MOBILE ENERGY GENERATOR

• US 20170047815A1
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Wells, Keith, McClain, Robert D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,847,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/022 Transferring or handling sub-units or components, e.g. in work stations or between workstations and transportation systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/18 Transportation, conveyor or haulage systems specially adapted for motor vehicle or trailer assembly lines conveyors and haulage in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/06 comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/04 the power supply being a generator
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/402 for working places
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/116 with gears
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1846 structurally associated with wheels or associated parts dynamos arranged in the wheel hub of cycles B62J6/12

Abstract

A system for recycling energy within an assembly line includes a mobile power generator attached to a conveyer platform (a.k.a. a “skillet”) or other conveyance within the assembly line. The mobile power generator has a drive wheel that contacts an adjacent surface, such as a floor, and is rotated by movement of the conveyance along or past the surface. Rotation of the drive wheel is transmitted to a low RPM electrical generator to produce electrical energy at the conveyance.

Claims

1. A mobile power generation system for an assembly line, the system comprising:

a plurality of conveyances, each conveyance configured to move along the assembly line while supporting an assembly, and each conveyance including a mobile power generation device having;

a drive wheel configured to be placed in an interference position with a stationary surface, such that movement of the platform past the stationary surface when the drive wheel is in the interference position causes rotation of the drive wheel; and

a generator having a rotatable element in mechanical contact with the drive wheel, such that movement of the platform past the stationary surface causes rotation of the rotatable element, resulting in production of electrical power.

2. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a transmission configured to transmit rotation of the drive wheel to the rotatable element at a gear ratio less than 0.1, such that a rotation rate of the rotatable element, in rotations-per-minute (RPM), is more than ten times greater than a rotation rate of the drive wheel, in RPM.

3. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 2, wherein the transmission is configured to transmit rotation of the drive wheel to the rotatable element at a gear ratio less than 0.01, such that the rotation rate of the rotatable element is more than one hundred times greater than the rotation rate of the drive wheel.

4. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a suspension in mechanical communication with the drive wheel and configured to modify a contact force applied by the drive wheel on the stationary surface.

5. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 4, wherein the suspension is configured to reversibly place the drive wheel into and out of an interference position in response to an input.

6. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 1, comprising a battery in electrical communication with the generator.

7. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 6, wherein the generator is in electrical communication with a diode or a rectifier.

8. The mobile power generation system as recited in claim 1, wherein the generator is in electrical communication with one or more lights configured to illuminate a portion of an assembly supported by the conveyance.

9. A mobile power generation device comprising:

a drive wheel configured to be placed in an interference position with a stationary surface, such that movement of the device past the stationary surface when the drive wheel is in the interference position causes rotation of the drive wheel;

a generator having a rotatable element, such that rotation of the rotatable element causes the generator to produce electrical power;

a transmission configured to transmit rotation of the drive wheel to the rotatable element at a gear ratio less than 0.1, such that a rotation rate of the rotatable element, in rotations-per-minute (RPM), is more than ten times greater than a rotation rate of the drive wheel, in RPM; and

a suspension member in mechanical communication with the drive wheel and configured to modify a contact force applied by the drive wheel on the stationary surface, the contact force effective to prevent the drive wheel from slipping.

10. The mobile power generation device of claim 9, wherein the transmission has a gear ratio less than 0.01, such that rotation rate of the rotatable element is more than one hundred times greater than the rotation rate of the drive wheel.

11. The mobile power generation device of claim 9, wherein the generator is configured to produce at least 20 W of electrical power when operated at less than 600 RPM.

12. The mobile power generation device of claim 9, wherein the generator is configured to produce at least 20 W of electrical power when operated at less than 300 RPM.

13. A method of providing lighting to an assembly conveyance, the method comprising:

coupling a friction-driven, mobile power generation device to the conveyance, the device comprising;

a drive wheel configured to be placed in an interference position with a stationary surface, such that movement of the platform past the stationary surface when the drive wheel is in the interference position causes rotation of the drive wheel; and

a generator having a rotatable element in mechanical contact with the drive wheel, such that movement of the platform past the stationary surface causes rotation of the rotatable element, resulting in production of electrical power;

moving the conveyance relative to the stationary surface resulting in rotation of the drive wheel;

generating power by transmitting rotation of the drive wheel to rotation of the rotatable element; and

illuminating a platform space with one or more lights that are in electrical communication with the generated power.