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Cam driven piston compressor apparatusRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, Expansible Chamber Type, Biasing Means Effects Induction Stroke Of Abutment Driven, Vacuum Producing Pumping MemberCam driven piston compressor apparatus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070116585, Cam driven piston compressor apparatus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of compression and storage of fluids and particularly to compression of gaseous matter. More specifically the present invention relates to a compressor apparatus including at least one cylinder and piston assembly including a cylinder having a cylinder head and a tubular cylinder side wall and a piston structure slidably retained within the tubular cylinder side wall, the cylinder head having an intake port fitted with an intake valve for passing fluid into the cylinder from a fluid source and an output port fitted with an output valve for passing fluid out of the cylinder such as to a fluid reservoir, valve operating means, a rotatable cam structure in the form of a cam wheel having a cam structure axle and radial cam protrusions in the form of cam arms positioned to periodically abut and displace the piston structure inwardly toward the cylinder head, and rotational drive means drivably connected to the rotatable cam wheel for rotatably driving the cam wheel and the cam arms about the cam wheel rotational axis, and a piston structure return means for displacing the piston structure outwardly away from the cylinder head subsequent to each piston structure inward displacement. The valve operating means opens the output valve and a cam arm abuts and displaces the piston structure toward the cylinder head, driving fluid within the cylinder out of the cylinder through the output port, and then the valve operating means closes the output valve and opens the intake valve and the piston structure return means displaces the piston structure outwardly, away from the cylinder head and the intake port, thereby drawing fluid through the intake port into the cylinder from the fluid source, in a periodically repeating cycle. The cylinder and piston assembly and cam wheel preferably are both fastened to an apparatus framework to position them in operational relation with each other. The apparatus framework preferably includes an apparatus housing enclosing at least the cam wheel. The intake port optionally is covered by an air filter retained within an air filter housing. [0003] The number of cam arms provided on the cam structure determines the number of compression cycles the cylinder and piston assembly performs for each revolution of the cam structure, and is selected to meet the requirements of the given application. A flywheel preferably is provided adjacent the cam wheel and mounted to the cam wheel axle to provide smooth cam rotation. The piston structure preferably includes a piston connected to a piston rod. The rotational drive means preferably includes an electric drive motor connected to the cam structure with a belt and pulleys or other drive connection. [0004] The number of cam arms on the cam structure preferably can be altered such that the volume of fluid compressed per cam structure revolution can be altered to accommodate any of a wide variety of applications. Another variation of the present compressor apparatus includes a plurality of cylinder and piston assemblies positioned and secured to the apparatus framework to extend radially and equidistantly from the cam structure to be operated by the cam arms in sequence. Yet another variation of the compression apparatus includes multiple cam structure and cylinder units. The cam structures preferably are cam wheels mounted on a common cam structure axle and thus driven by a common motor drive means. [0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0006] There have long been compressors for compressing gaseous matter for storage or immediate use. These prior compressors typically have included a cylinder and piston combination driven by a motor or engine. A problem with these prior compressors has been that they can produce only one compression per motor or engine revolution, limiting compression to a specific rate which may or may not be suited for a given application. If a larger compression rate is needed, a different and larger compressor must be located. [0007] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a compressor apparatus which can compress a fluid at any of several different rates selectable for a given job or application, the apparatus including a cam structure rotatably driven by drive means and at least one cylinder and piston assembly driven through compression cycles by contact with at least one cam protrusion on the rotating cam structure. [0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide such a compressor apparatus for which a specific desired rate of fluid compression can be selected by: selecting the number of cylinder and piston assembly compressions per revolution of motor drive means by altering the number of cam protrusions on the rotating cam structure, or by selecting the number of cylinder and piston assemblies operated with each revolution of the motor drive means, or by selecting the number of cam structure and corresponding cylinder and piston assemblies, or by altering all three variables as needed. [0009] It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a compressor apparatus with which such selections can be made automatically by computer program operated electric switches. [0010] It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a compressor apparatus which is reliable, durable, requires less electricity to operate, and economical to manufacture. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification. [0012] A compressor apparatus is provided for compressing fluids, including a compression vessel having a collapsible vessel internal space having an expanded size and a compressed size, the compression vessel having intake structure for passing fluid into the vessel internal space from a fluid source and output structure for passing fluid out of the vessel internal space; a rotatable cam structure having a cam structure rotational axis and at least one radial cam protrusion positioned to periodically abut the compression vessel and compress the vessel internal space; a rotational drive mechanism drivably connected to the rotatable cam structure for rotatably driving the cam structure and the cam protrusion about the cam structure rotational axis; and a compression vessel expansion mechanism for expanding the vessel internal space to its expanded size subsequent to each compression of the vessel internal space; so that compression of the vessel internal space drives fluid within the vessel internal space out of the vessel through the output structure, and then the compression vessel return mechanism expands the vessel internal space, thereby drawing fluid through the intake structure into the vessel internal space from the fluid source, in a repeating cycle. [0013] The compression vessel preferably includes a cylinder and piston assembly having a cylinder interior and the vessel internal space comprise the cylinder interior. [0014] A compressor apparatus for compressing fluids is further provided, including at least one cylinder and piston assembly including a cylinder having a cylinder head and a tubular cylinder side wall and a piston structure slidably retained within the cylinder, the cylinder having an intake port fitted with an intake valve for passing fluid into the cylinder from a fluid source and an output port fitted with an output valve for passing fluid out of the cylinder; a valve operating mechanism in operational relation with the intake valve and the output valve; a rotatable cam structure having a cam structure rotational axis and at least one radial cam protrusion positioned to periodically abut and displace the piston structure inwardly toward the cylinder head; a rotational drive mechanism drivably connected to the rotatable cam structure for rotatably driving the cam structure and the cam protrusion about the cam structure rotational axis; and a piston structure return mechanism for displacing the piston structure outwardly and away from the cylinder head subsequent to each piston structure inward displacement; so that the valve operating mechanism opens the output valve and the cam protrusion abuts and displaces the piston structure toward the cylinder head, driving fluid within the cylinder out of the cylinder through the output port, and then the valve operating mechanism closes the output valve and opens the intake valve and the piston structure return mechanism displaces the piston structure outwardly, away from the cylinder head and the intake port, thereby drawing fluid through the intake port into the cylinder from the fluid source, in a repeating cycle, as in any conventional cylinder and piston operation. [0015] The cylinder and piston assembly and the cam structure preferably are both fastened to an apparatus framework to position the cylinder and piston assembly and the cam structure in operational relation with each other. The apparatus framework preferably includes an apparatus housing. The intake port preferably is covered by an air filter structure. The at least one cam protrusion preferably is at least one cam arm and the cam structure preferably includes a cam wheel having a cam wheel circumferential surface to which the at least one cam arm is mounted. The compressor apparatus preferably additionally includes a flywheel mounted to rotate in unison with the cam structure to provide smooth cam structure rotation. [0016] The piston structure preferably includes a piston connected to a piston rod extending out of the cylinder opposite the cylinder head having a piston rod abutment end. The piston preferably is fitted with at least one piston ring seated in a circumferential piston ring groove to slide sealingly along the cylinder side wall. The cylinder preferably includes a cup-shaped cylinder bottom wall opposite the cylinder head with a central piston rod passing port for funneling blow-by oil to the piston rod so that the piston rod is lubricated by the oil and carries oil out of the cylinder with each cylinder and piston assembly cycle. The piston rod preferably includes at least one oil receiving depression for receiving and retaining oil to carry oil out of the cylinder through the piston rod passing port. [0017] The rotational drive mechanism preferably includes an electric drive motor connected to the cam structure with a drive connection. The drive connection preferably includes a drive belt engaging a motor pulley mounted on the motor drive shaft and a cam structure pulley mounted on a cam structure axle. [0018] The piston structure return mechanism preferably includes a piston rod biasing spring mounted to be compressed between a framework. The piston rod biasing spring preferably is a coil spring encircling the piston rod and having a progressively narrowing, conical configuration. The piston structure return mechanism preferably includes a piston return lever pivotally mounted on a lever fulcrum pin secured to the apparatus framework, having a return lever first end engaging the piston structure and a return lever second end positioned for periodic displacement by the at least one cam protrusion. [0019] The cam protrusions may be fixed cams but preferably are selectively movable out of rotational alignment with the piston structure so that a desired number of the cam protrusions can be selected to displace the piston structure for each cam structure rotation; so that the volume of fluid compressed per cam structure rotation can be altered to accommodate requirements of any of a wide variety of applications. The where each cam arm includes an expanded mounting end which fits engagingly into any of several cam arm channels each having an outwardly narrowing arm engaging channel outward channel opening and extending laterally across the width of and spaced periodically around the cam wheel circumferential surface; so that each cam arm is slidably retained within a corresponding the cam arm channel. The cam wheel circumferential surface preferably is sufficiently wide and the cam arm channels therefore sufficiently long that one the cam arm can be slid to a first channel end of the given the cam arm channel and thus to a first side of the cam wheel circumferential surface to align with and abut the piston structure during cam wheel rotation, and slid to a second channel end and thus to a second side of the cam wheel circumferential surface to be out of registration with the piston structure during cam wheel rotation; so that a selected number of the cam arms can be slid to the first channel end to register with the piston structure as needed for a given apparatus application. [0020] The cam arms preferably are each moved to one of the first side of the cam wheel circumferential surface and the second side of the cam wheel circumferential surface by electro magnets mounted adjacent opposing faces of the cam wheel and adjacent to the cam wheel circumferential surface; so that activation of either the electro magnet pulls each immediately adjacent cam arm to the adjacent the side of the cam wheel circumferential surface, and the given the electro magnet can be activated and deactivated as the cam wheel is rotated by the drive mechanism so that only selected cam arms are moved to a given side of the cam wheel circumferential surface to provide a desired number of cam arms in registration with the at least one cylinder and piston assembly associated with the cam wheel. [0021] The compressor apparatus optionally includes several of the cylinder and piston assemblies positioned to extend radially and equidistantly from the cam structure, so that the at least one cam protrusion abuts and displaces each piston structure in sequence with each the cam structure rotation. The compressor apparatus optionally additionally or alternatively includes multiple cam structure and cylinder units mounted on a common axle and thus driven by a common motor drive mechanism, and individual clutches for each cam structure, so that only a selected number of the cam structures rotate with the drive mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Continue reading about Cam driven piston compressor apparatus... 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