Electricity Generating Device by Applying Vehicle Weight

• US 20100051389A1
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ming-Cheng Chen
• Original Assignee: Ming-Cheng Chen
• Inventors: CHEN, Ming-Cheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,251,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 185/27
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/08 recovering energy derived from swinging, rolling, pitching or like movements, e.g. from the vibrations of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1853 driven by intermittent forces

Abstract

In an electricity generating device by applying vehicle weight, a rolling vehicle wheel is weighting down on a pressure receiver to actuate a driving mechanism having a restoring function. It is then able to provide a unidirectional rotating torque to drive a generating device to produce electrical power. The mechanical power transmission is performed by a transmission gear unit composed of a driving wheel and a follower wheel interconnected each other with a transmission means therebetween. When the vehicle weight is applied to the driving mechanism by pressing the vehicle wheel on the pressure receiver, the driving mechanism is forced to downwardly urge a ratchet wheel and a driving wheel to rotate that in turn causes the rotation of the follower wheel through the transmission means thereby driving the generating device to operate to produce electricity. The driving mechanism can recover its initial state with the aid of a balancing weight as soon as it has been liberate from the exerted pressure of the vehicle wheel. The device is to be installed flush with the road surface to work.

Claims

1. An electricity generating device by applying vehicle weight, utilizing a driver with restoring force, wherein said driver is able to provide a continuous unidirectional rotating torque to drive a generator to output electrical energy when being exerted a vehicle weight.

2. The generating device of claim 1, wherein said driver comprises a pressure receiver and a restoring element forming a predetermined angle therebetween and are hinged together onto a mandrel.

3. The generating device of claim 2, wherein said angle formed between said pressure receiver and said restoring element is designed to have a value according to predetermined angular swinging speed of said driver.

4. The generating device of claim 2, wherein said restoring element is provided with at least one balancing weight.

5. The generating device of claim 1, wherein a transmission gear unit is employed to provide said device with a continuous unidirectional rotating torque, said device further comprises a driving wheel and a follower wheel, the mechanical power output of said driving wheel is transmitted to said follower wheel, said driving wheel is composed of a ratchet wheel, several ratchet pawls and an external wheel, said ratchet wheel is engaged to said mandrel with more than one ratchet pawls distributed around its rim, an elastic element is interposed between each said ratchet pawl and said ratchet wheel serving as a cushion, said external wheel is rotatably sleeved on said mandrel and having several detents formed along the inner circumference thereof, and said detents are to be in mesh with said ratchet pawls.

6. The generating device of claim 5, wherein said transmission gear unit further employs a transmission means to transmit the mechanical output of said driving wheel to said follower wheel.

7. The generating device of claim 6, wherein said transmission means may select one of the transmission ways from variable speed transmission, belt drive, chain drive, worm gearing, friction drive, and transmission gearing.

8. The generating device of claim 5, wherein said follower wheel is engaged with said generator, and said driving wheel is engaged with said ratchet wheel so as to control said driving wheel to make only unidirectional rotation to drive said follower wheel thereby driving said generator to output electricity.

9. The generating device of claim 1, wherein said driver comprises a pressure receiver and a restoring element, said pressure receiver is an elongated strip shaped plate serrated along at least one edge, and restoring element is a spring capable of bringing said pressure receiver back to its initial position.

10. The generating device of claim 9, wherein a transmission gear unit is employed to provide said device with a continuous unidirectional rotating torque, said device further comprises a driving wheel and a follower wheel, the mechanical power output of said driving wheel is transmitted to said follower wheel, said driving wheel is composed of a ratchet wheel, several ratchet pawls, an external wheel to form an external gear unit, said ratchet wheel is engaged to said mandrel with more than one ratchet pawls distributed around its rim, an elastic element is interposed between each said ratchet pawl and said ratchet wheel serving as a cushion, said external wheel is rotatably sleeved on said mandrel and having several detents formed along the inner circumference thereof, and said detents are to be in mesh with said ratchet pawls, said external gear unit is sleeved on the mandrel of said driving wheel to convert the linear motion of said pressure receiver into the rotation of said external gear unit.