Road shock energy converter for charging vehicle batteries
Energy, from road bed jolts, expended against the wheels and axle or axle housing of either a self-propelled or a trailer vehicle so as to cause the axle to rise and fall is transmitted to a rotatable shaft through a reciprocatory-to-rotary motion transformer. The transformer includes elongated double rack housings containing compression springs which engage shorter double racks that slide relative to their housings. Due to inertia and the time required to compress the springs, the motion of the racks lags behind the road-shock induced motions of their respective rack housings. The compressed springs expand and push their respective racks into the end spaces opened up within their respective housings, and thus the moving racks belatedly rotate their respective pinions, which are provided with oppositely-acting unidirectional clutches. The consequent intermittent rotation of the shaft is rendered continuous by a flywheel on the shaft. The rotation of the shaft drives an electric current generator, the electric current output from which is fed to storage batteries, either the propulsion batteries of an electric vehicle or auxiliary storage batteries to charge these batteries. Compression springs engaging the ends of the racks, in addition to transmitting the road-shock-induced motions of the housings and axle to the clutches and shaft, also cushion the shocks which might otherwise damage the mechanism. 2 figures.
- Assignee:
- TIC; ERA-02-059861; EDB-77-139743
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4032829
- OSTI ID:
- 7095428
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 22 Aug 1975
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
BATTERY CHARGERS
DESIGN
ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLES
VEHICLES
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ENERGY CONVERSION
IMPACT SHOCK
CONVERSION
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
250903* - Energy Storage- Batteries- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
250904 - Energy Storage- Batteries- Other Applications
330300 - Advanced Propulsion Systems- Electric-Powered Systems