Passing vehicle electricity generator

Abstract

Means of generating electrical power by using the weight of traffic passing over a section of a roadway 3. Hinged 4, 6 metal plates 1, 2 situated on rollers 8 and springs 5 are depressed by vehicles p

Description

This invention (which is a simplified version of traffic activated electricity generator) is designed to provide a means of contributing additional power to the national grid or auxiliary power for any local factory5 or premises. The basic principle is that of the weight of passing vehicles pressing down on plates which have connected to their undersides working cogs on shafts connected to a dynamo. For this purpose, a special raised laneway is created, made of wood, steel, or galvanised iron mounted on supporting girders. The girders are configured to be fitted as necessary5 to act as supports for the mechanical parts below. The laneway has a small pavement and guard rails as seen on normal roads. The laneway and the plates laid on it are striated against skidding. The laneways are made up of short pre-fabricated units which can be bolted together to make any required length and are 3.5 metres across raised one metre above ground level with entrance and exit ramps. To realise the desired objective, pairs of hinged steel plates are used, over springs - the leading edge of the plate facing oncoming traffic is on hinges bolted to the frame and this plate is broader than the second plate which is hinged to it at the top but is free to slide on its downwards side -the second plates are on rollers. All plates are laid full length across the laneway leaving a gap of 200mm each edge of them. These plates are compressed flat on the laneway by passing vehicles and the trailing plate has rollers under it running in a shallow trough with a grill base for drainage. Powerful springs are welded to the underside of the leading plate near its apex and are held in place in two parts which telescope into one another. The bottom half of the spring, which faces against the plate at an angle, is fixed to a supporting girder. COGGED METAL SEMI-CIRCLES Semi-circular disc-segments are fixed to the undersides of the leading plates, parallel with the sipings, and these segments descend through apertures in the laneway when depressed. The segments have external protruding rims and these rims are cogged inside. When the segments are depressed they turn one-way cogs which are fixed to side-shafts and these shafts and cogs are in a semi-circular slot inside the segment (see diagram). The side-shafts terminate with helix gears to connect to the main shaft, but to guard against sudden shock damage shock absorbers are fitted in front of them in the form of fluid flywheels, or Inertia Bendix (formerly common on car starter motors). The main shaft takes any number of side-shafts as required and terminates with a flywheel which may also be fluid where necessary and a governor, a gearbox to increase revolution and a dynamo. Instead of a laneway, the equipment can be installed directly in a trench across the road, with a concrete base and cemented in with a large top overlapping the road with a slot for the disc segment and also it will require four very strong springs. A single shaft with flywheel etc will lead out to the generating equipment, also in an underground compartment. For a trench, as shown in the diagram and the claim, one large disc segment under larger, longer plates is also a method of electricity generation. KEY PASSING VEHICLE ELECTRICITY GENERATOR THE SEMI-DISC SEGMENTS & SPRING 1 The 2 Segment hinge on one-level 3 The one-way cog and shaft remain in position while in the slot whilst the disc segment rides up and down around them 4 The one-way cog on the shaft 5 The coggec rim of the segment 6 The laneway level 7 The trailing plate 8 The leading plate to which the segment is attached 9 Leading plate hinge of laneway 10 Lower case of telescopic spring holders 11 Upperside 12 Unders i de of leading plate PASSING VEHICLE ELECTRICITY GENERATOR SIMPLIFIED DIAGRAM OF PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION 1 Laneway with plate 2 Sidewalk to laneway and guard rail 3 5 powerful springs under plate are depressed by car 4 Semi-disc segments with cogs, activates one-way cogs on side-shafts 5 Shaft connects to main-shaft connected to a flywheel and gearing up for generator THE LANE WAY 116 Girder support 117 Exit ramp 118 Access Apertures 119 Safety side walks 120 Ramp Entrance 121 Leading Plate 122 Trailing Plate KEY PASSING VEHICLE ELECTRICITY GENERATOR ONE LARGE PLATE One large set of plates set in the roadway with the mechanism set in a concreted trench below'. Four powerful springs and two disc segments with direct single shaft drive to the generating equipment. 1 Front plate 2 Trailing plate 3 Road surface 4 Front first section hinged and sunk onto road 5 Four powerful springs 6 Apex of plates hinged 7 Disc segment with cogged underside of rim 8 Roller under end of trailing plate keeps it just a fraction off the road 9 Front plate end broader and flat, slightly curled up 10 Single shaft from one-way cog direc: to generator 11 All area in dotted lines in trench underground 11 Uppersiae 12 The one-way cog ILLUSTRATION OF SEMI-DISC SEGMENTS Three are shown here. The norm is five across the laneway fixed to the underside of the trailing plate. Springs (slightly inclined) in telescopic cases, also five in number, are situated on the outsides and between them the tops of the springs fixed to the trailing plate and the base to a girder under the laneway. Only one is shown here. KEY PASSING VEHICLE ELECTRICITY GENERATOR THE SEMI-DISC SEGMENTS & SPRING 1 The metal disc segment 2 Segment hinge on one-level 3 The one-way cog and shaft remain in position while in the slot whilst the disc segment rides up and down around them 4 The one-way cog on the shaft 5 The cogged rim of the segment 6 The laneway level 7 The trailing plate 8 The leading plate to which the segment is attached 9 Leading plate hinge of laneway 10 Lower case of telescopic spring holders 11 Upperside 12 Underside of leading plate PASSING VEHICLE ELECTRICITY GENERATOR

Claims

CLAIM 1A means of generating electricity whereby is used the weight of vehicles passing over hinged metal plates over springs on a specially constructed metal or wooden laneway, the plates having cogged semi-circular discs under them acting on shafts connected to generating equipmentCLAIM 2A means of generating electricity according to Claim 1 whereby is used a special flat metal or wooden surface raised lane-way having apertures at intervalsCLAIM 3A means of generating electricity whereby the surface of the laneway and the plates are stratified to reduce risk of skiddingCLAIM 4A means of generating electricity whereby hinged metal plates across the laneway are usedCLAIM 5A means of generating electricity whereby the first traffic facing plates have fixed strong slightly mward-facing springs under them holding them and the second trailing plate aloftCLAIM 6A means of generating electricity whereby the initial short portion of the first plate is bolted to the laneway and then hingedCLAIM 7A means of generating electricity whereby the apex of the two plates is hinged right across their lengthCLAIMSA means of generating electricity whereby the second plate has rollers under which run in a shallow grill-bottomed trough in the laneway when the plate is depressedCLAIM 9A means of generating electricity whereby semi-circular discs are used, fixed to the undersides of the leading platesCLAIM 10A means of generating electricity reference Claim 9 above whereby these discs segments have inward facing rimsCLAIM 11A means of generating electricity reference Claim 10 above whereby these internal rims have cogged edges■ I ^^^11A means of generating electricity reference Claim 11 above whereby one-way cogs on side-shafts are rotated by the cogged rimsCLAIM 13A means of generating electricity reference Claim 12 above whereby these side-shafts and one-wray cogs operate in slits in the semi-circular segments (see Diagram)CLAIM 14A means of generating electricity reference Claim 13 above whereby the side-shafts terminate in a shock absorber sy stem and a helix gearCLAIM 15A means of generating electricity reference Claim 14 above whereby fluid flywheels are fitted or inertia bendix (formerly common on car starter motors)CLAIM 16A means of generating electricity reference Claim 15 above whereby a second helix gears are on the main shaft, which can take any number of side-shafts as needed and connects to a fluid fywheel (if necessaiy) governor, gearbox to increase revolutions and a dynamoCLAIM 17A means of generating electricity whereby all claim and description details remain the same but there is only one large disc segment and one set of large platesCLAIM 18*A means of generating electricity whereby instead of a pre-constructed laneway a trench is dug across the road surface and side to take the equipmentCLAIM 19A means of generating electricity whereby the size of the project is increased to consist of a front plate 9 metres from leading edge to apex and a trailing plate of 5 metresCLAIM 20A means of generating electricity whereby the trailing plate has large rollers nears it end near the road and which run directly onto the roadCLAIM 21A means of generating electricity whereby the equipment ha a large lid around its top which overlaps the road and has a large slot for the disc segmentCLAIM 22A means of generating electricity whereby equipment is increased in size to consist of a disc segment with an outer circumference of 4 metres and 4 larger stronger springsCLAIM 23A means of generating electricity whereby the shaft from the one way cog leads directly to the fluid flywheel (or other) and the generating equipment

Images