Electric power supply system for portable miniature size power consuming devices

• US 4,644,246 A
• Filed: 06/18/1985
• Issued: 02/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kinetron BV Korvelsweg 157 5025 JD Tilburg Netherlands
• Original Assignee: Kinetron B. V.
• Inventors: Knapen, Petrus M. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, William B.
• Application Number:
  US06/746,179
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 320/21, 320/41, 320/42, 320/61, 368/64, 368/163, 368/179, 368/180, 368/183, 368/203, 368/204, 310/75 R, 310/75 A, 310/156, 322/1, 322/3, 322/4, 322/10
• US Class Current: 310/75.00A
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/00 Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces circuits G04G19/00; mounting, assembling of components of electromechanical watches G04C3/008, of electronic watches G04G17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 37/02 of variable reluctance type

Abstract

An electric power supply system for portable miniature size power consuming devices, comprising an AC generator, a rechargeable battery and a charging device to be fed from the AC generator and maintaining the battery charging level, the AC generator comprising a multi-polar rotor wheel having permanently magnetized poles, a stator having one or more windings providing the AC current and an eccentric mass driving the permanently magnetized rotor wheel; the rotor wheel, the stator and the eccentric mass being mounted coaxially, a transmission being arranged between the eccentric mass and the rotor wheel. According to the invention the transmission is a loose coupling means to be tightened by magnetic fields between the poles of the rotor wheel and the respective poles of the stator.

Claims

1. An electric power supply system for portable miniature size power consuming devices, comprising an AC generator, a rechargeable battery and a charging device to be fed from the AC generator and maintaining the battery charging level, the AC generator comprising a multi-polar rotor wheel having permanently magnetized poles, a stator having one or more windings providing an AC current and an eccentric mass driving the permanently magnetized rotor wheel;

the rotor wheel, the stator and the eecentric mass being mounted coaxially, a transmission being arranged between the eccentric mass and the rotor wheel characterized in that the transmission is a loose coupling means that selectively engages the rotor wheel by overcoming magnetic fields interacting between the poles of the rotor wheel and the respective poles of the stator, wherein the loose coupling means comprises a spring member, one terminal portion thereof being attached to the rotor wheel, the eccentric mass comprising means for engaging the opposite terminal portion of the spring member.

2. A system according to claim 1 characterized in that the stator poles are claw poles.

3. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the engaging means comprise a pair of projections at an inner rim of the eccentric mass defining a clearance along said inner rim, and that the spring member is a relatively rigid leaf spring, its opposite terminal portion penetrating into the clearance.

4. A system according to claim 3, characterized in that the said clearance is only sufficient to permit a true elastic flexure of the leaf spring when overcoming a moment of adhesion being caused by the magnetic fields between the stator and the rotor wheel.

5. A system according to claim 3, characterized in that said clearance substantially comprises an angular space between two subsequent magnetic poles.

6. A system according to claim 5, characterized in that the relatively rigid leaf spring at the said opposite terminal portion comprises a hammer head.

7. A system according to claim 6, characterized in that the hammer head is resilient in both stroke directions.

8. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring member is a relatively compliant leaf spring and that the engaging means hold the opposite terminal portion of the leaf spring in the inner rim of the eccentric mass.

12. A system according to claim 4, characterized in that the stator poles are claw poles.

9. An electric power supply system for portable miniature size power consuming devices, comprising an AC generator, a rechargeable battery and a charging device to be fed from the AC generator and maintaining the battery charging level, the AC generator comprising a multi-polar rotor wheel having permanently magnetized poles, a stator having one or more windings providing an AC current and an eccentric mass driving the permanently magnetized rotor wheel;

the rotor wheel, the stator and the eccentric mass being mounted coaxially, a transmission being arranged between the eccentric mass and the rotor wheel characterized in that the transmission is a loose coupling means that selectively engages the rotor wheel by overcoming magnetic fields interacting between the poles of the rotor wheel and the respective poles of the stator, wherein the loose coupling means comprises a plate attached to the rotor wheel carrying along its periphery a torus-shaped tube divided into one or more sealed sections, the eccentric mass comprising an amount of material distributed over the tube sections, the volume of the distributed material in each tube section being considerably less than the volume of the respective tube section so as to be able to move within said tube section, such movement causing a lurching movement of said plate which, in turn, overcomes the magnetic fields interacting between the poles of the rotor and the poles of the stator to cause rotation of said rotor wheel until the poles of said rotor wheel against interact with the respective poles of said stator.

10. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that the material is a heavy liquid.

11. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that the material is globularly shaped.