sealed during substantially all of the oscillatory cycle.

Claim 44

The device of claim 29 wherein said heating means includes means for heating said passageway means substantially independently of said natural resonant frequency of oscillation.

Claim 45

The device of claim 29 wherein said passageway means comprises an elongated passageway having an average length and an average breadth each of which is substantially greater than the average width of the passageway.

Claim 46

The device of claim 29 wherein there is an increase in effective exposure of a cool surface to fluid in the chamber as the wall portion moves in a direction to increase the chamber volume, whereby said means for cooling the ejected fluid includes cooling of the ejected fluid by said variably exposed cool surface.

Claim 47

The device of claim 29 wherein said heating of fluid in said passageway means and said cooling of ejected fluid each primarily comprises thermal transfer between the fluid and walls of the chamber.

Claim 48

The device of claim 29 wherein the means for sustaining oscillation includes cooling of the ejected fluid by cool wall surfaces of the chamber proximate the oscillating portion.

Claim 49

The device of claim 45 wherein said cool wall surfaces include an exposed face of the oscillating portion.

Claim 50

The device of claim 29 wherein the heated passageway means includes an elongated passageway having a characteristic passageway width selected in accordance with the oscillatory frequency to augment said oscillation.

Claim 51

The device of clAim 29 wherein the heated passageway means includes a multiplicity of heated elongated passageways.

Claim 52

The device of claim 29 wherein the passageway means is formed to mate with an electric bulb which provides heat for heating the passageway means.

Claim 53

The device of claim 29 wherein said inducing of cool fluid into said heated passageway means for said heating and ejecting of said fluid takes place primarily while said chamber volume is decreasing during said portion of the cycle.

Claim 54

The device of claim 29 wherein said inducing of cool fluid into said heated passageway means for said heating and ejecting of said fluid takes place substantially entirely while said chamber volume is decreasing during said portion of the cycle.

Claim 55

The device of claim 29 wherein said wall portion comprises a free piston oscillating in the cylinder.

Claim 56

The device of claim 52 further including cylinder bypass means for positioning the center of oscillation of the free piston in the cylinder.

Claim 57

The device of claim 53 wherein said bypass means bypasses only a portion of the cylinder, said center of oscillation being positioned near the mid-point of the bypassed portion.

Claim 58

The device of claim 54 wherein the bypass means includes a bypass passageway bypassing said bypassed cylinder portion and having substantially equal fluid flow impedance in either direction through the passageway.

Claim 59

The device of claim 55 wherein said passageway is of integral construction.

Claim 60

The device of claim 55 wherein said passageway is integral with the cylinder.

Claim 61

The device of claim 55 wherein said bypass means comprises groove means in the cylinder side-wall.

Claim 62

The device of claim 55 wherein said bypass means comprises means for forming the cylinder side wall to provide a lower impedance to fluid flow between the piston and cylinder side walls in the bypassed portion of the cylinder than in portions of the cylinder beyond the bypassed portion.

Claim 63

A naturally resonant oscillatory device comprising a variable volume chamber, said chamber having structure forming at least one wall portion susceptible to being oscillated at a natural resonant frequency of oscillation so as to alternately decrease and increase the volume of the chamber, said chamber maintained in a substantially closed condition during at least a portion of the oscillation cycle, said chamber having fluid passageway means communicating with the at least one wall portion, means for heating said fluid passageway means, means for sustaining oscillatory motion of the at least one wall portion of the chamber so as to alternately decrease and increase said chamber volume, means including the oscillatory motion of the wall portion for cyclically inducing a flow of cool fluid into said heated passageway means; said heated passageway means having a geometry and an average passageway width selected in accordance with the frequency of oscillation to readily admit said cool fluid and to heat by thermal transfer means substantially all of said admitted fluid so as to eject heated compressible fluid from the heated passageway means during said portion of the cycle as the oscillating wall portion moves in the same general direction as the ejected fluid and to heat fluid in the heated passageway means during said portion of the cycle as the oscillating wall portion moves in the same general direction as the ejectef fluid; said means for sustaining including: the heating of the fluid by said passageway means, the means for heating said passageway means, said flow inducing means, inertia of the structure and spring action of fluid compressed by the oscillating wall portion; wherein a net flow of fluid is induced into the heated passageway means while the fluid is being compressed toward the heated passageway means by the oscillating portion during said portion of the cycle, said net flow being primarily and directly responsive to pressure variations of the fluid in the chamber resulting primarily and directly from changes in tHe chamber volume caused by the oscillating portion.

Claim 64

A naturally resonant oscillatory device comprising a variable volume chamber, said chamber having structure forming at least one wall portion susceptible to being oscillated at a natural resonant frequency of oscillation so as to alternately decrease and increase the volume of the chamber, said chamber maintained in a substantially closed condition during at least a portion of the oscillation cycle, said chamber having fluid passageway means communicating with the at least one wall portion, means for heating said fluid passageway means, means for sustaining oscillatory motion of the at least one wall portion of the chamber so as to alternately decrease and increase said chamber volume, means including the oscillatory motion of the wall portion for cyclically inducing a flow of cool fluid into said heated passageway means; said heated passageway means having a geometry and an average passageway width selected in accordance with the frequency of oscillation to readily admit said cool fluid and to heat by thermal transfer means substantially all of said admitted fluid so as to eject heated compressible fluid from the heated passageway means during said portion of the cycle as the oscillating wall portion moves in the same general direction as the ejected fluid and to heat fluid in the heated passageway means during said portion of the cycle as the oscillating wall portion moves in the same general direction as the ejectef fluid; said means for sustaining including: the heating of the fluid by said passageway means, the means for heating said passageway means, said flow inducing means, inertia of the structure and spring action of fluid compressed by the oscillating wall portion; wherein a net flow of fluid is induced into the heated passageway means while the fluid is being compressed toward the heated passageway means by the oscillating portion during said portion of the cycle, said net flow being primarily and directly responsive to pressure variations of the fluid in the chamber resulting primarily and directly from changes in tHe chamber volume caused by the oscillating portion.

Claim 65

The device of claim 60 wherein said cool fluid inducing means includes thermal transfer means for cooling said ejected fluid.

Claim 66

The device of claim 61 wherein said cooling means primarily includes cooling of the ejected fluid by cool walls of the chamber external to the heated passageway means.

Claim 67

The device of claim 61 wherein said cooling means includes cooling of the ejected fluid by cool walls of the chamber cyclically varied in effective exposure to the fluid by the oscillating portion.

Claim 68

The device of claim 61 wherein said cooling provides the primary cooling for sustaining said oscillation.

Claim 69

The device of claim 60 wherein the cool fluid inducing means primarily includes cooling of the ejected fluid by cool walls of the chamber proximate the oscillating portion.

Claim 70

The device of claim 60 wherein the cool fluid inducing means includes means for cooling the induced fluid.

Claim 71

The device of claim 66 wherein the energy for sustaining said oscillation is derived primarily from said heating and said cooling.

Claim 72

The device of claim 60 wherein the heat energy for sustaining said oscillation is provided primarily by said heating.

Claim 73

The device of claim 60 wherein said fluid passageway means is heated substantially independently of the instantaneous phase of the oscillating portion.

Claim 74

The device of claim 69 wherein the at least one oscillating peripheral wall portion includes two peripheral wall portions oscillating substantially in synchronism so as to substantially together alternately decrease and increase said chamber volume.

Claim 75

The device of claim 70 wherein each of the wall portions is a free piston oscillating in a cylinder.

Claim 76

The device of claim 71 wherein the heated passageway means is formed to be heated by an electric light bulb which provides sufficient heat energy for sustaining said oscillation while providing light for illumination of the surroundings.

Claim 77

The device of claim 72 further including groove means in the inside surface of the side-wall of each of said cylinders for controlling the center of oscillation of each piston in its cylinder.

Claim 78

The device of claim 70 wherein said wall portions communicate both with each other and with said heated passageway means via a fluid connecting means, and wherein said means for sustaining oscillation includes cooling of said induced fluid by cool walls of the connecting means proximate the oscillating portions.

Claim 79

The device of claim 69 wherein said heated passageway means includes an elongated passageway having an average length and an average breadth each of which is substantially greater than the average width of the passageway.

Claim 80

The device of claim 69 wherein said chamber is substantially sealed during substantially all of the oscillatory cycle.

Claim 81

The device of claim 69 wherein the heated passageway means includes a multiplicity of elongated heated passageways.

Claim 82

The device of claim 69 wherein said inducing of cool fluid into said passageway means for said heating and ejecting of said fluid takes place substantially entirely while said chamber volume is decreasing during said portion of the cycle.

Claim 83

The device of claim 60 wherein said passageway means is heated substantially independently of said natural resonant frequency of oscillation.

Claim 84

The device of claim 50 wherein said ejected heated fluid is derived primarily from cool fluid induced into said heated passageway means while said chamber volume decreases during said portion of the cycle.

Claim 85

The device of claim 60 wherein said inducing of cool fluid into said passageway means for said heating and ejecting of said fluid takes place primarily while said chamber volume is decreasing during said portion of the cycle.

Claim 86

The device of claim 60 wherein the wall portion comprises a free piston oscillating in a cylinder.

Claim 87

The device of claim 82 further including means bypassing only a portion of the cylinder to Position the center of oscillation of the free piston within the bypassed portion.

Claim 88

The device of claim 83 wherein the bypass means includes a bypass passageway bypassing said cylinder portion and having substantially equal impedance for fluid flow in either direction through the passageway.

Claim 89

The device of claim 83 wherein said bypass means comprises means for forming the cylinder side-wall to provide a greater mean separation between the piston and cylinder side walls in the bypassed cylinder portion than in a cylinder portion beyond the bypassed portion.

Claim 90

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said passageway and said port comprise an enlargement of the inside diameter of the cylinder in a region of the cylinder side-wall within said bypassed portion.

Claim 91

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said passageway and said port for each cylinder comprise an enlargement of the inside diameter of the cylinder in a region of the cylinder side-wall within said bypassed portion.

Claim 92

The device of claim 82 further including means bypassing only a portion of the cylinder to position the center of oscillation of the free piston near the bypassed portion.