Flywheel power source device

• US 6,172,435 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shinko Engineering Co., Ltd. (Kobe Steel Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Furai Hoile KK
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Nestor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lam, Thanh
• Application Number:
  US09/422,326
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 310/74, 310/90, 310/90.5, 310/75.D, 310/103
• US Class Current: 310/74
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 23/048 for axial load mainly
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/025 for power storage
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/086 radially supporting the rotor around a fixed spindle; radially supporting the rotor directly H02K7/09 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids

Abstract

A flywheel power source device for converting electric energy into kinetic energy and for storing the kinetic energy by rotating a flywheel of which rotary shaft is rotatably supported by a bearing mounted in a casing at high speed, wherein the kinetic energy is reconverted into electric energy when necessary; the flywheel power source device is provided with a rotational fulcrum at a bottom of the rotary shaft and a center of gravity of the flywheel being positioned on a line of action of a resultant force of magnetic attractive forces acting on the flywheel.

Claims

1. A flywheel power source device for converting electric energy into kinetic energy, for storing kinetic energy, and for reconverting kinetic energy into electric energy when necessary, comprising:

a casing;

a flywheel configured to rotate at a selected speed within said casing;

a rotary shaft for supporting said flywheel;

a bearing mounted in said casing and rotatably supporting said rotary shaft; and

a rotational fulcrum at a bottom end of said rotary shaft;

wherein said flywheel has a center of gravity positioned on a line of action of a resultant force of magnetic attractive forces acting on said flywheel, said line of action acting on said rotational fulcrum at said bottom end of said rotary shaft.

2. A flywheel power source device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said line of action of a resultant force of magnetic attractive forces acting on said flywheel coincides with a center line of a rotatable iron core mounted on a side of said flywheel and a center line of static iron core mounted on a side of said casing.

3. The flywheel power source device according to claim 1, wherein a center line of a rotatable iron core mounted on a side of said flywheel is aligned with a center line of a static iron core mounted on a side of said casing, and said rotational fulcrum of said rotary shaft and said center of gravity of said flywheel are positioned on said center lines of said iron cores.

4. A flywheel power source device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a touch-down bearing of an outer-ring-rotating type having a plurality of ball bearings operable to separate a circular recessed portion of said flywheel from said plurality of ball bearings.