Flashlight with self-provided power supply means

• US 5,552,973 A
• Filed: 01/16/1996
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chih-Hsien Hsu
• Original Assignee: Chih-Hsien Hsu
• Inventors: Hsu, Chih-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Yeung, James C.
• Application Number:
  US08/584,953
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• Field of Search: 362/192, 362/193, 362/183, 362/205, 362/208, 362/157, 320/2, 320/7, 320/61, 322/38, 322/30
• US Class Current: 362/192
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 13/06 with mechanical drive, e.g. spring

Abstract

A flashlight, which includes a traction-driven power generating device and a battery connected in parallel to the lamp through a switch, wherein the traction-driven power generating device includes a driving wheel turned by a traction cable, a spiral spring, which turns the driving wheel reversely to take up the traction cable after each traction, an one-way rotary member meshed with the driving wheel, an induction coil, and a flywheel coupled to the one-way rotary member by a clutch means and driven by the one-way rotary member to turn a magnet relative to the induction coil, causing the induction coil to produce electricity.

Claims

1. A flashlight comprising:

a housing having a hub on the inside;

a flywheel having a wheel axle turned between two axle bearings inside said housing, a magnet fixedly mounted around said wheel axle, and a circular bottom recess;

an one-way rotary member mounted around the wheel axle of said flywheel at a bottom side, said one-way rotary member comprising a base disposed in the circular recess of said flywheel, and a toothed portion around the periphery, the base of said one-way rotary member comprising a sloping recess at one side, a metal plate mounted within said sloping recess, and a rotary pin moved on said metal plate in said sloping recess between the operative position in which said rotary pin is forced by centrifugal force into engagement with the periphery of the circular recess of said flywheel upon the rotary motion of said one-way rotary member in one direction, and the non-operative position in which said rotary pin is forced away from the periphery of the circular recess of said flywheel upon the rotary motion of said one-way member in the reversed direction;

an induction coil fixedly mounted inside said housing around the magnet of said flywheel;

a driving wheel turned on said hub, said driving wheel having a toothed portion around the periphery meshed with the toothed portion of said one-way rotary member, and a bottom recess;

a spiral spring mounted around said hub within the bottom recess of said driving wheel, having one end fixedly secured to said hub and an opposite end fixedly secured to said driving wheel;

a traction cable having one end fastened to said driving wheel, and an opposite end wound round said driving wheel and coupled with a handle outside said housing;

a switch;

a lamp mounted in said housing at one end and connected to said induction coil through said switch; and

a battery mounted in said housing at an opposite end and connected to said induction coil through said switch in parallel to said induction coil;

wherein when said traction rope is pulled to turn said driving wheel, said one-way rotary member is driven by said driving wheel to turn said flywheel, causing said induction coil induced by said magnet to produce electricity;

after each traction, said spiral spring pulls said driving wheel to take up said traction cable.