Earth/gyro power transducer
First Claim
1. A planetary inertial power source comprising:
- (a) a gyroscope comprising;
(i) a rotor with a rotor axis;
(ii) inner gimbal member having an inner gimbal axis and journalling said rotor to rotate about said rotor axis;
(iii) an angularly space-stable outer gimbal member journalling said inner gimbal member to rotate about said inner gimbal axis, said outer gimbal member having an outer gimbal axis orthogonal to said inner gimbal axis;
(b) a frame member orientationally fixed to the earth such that the outer gimbal axis is substantially parallel to the earth'"'"'s polar axis and journaling said outer gimbal to rotate about said outer gimbal axis;
(c) a power transducer coupled between two of said members such that relative motion between the spatially rotating earth and the space-stable outer gimbal generates a gyroscopic precessionally-derived reaction torque that drives said power transducer to produce output power; and
,(d) re-precessing means for providing reorientational torques about an axis in an equatorial plane and about the polar axis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This specification describes a completely new and different concept, method, mechanization, apparatus configuration and sequencing procedure for obtaining commercially useful energy and power, namely: the use of a gyroscope to generate output power from the earth'"'"'s stored inertial rotational (flywheel) energy by fixing the housing of the gyroscope to the earth and using the rotation of the earth relative to the gyroscope'"'"'s spatially stable rotor/gimbal assembly to rotate the input shaft(s) of a power transducer(s). This provides a power-output stroke over a near 180° precession excursion (near pole-to-pole alignment) until the rotor spin axis of the gyroscope is nearly aligned with the polar axis of the earth. Re-precession torques are then created on the inner gimbal within the gyroscope to re-orient the rotor spin axis vector direction by re-precessing the rotor spin by somewhat more than 180° to the near polar alignment direction required for the resumption of power output in a manner requiring essentially zero energy and power to provide relatively continuous, but intermittent, power output generation along with a multi-unit assembly for producing continuous uninterrupted power output.
An "Advanced Concept" based on rate gyro characteristics showing promise of enhanced performance is included.
23 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A planetary inertial power source comprising:
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(a) a gyroscope comprising; (i) a rotor with a rotor axis; (ii) inner gimbal member having an inner gimbal axis and journalling said rotor to rotate about said rotor axis; (iii) an angularly space-stable outer gimbal member journalling said inner gimbal member to rotate about said inner gimbal axis, said outer gimbal member having an outer gimbal axis orthogonal to said inner gimbal axis; (b) a frame member orientationally fixed to the earth such that the outer gimbal axis is substantially parallel to the earth'"'"'s polar axis and journaling said outer gimbal to rotate about said outer gimbal axis; (c) a power transducer coupled between two of said members such that relative motion between the spatially rotating earth and the space-stable outer gimbal generates a gyroscopic precessionally-derived reaction torque that drives said power transducer to produce output power; and
,(d) re-precessing means for providing reorientational torques about an axis in an equatorial plane and about the polar axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An inertial power source comprising:
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(a) a gyroscope having a rotor, a gimballing mechanism rotationally mounting said rotor and a frame member mounting said gimballing mechanism including an outer inherently angularly space-stable gimbal; (b) said frame being rigidly fixed to the earth against relative angular displacement; (c) mechanical power transducer means coupled between said gimballing mechanism and said frame member to output power and energy; (d) re-precessing means for providing a reorientational torque about an axis in the equatorial plane, and means for applying torque about the polar axis to transition the re-precessional axis across the equatorial plane to avoid gimbal lock. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of extracting energy from a gyroscope system using the rotation of the earth comprising:
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(a) with a gyroscope having at least one inherently angularly spatially stable gimbal member and being journalled in a frame member, fixing said frame member non-angularly-displaceably to the earth such that as the earth rotates precession torques on the gyroscope rotor spin axis cause said at least one gimbal member to precess in said frame member; and (b) with a mechanical energy transducer coupled between two of said members, transducing power and energy from the relative motion and precession-inducing torque therebetween and outputting same as a net positive energy output from the system. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification