ROAD-BASED ELECTRICITY GENERATOR

• US 20110215589A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Patents Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Innovative Patents Ltd.
• Inventors: CHEN, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 8,123,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/1.C
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 9/00 Special pavings specially adapted for playgrounds or sports grounds E01C13/00, for footpaths, sidewalks or cycle tracks E01C15/00; Pavings for special parts of roads or airfields pavement lights E01C17/00; manholes or like covers or frames E02D29/14
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 13/123 depressible or retractable below the traffic surface, e.g. one-way spike barriers, power-controlled prong barriers
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/08 recovering energy derived from swinging, rolling, pitching or like movements, e.g. from the vibrations of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/06 Means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1853 driven by intermittent forces

Abstract

Generating electricity from wheeled vehicles passing along a road, by positioning a hinged protruding flap to generate linear motion of an attached rack upon depression of the flap by a passing vehicle, converting the linear motion of the rack to a rotational motion of an axis by enabling rotation of the axis in one direction only, and regulating accumulated rotational motion to a specified range of rotation speeds. A flywheel is used to accumulate the rotations and enable a relatively stable electricity generation.

Claims

1. A system for electricity generation from a plurality of wheeled vehicles moving along a road, the system comprising:

a flap, hingedly connected at a first end at a road level to a frame, and having two states;

(i) a protruding state, in which the flap is inclined upwards and a second end of the flap is above road level, and (ii) a level state, in which the flap is on a level with the road, wherein the flap is arranged to be moved from the protruding state to the level state by vehicles moving across the flap and pushing down the second end of the flap,

a rack and a pinion, the rack being vertical and jointedly connected by a bar to the second end of the flap, and the pinion being mounted on an input axis and arranged to turn upon vertical movement of the rack due to the vertical pushing down of the second end of the flap by passing vehicles,

a transmission connected to the input axis and arranged to transmit only rotations thereof due to downward movements of the rack to an output axis, and de-couple the input axis from the output axis upon rotations of the former resulting from upward movements of the rack, to accumulate rotations in one direction, and a flywheel connected to the output axis and arranged to receive the transmitted rotations from the transmission, and operate an alternator over a belt to produce electricity from the accumulated rotation of the flywheel.

2. The system of claim 1, positioned within a frame below road level.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission comprises a gear arranged to maintain the rotation of the flywheel within a specified range.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the flap comprises an extension hingedly connected to the second end to yield a bump like protrusion in the road.

5. Two systems of claim 1, positioned back to back to generate electricity from two-way traffic.

6. A method of electricity generation from a plurality of wheeled vehicles moving along a road, comprising:

positioning a hinged protruding flap arranged to generate linear motion of an attached rack upon depression of the flap by a passing vehicle,

converting the linear motion of the rack to a rotational motion of an axis by enabling rotation of the axis in one direction only,

regulating accumulated rotational motion to a specified range of rotation speeds, and

producing electricity from the regulated rotational motion.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the conversion of linear to rotational motion is carried out by a rack and pinion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the enabling rotation of the axis in one direction only is carried out by a transmission arranged to decouple two parts of the axis during an upwards motion of the rack, one part attached to the pinion the other part accumulating rotation the enabled direction.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising positioning flaps in two traffic directions to generate electricity from two-way traffic.