Rotary piston machine

Abstract

The invention concerns a rotary machine with a spherical piston, comprising a housing (1) whose walls delimit a chamber having a spherical surface (1.1) in its central part. The chamber, delimited by the spherical surface (1.1), contains two rotors (2, 3) with spherical outer surfaces, each mounted rotatably around its own axis (L1, L2), which intersect and form an obtuse angle (α) between them, at the symmetry plane of the housing. The chamber, delimited by the spherical surface (1.1), between the rotors (2, 3), contains a piston composed of two parts (4, 5). The first piston part (4) is connected to the first rotor (2) by means of support arms (16, 17) attached to the first rotor (2) and by means of bearings of the first piston part (12, 13) located at the ends of the support arms (16, 17) and mounted in the first piston part (4), wherein the rotation axis of the bearings coincides with the axis of the rotating surface (L3) of the first piston part (4), and the second piston part (5) is connected to the second rotor (3) by means of support arms (18, 19) attached to the second rotor (3) and by means of bearings of the second piston part (14, 15) located at the ends of the support arms (18, 19) and mounted in the second piston part (5), wherein the rotation axis of the bearings coincides with the axis of the rotating surface (L4) of the second piston part (5). Additionally, the piston parts (4, 5) are connected by a piston part coupling (20), wherein the piston part coupling (20) for the piston parts (4, 5) ensures mutual rotary motion of the piston parts (4) and (5) around an axis being perpendicular to axes (L3) and (L4) of the rotating surfaces (4.1), (5.1) of the piston parts (4, 5) within a small angle. In one embodiment, the first chamber surface (2.2) of the first rotor (2), the second chamber surface (2.3) of the first rotor (2), the first chamber surface (3.2) of the second rotor (3), and the second chamber surface (3.3) of the second rotor (3) are provided with cooling elements (21) that improve heat exchange between the compressed gas and the rotor parts (2) and (3). In one embodiment, the contact surface (4.2) of the first piston part (4) and the contact surface (5.2) of the second piston part (5) are provided, in the area located further from the centre of the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), with cooling elements for the piston parts (22), which improve heat exchange between the compressed gas and the piston parts (2, 3). The chamber, delimited by the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), is divided into separable chambers (V1, V2, V3, V4), of which the first half (V1, V3) is delimited by the first chamber surface (2.2) and second chamber surface (2.3) of the first rotor (2), the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), the rotating surface (4.1) of the first piston part (4), and the surface (5.2) of the second piston part (5). The second half of the chambers (V2, V4) is delimited by the first chamber surface (3.2) and second chamber surface (3.3) of the second rotor (3), the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), the rotating surface (5.1) of the second piston part (5), and the contact surface (4.2) of the first piston part (4), and the rotors (2, 3) are coupled to each other via a gear transmission.

Description

ROTARY PISTON MACHINETechnical Field

[0001] The invention concerns a rotary displacement machine with a spherical piston, which may be used as a device for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy, an internal combustion engine, a steam engine, a pump, a compressor, a blower, or another similar device, and comprises a chamber with a spherical inner surface and a spherical piston.Background Art

[0002] There rotary piston machines known to date enable relatively continuous and uniform operation. The machine with a spherical piston known from US4021158 A is characterised by an eccentric motion of the pistons that are driven by a complex system of gears being part of the machine. The rotary mechanism for changing volume known from US4877379A features an eccentric motion of the rotor and uses edge seals, and the shape of the working chamber at minimum volume is suboptimal for use as an internal combustion engine. The rotary machine according to US517142A has a design where opposite axes move at uneven speeds, which causes torsional stress and vibrations during rotation.

[0003] The rotary machine with a spherical piston, as described in PL212021B1, has a spherical chamber whose internal wall is at least partially spherical, there are two rotors located inside the spherical chamber, each of them rotatably mounted around its own axis, and the axes of the rotors form an acute angle with the machine’s main longitudinal axis and pass through the centre of the spherical chamber. The machine has a piston mounted in the spherical chamber, consisting of two parts and pivotally connected to each of the rotors in the area that runs transversely to the rotors’ axes of rotation.

[0004] The rotary machine described in application PL444677A1 has a similar design, except that the mechanical coupling of each rotor involves through-holes located at the axes of each rotor, shaft and piston. There are internal gears non-rotatably coupled to the shafts. A main shaft passes through the holes in the rotors, shafts and parts of the pistons, having gears seated on it that are meshed with the teeth of the internal gears. The first half of the chambers is additionally delimited by the contact surface of the second part of the piston. The second half of the chambers is additionally delimited by the contact surface of the first part of the piston.Technical problem

[0005] The technical problem to be solved is to develop a displacement machine to be used as a gas compressor, refrigeration compressor, internal or external combustion engine, pneumatic motor, and other similar applications, with a lower weight and reduced vibrations compared to piston-based solutions, and with significant advantages over existing displacement machine solutions.Solution is a problem

[0006] The invention concerns a rotary displacement machine with a spherical piston, comprising a housing whose walls delimit a chamber having a spherical surface in its internal part. The chamber, delimited by the spherical surface, contains two rotors with spherical outer surfaces, each mounted rotatably around its own axis. The rotor axes intersect inside the chamber delimited by a spherical surface and form an obtuse angle at the symmetry plane of the housing. The chamber, delimited by the spherical surface between the rotors, contains a piston that consists of two parts. The second piston part is connected to the first piston part by a pivotal joint that allows rotation within a small angle. On the side facing the first rotor, the first piston part has a rotationally shaped part whose rotating surface contacts the rotary surface of a recess on the surface of the first rotor. On the side facing the second rotor, the second piston part has a rotationally shaped part whose rotary surface contacts the rotary surface of a recess on the surface of the second rotor. The axes of the rotary surfaces are arranged essentially perpendicular to each other. The chamber, delimited by the spherical surface of the housing, is divided into separable chambers. The first half of the chambers is delimited by the first chamber surface and second chamber surface of the first rotor, the spherical surface of the housing, the rotating surface of the first piston part, and the surface of the second piston part. The second half of the chambers is delimited by the first chamber surface and second chamber surface of the second rotor, the spherical surface of the housing, the rotating surface of the second piston part, and the contact surface of the first piston part. The rotors are coupled to each other via a gear transmission. The mechanical coupling of each rotor consists in a gear being coaxially fixed to each rotor. The gears are meshed with each other in the area of their closest proximity. The meshed gears enable synchronous rotation of the rotors around their axes and the movement of a part of the piston around the axis relative to the rotors. The main shaft is coaxially fixed to the end of one of the rotors.

[0007] The essence of the invention is that the mechanical coupling of each rotor with the piston parts consists in that support arms of the first piston part and support arms of the second piston part are fixed to each rotor, and the distal ends of these arms are rotatably connected relative to the axes of the piston parts, preferably by means of bearings of the first piston part and bearings of the second piston part. The support arms of the first piston part and the support arms of the second piston part, as wellas the bearings of the first piston part and the bearings of the second piston part, determine the distance between the piston parts and the rotors and allow the piston parts to rotate relative to the axis of the rotating surface of the piston parts.

[0008] It is preferable to mechanically couple each rotor with the piston parts via support arms with bearings, as it allows the transmission of gas thrust forces and other interaction forces between the rotors and piston parts through the bearings, thereby minimising friction losses and maintaining assembly clearances.

[0009] It is preferable to connect both piston parts by means of a coupling element that ensures the transfer of torque caused by the movement of both piston parts during operation of the rotary machine.

[0010] Preferably, the piston parts are connected by a piston part coupling, which allows mutual rotary motion of the piston parts around the axis perpendicular to the axis of the rotating surface of the piston parts, within a small angular range, and at the same time transmits the torques being transverse to the axis perpendicular to the rotating surface of the piston parts.

[0011] Preferably, the first chamber surface and second chamber surface of the first rotor, as well as the first chamber surface and second chamber surface of the second rotor, are provided with cooling elements that improve heat exchange with the compressed gas. The installation of cooling elements on the chamber surfaces of the rotors improves heat dissipation from the compressed gas, thus increasing the energy efficiency of the rotary machine, in particular when it is configured as a gas compressor according to the invention.

[0012] Preferably, the contact surface of the first piston part and the contact surface of the second piston part are provided with piston cooling elements installed in the area located further from the centre of the spherical surface of the housing, which enhance the cooling of compressed gas. The installation of cooling elements on the surfaces of the piston parts allows for effective heat exchange, thus further improving the energy efficiency of the rotary machine configured as a gas compressor.

[0013] Preferably, each rotor is provided with a radiator protruding along the rotor axis, on the outer side relative to the centre of the spherical surface of the housing. By rotating together with the rotor, the radiator dissipates heat to the environment without having to install a separate fan.

[0014] Preferably, in one embodiment, the rotor body contains a radiator with heat tubes whose cold end is located closer to the rotor axis and the hot end is located closer to the outer surface of the rotor, which increases the efficiency of heat transfer by the radiator with heat tubes, as the centrifugal force occurring during rotor motion enhances the flow of liquid medium to the hot end of the heat tube, located further from the rotation axis.

[0015] Preferably, in one embodiment, gears are mounted to the rotors placed inside the housing, which are shaped to mesh with each other, causing synchronous movement of the rotors around their axes and simultaneous movement of the piston parts relative to their axes. In one embodiment, the mechanical coupling of each rotor consists in a gear being fixed coaxially to each rotor, and the gears are meshed with each other in the area of their closest proximity, wherein the meshed gears cause synchronous rotation of the rotors around their respective axes and the movement of the piston parts around their respective axes relative to the rotors. This solution reduces the number of components in the rotary machine and helps reduce the assembly and operating clearances occurring in the gear transmission composed of the gears, compared to the known solution using an additional coupling shaft.

[0016] Preferably, in one embodiment, the mechanical coupling of each rotor involves permanently fixed coupling shafts that are coupled together by means of a synchronous angular gear transmission consisting of gears mounted at their ends close to the central point of the spherical surface of the housing, wherein the gears cause synchronous rotation of the rotors around their respective axes and the movement of the piston parts around their respective axes relative to the rotors. This solution allows for reducing the dimensions and weight of the rotary machine, as the coupling gears are small and lightweight and completely replace other rotor coupling components.

[0017] Preferably, in one embodiment, the piston parts are connected by a flexible coupling, where the flexible coupling of the piston parts allows for mutual rotary motion of the piston parts around an axis perpendicular to the axes of the piston parts within a small angle. The use of a flexible coupling to couple the piston parts reduces the weight of the rotary machine compared to other coupling solutions and is advantageous in certain applications, particularly in the design of low-power and small-size rotary machines.

[0018] Preferably, in one embodiment, the first and second piston parts have protrusions on their rotating surfaces in the form of plates that are arranged symmetrically relative to the symmetry axis aligned with their own axis, and the contact surface in its central part lies on a plane intersecting the centre of the spherical surface of the housing, wherein the piston parts together form a partition inside the spherical surface of the housing. The use of such plate-shaped protrusions on the rotating surface of the piston parts allows reducing the moment of inertia of the piston parts due to the lower weight of the rotating surfaces, which positively affects the dynamics of the rotary machine and reduces the amplitude of vibrations and mechanical loads generated during operation.

[0019] Preferably, in one embodiment, the rotating surfaces of the piston parts are shaped as halves of side surfaces of two truncated cones with axes aligned with the axis of the piston parts and facing each other with their smaller bases, connected by thecross-section of the rotating surface, wherein the smaller bases of the conical rotating surfaces are oriented to the centre of the spherical surface of the housing. The conical side surfaces of the rotating surfaces of the piston parts improve the stabilisation of the piston parts’ position relative to the rotors during motion and facilitate the sealing between the piston parts and the rotors.

[0020] Preferably, in one embodiment, the first half of the chambers is additionally delimited by the first and second internal spherical surfaces of the first rotor, while the second half of the chambers is additionally delimited by the first and second internal spherical surfaces of the second rotor. The use of internal spherical surfaces of the rotor, rotating together with the rotor, to delimit the compression chambers facilitates the sealing of the chambers and reduces energy losses due to friction between the piston parts and the spherical surface of the housing. The reduction of energy losses caused by friction is due to the fact that the relative speed between the piston and rotor components is significantly lower than the relative speed between the piston components and the spherical chamber, and fluid friction depends on the relative speed of the contacting components, which causes lower energy losses.Advantageous effects of invention

[0021] All parts of the described rotary machine move rotationally around their own axis or spin around a point close to their centre of gravity, which generally allows for a significant increase in the operating rotational speed of the device compared to piston machines, by reducing the forces acting between the components of the rotary machine. The design of the rotary machine ensures the necessary durability while reducing vibrations and noise during operation. Supporting the piston parts on bearings located in support arms fixed in the rotors allows for transmitting mutual forces between components through the bearings, which significantly reduces friction losses and decreases the wear of interacting components. Connecting both piston parts with an interface enables efficient transmission of the torque forces required to maintain the parts in a spinning motion, thus reducing friction losses and the wear of mating components. The direct coupling of both rotors using gears, and locating the machine’s shaft along the rotor axis, significantly simplify the machine’s design and enable overall dimensions and weight of the machine to be reduced, which is a major advantage over existing solutions. The installation of elements cooling the compressed gas in the surfaces of the rotors and piston parts improves the energy efficiency of compression in a machine configured as a gas compressor.Brief Description of Drawings

[0022] The invention is presented as an embodiment in the drawing where the individual figures represent:

[0023] [Fig-1] - Top view of the rotary machine,

[0024] [Fig.1] .1 - Section Al-Al of [Fig.1],

[0025] [Fig.1], 2 - Section Bl -Bl of [Fig.1],

[0026] [Fig.2] - Top view of the rotary machine with radiators and heat tubes, and with internal spherical surfaces of the rotors delimiting the chambers,

[0027] [Fig.2] .1 - Section A2- A2 of [Fig.2] ,

[0028] [Fig.2] .2 - Top view of the rotary machine with internal spherical surfaces of the rotors delimiting the chambers and with radiators and heat tubes, with the housing removed,

[0029] [Fig.2], 3 - Section C-C of [Fig.2], 2,

[0030] [Fig.3] - Top view of the rotary machine with piston cooling and with rotors coupled by external gears,

[0031] [Fig.3].1 - Section A3- A3 of [Fig.3],

[0032] [Fig.4] - Bottom view of the rotary machine, version with rotors coupled by central gears,

[0033] [Fig.4], 1 - Section A4-A4 of [Fig.4],

[0034] [Fig.5] - Top view of the rotary machine, version with pistons coupled by a flexible coupling,

[0035] [Fig.5].1 - Section A5-A5 of [Fig.5],

[0036] [Fig.6] - Perspective view of the rotary machine without half of the housing and without the gears,

[0037] [Fig.6].1 - Perspective view of the rotary machine without half of the housing,

[0038] Fig. 7.1 - Side view of the rotary machine without the chamber or gears, at a rotor rotation angle of 0°,

[0039] Fig. 7.2 - side view of the rotary machine without the chamber or gears, at a rotor rotation angle of 15°,

[0040] Fig. 7.3 - side view of the rotary machine without the chamber or gears, at a rotor rotation angle of 30°,

[0041] Fig. 7.4 - side view of the rotary machine without the chamber or gears, at a rotor rotation angle of 45°,

[0042] Fig. 7.5 - side view of the rotary machine without the chamber or gears, at a rotor rotation angle of 75°,

[0043] Fig. 7.6 - side view of the rotary machine without the chamber or gears, at a rotor rotation angle of 180°,

[0044] [Fig.8] - perspective exploded view of the rotary machine,

[0045] [Fig.9] - perspective view of the rotors with cooling elements,

[0046] [Fig.10] - side view of the drive shaft,

[0047] [Fig.11] - perspective view of the pistons with cooling elements,

[0048] [Fig.12] - perspective view of a gear,

[0049] [Fig.13] - side view of the piston part coupling having the form of a cylindrical sleeve,

[0050] [Fig.14] - perspective view of the rotors, version with coupling shafts,

[0051] [Fig.15] - perspective view of coupling shafts and drive shaft,

[0052] [Fig.16] - perspective view of the piston parts, version with coupling shafts,

[0053] [Fig.17] - perspective view of coupling shaft gears,

[0054] [Fig.18] - perspective view of the piston parts, version with protruding plates,

[0055] [Fig.19] - perspective view of the rotors, version with pistons with conical rotating surfaces of the piston parts,

[0056] [Fig.20] - view of the drive shaft in the version of [Fig.19]

[0057] [Fig.21] - view of the piston parts, version with conical rotating surfaces of the piston parts,

[0058] [Fig.22] - view of the flexible coupling of piston parts, version with conical rotating surfaces of the piston parts,

[0059] Examples

[0060] A sample embodiment of the rotary machine with a spherical piston is described with reference to the drawing. The machine consists of a housing 1 that comprises a chamber whose walls delimit a chamber with a spherical surface 1.1 located in its central part, which contains two rotors 2, 3 with partially spherical outer surfaces, adjacent to the spherical surface 1.1. The chamber includes a working medium inlet 1.2 and two working medium outlets 1.3.

[0061] The outer diameters of the rotors 2, 3 correspond to the diameter of the spherical surface 1.1 of the chamber 1. This allows the first rotor 2 to rotate around axis L1 and the second rotor 3 to rotate around axis L2 within the housing 1. Mechanical energy may be supplied or removed from the rotary machine by means of a shaft 8 seated in the rotor 3 by means of the drive shaft connection 8.1 and in the housing 1 by means of the drive shaft bearing 11.

[0062] The first rotor 2 is generally shaped as a spherical segment delimited by rotating surfaces 2.1 as well as the first chamber surface 2.2 and the second chamber surface2.3, formed by intersecting the sphere with planes perpendicular to axis L1.

[0063] The second rotor 3 is generally shaped as a spherical segment delimited by rotating surfaces 3.1 as well as the first chamber surface 3.2 and the second chamber surface3.3, formed by intersecting the sphere with surfaces perpendicular to axis L2.

[0064] Axes L1 and L2 of the rotors 2, 3 intersect at an obtuse angle a within the chamber delimited by the spherical surface 1.1.

[0065] An embodiment of the rotary machine is also presented in [Fig.6] and [Fig.6].1 of the drawing in a view without half of the housing 1. Between the rotors 2, 3, there is a piston consisting of two parts 4, 5. The first part of the piston 4 is connected to the first rotor 2 by means of support arms 16, 17 attached to the first rotor 2 and by means of bearings of the first piston part 12, 13 seated at the ends of the support arms 16, 17 and attached in the first piston part 4. The rotation axis of the bearings coincides with the rotation axis L3 of the first piston part 4. The second piston part 5 is connected to the second rotor 3 by means of support arms 18, 19 attached to the second rotor 3 and by means of bearings of the second piston part 14, 15 seated at the ends of the support arms 18, 19 and attached in the second piston part 5. The rotation axis of the bearings coincides with the rotating surface axis L4 of the second piston part 5. The view of the rotary machine at different rotor positions is shown in Fig. 7.1 to Fig. 7.6 of the drawing. An exploded view of a sample embodiment of the rotary machine is shown in [Fig.8] of the drawing.

[0066] Additionally, in one embodiment, the piston parts 4, 5 are connected by a piston part coupling 20, for example having the form of a cylindrical sleeve 20 that rotatably connects the piston parts 4, 5. The piston part coupling 20 for piston parts 4, 5 ensures mutual rotary motion of the piston parts 4 and 5 relative to an axis perpendicular to both axes L3 and L4 of the rotating surface 4.1, 5.1 of the piston parts 4, 5 within a small angle. The reciprocal rotary motion of the piston parts 4, 5 enables the rotors 2, 3 to rotate uniformly relative to the rotor axes L1, L2.

[0067] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.9] of the drawing, the first chamber surface 2.2 of the first rotor 2, the second chamber surface 2.3 of the first rotor 2, the first chamber surface 3.2 of the second rotor 3, and the second chamber surface 3.3 of the second rotor 3 are provided with cooling elements 21 that improve heat exchange between the compressed gas and the rotor parts 2 and 3.

[0068] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.11] of the drawing, the contact surface 4.2 of the first piston part 4 and the contact surface 5.2 of the second piston part 5 are provided, in the area located further from the centre of the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1, with cooling elements 22 for the piston parts 4, 5, which improve heat exchange between the compressed gas and the piston parts 4, 5.

[0069] The axes of rotating surfaces L3 and L4 are arranged essentially perpendicular to each other, with the possibility to slightly change the angle. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 7.1 to 7.6 of the drawing, the chamber, delimited by the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1, is divided into separable chambers V1, V2, V3, V4, of which the first half (V1 and V3) is delimited by the first chamber surface 2.2 and second chamber surface 2.3 of the first rotor 2, the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1, the rotating surface 4.1 of the first piston part 4, and the contact surface 5.2 of thesecond piston part 5. The second half of the chambers (V2 and V4) is delimited by the first chamber surface 3.2 and second chamber surface 3.3 of the second rotor 3, the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1, the rotating surface 5.1 of the second piston part 5, and the contact surface 4.2 of the first piston part 4.

[0070] The piston parts 4 and 5 can move relative to the rotors 2 and 3 and oscillate in the area of the pivotal joints formed by the cylindrical surfaces 4.1 of the piston 4, the rotating surface 2.1 of the rotor 2, the cylindrical surfaces 5.1 of the piston 5, and the rotating surface 3.1 of the rotor 3, whose axes L3 and L4 pass through the centre of the sphere delimited by the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1. The axes of the pivotal joints are represented by axes L3 and L4 of the rotating surfaces 2.1 and 3.1 that intersect at an angle close to the right angle. Both parts 4 and 5 of the piston can rotate relative to each other along the contact surfaces 4.2 and 5.2. These parts rotate relative to each other, at least within a small angular range, to allow the rotors 2 and 3 to rotate with equal angular speed relative to their respective axes L1 and L2.

[0071] The shape of the working chambers V1, V2, V3 and V4 can be modified by changing the shape of their delimiting surfaces to achieve an optimal shape and volume of the working chamber; in such modifications, each rotor and piston may consist of various mechanical parts such as pivotal joints, connections, bearings, and seals.

[0072] The movement of the piston parts 4 and 5 is slightly different, so both parts rotate relative to each other within a small angular range around an axis that is perpendicular to both axes L4 and L4 of rotating surfaces and passes through the centre of the sphere defined by the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1. That mutual movement of the piston parts 4 and 5 is oscillatory and, in the sample embodiment, takes place along the contact surfaces 4.2 and 5.2 where the piston is divided into parts 4 and 5. Simultaneously, during the rotation of the rotors 2 and 3, the piston, composed of parts 4 and 5, makes an oscillating movement relative to the axes L3 and L4 of the pivotal joint. The contact surfaces 4.2 and 5.2 of piston parts 4 and 5 approach and recede from the chamber surfaces 2.2 and 3.2 of the rotors 2, 3, as these rotate, thus cyclically changing the volume of the working chambers V1, V2, V3, V4. In the presented sample embodiment of the machine, there are four equivalent working chambers V1, V2, V3, V4, which undergo cyclic volume changes during each rotation of the rotors 2 and 3.

[0073] The volume of each working chamber changes during rotation from the maximum value at the top position (as shown in [Fig.1] .1) to the minimum value at the bottom position. Each working chamber V1, V2, V3 and V4 undergoes a full cycle of volume changes during each revolution of the rotor, meaning that the total volume change per rotor revolution is equal to the total of volume changes of all four working chambers.With equal volumes of the working chambers, the total change in volume is equal to four times the volume change of a single working chamber.

[0074] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7.5 of the drawing, a radiator 2.4, 3.4 is mounted to each rotor 2, 3, protruding from the housing 1 along axes L1, L2, on the external side relative to the centre of the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1. By rotating together with the rotor 2, 3, the radiator 2.4, 3.4 dissipates heat to the environment.

[0075] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.2].1 and [Fig.2].3 of the drawing, the body of the rotor 2, 3 contains a radiator with heat tubes 2.5, 3.5 whose cold end is located closer to axes L1, L2 of the rotor 2, 3 and the hot end is located closer to the outer surface of the rotor 2, 3, which increases the efficiency of heat transfer by the radiator with heat tubes 2.5, 3.5, as the centrifugal force occurring during rotor motion enhances the flow of liquid medium to the hot end of the heat tube, located further from axes L1, L2.

[0076] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.3].1 of the drawing, the mechanical coupling of each of the rotors 2, 3 consists in gears 6, 7 being fixed coaxially to each rotor 2, 3. The gears 6, 7 are meshed with each other in the area of their closest proximity, outside the spherical chamber 1.1. The meshed gears 6, 7 cause synchronous rotation of the rotors 2, 3 around their axes and the movement of the piston parts 4, 5 around their own axes relative to the rotors 2, 3. This solution reduces the number of components in the rotary machine and helps reduce the assembly and operational clearances occurring in the gear transmission composed of the gears 6, 7, compared to the known solution using an additional coupling shaft.

[0077] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.4].1 of the drawing, the mechanical coupling of each rotor 2, 3 involves coupling shafts 23, 24 permanently fixed at axes L1, L2 of each rotor 2, 3, which are coupled together by means of a synchronous angular gear transmission consisting of gears 6.1, 7.1 mounted at their ends close to the central point of the spherical surface 1.1, wherein the gears 6.1, 7.1 cause synchronous rotation of the rotors 2, 3 around their respective axes L1, L2 and the movement of the piston parts 4, 5 around their respective axes relative to the rotors 2, 3. This solution makes it possible to reduce the dimensions and weight of the rotary machine, as the coupling gears 6.1, 7.1 have small dimensions and weights. In addition, [Fig.14] of the drawing presents the rotors 2 and 3 in a perspective view, and [Fig.16] of the drawing presents the piston 4, 5 which, in this embodiment, have holes that contain the coupling shafts 23 and 24 and the gears 6.1 and 7.1 shown in [Fig.15] and [Fig.17] of the drawing.

[0078] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.5].1 of the drawing, the piston parts 4 and 5 are connected by the flexible coupling 25 shown in [Fig.22] of the drawing, wherein the flexible coupling 25 of the piston parts 4 and 5 ensures mutual rotary motion of the piston parts 4 and 5 relative to an axis perpendicular to axes L3 and L4 of the rotatingsurface 4.1 and 5.1 of piston parts 4 and 5, within a small angle. The use of a flexible coupling 25 to couple the piston parts 4, 5 reduces the weight of the rotary machine compared to other coupling solutions and is advantageous in certain applications, particularly in the design of low-power and small-size rotary machines, as it eliminates the need to couple the shafts 2, 3 with gears.

[0079] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.18] of the drawing, the first and second piston parts 4, 5 have protrusions 26 on their rotating surfaces 4.1, 5.1 in the form of plates that are arranged symmetrically relative to the symmetry axis aligned with axes L3, L4, and the contact surface 4.2, 5.2 in the central part lies on a plane intersecting the centre of the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1, wherein the piston parts 4, 5 together with the protrusions 26 form a partition inside the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1. The use of such plate-shaped protrusions 26 on the rotating surface 4.1 and 5.1 of the piston parts 4 and 5 allows reducing the weight and moment of inertia of the piston parts 4 and 5, which positively affects the dynamics of the rotary machine and reduces the amplitude of vibrations and the value mechanical stress in the rotary machine, in particular during operation at a high rotational speed.

[0080] In the embodiment shown in [Fig.19] and [Fig.21] of the drawing, the rotating surfaces 4.1 and 5.1 of the piston parts 4, 5 are partially shaped as halves of side surfaces of two truncated cones with axes aligned with axes L3, L4 and facing each other with their smaller bases, connected by the cross-section of the rotating surface, wherein the conical rotating surfaces 4.1, 5.1 are oriented with their smaller bases to the centre of the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1. The conical side surfaces of the rotating surfaces 4.1, 5.1 of the piston parts 4, 5 improve stabilisation of the piston parts 4, 5 during motion and facilitate the sealing between the piston parts 4, 5 and the rotor 3, 4. The rotating surfaces 2.1 and 3.1 of the rotors 2, 3 that mate the rotating surfaces 4.1 and 5.1 of the piston parts 4 and 5 are shown in a perspective view in [Fig.19] of the drawing.

[0081] In the embodiment shown as a cross-section in [Fig.2].1 and [Fig.2].3 and as a view in [Fig.2].2 of the drawing, the first half of the chambers (V1, V3) is additionally delimited by the first internal spherical surface 2.6 and the second internal spherical surface 2.7 of the first rotor 2, while the second half of the chambers (V2, V4) is additionally delimited by the first internal spherical surface 3.6 and the second internal spherical surface 3.7 of the second rotor 3. The use of the spherical surfaces 2.6, 2.7 and 3.6, 3.7 of the rotors 2, 3, which rotate together with the rotors, to delimit the compression chambers enables a reduction in friction losses between the piston parts 4, 5 and the spherical surface 1.1 of the housing 1.List of new references

[0082] 1. Housing

[0083] 1.1. spherical surface

[0084] 1.2. working medium inlet

[0085] 1.3. working medium outlets

[0086] 2. first rotor

[0087] 2.1. rotating surface of the first rotor

[0088] 2.2. first chamber surface of the first rotor

[0089] 2.3. second chamber surface of the first rotor

[0090] 2.4. radiator of the first rotor

[0091] 2.5. radiator with heat tubes of the first rotor

[0092] 2.6. first internal spherical surface of the first rotor

[0093] 2.7. second internal spherical surface of the first rotor

[0094] L1 - rotation axis of the first rotor

[0095] 3. second rotor

[0096] 3.1. rotating surface of the second rotor

[0097] 3.2. first chamber surface of the second rotor

[0098] 3.3. second chamber surface of second rotor

[0099] 3.4. radiator of the second rotor

[0100] 3.5. radiator with heat tubes of the second rotor

[0101] 3.6. first internal spherical surface of the second rotor

[0102] 3.7. second internal spherical surface of the second rotor

[0103] L2 - rotation axis of the second rotor

[0104] α - obtuse angle between the rotor axes

[0105] 4. first piston part

[0106] 4.1. rotating surface of the first piston part

[0107] 4.2. contact surface of the first piston part

[0108] L3 - axis of the rotating surface

[0109] 5. second piston part

[0110] 5.1. rotating surface of the second piston part

[0111] 5.2. contact surface of the second piston part

[0112] L4 - axis of the rotating surface

[0113] 6. gear of the first rotor,

[0114] 6.1 first gear of the first coupling shaft 23

[0115] 7. gear of the second rotor

[0116] 7.1 second gear of the second coupling shaft 24

[0117] 8. drive shaft

[0118] 8.1. drive shaft connection

[0119] 9. first thrust bearing

[0120] 10. second thrust bearing

[0121] 11. drive shaft bearing

[0122] 12. first bearing of the first piston part

[0123] 13. second bearing of the first piston part

[0124] 14. first bearing of the second piston part

[0125] 15. second bearing of the second piston part

[0126] 16. first support arm of the first piston part

[0127] 17. second support arm of the first piston part

[0128] 18. first support arm of the second piston part

[0129] 19. second support arm of the second piston part

[0130] 20. piston part coupling

[0131] 21. rotor cooling elements

[0132] 22. piston cooling elements

[0133] 23. first coupling shaft

[0134] 24. second coupling shaft

[0135] 25. flexible coupling of the piston parts

[0136] 26. plate-shaped protrusions

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on November 22, 2025 (22.11.2025)Claims

1. A rotary machine with a spherical piston, comprising a housing (1) whose walls delimit a chamber having a spherical surface(1.1) in its central part, which surface contains two rotors (2, 3) with spherical outer surfaces, each mounted rotatably relative to its own axis (L1 , L2), which intersect and form an obtuse angle (α) between them, at the symmetry plane of the housing, whereas the chamber, delimited by the spherical surface(1.1) between the rotors (2, 3), contains a piston composed of two parts (4, 5), and the first piston part (4) is connected via a pivotal joint in which the first piston part (4) has on the side opposite to the contact surface of the first piston part(4.2), a rotatably shaped element whose rotating surface (4.1) contacts the rotating surface (2.1) of a recess located on the surface of the first rotor (2), and the second piston part (5) is connected via a pivotal joint in which the second piston part (5) has, on the side opposite to the contact surface of the second piston part (5.2), a rotatably shaped element whose rotating surface (5.1) contacts the rotating surface (3.1) of a recess located on the surface of the second rotor (3), wherein the axes of the rotating surfaces (L3, L4) are arranged essentially perpendicular to each other, and the axis of the rotating surface (L3) is essentially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the first rotor (L1) and the axis of the rotating surface (L4) is essentially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the second rotor (L2), and the chamber, delimited by the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), is divided into separable chambers (V1 , V2, V3, V4), of which the first half (V1 , V3) is delimited by the first chamber surface (2.2) and second chamber surface(2.3) of the first rotor (2), the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), the rotating surface (4.1) of the first piston part (4), and the surface (5.2) of the second piston part (5), and the second half of the chambers (V2, V4) is delimited by the first chamber surface (3.2) and second chamber surface (3.3) of the second rotor (3), the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), the rotating surface (5.1) of the second piston part (5), and the contact surface (4.2) of the first piston part (4); wherein therotors (2, 3) are mechanically coupled so that the mechanical coupling between the rotors (2, 3) causes synchronous rotation of the rotors (2, 3) around their respective axes (L1 , L2), characterised in that the mechanical coupling of each rotor (2, 3) with the piston parts (4, 5) comprises in that support arms (16, 17) of the first piston part (4) and support arms (18, 19) of the second piston part (5) are fixed to each rotor (2, 3), the distal ends of said support arms being rotatably connected relative to the axes (L3, L4) of the piston parts (4, 5), preferably by means of bearings (12, 13) of the first piston part (4) and bearings (14, 15) of the second piston part (5), wherein the support arms (16, 17) of the first piston part (4) and the support arms (18, 19) of the second piston part (5), preferably with the bearings (12, 13) of the first piston part(4) and the bearings (14, 15) of the second piston part (5), determine the distance between the piston parts (4, 5) and the rotors (2, 3) and allow the piston parts (4, 5) to rotate around the axes (L3, L4) of the rotating surface (4.1 , 5.1) of the piston parts (4, 5).

2. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the piston parts (4, 5) are connected by a piston part coupling (20) that ensures mutual rotary motion of the piston parts (4) and(5) relative to an axis perpendicular to axes (L3) and (L4) of the rotating surface (4.1 , 5.1) of the piston parts (4, 5) within a small angular range, the size of which angular range results from the rotation of both rotors (2) and (3) at the same angular speed, while the axes of rotation (L1) and (L2) of the rotors (2) and (3) are at an obtuse angle (α).

3. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first chamber surface (2.2) of the first rotor (2) and the second chamber surface (2.3) of the first rotor (2), as well as the first chamber surface (3.2) of the second rotor (3) and the second chamber surface (3.3) of the second rotor (3), are provided with cooling elements (21).

4. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the contact surface (4.2) of the first piston part (4) and the contact surface (5.2) of the second piston part (5) have piston coolingelements (22) in the area located out of the centre of the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1).

5. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that a radiator (2.4, 3.4) is attached to the rotor (2, 3) on the outer side.

6. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that a radiator (2.4, 3.4) is attached to the rotor (2, 3) on the outer side, wherein the body of the rotor (2, 3) contains a radiator with heat tubes (2.5, 3.5) whose condenser section of the heat tube is located closer to the axis (L1 , L2) of the rotor (2, 3) than the evaporator section of the heat tube which is located closer to the outer surface of the rotor (2, 3).

7. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the mechanical coupling between the rotors (2, 3) comprises in a gear (6, 7) being fixed coaxially to each rotor (2, 3), and the gears (6, 7) are meshed with each other in the area of their closest proximity, wherein the meshed gears (6, 7) cause synchronous rotation of the rotors (2, 3) around their respective axes (L1 , L2) and the movement of the piston parts (4, 5) around their respective axes (L3, L4) relative to the rotors (2, 3).

8. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the mechanical coupling between the rotors (2, 3) involves coupling shafts (23, 24) fixed at the axes (L1 , L2) of each rotor (2, 3), which are coupled together by means of a synchronous angular gear transmission comprising of gears (6.1 , 7.1) mounted at their ends close to the central point of the spherical surface (1.1), wherein the gears (6.1 , 7.1) cause synchronous rotation of the rotors (2, 3) around their respective axes (L1 , L2) and the movement of the piston parts (4, 5) around their respective axes (L3, L4) relative to the rotors (2, 3), and wherein the main shaft (8) is mounted coaxially to the end of one of the rotors (2 or 3).

9. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the piston parts (4, 5) are connected by a flexible coupling (25), wherein the flexible coupling (25) of the piston parts (4, 5) ensures mutual rotary motion of the piston parts (4, 5) relative to an axis perpendicular to axes (L3) and (L4) of the rotatingsurface (4.1 , 5.1) of the piston parts (4, 5) within a small angular range, the size of which angular range results from the rotation of both rotors (2) and (3) at the same angular speed, while the axes of rotation (L1) and (L2) of the rotors (2) and (3) are at an obtuse angle (α), and wherein the main shaft (8) is mounted coaxially to the end of one of the rotors (2 or 3).

10. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first and second piston parts (4, 5) have protrusions on their rotating surfaces (4.1 , 5.1) of the piston parts (4, 5) in the form of the protruding plates (26) that are arranged parallel to a plane aligned with the axes (L3, L4), in pairs on both sides of the axis (L3, L4), and the contact surface (4.2, 5.2) in the central part lies on a plane intersecting the centre of the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1), wherein the piston parts (4, 5) together form a partition inside the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1).

11. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rotating surfaces (4.1 , 5.1) of the piston parts (4, 5) are partially shaped as halves of the side surfaces of two truncated cones with axes aligned with the axis (L3, L4) and facing each other with their smaller bases, connected by the crosssection of the rotating surface, wherein the smaller bases of the conical rotating surfaces (4.1 , 5.1) are oriented to the centre of the spherical surface (1.1) of the housing (1).

12. The machine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first half of the chambers (V1 , V3) is additionally delimited by the first internal spherical surface (2.6) and the second internal spherical surface (2.7) of the first rotor (2), while the second half of the chambers (V2, V4) is additionally delimited by the first internal spherical surface (3.6) and the second internal spherical surface (3.7) of the second rotor (3).

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