Patent Portfolio for License

Miniature Internal Combustion Engine Generator Patents for Sale

Innovative motor-generator consists of a miniature linear engine coupled with a linear alternator.

Overview

The company has been developing its Miniature Internal Combustion Engine (MICE) generator technology to address the need for high energy density portable electric power. The MICE generator offers energy densities that are five to ten times higher than current rechargeable batteries, and therefore is an enabling technology for powered prostheses and other high power portable devices such as power tools. The company has demonstrated the ability to achieve very low levels of acoustic emissions and vibration from a packaged system.

This innovative motor-generator consists of a miniature linear engine coupled with a linear alternator. It takes advantage of the high energy content of hydrocarbon fuels while eliminating most of the parts found in a standard internal combustion engine-generator set. The basic MICE generator design, shown in the adjacent figure, consists of a two-stroke engine, a spring, and an alternator in a linearly oscillating configuration. MICE is inherently an electric power generator, since there is no mechanical linkage with which to extract power. Pure linear motion is ensured by the use of a unique double helix or multiple helix spring. The pure linear oscillation provides sliding motion with no side forces. The piston does not use rings to seal the combustion chamber, using instead a close fit between the piston and cylinder to hold the leakage to a small enough level that essentially no cycle penalty is incurred. The small amount of leakage, in fact, provides a hydrostatic bearing force to center the piston in the cylinder. Thus, the MICE generator has low frictional losses since there are no bearing surfaces having a direct load. The low friction characteristics and absence of stress generated by direct loads allow the MICE generator to operate at very high cycle speeds, leading to high energy and power density, particularly at smaller size scales. The pure linear motion, in addition to having low frictional losses, allows operation with a solid film lubricant alone  in other words, no oil  with a pressure-balanced cylinder design.

Primary Application of the Technology

The suitability of any power generation device for applications depends critically on factors beyond weight, energy density, cost, and such. Factors such as noise and vibration could render any power generating technology unusable if these were not reduced to a level compatible with the specific application. The company has identified effective approaches to manage all of the side effects issues of the MICE generator.