Gravity dropped small weapon electronic safe arm fuze and energy harvesting device for power generation onboard gravity dropped weapons

• US 9,383,180 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitek Partners LLC
• Original Assignee: Omnitek Partners LLC
• Inventors: Rastegar, Jahangir S, Murray, Richard T
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US13/797,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20140060367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 290/53, 340/545.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 25/00 Fall bombs F42B10/00, F42B12/00 take precedence; for practice or training F42B8/12 ; gliding type bombs F42B15/105
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 11/008 Power generation in electric fuzes F42C11/02, F42C11/04 and F42C15/295 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 11/02 with piezo-crystal
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 15/40 wherein the safety or arming action is effected electrically
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/108 with friction clutches
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/116 with gears
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1807 Rotary generators H02K7/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1853 driven by intermittent forces
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/006 Means for protecting the generator by using control H02H7/06 takes precedence; control effected upon generator excitation circuit to reduce harmful effects of overloads or transients H02P9/10

Abstract

A generator including: a member having a cable wound thereon, the cable having a free end; a spring for storing energy as the cable is unwound from the member by pulling on the free end; and an electromagnetic generator operatively connected to the member such that rotation of the member is transferred to an input side of the electromagnetic generator after the cable is unwound from the member and the stored energy in the spring turns the member.

Claims

1. A generator comprising:

a drum having a cable wound thereon, the cable having a free end, wherein the drum includes a drum gear which turns with the drum, the cable being releasable from the drum after being unwound from the drum;

a spring for storing energy as the cable is unwound from the drum by pulling on the free end;

an electromagnetic generator operatively connected to the drum such that rotation of the drum is transferred to an input side of the electromagnetic generator after the cable is unwound from the drum and the stored energy in the spring turns the member, wherein the electromagnetic generator includes a generator input gear on the input side at least indirectly connected to the drum gear; and

a clutch having a clutch input gear engaged with the drum gear and a clutch output gear engaged with the generator input gear, wherein the clutch is configured to transfer rotation of the clutch input gear to rotation of the clutch output gear after the cable is unwound and released from the drum and the stored energy in the spring turns the drum.

2. The generator of claim 1, further comprising a casing having an opening to expose the free end of the cable.

3. The generator of claim 2, wherein the spring has a first end connected to the drum and a second end connected to the casing.

4. The generator of claim 1, further comprising a shaft connecting the drum and the clutch input gear.

5. The generator of claim 4, wherein the spring has a first end connected to the drum and a second end connected to the shaft.

6. The generator of claim 5, further comprising a flywheel having an input selectively engaged with an output of the clutch output gear and an output operatively connected to an input of the electromagnetic generator.

7. The generator of claim 6, further comprising a mechanism for locking and unlocking the flywheel.

8. The generator of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic generator is electrically connected to a device for providing power to a component of the device.

9. The generator of claim 8, wherein the device is a munition.

10. The generator of claim 2, further comprising a secondary generator for producing power resulting from motion of the casing.

11. The generator of claim 10, wherein the secondary generator is one or more piezoelectric elements.